Sober Truths about the Messianic Message

Introduction

Recently, we have been exploring David’s Messianic Psalms on Sunday night and Wednesday night.

As a companion to that, this morning we will start working through Isaiah 53, one of the most well-known and widely used passage in the New Testament about either the Messiah or the message of the Messiah.

By some reckonings, the New Testament either quotes directly or alludes to every single passage of this chapter.

One key thought about the Messianic Psalms and the book of Isaiah is that the New Testament reveals the essential importance of the scriptures as the authority on the person of Messiah.

There were things that had to happen to the Messiah because the prophecies of scripture necessitated it thus.

If Jesus is the savior, the Messiah, then his life has to follow the standard established by God in the scriptures.

The Messiah cannot be any Jew; he must be a descendant of David.

Equally, the scriptures establish additional constraints.

This morning I hope to accomplish two objectives:

To establish from Isaiah 1 the depth of Israel and Judah’s problem with God.

To look at Isaiah 53:1 and the sobering problems about the Messianic message.

Background

Isaiah prophesied in the 8th century BC, that is the 700s. Most likely he prophesied in mid to late part of that century, an approximately 40-60 year span from, at a minimum, the end of Uzziah’s reign in 736 BC to about 687 BC.

In the early chapters, the first 39, in various ways, and at various times, the book records the Lord’s indictment against his people thus establishing the evidence against them.

Isaiah does not merely warn like Jonah did Nineveh.

Isaiah warns that given the depth of Judah’s evil, divine destruction will take place.

Beginning in chapter 40, the tone of Isaiah changes.

It becomes hopeful.

The Lord promises to come to Israel and save them through “His Servant.”

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is the last of what some scholars see as four “Servant Songs.”

Is. 42:1-7: Song One

Is. 49:1-6: Song Two

Is. 50:4-9: Song Three

Israel had a deep problem:

God loathed their sacrifices.

They nominally worshipped Him. They were not serious about Him and certainly were not serious about obeying His word.

How could you be forgiven if God loathed your sacrifices?

How could you offer sacrifices if you were no longer living in the land or had access to the Temple?

These are not questions to be dismissed lightly because forgiveness of sins, which God promised to them, must have a sacrifice - Leviticus teaches this.

Isaiah 53:1: Two Questions

In its first question, the passage expresses the biblical truth that it is difficult for most people to believe the message of the Messiah.

Why humanity needs salvation is easy to understand.

Why God would provide salvation is easy to grasp:

He loves us.

He is loving.

The way God provided salvation has always been the difficult part.

1 Corinthians 1 : Paul explains this. There is a division among people.

Isaiah’s language “report” makes it straightforward that the problem has never been a lack of information.

Belief of the revealed information has always been the issue.

The verb “believed” used by Isaiah is Hiphil. TWOT: “it basically means “to cause to be certain, sure” or “to be certain about,” “to be assured.” In this sense the word in the Hiphil conjugation is the biblical word for “to believe” and shows that biblical faith is an assurance, a certainty, in contrast with modern concepts of faith as something possible, hopefully true, but not certain” (I:51).

Romans 10:16 “Ἀλλʼ οὐ πάντες ὑπήκουσαν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ. Ἠσαΐας γὰρ λέγει· κύριε, τίς ἐπίστευσεν τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν;”

In its second question, the passage expresses dismay or wonder at the number (perhaps) of those who understand the nature of God’s salvation.

This question follows from the first for if few have believed the message, then it might be natural to ask as a corollary to that to whom has the Lord’s arm been disclosed.

The explanation that follows in Isaiah 53:2 frames Isaiah’s initial questions.

Something about the subject matter itself is difficult to understand.

Who would see “the arm of the Lord” in the description of this person?

Thoughts

Believing the truth is always the problem for humanity of all ethnicities and times.

You and I should be very cautious about assuming that people will instantly understand the message of the Messiah.

We may not like to think that discernment and careful thought must accompany hearing the Messianic message before someone can understand and appreciate the way God has provided His salvation for Israel and for the world.