notes

A quick note:

Instead of labeling each individual phrase I have simply "blocked" or grouped the relationships together.

Block Diagram (The Suffering Servant)

editing

OT

Isaiah 53:1-6

esv

Who has believed

Question (hypothetical)

what he has heard

from us?

And

to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For

Ground

he grew up

before him

like a young plant,

Comparison

and

like a root

out of dry ground;

he had no form

Negative

or majesty

that we should look at him,

and no beauty

that we should desire him.

He was despised

Agent

and rejected

by men;

a man

Accompinitment

of sorrows,

and acquainted

with grief;

and as one

from whom men hide their faces

he was despised,

Disadvantage

and we esteemed him not.

This seems to be the beginning of a Concessive statement.

Though men did not esteem Him, yet He carried our sorrows & was crushed by God.

Surely

Concessive

he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten

by God,

and afflicted.

But

Substitution

he was pierced

for our transgressions;

he was crushed

for our iniquities;

(This is the contrast of the Concessive & seems to be the zenith of these 6 verses .)

upon him

Result

[there] was the chastisement

that brought us peace,

with his wounds

we are healed.

All we ... have gone astray;

like sheep

we have turned—

Separation

every one—

to his own way;

on him

Advantage (with a Csv force)

and the Lord has laid ... the iniquity

of us all.

κύριε τίς ἐπίστευσεν τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν καὶ ὁ βραχίων κυρίου τίνι ἀπεκαλύφθη

ἀνηγγείλαμεν ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ὡς παιδίον ὡς ῥίζα ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ οὐκ ἔστιν εἶδος αὐτῷ οὐδὲ δόξα καὶ εἴδομεν αὐτόν καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος οὐδὲ κάλλος

ἀλλὰ τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἄτιμον ἐκλεῖπον παρὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἄνθρωπος ἐν πληγῇ ὢν καὶ εἰδὼς φέρειν μαλακίαν ὅτι ἀπέστραπται τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἠτιμάσθη καὶ οὐκ ἐλογίσθη

G1492+1

οὗτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν φέρει καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐλογισάμεθα αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν πόνῳ καὶ ἐν πληγῇ καὶ ἐν κακώσει

αὐτὸς δὲ ἐτραυματίσθη διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν καὶ μεμαλάκισται διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν παιδεία εἰρήνης ἡμῶν ἐπ’ αὐτόν τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν

μαλακίζω

κύριε τίς ἐπίστευσεν τῇ ἀκοῇ ἡμῶν καὶ ὁ βραχίων κυρίου τίνι ἀπεκαλύφθη

ἀνηγγείλαμεν ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ὡς παιδίον ὡς ῥίζα ἐν γῇ διψώσῃ οὐκ ἔστιν εἶδος αὐτῷ οὐδὲ δόξα καὶ εἴδομεν αὐτόν καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος οὐδὲ κάλλος

ἀλλὰ τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ ἄτιμον ἐκλεῖπον παρὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἄνθρωπος ἐν πληγῇ ὢν καὶ εἰδὼς φέρειν μαλακίαν ὅτι ἀπέστραπται τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἠτιμάσθη καὶ οὐκ ἐλογίσθη

G1492+1

οὗτος τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν φέρει καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ὀδυνᾶται καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐλογισάμεθα αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν πόνῳ καὶ ἐν πληγῇ καὶ ἐν κακώσει

αὐτὸς δὲ ἐτραυματίσθη διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν καὶ μεμαλάκισται διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν παιδεία εἰρήνης ἡμῶν ἐπ’ αὐτόν τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς ἰάθημεν

μαλακίζω

phrasing

Question:

What's the first thing you think about during the Christmas season?

Answer:

If you're like most Christians you would have answered by talking about Jesus' condescending from Heaven in the likeness and flesh of man. While that is certainly true, His simply being born in the flesh had a reason. It was to fulfill the reality of this passage. In other words, He didn't just come to stay in the manger. He came to have God "lay the iniquity of us all upon Him."

Notes

Chapter 53 is actually a continuation of the Suffering Servant. Previously, He opens with the rhetorical question, "Who has believed our report.?" This continues the thought of the unbelief of Israel from Isaiah 52:15. Throughout Israel's history they expected a warrior-Messiah, yet Isaiah predicts a Messiah would be rejected by men and crushed by God. This is evident by the Ground relationship that begins verse 2. It describes a Messiah with humble beginnings. The expectation was that of royalty, and while Christ certainly was in the lineage of David, Israel expected an actual heir of the king. But who is the 'him' referred to in this verse? The New English Translation textual notes states, Heb “before him.” Some suggest an emendation to “before us.” If the third singular suffix of the Hebrew text is retained, it probably refers to the Lord Since He is Yahweh's servant the reading seems to fit, though I freely admit that I am no expert in Hebrew. However, the description of 'young' (seemingly as "low") suggests the Messiah's plainness in walking among the common people. The latter half of verse 2 strengthens this notion by describing His appearance. Note, that there was nothing physical that made the Messiah stand out. Some have taken this passage to mean that the Lord was homely in appearance. Yet, the idea here is that He had no kingly appearance as one might expect a king. Consider the example of Saul in 1Samuel 9:2. He was taller than other men and was called 'handsome" by the author. I believe this is what Isaiah means when he states that the Messiah had no form or majesty. The people expected the king to look like a king. Verses 3-4 describe the Messiah's rejection of His ministry. He had come to His own people but they rejected Him (John 1:12). Isaiah's prediction was that this Servant would be so rejected that He would be well acquainted with grief. Men would not only reject Him they would despise Him. The Dictionary of Biblical Languages defines this word as to show contempt for, think lightly, i.e., pertaining to feeling of contempt for an object, because it is regarded to be bad, or of little value, often with behaviors toward the object . This Hebrew verb stem is a Niphal which expresses different semantics in its meaning. Gesenius states in his grammar that it is much like the Greek middle, in that it can be somewhat reflexive; or it can be used to express how one thinks about a particular thing ( Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar, p. 137 ). Given the fact that the people thought contempt of the Messiah this may be the meaning behind Isaiah's statement. In their own minds they thought of so little value of Jesus that they bazat Him. Verses 4-5 describe the Messiah's mission. The Hebrew word translated 'surely' means however, or in spite of. This constitutes a Concessive relation between these two sections. Even though the Messiah was rejected by His own people and despised in their minds He still took on their infirmities. He still shared in their griefs. He was not only struck by men but also by God. The entire context is not listed here but in verse 10 we are told that God was pleased to crush Him. And so we have the two great paradoxes meeting in this passage. On the one hand, it is men that put Him to death. On the other hand, it was pleasing to the Lord to strike His own Son and cause Him grief. And it was all to our benefit as the next section tells us. Verse 5-6 tell us the suffering of the Servant and the advantage, thereof. There are three major aspects that describe the Substitution and Advantage relational aspects of these verses. Substitution - He was pierced...He was crushed Both portions tell us that it was for our sin. The Hebrew uses the two synonymous words 'transgressions' and 'iniquity.' The first word describes a rebellion, or better still, the clear intent to rebel against a command that is known. The second word focuses more on the actual act of sin and describes the same intent as the first word used. In either case, the Messiah willingly took them upon Himself. It is interesting the New English Translation textual notes also conveys these two verbs as a metonymy. Advantage - we are healed The result of the work of the Messiah is our spiritual healing. The punishment due to us was laid upon Him and the shalom (peace) is ours. Isaiah describes in great detail our condition. We are all like sheep, going where we see fit. We go the way that we desire, yet the Yahweh has put that very iniquity, that rebellion and purposeful sinning on His Servant––He that was smitten by God for our advantage.

Wisdom, Works & Worship

Many of us are content to leave Jesus in a manger as a baby. But the point of the incarnation was to fulfill the prophecy in this passage of the Suffering Servant. He is the one to take our own rebellious, evil sin and to our advantage offer us shalom with the Father. We indeed celebrate that He was incarnated and made flesh like us. But let us also celebrate that He did not stay as a helpless babe. Let us rejoice that His coming to the manger was nearly a stepping stone to the cross that would secure our redemption. Let us adore Him! Merry Christmas, everyone