The Gospel According To Isaiah (Is. 52:13-53:12)

[Guest shiloh357]

The Gospel According To Isaiah

by Shiloh357

Introduction

I am now embarking upon a study of Isaiah 53. It is unquestionably one of the most poignant and well known prophecies of Jesus and His work upon the cross. It stands as the flagship of Messianic prophecy, and many unbelievers have spent more time trying re-interpret this particular passage of Scripture. Isaiah 53 is the fourth of four "Servant Songs" in the book of Isaiah. Actually the prophecy really begins in Isaiah 52:13. I will begin there, and we will work our way through this prophecy with great care.

To the unpredjudiced reader the identity of Servant depicted here is unmistakenly Jesus, or as He is also known, Yeshua HaMaschiach. Years ago I attended classes at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar Mo. My Old Testament History professor (who was also a genius with the Hebrew language), was talking to a Jewish woman, once. Without citing the reference, he read the passage where it says, "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed." She responded, I am Jewish! I do NOT read the New Testament!!! My Professor responded, "But Ma'am, I am reading from the prophet Isaiah out of the Old Testament!!" He added, "Jesus was Jewish too." She responded, "Yes but didn't He convert to Christianity??? This woman who only read the Old Testament (Tanakh), automatically recognized Jesus in that passage. Without knowing any better she recognized the suffering Servant being discussed as Jesus. It was so clear to her, that she mistook the book of Isaiah for a New Testament book!!

It may come as a surprise but Isaiah 53 is not read EVER in any Synagogue. The Jewish people have 52 Torah portions that are read every Sabbath, and 52 portions from the prophets that are also read. Isaiah 53 is passed over in the book of Isaiah, nowadays. In 1100 A.D., the Torah scholar RASHI was the first to begin trying to counter Jewish people being born again. He was the first to proffer the notion that Isaiah 53 was speaking of Israel, not Jesus. As you will see in this study the theological gymnastics required to support that notion are mindboggling. I will be providing refutations to the rabbinic arguments which declare this to be a reference to Israel.

I hope that you, the reader, will enjoy this study. I know that it is going to be a lot of fun for me.

Shalom Aleichem, Chaverim!!

[Guest shiloh357]

Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

(Isaiah 52:13)

henei, yahs-keel avdi ya-room v'nisah v'gah-vah me-od.

Behold, my servant... My Servant, avdi in Hebrew. It means bondman. This was the heart of Jesus. Jesus was a servant. He said, "I am not come to be served but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many." The servant heart of Jesus was soooo evident in His ministry. Jesus often ministered at times when anyone else would have sent the people away. Jesus ministered when He was tired, when He was grieving the death of His cousin John. Love is a servant, and Jesus lived that out perfectly. Jesus was never untouchable, or unreachable. Jesus never performed a miracle for His own benefit. All of his power, all of his love was for the ones He loved.

... shall deal prudently... This verse is a good example of a "parallelism" in Hebrew. We are shown the way He achieves greatness, and we also see the increasing greatness itself. Yahs-keel comes from a root word and is used to refer to prosperity many times in Scripture. We see it used as "prosper" in in Joshua 1:7-8; 2Kings 18:7; Jeremiah. 10:21, and Proverbs 17:8. I tend to agree with most scholars that it should more adequately be rendered "prosper." It fits the context a bit better when read together with vv. 14 & 15. Not only that but it fits with context of the rest of the prophecy especially as we get down to Is. 53:10, "...and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand."

I think that Keil and Delitsch make an excellent point that "prudently" is not altogether inappropriate:

השׂכּיל by itself means simply to gain, prove, or act with intelligence (lxx συνήσει); and then, since intelligent action, as a rule, is also effective, it is used as synonymous with הצליח, הכשׁהיר, to act with result, i.e., so as to be successful. Hence it is only by way of sequence that the idea of

[Guest shiloh357]

As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

(Isaiah 52:14-15)

ka-asher shammu aleikha rah-beem kane-mishkhat mae-eesh marayhu v'toahro mi-bane adam: kane yaz-zeh goyim rah-beem ah-layiv yik-p'tsu m'lakhim pee-hem kee asher losoopahr leh-hem rah-oo vah-asher lo- shah-moo hith-bonahnoo.

As many were astonished at thee; This refers to astonishment at His humility, as we shall see. The word for "astonishment" is shammu and refers to be stopped in silence. To be struck speechless.

...his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men His "visage," or marayhu refers not to his general appearance, or the general apparent condition of His body upon sight. To say his appearance was marred is an understatement really, in english. The word used here for "marred" is mishkhat and denotes a defacing or disfigurement. The things Jesus went through even before the cross are too horrific to describe. The movie, "The Passion of the Christ" came as close as possible to depicting the horror of what the Romans most likely inflicted upon the Lord prior to His crucifixion. He was disfigured more than any man. Isaiah sees a man whose body, whose form is so marred, so defaced, that He does not even look human!!

So shall he sprinkle many nations; There are two schools of thought on this phrase, particularly where the word "sprinkle" is concerned. Some scholars render the word yaz-zeh as "startle," or "surprise." This is because of renderings of the word in similar form in other cognitive languages and manuscripts. It also stems from applying the word in its various forms from other areas of the Bible. The idea is that if men were astonished at His humility, they will startled, taken completely by surprise at glorification, seeing that His accomplishments are without precedent.

The word yaz-zeh refers to sprinkling and speaks to the purification of the nations. This would be in keeping with how a Hebraic mind would approach the word as it is used here. We also find this word used throughout the Torah (first five books of Moses) in connection with the blood sprinkled upon the mercyseat of the Ark of the Covenant, the sprinkling of water with the hyssop branch upon a leper, and the ashes of the red heifer upon those who had touched a dead body. All of these indicate that purification is what is taking place.

I see this first phrase in 52:15, as a reference to the Servant-Messiah as Priest. He who was abhorred, and considered unclean is the one who will sprinkle or purify the nations as the High Priest in the order of Melchi-Tzedek. It should not be left out, that one of the references to the "suffering Messiah" in Rabbinic literature was, "the leper of Rabbi's school.

[traveller]

I have much anticipated this study Brother. I will follow it closely.

[angels4u]

Years ago I attended classes at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar Mo. My Old Testament History professor (who was also a genius with the Hebrew language), was talking to a Jewish woman, once. Without citing the reference, he read the passage where it says, "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed." She responded, I am Jewish! I do NOT read the New Testament!!! My Professor responded, "But Ma'am, I am reading from the prophet Isaiah out of the Old Testament!!" He added, "Jesus was Jewish too." She responded, "Yes but didn't He convert to Christianity??? This woman who only read the Old Testament (Tanakh), automatically recognized Jesus in that passage. Without knowing any better she recognized the suffering Servant being discussed as Jesus. It was so clear to her, that she mistook the book of Isaiah for a New Testament book!!

I just love love love that part and believe that many people will recognize Jesus through this bible verse someday soon!!

Thank you Shiloh for your study about this

[Guest shiloh357]

Seven Reasons Why Isaiah 53 Is Not Talking about Israel

Before going any further, I want stop here and discuss the identity of the one being spoken of in Isaiah 53. As I said before, the Rabbis have told us that this prophecy is really referring to Israel. Some modern Rabbis have even tried to assert that this is a reference to Israel going through the Holocaust.

It was approximately the year 1100 when Rabbi Solomon Yizchaki, aka RASHI (1040-1105) first proffered the notion that the one undergoing the suffering in this prophecy was Israel. Not all Rabbis agreed with him, and it should be noted that in other writings of his, he was inconsistent. There are other writings of RASHI where he identifies eved Adonai (servant of the Lord) as the Messiah. It is really more of a modern reaction to persecution that many Rabbis today have latched on to RASHI's interpretation. As much as the Jewish people have suffered at the hands of those who claimed to be followers of Jesus, there is still no excuse for rejecting the clear meaning of the text, especially when understanding the text properly or improperly can effect your eternal destiny.

I want to offer seven reasons why the Servant of Isaiah 53 cannot be Israel, and must be understood as none other than Jesus. I will be reiterating these points as I continue throughout the 53rd chapter, but I wanted to provided them here in one area as well in order to provide you with a hand resource you can use when witnessing to Jewish people. For some of you, what I am about to present will be a basic "101" refresher, but for others it is a vital illumination into the Scriptures that will prove invaluable.

1. The Servant of the Lord is presented here, as being guiltless and wholly innocent. One only need to read through the words of the prophets to see that this cannot refer to Israel. The Lord had some very stinging critiques of His people Israel throughout the Scriptures for example:
   
   Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
   (Isaiah 1:4)
   
   Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
   (Isaiah 1:23)
   
   That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:
   (Isaiah 30:9)
   
   Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
   (Acts 7:51-52)
   
   Going as far back as the golden calf incident, it can hardly be said that Israel was ever innocent, or without sin.
   
   
   
2. Isaiah 53:10 refers to the Servant as a sin-offering. The main characteristic of a sin-offering is that an innocent animal was sacrificed for the sin of the one offering the sacrifice. The sin-offering was the pinnacle of Yom Kippur, in Bible times. It was a substitution of the innocent for the guilty. We have already established that Israel could not be considered "innocent." It can also be seen that Israel, 100% of the time suffered for their own sins.
   
   Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
   (Isaiah 5:24)
   
   Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshiped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me: Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not show you favor.
   (Jeremiah 16:11-13)
   
   Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.
   (Jeremiah 6:19)
   
   O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate (fulfilled in 70 A.D. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
   (Matthew 23:37-39)
   
   For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. (Luke 19:43-44)
   
   Clearly, Israel has never been a position to be a sin offering to anyone. To assert that the Servant is anyone other than Jesus is absurd. Isaiah speaks of the final offering for sin mentioned in Hebrews chapter 10:
   
   But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
   (Hebrews 10:12-14, 18)
   
   
   
3. The Servant, and "my people" in v.8 must be separate. Isaiah 53: 8 says, "He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: "...for the transgression of my people was he stricken." If the suffering servant is Israel, who is "my people???" Clearly, Israel is not suffering for Israel. The passage makes it clear that it is substitutionary sacrifice, so how could Israel be sacrificed in substitution for itself??? No more needs to be said about that absurdity.
   
   
   
4. The Servant in this prophecy is mentioned as suffering silently and willingly. This does not describe the Jewish people at all. From the days of the Maccabees to modern times, the Jewish people have never suffered silently. Even during the holocuast Jewish people formed resistance groups to fight the Nazis. Today, the Jewish people fight against terrorism and anti-Semitism. Jewish people in Scripture were known for challenging God's justice enacted against them. God would tell Isaiah and Jeremiah how to respond when the children of Israel challenged the integrity of God's judgement against them.
   
   
   
5. Isaiah 53:10 tell us that it pleased the Lord to bruise Him. When does God take pleasure in judgement against His people?? Now as I stated before, some modern Rabbis have tried to assert that Isaiah 53 is a reference to the suffering of the Holocaust. Are they going to be so absurd as to say that this was pleasing to the Lord??? If a Christian were to stand up and say that the Holocaust pleased God, he would be labeled anti-Semitic and rightly so. It is the height of hypocrisy then to use this prophecy to make such an assertion. It does make perfect sense that it pleased God to bruise the Messiah on our behalf to make salvation available to the world.
   
   
   
6. The "Arm of the Lord cannot be Israel. In verse 1 of Isaiah 53, we see the questions, "Who has believed our report, and to whom as the arm of the Lord been revealed??" The "Arm of the Lord" refers to His strength and might. Many references to the "Arm of the Lord abound," and always seem to relate to God showing Himself mighty especially where salvation is concerned. As we will see later, the people of Israel had a bad habit of not listening the reports brought by God's prophets. The answer to the 1st question is that the people as whole rejected the prophet's report. To answer the second question, it was to this same people that the "Arm of the Lord" had been revealed. The prophet is declaring what God has done to save Israel his people. Nowhere in Scripture is Israel ever mentioned as God's Arm. Rather His "Arm" is always manifested on Israel's behalf.
   
   
   
7. The picture we have of the Servant of Lord is one who has died and been resurrected. This cannot refer to Israel, since never died as a people. Twice Israel was exiled from its Land, and twice they have returned. At no time has Israel ever ceased being a nation.
   
   Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever. (Jeremiah 31:35-36)
   
   And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God. (Amos 9:14-15)
   

[Guest shiloh357]

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

(Isaiah 53:1)

Me heh'ehmeen l'shummahteinu, u'zeroah YHVH al-mee neg-lah-tah?

Just as there were few that believed the words of the prophets in ancient Israel , there would be relatively few who would believe the gospel Jesus Christ. What we see here, is the prophet Isaiah foretelling the reception the Gospel would receive in in Israel in the days when Jesus walked upon the earth. In fact, this verse is quoted by the Apostle John to highlight the degree of unbelief among those in Israel, especially among the leadership:

That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

(John 12:38)

Who has believed our report? Is there any age in which this might not have been asked? It is asked even today. Yes, there are many who claim to be Christians, and would consider it a sore insult to be called sinners. But to believe the report is not merely to assent to the truths it proclaims. To believe in the truths it declares, involves a reception of them into the heart to the extent that they influence/change our conduct.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a report, a message. It surpasses all other messages, or reports offered by any other religion -

1. We see in the Gospel the superiority of the truths it proclaims to us. It shows us the wonderful things God has done for us. We see the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross for our deliverance from sin. The Gospel shows us marvelous grace that entreats us to come before in full assurance of his favor and acceptance. The Gospel proclaims to us the marvelous things that await us at the end of our course; the marvelous things God has prepared for each us who love Him.

2. No other report is as evidenced as the Gospel. The Gospel is not only attested to by believers, but even by the enemies of Jesus Himself. The words of the apostles were accompanied and confirmed by miracles. Even prophecies made in the New Testament we see have seen come to pass. But the greatest testimony to authenticity of the Gospel report is the lives that have been forever, radically changed by its entrance. As the Psalmist says, "The entrance of thy Word bringeth light." This report ,when it has been received, works a new thing in the hearts of men. The Gospel as sobered drunks, made honest men out of thieves, healed broken marriages, and broken hearts. It has melted the most hardened hearts, it is has brought faith where there was only fear, and made the most vile racist a lover of the whole human race. The Gospel promises not only an eternal resting place, but it is the power of God to break the chains of sin to bring man out of the dominion of darkness that he may qualify to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Why is it that so many refuse to believe the report?

1. They do not consider themselves to be in danger. Many know that their lives are not necessarily ordered aright but they do not consider themselves, "sinners." Many profess to believe in God, and even pray to him, and because of that they feel that they are basically good. They pay their taxes, they good to their family and friends. They known to be upright and honest members of the community, and are even generous to charity.

I tell you truth. Many are going to hell NOT because they are adulterers, prostitutes or murderers. They are going to hell because they never were any of those things. There are many fools who are strutting their way into hell everyday, thinking that their high estimation of themselves is adequate to gain access to heaven. They are like the Pharisees and Scribes who were satisfied with themselves and had no need of Jesus, no need of the Great Physician. Just as the Pharisees angrily rejected Christs offer of salvation, many sinners today recoil in disgust at the notion that they are indeed sinners. They resent any plain discussion of their hopeless state before God.

2. Many don't believe the report is from God. Many see the gospel as anything but what it is: The power of God unto Salvation. Jesus is relegated to be nothing more than a human teacher who spoke of great moral values, and nothing more. Since Jesus' claims to be the Son of God, are rejected, since His Deity is rejected, then His message of salvation garners no more favor or respect than the words of Buddha or the Dali Lama, or perhaps Ghandi.

3. Many are too in love with the world. The world offers many pleasures and promises wealth. The quest for wealth and the finest of creature comforts has damned more souls than drugs, fornication, alchoholsim combined. The Gospel is a message of self-denial. It calls upon us to lose ourselves unto Jesus. The life we are called to demands that we not hold on too tightly to our worldly possessions, and that we put the interests of the Kingdom of God ahead of our own. For many this is a sacrifice they are not prepared nor willing to make.

Who has believed our report? It is a rhetorical question. The answer is the same in the days of Isaiah, as it was in the days of the Messiah and apostle. The answer is the same today. Precious few of those who hear the Gospel choose to receive it. The Prophet asks a second question: "And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" Tomorrow, we will investigate that question how it relates to believing the report. We will see that the power of God precedes faith and a willingness to receive His report.

[mikado5001]

It's a funny thing. All this I heard about Isaiah 52:13-the 53rd chapter. So many things point right to Jesus. Directly and with subtlety like Genesis 49:15. This begs, for me, one question. Either Jesus is the promised Messiah. OR He is the most perfect, well researched liar who ever walked the Earth. And I believe the former myself.

And a hearty round of applause to Shiloh for this Prophecy Primer. I come from a JEwish Family and I pray that G-d might use me to reach them. Not through propaganda(tracts and such). But through the word of G-d itself.

[Guest AngelicBeliever]

I have always found it amazing that the jewish people and the rabbis skip right over Isaiah 53. This chapter in the bible reveals Jesus as the Messiah more than any other, I think of this chapter this way. Edited April 4, 2006 by AngelicBeliever

[Razberry]

It's a funny thing. All this I heard about Isaiah 52:13-the 53rd chapter. So many things point right to Jesus. Directly and with subtlety like Genesis 49:15. This begs, for me, one question. Either Jesus is the promised Messiah. OR He is the most perfect, well researched liar who ever walked the Earth. And I believe the former myself.And a hearty round of applause to Shiloh for this Prophecy Primer. I come from a JEwish Family and I pray that G-d might use me to reach them. Not through propaganda(tracts and such). But through the word of G-d itself.

Amen Mikado! I've used that in chats/forums a few times. Either Jesus is exactly who He said He is, or He's a liar. Absolutely nothing proves He lied, and everything proves He is Messiah.

Great post Shiloh.