Day 19: Isaiah 9, 53, 61
Today’s chapters provide both a summary of what has happened so far and a bridge into what comes next. After the historical narrative of the Old Testament that we have been reading comes a series of books of prophecy. In general, these books of prophecy attest to God’s faithfulness and sovereignty (Numbers 23:19, Isaiah 46:9-10) and point the way to the coming Messiah, who will be absolutely known based on His fulfillment of these Old Testament prophecies (Isaiah 48:3-5, Romans 1:2-4). These prophetic books often fulfill a dual function: they fit chronologically within that historical narrative, and they also point forward to what is to come in the future. The prophet Isaiah lived and wrote around 700 B.C. The powerful kingdom of Assyria, who would ultimately exile Israel, had begun to attack the southern kingdom of Judah as well, and the people were growing discouraged and were tempted to trust in the strength of men. But Isaiah challenges them to trust in the Lord alone and to look to him for their salvation. Ultimately, in whom will they trust?
Isaiah 9 brings us to a great and majestic prophecy pointing forward to the ultimate Savior of Judah – the promised Messiah. From the same land that is currently being invaded by a powerful enemy, a light will shine, and the instruments of war will be turned into instruments of peace (v. 5). And then, verse 6 reveals the means of this salvation: a child! But not just any child. This is no mere man. The government will rest upon his shoulders, he will reign on the throne of David – he is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. (What precious titles!) God himself will come in the form of a child in order to save not only Judah, but the entire human race and all of creation. These words offer a beacon of hope to a discouraged people.
But there is a problem. How can a holy God come to dwell with sinful men and women? The rest of Isaiah 9 shifts abruptly in tone and outlines why God is allowing an enemy to invade his people. Quite simply, they are not following him. They have become prideful (v. 8-12), seeking the adulation of great men (v. 13-17) and utterly lacking in brotherly love (v. 18-21). They refuse to acknowledge God, and they have turned away from him and gone their own way. Why should any Messiah come and dwell with these people? There seems to be no hope at all.
Enter Isaiah 53. There is hope, but it is not what they – or we – ever would have expected. This chapter is the last of four passages later in Isaiah that present a shocking, scandalous picture of this promised Messiah. He will not come first as a mighty warrior to rescue all the people of Israel from every enemy. He will come as a servant – and a suffering servant, at that. He will be “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (v. 3). He will be oppressed and afflicted, led to slaughter like a lamb, and his soul will make an offering for the guilt of others. This doesn’t sound like a powerful Messiah. This doesn’t sound like what was expected.
But, you see, it was all because of us: “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” (v. 6).
And, you see, it was all for us: “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” (v. 5).
How was this Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, going to be able to dwell with sinful man? By taking the punishment that we deserved upon himself. With his wounds, we are healed. This God so wanted reconciliation with his people – with Judah, with Israel, with me, with you – that he would literally love us to death.
Seven hundred years after this prophecy was written, God would become a man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was despised and rejected, led to the cross like a lamb to the slaughter, in order that his wounds might heal his people. This passage is the most quoted Old Testament passage in the New Testament, and for good reason – it proclaims the glorious gospel seven centuries before Jesus walked the earth. His death was hardly the unfortunate circumstances of a turbulent political climate. It was a part of God’s sovereign plan to redeem his people and bring his kingdom to earth.
But the story doesn’t end there. Isaiah 61 speaks of a year of the Lord’s favor – a time when the Messiah would come in the Spirit of God to bind up the brokenhearted and to set prisoners free, a time when the warrior Messiah would vanquish every enemy and God’s people would be reunited to him like a bride to her groom. When Jesus began his earthly ministry, he read part of this exact passage in the temple (Luke 4:18-19), and he said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (v. 21). He knew that he was the promised Messiah, sent from God to save his people from their sins. But some of this would have to wait. Before he would become the warrior Messiah, he would be the suffering servant, and the Lord would lay on him the iniquity of us all.
Questions for reflection and discussion: What type of Messiah does Isaiah 9 set up, and how does that contrast with the Messiah set up in Isaiah 53? What are some common expectations about what a Messiah or Savior should be? This side of the cross, we recognize Jesus in Isaiah 53. What parts of this chapter are most meaningful to you as you consider Jesus’ death on your behalf?
