Isaiah 53
COMMENTARY:
: 3 HE is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from HIM; HE was despised, and we esteemed HIM not. (2803 “esteemed” [chashab] means hold in high regard, respect, think much of, impute, or think.)
DEVOTION: Isaiah is describing how people were going to treat Jesus when HE came to the earth in the future. We realize that his prediction came true. People followed Jesus around while HE was giving them blessings or healing or saying what they wanted to hear but when HE told them to take up their cross and follow HIM it was different.
The same people who praised the LORD when HE entered Jerusalem just before the Passover were there a few days later calling out for HIM to be crucified.
Today we haven’t changed very much from what Isaiah said would happen. It happened while Jesus was here on this earth and even now we see people who are looking to Jesus for all they can get but don’t want to totally commit to HIM.
If there are bad times in these individual’s lives they will give up on Jesus real soon. If they don’t get all the promises they will turn their back on the LORD.
There are those who don’t care what the Bible says needs to be done if they want to be blessed by the LORD. These individuals are the ones who despise Jesus. These are the individual who are teaching in our schools and colleges that tell their students that religion is bad and that they shouldn’t be involved with any religion. In fact, they are trying to get laws passed where the name of Jesus should be a crime.
The only time the name of Jesus is mentioned in their circle is to take HIS name in vain. The Bible says that we will be held accountable for our use of the name of Jesus. If we don’t confess HIM as our Savior we will spend eternity in hell with the devil and his angels.
Our attitudes and actions are being watched by the LORD every moment of every day of our life. Are we following the example of some of the Israelites in Isaiah’s day? Are we following the example of those who rejected Jesus when HE came in person? When someone uses the name of Jesus in vain, what do we do?
CHALLENGE: Our daily goal should be to put Jesus in high regard in our lives and speak out for HIM every chance we get.
: 5 But 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. (7495 “healed” [raphah] to mend, be cured, make whole, make healthful or be repaired.)
DEVOTION: We find a description of the sacrifice the Messiah would do for all those who are followers of HIM in the future. At present the children of Israel were looking forward to the coming Messiah. Isaiah had a fresh vision of this Messiah. He was told that HE would suffer for HIS people.
The children of Israel would not respect HIM when HE came to this earth. HE would face judgment for things HE had not done but would not open HIM mouth in defense of HIMSELF.
HE would be buried in a rich man’s tomb. HE would die on the cross with the wicked. HE would become an intercessor for those who would be followers of HIM.
The message of the cross came to the Gentiles because of the rejection God foreknew would happen. The Gentiles are the other nations that are going to be blessed by the coming of the Messiah. The Messiah is described in this passage just like Christ is described in the New Testament.
This is the final sacrifice for those who are called “transgressors” in this chapter. The sacrifices that the priests offered on the altar would end. The yearly bringing of blood into the Holy of Holies in the Temple would end. The sacrifice on the cross of Christ would end this relationship. The veil at the entrance of the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom when Christ declared “It is Finished.” The final sacrifice was offered.
We are transgressors. The Messiah or Christ died on the cross for our sins or iniquities or transgressions we have committed and will commit. We are the sheep that have gone astray. HE was our substitute. The Father accepted HIS sacrifice, so that, we can have salvation from our sins.
What are we being healed of in this verse? If we look at the words we see: our transgressions, our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace. HE is healing us of our broken relationship with God. Christ died on the cross to heal our relationship with the Father. We are brought back into the family of God.
The blood of the Lamb redeems us. We can have peace with God because of this sacrifice. HE took all the shame on the cross for us.
Has your relationship been made whole by the blood of Christ? If not, that can change now. We have to repent of our sins and confess Christ as the only way to heaven and chose to follow HIM.
Then we can believe on HIS name. Remember that those who are not followers of the LORD are in the family of Satan. They will spend eternity with him in the lake of fire called Hell. Christ told the Pharisees, that they were doing the work of their father, the devil. Many are religious “Christians” but not Biblical Christians!!! We need Biblical Christians!!
CHALLENGE: Understand the difference between being religiously Christian and being a true follower of the LORD. It takes more than a prayer in church or somewhere else to make you a believer. It takes repentance and faith.
: 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on HIM the iniquity of us all. (3942 “turned” [laphath] means to twist, grasp, turn, grasp with a twisting motion, to turn oneself away, to turn the back, or head in a particular direction.)
DEVOTION: If you have ever tried to move sheep that have wandered out of the pen you understand that it is hard to get them back into the pen. I had been called by a teenager in my second church to help her get sheep out of the road. I was never a farmer but someone who grew up in the city.
Once I arrived at the house they were on a main road and between the two of us it was not easy to get them off the road. You can’t push them, you can’t call them, you can’t lead them. We did finally get them out of the road but I understood this verse from that point on.
God wants us to head in a particular direction with our life once we have made a commitment to follow HIM. However, as the saying goes, it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks.
We are heading a way that we have learned from birth and once we make our decision to follow Jesus it is another direction altogether. We are telling the LORD that we want HIM to lead us but our old human nature is fighting that direction tooth and nail.
It is only through the ministry of the Holy Spirit that we can move the way the LORD wants us to move.
Again, the problem is our old human nature tends to hate change and so the battle is real. The LORD is able to give us victory ONLY when we yield to HIM and HIS Word as it is found in the Bible. HE gives us the strength to change.
CHALLENGE: Fighting our old sinful nature is not easy but it can be done with the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Prayer is essential. Daily Bible study is essential. The help of stronger believers is essential to our growth.
: 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (6293 “intercession” [paga] means encounter, meeting, to cause to light upon, to reach the mark, plead, or urge.)
DEVOTION: In the New Testament book of Jude we find the devil and Michael the archangel discussing the body of Moses. They are communicating and Michael does nothing in his own power as an angel but uses the name of Jesus instead to defeat the devil.
We are in a position of needing someone to plead our case before the Throne of God. The only one who could do it is a person who was sinless. That person is Jesus Christ who is the only one who lived on this earth that never sinned. Satan tempted HIM. People tempted HIM. HIS disciples tempted HIM. In all of these temptations or trials HE succeeded. HE was God. HE was man.
On HIS final days in this world we find HIM on the cross between two thieves. One was making fun of HIM but the other asked to be with HIM. Christ granted his request by saying “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” HE cared for those who were willing to repent of their sins and confess HIM as LORD.
HIS sacrifice on the cross was for the many who would follow HIM in the future. Notice that it says many. HE shed enough blood for the entire world but most will reject HIS sacrifice. They would not be healed of their sin.
Those who became followers have HIM as an advocate before the Father in the third heaven. Each time our enemy the devil tries to tell the LORD of all our sins, Jesus shows HIM HIS hands. That settles the matter as far as the Father is concerned. We are forgiven.
Does this mean that we should go out and sin as much as we desire? NO!! If this is our thought process, than we have never become a follower of the LORD. Our attitude should be that we want to serve HIM to the best of our ability.
CHALLENGE: How much effort do we show the LORD regarding our desire to say thank you by serving HIM?
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