#1018 Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 Part 2 High and Lifted Up

 

Behold, my servant shall act wisely;

he shall be high and lifted up,

and shall be exalted.

14 As many were astonished at you—

his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,

and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—

15 so shall he sprinkle many nations.

Kings shall shut their mouths because of him,

for that which has not been told them they see,

and that which they have not heard they understand.

53 Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

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.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people?

9 And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12

Isaiah 52:13

Moody Bible Commentary - The Jewish interpretation of this Song is significant. In the ancient Rabbinic literature, the Servant was frequently identified as the Messiah (e.g., Targum Jonathan ben Uzziel [written c. AD 100–200] on Isaiah 52:13 states, “Behold, my Servant the Messiah will prosper”; Bab. Sanhedrin 98a). However, the influential medieval Jewish interpreter Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi, AD 1040–1105) identified the Servant as Israel. Today, most Jewish interpreters follow Rashi, as do most critical scholars. The following are six reasons the Servant in the fourth Song cannot be identified as Israel.

First, the pronouns of the Song would be inconsistent. In the body (Isa 53:1–9), the people of Israel are speaking and uniformly identify themselves in the first person (we, our, us). They also describe the Servant in the third person (He, Him). Thus, Israel cannot be the Servant.

Second, the Servant is said to die for “my people” (Isa 53:8). Isaiah’s people were the people of Israel. Therefore, the Servant cannot be Israel and also die for Israel.

Third, the Servant is described as completely innocent (“He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth,” Isa 53:9). Yet, throughout Isaiah, Israel is called guilty (e.g., Isa 1:16–20; 5:7). The nation cannot be the innocent Servant.

Fourth, the Servant suffered for the sins of others (Isa 53:6). But the nation of Israel suffered for her own sins (Isa 40:2).

Fifth, the Servant was a willing sufferer, rendering “Himself as a guilt offering” (Isa 53:10). But Israel did indeed suffer, in fact, twice as much as she deserved (40:2), but never did so willingly.

Sixth, the Servant actually died (“cut off out of the land of the living,” Isa 53:8). Certainly many in Israel did die but the nation collectively did not perish. In fact, God promised that the nations could never totally destroy His people (Jr 31:35–37). On the whole, it seems best to maintain the earliest Jewish view that the Servant should be identified as the Messiah.

Shall act wisely - No one has ever had issue with Him coming in power, wisdom, delivering Israel and ruling over the nations. This aspect of Messiah was widely accepted, and some Rabbis even thought, suggested that the Messiah could possibly be a leper, being that his face was marred, and he was esteemed as stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. Verse 13 goes all the way to the end of human history, to the time of the Millennial reign of Messiah, and then Isaiah, from this vantage point, looks back to Messiah's first advent as redeemer in verse 14.  

…6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9: 6-7

He shall be high and lifted up - Isaiah saw Him there in Is 6. He sees the Lord, Adonai, see link before to Is 6.

1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple.2Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.… Isaiah 6: 1-2

…40“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.” 41Isaiah said these things because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him. 42Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.… John 12: 40-42

As John MacArthur says "It’s high, higher, highest. God is going to make Him high, then higher, and then highest. High, I believe, looks at His resurrection. Higher looks at His ascension. And highest looks at His coronation. He is going to be so successful that God is going to raise Him from the dead, God is going to take Him into glory, and God is going to sit Him at His right hand, Philippians 2:9-11. God is going to give Him a name above every name, the name Lord. And at that name, every knee will bow. God is going to make Him the ruler over everything in the universe. He’s going to be the King of the universe, as well as the head of the church. The astonishing revelation of the Servant of Jehovah is this, He will come, He will succeed, He will accomplish the purpose of God by His great effort, and God will validate that by raising Him from the dead, taking Him into glory and seating Him on His throne. PA

I am inclined to see a dual message here, ultimately every knee will bow, and I think from Isaiah's vantage point he sees Christ exalted on His throne, this will be the finale and the reality of the Millennial kingdom. But part of this glory comes from suffering, and there is no kingdom to rule unless there are those redeemed, purchased, made clean. In other words, there is no kingdom of men over which to rule, if there is no cross on which to atone. Isaiah has, from the beginning, indicted himself, Israel and the nations. He has chastised their outward, cliché and ceremonious religion with which they perform empty rituals.  

…4At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. 5Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.” Isaiah 6: 4-5

10If anyone from the house of Israel or a foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from among his people. 11For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.12Therefore I say to the Israelites, ‘None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner living among you eat blood.’… Leviticus 17: 10-12

10Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.12When you come to appear before Me, who has required this of you—this trampling of My courts?… Isaiah 1: 10-12

…4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me. 6In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.… Hebrews 10: 4-6

Who is exalted? We exalt winners, everyone loves to identify with a winner, a champion. The conquering king or general gets the parade and the high seat. God the Son, He steps down from His heavenly throne, cloaks Himself in humanity, is born of a virgin, to a poor family that lives in a town of low reputation. Yes, you will see Him on His throne, but only if you first see Him as your replacement on the tree. He is the exalted conqueror, it was there my Lord conquered sin and death for me. It is there He paid the price of redemption. 

22If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is executed, and you hang his body on a tree, 23you must not leave the body on the tree overnight, but you must be sure to bury him that day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse. You must not defile the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance. Deuteronomy 21: 22-23

…13No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.… John 3: 13-15

…22Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.… 1 Corinthians 1: 22-24

It's not where people normally look to see glory, He was hung between two criminals, but He had done no wrong, neither was there any deceit in His mouth. He came to do the will of His Father, to be the propitiation for our sins, and rightly did they wave palms in front of Him as He came through the streets on a donkey, saying, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. He came for the Passover, not to watch, but to be it, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. I saw Him exalted there first, no one else but God could do that. Most of the religious leaders and the world wrote Him off for being there, but if you read Isaiah, then you already knew that was going to happen. Isaiah knew it 700 years before it happened, and he records their response before they give it.