Meditation - Isaiah 53

I spent 5 hours yesterday afternoon studying and meditating on the second half of Isaiah 53. (I was home too sick for work still, but Sam was at his usual Tuesday child care.) It was perhaps the best 5 hours of my life... beats my wedding day memories, marvellous as they are!

I kept skipping between Isaiah 53, the ends of the gospel accounts, Psalm 22, 1 Peter 2:22-25, and various other verses in the Bible that came to mind. The fourth "Servant Song" begins in Isaiah 52:13. I've been reading it this week as my BSF study.

52:13 See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. [Num21:4-9; Jn 3:14-15, 8:28, 12:22-34; Acts 2:22-23; Phil2:8-9]
14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him - [Is49:7a; Acts 2:13-15, 4:10-11, 7:51-52; Heb12:3]
His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and His form marred beyond human likeness -
15 so he will sprinkle many nations,
//so will many nations marvel at Him//
and kings will shut their mouths because of Him. [Is49:7b; Acts 26]
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.
53:1 Who has believed our message,
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? [Is50:2, 51:5,9, 52:10]
2 He grew up before the LORD like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him,
nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
4 Surely He took our infirmities and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered Him stricken by God, [Mt 27:43]
smitten by Him, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced for our transgressions, [Ps22:16; Zech12:10; Jn 19:34-37; Lk24:39-40; Jn20:20-27]
He was crushed for our iniquities; [Ps22:1; Mt27:45-46; Mk15:33-34; Lk24:44-46]
the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,
and by His wounds we are healed. [quoted in 1Pet2:24]
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, [quoted in 1Pet2:25]
each of us has turned to his own way;
but the LORD has laid on Him
the iniquity of us all. [1Pet2:24]
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, [Mt26:63, 27:12-14; Lk23:8-9; Jn19:8-9; 1Pet2:23]
yet he did not open His mouth;
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, [Jn1:29]
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgement He was taken away.
And who can speak of His descendants?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people He was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, [Mt27:38; Lk23:32-33]
and with the rich in His death, [Mt22:57-60; Mk15:42-46; Lk23:50-53; Jn19:38-42]
though He had done no violence, [Mt26:51-56; Mk14:47-49; *Lk22:49-53, 23:13-15; *Jn18:10-11,36-38]
nor was any deceit in His mouth. [quoted in 1Pet2:22]
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer [Acts 2:23; Jn10:18; 1Pet2:23]
and though the LORD makes His life a guilt offering, [Lev5:15-6:7, 7:1-10]
He will see His offspring {I'm one!} and prolong His days, [Is49:20-21]
and the will of the LORD will prosper in His hand.[Jn4:34, 6:38; Ps2:9, Rev2:27, 12:5, 19:15-16]
11 After the suffering of His soul, [Is53:5]
he will see the light and be satisfied; [Is8:19-20, 9:2, 42:6, 49:6, 50:10]
//He will see the result of the suffering of His soul
and be satisfied.// [Heb12:2]
By His knowledge //By knowledge of Him// my righteous servant will justify many,
and He will bear their iniquities. [Is53:6]
12 Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, [Is50:7-9, Heb12:2]
and He will divide the spoils with the strong, [Acts10:42; 2Tim4:1]
because He poured out His life unto death,
and was numbered among the transgressors.
For He bore the sin of many, [1Pet2:24]
and made intercession for the transgressors. [1Jn2:1]

Chapter 53 begins with the words "Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? I have to answer these questions with a resounding "Me!" after studying this chapter. I am soooo thankful for the suffering of Jesus on the cross on my behalf as He bore my iniquities, the sin of many.

LORD, Please make me ever more thankful for Jesus' propitiating sacrifice that reconciled me to You. May my gratefulness be shown by a life of righteousness, evangelism and discipling, testifying the Truth that You are good and Your love endures forever!