Isaiah 52:13-53:12.  This is the last of the mini messages about how God is going to fulfill all the promises he made to Israel.  Remember that the “how” involves a servant.  As we have seen this servant is Jesus.  Also remember that a lot of the book of Isaiah was aimed at encouraging the people of Judah to trust God to save them.  The book was written during the reign of four kings and involved several events where the people of Judah (the southern kingdom in the nation of Israel) were tempted to rely on their own power or the power of other nations.  The book has a two-part message about human selfishness and pride and about giving honor where it is really due, to God.  The book contains many examples of God’s faithfulness and promises and warning to Judah and the nations about God’s plans.  Those plans include punishing rebellion and establishing His own kingdom on the earth.  That promise involved the Israelites since God’s forever kingdom included a promise of a forever kingdom for the Israelites with a descendant of David (one of their former kings) on the throne.  We have seen that the servant, Jesus, is also identified as that coming king.  (see 6/7/12 post and Matthew 1:1-25.  Also see “The Old Testament Connection” with Revelation 17:14; 19:16).

Here in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 we see God talking about the servant (see 6/9/12 post about the relationship between God and the Servant, Jesus).  The servant will be honored (“lifted up and exalted”).  “Yea!  That’s what I’m talking about, the king!”  But wait.  Just like the chosen people Israel had a lot of bummer experiences so too will the servant.  People will be horrified by his appearance, but eventually they will understand (vv. 14-15).  Chapter 53 gives more detail about why people will be horrified.  The servant will not be a magnificent tree he will be a sapling growing out of dry dirt.  No one looking at the servant will say, “Wow check out that huge redwood.”  He’ll be more like a bush on the side of the road or a weed in the crack of the sidewalk (v. 2).  The servant will be despised and have pain (v. 3).  According to verse 4 it is because he is carrying a load that belongs to us.  Verses 5-6 make it more clear, the servant is being punished in our place.  He will be pierced (remember the spear as Jesus hung on the cross, John 19:34), he was crushed, he was scourged (remember the beatings by the guards Mark 15:15), and so much more.  I will not try to made all of th connections from all of the verses in today’s reading with the life of Jesus but in my Bible there are little stars in the margin by verses in the Old Testament that experts believe are prophecies directly relating to Jesus, and every verse in chapter 53 except verse 12 has a star.  We should expect that since Jesus is the servant so this description should apply to him.  In the future as you read the first four books of the New Testament (the “gospels” or “good news” about Jesus) hopefully you will remember these verses in Isaiah and will see how this prediction came true in history.  Hopefully that will encourage you even more looking back that it would have encouraged the people of Judah hoping in the promised future.

It would seem that this chapter would not have been much encouragement though since the servant was going to suffer so much.  We must remember though, the first verse in today’s reading, the servant will be honored, and the third verse (Isaiah 52:15) the nations will see.    So in the middle of suffering the people of Judah could be encouraged, if the servant would be honored and he was going to suffer so much, then maybe it would work out for them too.  And remember the last mini message informed them that they were suffering as a way of correcting their actions and attitudes.  In Isaiah 53:6 we see a reminder of this when we are told that we all have been disobedient, we have all wandered away from God.  In the last mini message Judah was suffering the consequences for straying from God but here in Isaiah 53:6 we see that the servant is suffering, not for his own actions, but for ours.  Verse 8 tells us the servant took the beating for God’s people.  Verse 10 tells us that he was an offering for our guilt.

But then there is hope.  The servant will see “children”.  Not physical children but adopted ones.  John 1:12 tells us that anyone who believes in who Jesus is and what he was about has the right to be a child of God.  Romans 8:15, 23, Galatians 4:5, and Ephesians 1:5 all tell us that we are adopted into God’s family.  Ans his suffering and death will not be the end of his story either, he will yet live (v. 10).  Verses 11-12 again inform us that the price for our sins was paid by Jesus but hidden in the end of verses 11 is the greatest hope of all, the servant will “justify the many”.  Awesome!  He dealt with my sins (and yours) so we are right with God.  Awesome!

God thank you for fixing what I never could.  Thank you for paying the price.  Help me find comfort and hope as I wait.  Help me trust that you know what you are doing in history and that the waiting is for a good reason.  Help me not be selfish but endure my personal history while you help others become quiet and see and understand.  Give me patience and hope and endurance. Thank you Jesus my savior and king.