Isaiah 52-53

Introduction

You know, he’s wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquity. A very beautiful prophecy of the Lord. But I think it’s helpful for us to kind of say, well, um what leads up to that? And this section, uh, really beginning back in chapter 40, the last 27 chapters of Isaiah, uh, first of all, in the generic way or general way, what do we say these last 27 chapters refer to? What period of Isaiah? We say the first part is the Assyrian period, and the last part is the Babylonian period. And they even looking in advance to a time when they were in Babylonian captivity. And so sometimes uh as you read through this section, you have to say, well, is he talking about the physical remnant and their deliverance, or is he speaking about the spiritual uh deliverance that would be, of course, through the Messiah?

And that sometimes is difficult to determine between the two. But beginning back in chapter 40, you know, the first uh first eight chapters or so had to do with uh how that even we serve the one true God. And we’re not serving the idols of Babylon, and and of course, drawing the reason why there’s such a difference between the two. Idols are made by man, on one end of the tree, he uh he molds an idol, and on the other end he uh burns and cooks his food. How ridiculous. And the idol can say nothing and foretell nothing. But the one true God of heaven knows the end from the beginning and tells uh even the end from the beginning. And one of the strongest reasons why, you know, I I have often said this, I think uh proofs that the Bible really is the word of God, not from man, not from Isaiah or any other man.

But then after dealing with that in the lesson we had when tonight from uh really chapters 49 through uh 50 51, again you have uh Isaiah speaking to a people who are in captivity but with a promise of the spiritual redemption. The fact is, had God forgotten his people? They asked that question, Lord, have you forgotten us? And and you see the response even in those chapters. It actually in chapter 47 speaks about the servant speaking, the Messiah, of course, calling the Gentiles, even to announce the fact that that he would be the Lord’s instrument for victory, that he’d be the sword, uh so to speak, that uh smooth sword that would come forth and would pierce, as the word of God even is spoken through him.

And and in fact, uh those elders are rebuked for even thinking that God had forsaken them. God had not forgotten them, had not rejected them. Why were they in Babylonian captivity? Whose fault was it I’m saying? Had God sold them? No. No. He said, You sold yourselves. How did they sell theirselves? Through their for through their sin. And so God had not sold them. And so when they would say, Well, Lord, have you forgotten us? And his answer is you have not. I didn’t understand. Yeah, the other way around. But in their distress, uh, though they were the faithful few, they were few in number. What did Isaiah or the Lord promise would happen for them? They were now few in number, but what’s going to happen?

The land area in which they were wouldn’t be big enough, because who’s going to uh expand and multiply? Who’s going to be brought in? The nations. The Gentiles. The nations will be brought in. And and you know, it’s a forecast. I say to you this section, how any Jew, even in the Lord’s time, would read through this and not understand that the gospel was intended for Gentiles as well as Jews. If he really understood Isaiah, how many times Isaiah has forecast that the Gentiles would be brought in? That even the servant, the Messiah, would be a light unto even the nations. But also, chapter 53, I say, even to this day, a Jew who’s a really uh orthodox that would go back to the scripture, how can he answer the meaning of Isaiah 53?

1. Awake, Put On Strength, O Zion

And and you know, who’s he going to fit to? They are looking for uh they’re actually they’re kind of looking for a David to come back and reign. Uh and that’s why they rejected Jesus and you know 2,000 years ago. He didn’t try to do that. So I think that through scriptures like this, if uh a man who really comes to the scriptures and says, Okay, what is what is the promise? What does Isaiah really say to his people in Babylon? I think uh in chapter 51 and in verse 9, it’s interesting where uh Doug was saying, Isaiah speaking, awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord. It’s as though Isaiah’s appeal, Lord, come and help us. Here we are in Babylonian captivity. Down in verse 12, the Lord’s reply, I even I am one who comforts you.

Who are you that should be afraid of a man who will die and of the Son of Man who will be made like grass? You forget the Lord, your maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundation of the earth? You have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor when he is prepared to destroy? Where’s the fear of the oppressor? In verse 15, particularly, I’m the Lord your God who divided the sea, whose ways roar. In other words, why would you be afraid? Have you forgotten that it’s God that’s delivered you? So as Isaiah would say, Awake, O Lord, the Lord replies, I am awake. I’m delivered you in the past, I will deliver you again. In fact, in verse 17, I find this interesting.

He said again, awake, awake. Back in verse 9, it was Isaiah speaking to the Lord. In verse 17, it’s the Lord appealing to man. Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem. What’s about to happen? In these last few verses of chapter 51, he’s really leading up to, you’re going to be delivered. God has a purpose and plan. Why had God still held on to Israel? Even these who have sold themselves for nothing. They sold themselves for their own what? It says they sold themselves for their sins. That’s why they were in captivity. Why would God keep up with them? Why’d God keep caring for Israel? Whether they were in Egyptian captivity or later Babylonian captivity? Why? He made a promise for him. He made a promise to Abraham.

And so, even though you might say the majority of them were unfaithful and sold themselves, even turned to idolatry, yet God was patient because there would be a remnant. That’s what the language of the Bible. And so as you as you’re leading up into chapter 52 and 53, it’s God saying, I’m going to fulfill my promise. Even though you are a people worthy of being punished, I’m going to fulfill the promise I made. And there will be some who will be faithful. You think that’s true today? Are there many people today who maybe say, I’m trying to serve the Lord when really they’re they’re doing like Israel of old? It’s kind of with hypocrisy. It’s kind of a please yourself type of religion sometimes. But recognize that there will be some who are truly sincere and faithful.

God knows and loves and will indeed be with those. In chapter 52, again, you have this word, awake, awake. What’s he saying? Put on your strength, O Zion. It’s as though the Lord is now speaking. You’re a people.

For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you. Shake yourself from the dust. Arise. Sit down, O Jerusalem. This whole section, you have the words awake, put on, shake, arise, sit down loose, are all commands for Zion to do her part at the time of deliverance from the exile. She has to clothe herself in holiness. And in her future beauty, spiritual sign will not be inhabited by strangers, the uncircumcised, but only by those who submit themselves to the Lord. In fact, in verses 3 to 6, he will he will say, look at verse 3. But thus says the Lord, you have sold yourselves for nothing. Compare that with back in chapter 50. In chapter 50 and in verse 1, he said in that verse, your iniquities, for your iniquities you sold yourself.

Actually, the Lord received a bounty for having them being in Babylon in captivity. The Lord receive anything for it? No. He didn’t sell them. They sold themselves really for nothing, in that they really turned themselves over to idolatry. It’s why God allowed them. Zedekiah, the last king before they were destroyed or taken captive by Babylon. How many times Jeremiah said, Zedekiah had come to Jeremiah and said, You got any word from the Lord? And how many times Jeremiah said, Yeah, that’s the same word I told you last time. In other words, repent, come back to the Lord. So they saw themselves, and they did not turn to the Lord. Well, they sow themselves or nothing. Well, that’s part of verse 3. How are they going to be redeemed?

Without money. It’s not a matter of bartering and selling back and forth. Verse 4, for thus says the Lord God, my people went down first at Egypt at first into Egypt to dwell there. Then later the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. But now, therefore, what have I here, says the Lord, that my people are taken away for nothing. And those who rule over them make them dwell, says the Lord. My name is blaspheme continually every day. But what’s going to really happen? Therefore, my people shall know my name. Therefore, they shall know in that day that I am he who speaks. Behold, it is I. In other words, God allowed them to be taken captivity because they deserved it. But now, who’s going to deliver them?

Were they strong enough to deliver themselves? No. Not at all. It was the Lord. And then you take verse 7. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, your God reigns. Where’s that found? In the New Testament? Romans 10 15. You know what it says in Romans 10 15? How beautiful are the feet of them who preach the gospel and ring glad tidings of good things. My feet aren’t all that pretty, but what’s he saying? Not literally your feet, but you’re bringing good news. And so here Isaiah is now leading up. What’s the great news for God’s people? Yeah, you’re in Babylonian captivity, but your God reigns.

And there are those who are as the watchman. Verse 8, your watchmen shall lift up their voices. In other words, here’s coming redemption. Verse 9, break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem. For the Lord has comforted his people, he’s redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Now, the problem is, and as Liz was saying, sometimes it’s hard to say, well, who’s he talking to? He’s talking to the literal physical remnant. Will they return? Yeah, they did return from Babylonian captivity. But then also there’s the joy for the spiritual. And sometimes the interchange back and forth is hard to detect.

2. My Servant Shall Be Exalted, Yet Marred

You just have to kind of read the context and sort of get in. And we know from chapter 53, he’s talking about the spiritual that would even apply to us today. So sometimes you have to kind of say, Well, where is he heading in this context? In verse 13, I would say, you know, while we’re going to spend most of our time on chapter 53 this morning, but in verse 13, if that’s all you had, you’d say the Lord could say, Well, you know, if if my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. If that’s all there were, the Lord could certainly, you wouldn’t probably see him even in the night of the betrayal, praying, if it be possible that this cup be removed.

Nevertheless, not my way for thy. And indeed, the sweat pouring down from his brows that were great drops of blood. Indeed, the new King James says, My servant shall be a prudently, will prosper, the new American standard gives. In other words, the servant being Jesus is going to prosper and be exalted and be extolled. And yet, verse 14. Just as many were astonished at you. So his visage was marred more than any man. And his form more than the sons of men. What’s the visage? What’s the word visage mean? Face. You think he’s just saying your face will be marred more than any man? Appearance. I think more the appearance. That indeed the servant is going to suffer, isn’t he? And so he’s saying, you know, why would he continue to do that?

Verse 15, he shall. No, that’s not the one. I’m looking ahead. Verse 15, so shall he sprinkle many nations? What do you think that means? Do you have a different translation in it? The word startle is in the revised center. So he shall startle many nations. The story about his life and the exaltation stirs amazement. Stirs awe in the hearts of the hearers. In fact, it says, the kings shall shut their mouths. Even men of honor and power will be speechless when they are told for the first time about the sacrifice made for them. Sacrifice for the kings. The latter part of this verse is quoted also in Romans chapter 15. Several things from Isaiah are quoted in the book of Romans. It’s amazing. How many times Paul referred back to the great prophecy of Isaiah?

3. Who Has Believed Our Report?

So, in this, what’s going to occur? What they had not heard, they shall consider. Who has believed our report? To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, as a root out of a dry ground. He has no former coming. And we when we see him, there’s no beauty that we should desire him. He’s despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrow is acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely he has borne our griefs, carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquity.

The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as sheep before his shearer, its shearers is silent. So he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment. Who will declare his generation? For he was cut off from the land of the living for the transgressions of my people he was stricken. And they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death, because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. And he has put him to grief. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the labor of his soul and be satisfied by his knowledge, by our righteous servant shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bore the sin of many, and he made intercession for the transgressors. Quite a passage, isn’t it? And I thought about how to deal with that this morning, and I’m going to do something a little different.

I want you. I’ve kind of broken it down to different phrases in here. And so I’m going to give each of you a sheet here. And I want you to take a phrase of this. And in your own words, what do you think it is mean?

Or me?

I’ll come around, John. I think I got four there. All right, uh. Connie is going to be number one. So what it says, who has believed our report? I want Connie to tell us what that meaning. What’s the question about? Why would he ask it that way? Your number two. Your number three. Your number four. In other words, explain from verse three, he is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, Tom. You’re number five, we did not esteem him. What did he say? Number six, Liz. Number seven, John, from verse five, he was wounded for our transgressions. Number eight, Andy. Number nine, Lolly. Ten is Penny. Eleven is Joyce. Twelve is John. 13. 14 and 15. Jim and Course, I guess the last six, I guess, right?

Somebody would say, well, you know, I’ve read this verse. What do you think it’s talking about? I say to you, I think the average Jew today, the Orthodox, probably has a hard time explaining. What’s he talking about? So why would he start with a question? Who has believed our report? Connie, why would he ask the question? Would you say to that? Do you have an answer? Any guess at that?

Actually, it’s quoted twice in the New Testament. In John chapter 12, verses 37 through 41. Also in Romans chapter 10, verses 16 through 21. And in both of those places, it is applied to unbelieving Jews and those who had rejected Jesus as the Messiah.

What is the arm of the Lord? The strength. Well, who would believe that it would take the death of the Son of God in order to bring about salvation? You think man had guessed that beforehand? I said you, the devil certainly hadn’t guessed it, or you would have participated in having him crucified. Have you ever thought about that with that one of view? And why it was hidden as a mystery, even in the Old Testament times. In our lesson Wednesday night, there was a part where the servant was speaking here where he was hidden. The arm of the Lord had been hidden from man, and we talked about how that was the mystery. Indeed, the world, overwhelmed by the ultimate accomplishments, are the one who showed so little promise when measured by fleshly standards.

What had Jesus done? In fact, why would God take him and do this to him? So, number two, as a tender plant as a root out of a dry ground, Doug, what do you think that’s talking about? He shall grow up before him as a tender plant? A root out of dry ground, perhaps uh Israel at that time was dry in spiritual needs and in a physical way, just ordinary way. How would how is Jesus like a well, a root out of a dry ground? How strong is it? Just literally, today. You ever had a root come up out of a place where that much moisture? Or as a as a tender plant? What usually happens to either of those? Yeah, they’re pretty weak, aren’t they?

So what about him? If you’re looking at Jesus and he’s like that, who would think that’s uh possible of bringing about such a great plan of redemption? Jim? Um, wasn’t Nazareth at that time kind of looked out upon like the other side of the track, so to speak? Oh, by other nations, right? Absolutely. And referring to him as a root out of the dry ground, might have been referred to that he was from Nazareth and really wasn’t to be looked upon as others might be. Well, that’s a possibility. But even within Judaism, think of him. What was there about him to appeal? What did the average you think of him? Who is he? I mean, he worked miracles, and there were crowds who began to follow him.

But but from his own uh appearance, he’s fragile. He’s like a tender twig or suckling that shoots out from the trunk of a tree. He’s unlikely to survive. Who is this man? You know, isn’t he the son of Joseph and Mary, the carpenter? Wasn’t that one time they said that about him in Nazareth? Who is who is he? What good can come out of that? Yeah. In fact, he goes on to say, no former comliness. What does that mean? No former comliness. Guess just where it says. There’s just nothing desirable about him. If he was going to run for election, you reckon he’d have gotten many votes. Probably not.

I don’t think he’s talking about his uh physical trait, do you think? Yeah, some of you read that verse and said, Oh, uh, he probably wasn’t very handsome. Probably not. I don’t know if this is describing physical appearance at all. I I believe we really don’t have much about his physical appearance anywhere in the Bible. Um you think this is charisma and attractiveness of character? Is that what you’re getting at? Versus the appearance. Well, uh, you know, uh sometimes hire we when we want to elect somebody, you know, as a he’s he’s tall, he’s handsome, and he sure can talk uh eloquently, and maybe we vote for him without knowing much about his character. The character of Jesus is great, but what is there about him?

Where was he born? In Bethany. And placed in what at his birth? A feeding trough of animals. And then where was he really raised?

So what is there desirable about this man from his beginning? Why would you think he’s the son of God? Would you, if you’d written the story, think the son of God would be born like that and raised like that? Probably not. Probably not. So I think his general appearance, he there’s nothing about him that would make us really judge him to have been the son of God. And indeed don’t think Jesus is the only one who claimed to be the son of God. There have been others who claim to be the son of God. Even in our generation, there have been people who claim that.

Remember who that is? He used to be very cool. He claimed to be the Messiah, too. But you know, there are others for that matter. So uh there’s nothing that we should desire him. There’s nothing physically about him that says, hey, uh he’s got to be the right one. When verse 3 says he is despised and rejected by men, amount of sorrows. Tom, how does you think that is how’s that fulfilled? Well, it’s interesting that um three would be ahead of four because it seems like four kind of explains three in that you know he healed the sick, took care of the infirmities of uh of those that were ill, um, and did a lot of wonders and signs, and the man of sorrows, I believe, uh is the connection with all that he did for the downtrodden, the sick, the poor, and despised and rejected by the priests and elders who um heeded him for what he was doing because it kind of he was drawing so many people to him that it was kind of taken away from them, and that’s all they cared about was the control of the people and the influence that they had on him.

So, yet even though God had Jesus had performed all these miracles, he was still despised, hated. The very ones you think ought to know their religious leaders don’t know the scriptures received. Good point. Take your Bibles with you. John chapter 11. I don’t think a couple passages that just kind of emphasize that very point. John 11, verse 47 and 8. It was after, of course, Lazarus had been raised from the grave. And you think, oh, this is the time he really is powerful. God’s willing, he could raise the dead, but it’s dead. Verse 47. The chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a counsel and said, What shall we do? This man works many signs. If we let him alone like this, what’s gonna happen? Everyone will believe.

And the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation. Now, what’s happening there? The Romans will come. We’re more concerned about our place and our nation. Because he claims to be a king. You know, that’s why the Romans would come. In fact, they didn’t understand his kingship, did they? Look at chapter 12 and verses 37 through 41. Chapter 12, John. Although he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him. That the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke. Lord, who has believed, I will report unto whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed. Therefore they could not believe because this is interesting.

Did the Lord uh make it uh kind of held them at the end of the string and said, Oh, you’re just not gonna believe, therefore I’m gonna make you lost. Is that is it all can we blame the Lord? No. What does that verse then mean? The Lord calls them blind to their eyes. It started with their attitude, right? And indeed, as in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, that uh there shall be a uh a strong delusion upon those who believe not the truth. God shall send a strong delusion that they should believe a lie in place of truth. So, indeed, who had believed our poor? In fact, uh, what’s number five? Is that you, Cathy? We did not esteem him. What does it mean to esteem him?

To honor, to respect we did not esteem him. Accept him as the Messiah to honor him. That kind of stole your thunder, really, just by reading those verses. Showed that they did not, indeed, would not. Could have. They had the signs, didn’t they? They had the miracles as proof, but they closed their hearts and their minds. Sad but true. We can today do the same. I uh I shall always think about it when I read think that statement through. A man in Australia women’s day said, Oh, if the Lord just work a miracle today, I think maybe I could believe. But our heart don’t believe it. I said, No, that’s not so. You could be in a time and act to see a miracle. If you close your heart and don’t want to believe, nobody’s gonna make you believe.

4. He Was Wounded for Our Transgressions

Even a miracle. The rulers, the Pharisees and rulers didn’t believe, and they saw the signs and said, if we let him go, others will believe in him. We don’t want that. So yes. It reminds me of John 1, verse 11. He came to his own, and those who were his own did not exist. Yeah, yeah. And sometimes that’s applied to his own family, his own brothers that did not, certainly at first, did they? So in verse six, uh, chapter number six, verse four, surely it’s borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

Well, to begin with, we had to have a perfect being just be sacrificed for our sins. And God allowed him to go through what he did. And they were not his sins, they were ours. Yeah, our grief of what? Well, we think our what would you say our griefs are?

Well, he says born our griefs, so I’m just saying, what are our griefs? You mean our sins and our and our sorrows. Do we ever grieve over the sins we committed? Sorrows that we you know, the shame that we have if we’re humble of heart, we would owe them. And and so he took upon him the things that we are ashamed of, and that we are saddened about in our own lives.

He carried our sorness. Yet we esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. We’re the ones who really have the shame, but he took it upon him. Number, I’m going to mark this. I’m kind of getting lost myself. Where are we? Verse number seven. That number seven. And who had seven? It was John? Okay. You ready? Mm-hmm. This, at least to me, speaks to what and why. The what the physical suffering that uh Jesus endured uh the last few hours, minutes, and moments of his uh of his physical life. But more importantly, it speaks to why he did it to start with. And that’s for the world, for you, for I, for all of us, and for salvation. It’s to relieve us of our sinful behavior and our imperfections.

And I’ll stop there. Uh well good. And what way was he wounded, literally? Wounded? What way was he wounded? Well, we can we can begin with uh, well, the next one in there is going to be stripes. He was scourged first, the crown of thorns, nailing to the cross, and the spear in the side, and uh uh, and then the death. Now the wounding was the sins of the world in part. There was physical wounding and spiritual wounding. Okay, good. That’s the point I wanted to get out. Some of them said, Well, you know, how long did he hang on the cross? Six hours. Some said, Well, there have been people in prison camps in Vietnam last a whole lot longer than that. And as far as uh type of uh physical abuse and wounding, you think he didn’t have that much, so why was it so hard for him?

Because he was pure and perfect. He was he was deity, and yet he took on all of that evil and sin and wickedness. Alright.

What do our sins do? Isaiah 59. What do our sins do? Before the Lord’s hand is not shortened that he cannot not save, heavy he cannot hear. But your sin or iniquities have separated you from God, your sins have hid his face from you so that he will not hear. You think in his death there was a separation from God, as he paid the penalty for sin. Sin had the penalty of death, right? And spiritual death, not just physical, but the spiritual death.

In what way? And how? I’m not sure. As the veil of the temple was split asunder, and there was great darkness at that very moment. He knew that he’s taking the sins of man, and for some point in time, perhaps as the separation from the Lord, from the Father. So it wasn’t just the physical on the cross. There was more to it than just that six hours there, and of course, that’s the next verse will say the scourging also and Bob. But but there have been prisoners of war who’ve suffered longer and and very certainly extreme abuse. But Jesus carried our sins. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. Number eight, the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed, Andy.

Kind of what we’re already talking about, it kind of follows the same lines, but I kind of see a um an idea of uh a payment for you know our peace and our um our healing has been paid for by Jesus because being a pure sacrifice. Um wasn’t anything that the people could do themselves, or wasn’t any sacrifices they could make that would that would account for those transgressions, but his his death, his stripes, his chastisement could. Yeah. Yeah.

And by his stripes we’re healed, perhaps even referring to the scourging that that took upon him. That’s and that’s carry that is brought up again like in in 1 Peter 2 24, where it talks about that uh you know he didn’t sin, neither was he got on his mouth. But then goes on to say that who is ourself bear our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness by whose stripes we were healed. Alright.

So he took the chastisement of our peace. He bore that we might have peace. All right, Lolly, number, what is it? Number number nine, which from verse six, let’s say, all we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned to everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. I just have nine, so I just had the first part of verse six. Okay. Um all sheep. Always like sheep have gone astray. We all um like sheep, we all dissipate, disobey God’s rules, like sheep go away from the shepherd. Um we disobey God’s rule and think that um doing things our way is the best way. Doing things on our own is the best way. So of our own rebellion.

I wonder sometimes since we’re not people around a lot of sheep, uh a sheep without a shepherd tend to go astray. And do we go astray or some we don’t look at the shepherd, who is the Lord indeed. So, like sheep have gone astray, we’ve turned everyone to his own way. You know, a sheep without guidance will turn wherever, and and so there has to be, you know, how many times did Jesus talk about parables that involve sheep? And probably the one that we remember most if there are a hundred sheep and one goes astray, will he not go out and find that one and bring him back to the fold? So it is that as we as sheep have turned our own way without the shepherd, and we have sinned and therefore need to be brought back unto the Lord.

So he says the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all, Penny. The last part of that verse there.

Penny? Yes. Um what repetitious what we’ve been talking about, but uh but God planned this from the beginning as a new man would sin and um planned a way to save Manhattan. I think of Genesis 315. Mm-hmm. You have another verse. No, go ahead.

Genesis 315 means to bruise the heel and the head. Yes. And I will put M and T between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed, and he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the hill. All right.

5. He Opened Not His Mouth

We’ll bring that one back up. Okay. But he laid on him. Uh him who knew no sin was made to be sin for us. That we might be made the righteousness of God through him. So he’s caused the iniquity of us to fall on him. Then from verse 7, number 11. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. Joyce. Oh, even from the one who was tried, he was innocent, he was falsely accused, then he was busy tortured if he willingly went to the cross without saying it. You remember even Pilate said, haven’t you heard what they’ve accused you of? And his only words was it is as you say. Yeah, yeah. He didn’t try to defend himself. Uh with with one who might and did say, I found no fault in him.

Didn’t you hear what they said about you?

And look now at Acts chapter 8, where the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. What was the eunuch reading from Isaiah? This very passage. In fact, as Philip ran to him and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah said in verse 30, do you understand what you’re reading? Verse 31, he said, How can I unless someone guides me and he asked Philip to come up and sit with him? The place in the scripture which he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its sheer is silent, so he opened not his mouth. In his humiliation, his justice was taken away, and who will declare his generation for his life is taken from the earth. So the eunuch answered Philip and said, I ask you of whom does the prophet say it is of himself or of some other man.

Philip opened his mouth, beginning at this scripture preached Jesus to him. And as he went on down the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water what hinders me from being baptized. Philip said, If you believe with all your heart you may.

So from this very scripture, he indeed, who would that be referring to? And Philip answered. So in verse number 12, he was taken from prison and from judgment. Uh John? Yep. So in verse or back in Acts 8, verse 33, we see that uh it reads in his humiliation, his justice was taken away. All right, but he was literally taken out of prison uh without a trial or without a just trial. He wasn’t given justice, he wasn’t given uh righteous judgment. Um Matthew 27, 18 tells us he was handed over because of envy, uh, as opposed to actually because of committing a crime. And then we we hear that Pilate found no fault in it. He was guiltless. Three times Pilate said, I find no fault in that.

So taken from judgment, really the word is justice. There was no justice in his death, was it? All right, number 13. Then the question was, who shall declare his generation? Why that point? Is it Stu? Okay. Yeah, I I don’t understand the question. Well, that’s the point. What is the question? Well, then that’s what you explained to us then. Who shall declare his judgment? What does it mean? Who should declare his generation? What is meant by that? Why that question is in there? What what what was the generation of a Jew? When you read, how many times you ever read genealogies? You ever read Genesis chapter 5? Matthew chapter 1, Luke chapter 3. So what so what’s so important about the genealogies? Boy, whose son he is the son of, who’s the son of, who’s the son of, who’s the son of?

Why is that how important? Because Christ was coming. Well, it’s in the biblical purpose because it tells us that when Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, it wasn’t it was not just a man out here in the wilderness that said, I’m the I’m the Christ. You can trace, is he the one of Abraham’s lineage, of David’s lineage? That’s how Matthew 1 and 1 starts. So who shall declare a generation? Did he have any sons? No. And so from a Jewish point of view, from a Jewish point of view, that uh he had none to declare.

He died without any cause for death, and among his generation. There was none who cared. It was taken from the land of the living. And there’s none to follow up even in his seed or his lineage, except spiritually. Alright, before the last bell rings, the Jim from verse 9, he made his grave with the wicked, then with the rich was fulfilled in what way? He was crucified between two thieves. Alright.

6. It Pleased the Lord to Bruise Him

Alright. So that’s the story. But verse 10, that’s kind of a strange verse, June. It pleased the Lord to bruise him. That sounds strange, doesn’t it? Yeah, it does. I don’t think it means that he was happy to do it. I think it just means that it was purpose from the beginning of time, and that it was his necessary plan to reconcile mankind back to God. Yeah. It pleased him in the sense that it fulfilled God’s purpose. I love the passage in Acts chapter 2 when Peter’s preaching that sermon this side of the cross in verse 23. By the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you’ve taken it with wicked hands, you crucify it. It didn’t because they were just stronger than God, it was God’s determined purpose and plan and his foreknowledge foretold.

So it pleased God only in that sense. Indeed, he shall see his seed. Uh that is his offspring. A multitude of spiritual descendants, declares generation. Literally, physically, there was none. He shall prolong his days. He’ll live eternally, and his kingdom will stand forever. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Ultimately, he will prosper and be victorious. Back in chapter 52, uh 50 52, when we read, Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, will prosper. And I was saying, well, that’s all there was to the verse. All it was about the sacrifice, Jesus would indeed have gone through it easily. But he was marred more than any man. All that we’ve just described, who would say that the Son of God would have suffered like this?

But in verse 11, my righteous servant shall justify many. Indeed, those who come into Christ find salvation, right? In verse 12, therefore will I divide him a portion with the grave. Where is Christ now? At the right hand of God Almighty. Exalted. And he beared the sin of many, made intercession for the transgressors. He willingly subjected himself that you and I might have salvation. Powerful passage. May I ask why why this chapter is written in the past past tense? It’s not the only one that is. There have been other passages where prophecy was told as though already completed. Probably a passage, I think it’s Romans 4 and verse 23. I wonder, I think that’s the verse. Where, how can God tell a thing as though it’s already happened?

No, that’s not the verse. Anyway, the point is, if God’s in control, he can announce something as though it’s already happened, because he can tell you the end from the beginning. And so did the Lord, as as in Acts 2, by God’s foreknowledge and determinant counsel, this came to pass. That’s what’s Peter’s saying in Acts 2. So that’s why. That God is saying as though a definite thing will occur. And it did, as God had foretold. Alright? Lord willing then Wednesday night? Well, one more chapter.