CHRISTOLOGY: THE DOCTRINE OF MESSIAH

by Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum

This is the second Shofar study of Dr. Fruchtenbaum's

Christology series. To read study 1, click here.

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Few doctrines can be considered more fundamental than the nature, character and works of Messiah; and few teachers are able to convey such truths with the thoroughness, detail, accuracy, clarity and fluidity that so characterizes Dr. Fruchtenbaum. So fasten your seatbelts, and let's continue!

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Study 2: Ariel Ministries' Messianic Bible Study # 65:

THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH

by Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum

INTRODUCTION

This study is on the Servant of Jehovah as described by the Prophet Isaiah. Periodically throughout chapters 42-66, Isaiah speaks of an Individual he identifies as the Servant of Jehovah.

For Isaiah, this term is a messianic title, for in these passages, he states many things about the Messiah, particularly truths concerning His First Coming. From these Servant of Jehovah passages, much can be learned about the Person and work of Yeshua (Jesus) from the Old Testament - even things never revealed in the New Testament.

Throughout the Servant of Jehovah passages, sometimes God is speaking, sometimes the Servant Himself is speaking, and sometimes Isaiah the Prophet is speaking. These passages are divided into five sections: His presentation and commission, His mission, His training, His death, and His First and Second Comings.

I. THE PRESENTATION AND THE COMMISSION
OF THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH - ISAIAH 42:1-9

The first major passage on the Servant of Jehovah can be divided into two parts: His presentation and His commission.

A. The Presentation of the Servant: Isaiah 42:1-4
God the Father is the speaker as He presents the Servant. The picture is of a king presenting his servant, his messenger, with all the king's delegated authority. Four aspects of the Servant are described: His status, His manner, His ministry, and His success.

The status of the Servant is described in verse 1: Behold, my servant, whom I uphold; my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

The word Behold is Isaiah's way of getting one's attention. God calls Israel's attention to Someone He is going to introduce. Six points are made concerning the status of the Servant in this verse.

First, the One He is introducing is my servant, the Messiah. Yeshua took a servant's role in John 4:34 and Philippians 2:5-8.

Secondly, He is One whom I uphold. The Hebrew word translated uphold means “to sustain.” Jesus was sustained by God the Father in Mark 1:12-13.

Thirdly, the Messiah is my chosen; He is God's special, chosen One. In the New Testament, this is taught in I Peter 2:4-6.

Fourthly, the Messiah is the One in whom my soul delights; He is the Person in whom God the Father takes a special delight. This was true of Yeshua in Luke 3:22.

Fifth, God the Father declares: I have put my Spirit upon him. The word Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit. The entire Triune God is mentioned in verse 1: the speaker is God the Father; the Servant is God the Son; the Spirit is God the Holy Spirit. In the Book of Isaiah, the Holy Spirit plays a special role in conjunction with the Messiah. In Isaiah 11:2, the Holy Spirit is involved with His Incarnation. In Isaiah 42:1, the Messiah is anointed by the Holy Spirit, a reference to the baptism of Yeshua when He was anointed by the Holy Spirit. In Isaiah 61:1, the Holy Spirit is also connected with the public ministry of the Messiah. In Isaiah 42:1, God the Father introduces the Servant as the Messiah to the Jewish nation and, on that occasion, He puts the Holy Spirit upon the Servant. Historically, this was fulfilled at the baptism of Jesus when He was anointed with the Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:16-17 and Luke 3:22.

And the sixth aspect of the Servant's status is that He is the One who will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

The manner of the Servant is described in verse 2: He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street.

His manner is described in three ways. First: He will not cry; He is not pictured as someone wailing in the streets of the city. Secondly: nor lift up his voice; He will not be characterized by shouting in the streets. Thirdly: nor cause it to be heard in the street; He will not be a street preacher. There is nothing wrong with street preaching. The Apostles did street preaching in the Book of Acts. Many have done street preaching since then, and many have come to a saving knowledge of Yeshua as Messiah by means of street preaching. The point is that, personally, Yeshua would not be characterized by preaching in the streets. The fulfillment of these three things concerning the manner of the Messiah is found in Matthew 12:15-21.

The ministry of the Servant is described in verse 3: A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth justice in truth.

The Messiah's style of ministry is described in three ways. First: a bruised reed will he not break, a figure of speech that means “He will not crush the oppressed.” Secondly: a dimly burning wick will he not quench, meaning “He will not squelch the discouraged.” Thirdly: he will bring forth justice in truth. Verse 1 promised that this One will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. Now it is added that, when He does bring forth justice to the Gentiles, He will do so in truth.

The success of the Servant is described in verse 4: He will not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set justice in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law. His success is described in four ways First: He will not fail. Secondly: he will not be discouraged. Thirdly: he will set justice in the earth. And fourthly: the isles shall wait for his law. The point is that, although His ministry may end in seeming defeat, yet by being part of the program of God, it will prove to be a tremendous success.

B. The Commission of the Servant - Isaiah 42:5-9
After the Servant has been introduced to the nation in verses 1-4, God the Father next gives a commission to His Servant.

Isaiah gives a description of God the father in verse 5: Thus says God Jehovah, he that created the heavens, and stretched them forth; he that spread abroad the earth and that which comes out of it; he that gives breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.

Isaiah describes God the Father as the One who commissions, and further describes Him as the Creator of the heavens and the earth and the Giver of the breath of life. This is the One who gives the commission.

God makes a declaration to His Servant in verse 6: I, Jehovah, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand, and will keep you, and give you for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.

God's declaration is fivefold. First, that His servant will be called in righteousness. Secondly, that He will hold the Servant's hand. Thirdly, He promises to sustain Him. Fourthly, in relationship to Israel, God will give Him for a covenant of the people in that the Messiah will be the Mediator of the covenant, specifically the Mediator of the New Covenant (Is. 54:10; 61:8; Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 16:60, 62). And fifth, in relationship to the Gentiles, God declares that the Messiah will be a light of the Gentiles (Is. 49:6; Lk. 2:28 32; Jn. 8:12).

The mission of the Servant is stated in verse 7: to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. The mission of the Servant is to heal spiritual blindness and to release captives from the spiritual bondage of sin and Satan.

The One who called the Servant into this mission is the One whose name is Jehovah in verse 8: I am Jehovah, that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise unto graven images. This name emphasizes God as the covenant keeper. For example, in keeping with the Davidic Covenant, God will send the Messiah.

That He is the One who has prophesied these things and He will be sure that they come to pass is pointed out in verse 9: Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.

In this first Servant of Jehovah passage, God the Father has introduced the Servant to the Jewish people as the One who is anointed by the Holy Spirit and the One who was given a commission, which consisted of two elements: first, to fulfill the covenant to the Jewish people; and, secondly, to be the light to the Gentiles.

II. THE MISSION OF THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH - ISAIAH 49:1-13

The second Servant of Jehovah passage will be subdivided into four parts: the Servant's discouragement, God's reply, the rejection and exaltation of the Servant, and the restoration by the Servant.

A. The Discouragement of the Servant - Isaiah 49:1-4
The Servant describes His calling in verse 1: Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye peoples, from far: Jehovah has called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother has he made mention of my name:

The verse begins with a call for the whole world to listen to what the Servant has to say. He then points out that He, the Servant, the Messiah, was elected by God for this specific mission: Jehovah has called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother. It is interesting to note that, while there are many messianic prophecies that mention the mother of the Messiah, as it does here, the father is never mentioned. This is no accident, for according to Isaiah 7:14, the Messiah was to be born of a virgin. Whenever the father of the Messiah is described or mentioned, it is God Himself who turns out to be that Father. In all messianic prophecy, there is never the mention of a human father, only a mother. In this case, the mother is Mary or, more correctly, Miriam. What was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 was fulfilled in Matthew 1:21 and Luke 1:31. The point of verse 1 is that the Messiah was appointed to His task when He was still in the womb of His mother. This was indeed true of Yeshua (Lk. 1:30-33). Gabriel informed Mary that she would conceive by the overshadowing power of the Holy Spirit. That which was conceived was holy, the Son of God. This is the One to whom God the Father will give the throne of His father David. In Matthew 1:21, this is the One who will save His people from their sins. Indeed, while the Messiah was still in the womb of His mother, God already had a specific commission for Him.

The position of the Servant is given in verse 2: and he has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand has he hid me: and he has made me a polished shaft; in his quiver has he kept me close:

The Servant's position is threefold. First, His mouth was like a sharp sword, a phrase that means, “to have the ability to pronounce judgment.” Jesus used this ability in Matthew 23:1-39. Secondly: in the shadow of his hand has he hid me, a phrase that emphasizes protection. He was protected by God the Father in such a way that no harm could ever come to Him, until the proper time. That is why every attempt to have Yeshua killed at the wrong time failed with the statement that His hour had not yet come. Thirdly, He was a polished shaft in the quiver, a term meaning that He was always ready for use. This was the Servant's position: He had the ability to pronounce judgment; He was protected by God the Father; He was always ready to be used by the Father.

A messianic name for the Servant is found in verse 3: and he said unto me, You are my servant; Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

One of the messianic names for the Messiah is Israel. The Servant is declared to be Israel par excellence. The name Israel means “a prince with God.” No one is more of a prince with God than the Messiah Himself. Furthermore, the nation of Israel was called to be a kingdom of priests to represent the Gentiles to God and so become a light to the Gentiles. Israel, the nation, failed, but Israel, the Messiah, will accomplish the commission. He is a true representative of that name and therefore He can be called Israel. He is the ideal Israelite, and the Father will be glorified in this Israelite, the Son.

The complaint of the Servant is issued in verse 4: But I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and vanity; yet surely the justice due to me is with Jehovah, and my recompense with my God.

Having described His commission and position, His complaint is made in three statements. First: I have labored in vain or emptiness. Secondly: I have spent my strength for nought or formlessness. Thirdly: and vanity; My work was like a vapor. Having expressed His complaint and discouragement, immediately the Servant describes His faith. Suddenly there is a change of attitude: yet surely the justice due to me is with Jehovah, God knows the situation, and my recompense with my God, God will repay and avenge all wrong done against the Servant.

These verses can be summarized as the Messiah's speaking and complaining of Israel's rejection of His messianic claims. It appears that all His work was spent for nothing. But He has not lost His faith in God the Father or His justice. In the context of the New Testament, these four verses were fulfilled in the Agony of Gethsemane.

B. The Reply of God to the Servant - Isaiah 49:5-6
What is stated here became the foundation for Paul's statement in Romans 11. God reiterates the Servant's original commission in verse 5: And now says Jehovah that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, and that Israel be gathered unto him (for I am honorable in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God is become my strength).

The Servant's original commission, mentioned in the first four verses, is restated: Jehovah that formed me from the womb to be his servant. From the time the Messiah was in the womb of His mother, He was already appointed to be the messianic Servant. He was commissioned to do two things. First, to bring Jacob again to God, this is emphasizing salvation, and to gather Israel to Him, this is emphasizing restoration. The reason is: for I am honorable in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God is become my strength. But the problem is: if the Messiah was appointed to restore Israel, but Israel has rejected the Messiah, has the plan of God come to nought?

The answer is in verse 6: yea, he says, It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles, that you may be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

The answer is, “Not at all.” In fact, the rejection of the Messiah was part of the divine plan. For now, the Servant's commission is extended. God the Father said, “It is not enough for You to be My servant merely to raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the preserved of Israel.” As an addition to the original commission, the Father will make the Messiah a light to the Gentiles so that He could be God's salvation to the end of the earth. Therefore, the Messiah should not be discouraged that Israel rejected Him because that does not mean that the plan of God had come to nothing. On the contrary, it fulfills God's plan. God's plan for the Messiah was to go beyond that of merely being the restorer or the Savior of Israel. He was also to be the light to the Gentiles. But before He could be the light to the Gentiles, Israel first had to reject Him. After Israel rejected His messianic claims, He became the light to the Gentiles. After He has been a light to the Gentiles for a period of time, then He will begin to do the work of restoring Israel, until Israel is fully restored.

C. The Rejection and Exaltation of the Servant - Isaiah 49:7
Thus says Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall worship; because of Jehovah that is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.

God the Father summarizes both the rejection and the exaltation of the Servant. The rejection is described in three statements. First, He was despised by the nations or the Gentiles. Secondly, He was abhorred by the nation, the Jewish people. Thirdly, He was a servant to the rulers of the world; He was in subjection to the ruling Roman Empire at that time that put the God Man to death.

Then, the exaltation is described. A day will come when the kings will see and arise with respect and princes will worship Him. This is guaranteed to happen some day because Jehovah is faithful in keeping His promises. Because Jehovah has chosen this One, He is going to see that the Messiah will some day be exalted. The same point will be made in another Servant passage, later in this study (Is. 52:12-15).

D. The Restoration by the Servant - Isaiah 49:8-13
God the Father describes His response to the Servant and the means of the people's return in verse 8: Thus says Jehovah, In an acceptable time have I answered you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you; and I will preserve you, and give you for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages.

Concerning the Servant, He stated: In an acceptable time have I answered you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you; and I will preserve you. In the context of the First Coming of the Messiah, this was fulfilled at the Crucifixion. At the Crucifixion, the Messiah also sounded a note of discouragement when He stated, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He made this cry after suffering six hours on the cross and, during the last three hours, He suffered the wrath of God in that He was spiritually dead and separated from the Father. But in that day of salvation, the Father helped Him. The day the Messiah provided salvation to the world by the shedding of His blood, on that day, He was helped by God the Father and preserved by Him. Just as God the Father did a work of restoration in the Son, even so, He will fulfill the promise in that He will restore Israel by means of the Son. This Servant will become the covenant of the people. He will indeed be the One who will fulfill the New Covenant that promised the salvation and the restoration of Israel. The Servant will be the One to raise up the land; He will cause people to inherit the desolate heritages. He will be the One to restore Israel.

That there will be the removal of all obstacles to the return is pointed out in verses 9-11: saying to them that are bound, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and on all bare heights shall be their pasture. They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that has mercy on them will lead them, even by springs of water will he guide them. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

That there will be a world wide regathering is stated in verse 12: Lo, these shall come from far; and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

Then, as Isaiah sees the program of God concerning the Messiah's rejection followed by His exaltation and the restoration of Israel, he breaks forth with a hymn in verse 13: Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for Jehovah has comforted his people, and will have compassion upon his afflicted.

The flow of thought of Isaiah 49:1-13 is crucial for understanding a very important messianic role. The passage begins with the Messiah in discouragement, agonizing over Israel's rejection. Israel's rejection of the Messiah seems to imply that the commission He received - to bring salvation to Israel and to restore Israel - will now never be fulfilled. In the context of His First Coming, this agonizing of verses 1-4 occurred in the Agony of Gethsemane. At that point, a message comes to the Son from God the Father in verses 5-6. According to Luke 22:43, it was an angel sent by God who delivered this particular message to the Messiah. The message was that His rejection by Israel was by no means a failure in God's plan and program. In fact, it is a fulfillment of that plan. It was not the intention of God for the Messiah to save only Israel. It was also His intention for the Messiah to be a light to the Gentiles. In the plan of God, Israel was to reject the Messiahship of Yeshua so that, for a period of time, the light could go out to the Gentiles.

In the New Testament, that is exactly what happened. With the rejection of the Messiahship of Yeshua, the gospel went out to the Gentiles. Acts 15:14 states that as a result of Israel's rejection, there is a new purpose in this age: to take out from among the Gentiles a people for his name. Paul emphasized the same point in Romans 11, where he shows how Israel's rejection of the Messiah was part of God's plan so that, for awhile, the Gospel could go out to the Gentiles. Paul said that, by the stumbling of Israel, salvation has indeed gone out to the Gentiles. Gentiles are now being saved and evangelized in light of Israel's rejection. God will continue to take out from among the Gentiles a people for His name until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. When the full number of Gentiles that God has ordained for the Church enters into the Church, at which point the Church will be complete, the Church will be removed from this earth by means of the Rapture.

Isaiah 49 said that after the period of time that the Messiah has been the light to the Gentiles, He will again turn His face toward Israel, and this time, Israel will accept Him. At that point, the Messiah will do the work of restoring Israel totally and completely. Paul writes in Romans 11 that, after the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, after God has completed His calling out from among the Gentiles a people for His name, God will again deal with Israel. Paul clearly stated that once the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, all Israel will be saved. Romans 11 clearly follows the outline of Isaiah 49.

The messianic mission has not and will not end in failure. It will be a rousing success. As a result of the work of the Messiah, myriads of Gentiles will come to a saving knowledge of Him and so will the whole nation of Israel that is living at the time of the Second Coming.

III. THE TRAINING OF THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH - ISAIAH 50:4-9

The third Servant of Jehovah passage explains just how the Messiah was trained as He was growing up. The discipling of the Servant is described in verse 4: The Lord Jehovah has given me the tongue of them that are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary: he wakens morning by morning, he wakens mine ear to hear as they that are taught. In verse 4a, the Lord Jehovah has given me the tongue of them that are taught or that are discipled. The Hebrew word translated taught is the same Hebrew root for the word “disciple.” God the Father discipled the Son. While in His deity, Yeshua was omniscient, in His humanity, Jesus had to undergo the same learning process as all men. But Yeshua studied with God the Father.

God gave the Messiah a message for the weary in verse 4b: that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary; this message is found in Matthew 11:28-30 where Yeshua stated: Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Furthermore, this training by God the Father came with frequency. In verse 4c, it came morning by morning. As soon as the humanity of the Son could understand and be taught, God the Father would awaken His Son, morning by morning, to take Him aside and train Him or disciple Him for the mission He had to fulfill.

That the Messiah was personally trained by God the Father explains His tremendous and unusual development described in Luke 2:40 and 52. It also helps to understand how, by the age of twelve, Jesus clearly understood who He was and what His messianic role was. This verse explains how, at the age of twelve, He had such tremendous knowledge of Scripture and biblical truth so that He was able to hold intelligent conversations with those who were experts of the Law in the Temple Compound.

Verses 5-6 point out that this Servant was destined to suffer and be despised. But the Servant did not react against this mistreatment according to verse 5: The Lord Jehovah has opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward.

As a result of His specialized training by God the Father, He did not rebel. Even when He was finally told that His mission was one of tremendous suffering and a painful death, He did not turn away from listening. He did not rebel against that particular truth. Similar points are made by Psalm 40:6-8 and Hebrews 10:5-7.

The act of suffering is described in verse 6: I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

This verse mentions three types of suffering the servant will endure. First: I gave my back to the smiters. During His discipleship by God the Father, the Son clearly learned that His mission was one of suffering and death. At some point, He would undergo many hours of torture. When that day came, He not only refused to rebel against it, He willingly turned his back to those who were smiting Him. He did not try to flinch away from the painful blows. Secondly: my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. Rather than trying to cover His face with His hands to keep them from pulling out His beard, He turned His face toward His tormentors so that they had free access to pull His beard out by the roots. In its Jewish frame of reference, the act of pulling out someone's beard was a sign of utter contempt (Ezra 9:3; Neh. 13:25). The very fact that He allowed His beard to be pulled out was an act of submission to utter contempt. Thirdly: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. Even when they began spitting in His face, He did not try to cover His face or turn away to avoid the spittle flying toward Him. He left Himself totally exposed, totally vulnerable to all these punishments of blows, spitting, and pulling. This verse was fulfilled in Matthew 26:67; 27:26, 30; Mark 14:65; and John 18:22.

The remaining segment of this passage points out that, while the Servant is in the midst of suffering, He will be aided by the Lord Jehovah, by God the Father in verses 7-9. Three points are made in these verses. First, the Servant will not be confounded in verse 7: For the Lord Jehovah will help me; therefore have I not been confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.

Even in the midst of His tremendous suffering, even as He was suffering these blows, the scourging, the spitting, the pulling out of the beard, and all the mockery that went with it, He still recognized that God the Father was with Him. Because God the Father was with Him, He was not confounded. Instead, He set His face like a flint for the purpose to which He was called, and that purpose was to suffer and die. His faith was that He would not be shamed; that He would not end in suffering and death. He would have victory through it, in it, and ultimately over it.

The second point is that the Servant will be justified in verse 8: He is near that justifies me; who will contend with me? let us stand up together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.

There is no one who can contend with Him. Justification means “to be declared righteous, ” “to be declared innocent.” He was found guilty of blasphemy by the Jewish trial. He was found guilty of sedition and rebellion by the Gentile, Roman trial. But ultimately, the Servant was justified by God and declared righteous. This justification of the Servant came by means of His Resurrection (Rom. 1:4; I Tim. 3:16).

And the third point is that the Servant is not condemned in verse 9: Behold, the Lord Jehovah will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? behold, all they shall wax old as a garment, the moth shall eat them up.

On one hand, He is justified; on the other, He is not condemned. Again, there is the recognition that He had God the Father's help. Those who will contend with the Servant will die away with age while the Servant will prove to be eternal.

IV. THE DEATH OF THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH - ISAIAH 52:13-53:12

The fourth Servant of Jehovah passage is the most famous and the most detailed. This passage emphasizes the death of the Servant, whereas the previous one emphasized His suffering prior to death.

A. Introduction
This Servant of Jehovah passage builds on the previous Servant passages. Isaiah 42:1-4 spoke of the commission of the Servant: to save and to restore Israel. Isaiah 49:1-13 pointed out that the mission of the Servant will be accompanied by difficulties, because Israel will reject Him. The Servant will be rejected by Israel (vv. 1-4) and, as a result, the Servant would become a light to the Gentiles for a period of time (vv. 5-7). Eventually, Israel will accept Him as the Messiah and be restored (vv. 8-13). Isaiah 50:4-9 prophesied the suffering of the Servant with no real reason given for it. Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 deals with two major areas. First, it will provide the specific reasons for His suffering not given by either Isaiah 49 or 50. Secondly, it will state that the suffering of the Messiah will lead to the death of the Messiah.

1. The Arm of Jehovah
In this passage, not only is the Messiah the Servant of Jehovah, He is also referred to as the arm of Jehovah. The arm of Jehovah motif is developed in previous sections of Isaiah. In Isaiah 40:10, the arm of Jehovah will rule for God. In Isaiah 51:5, the Gentiles will trust in the arm of Jehovah. In Isaiah 51:9, the arm of Jehovah will redeem. In Isaiah 52:10, the arm of Jehovah will provide salvation. In this passage, Isaiah 53:1 states that the arm of Jehovah is identified as the same as the Servant of Jehovah and explains just how it will bring salvation. In Isaiah 52:3, Isaiah taught that Israel will be redeemed without money. This passage will explain the means of this redemption without money, it will be redemption by blood. Thus, this fourth Servant of Jehovah passage builds upon the previous Servant of Jehovah passages and upon previous arm of Jehovah teachings in the Book of Isaiah.

2. The Prophetic or Eschatological Setting
Regarding the prophetic or eschatological setting, this passage is the prophecy of the rejection, sufferings, trial, death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah. However, as Isaiah speaks, he uses the past tense. Furthermore, he uses the plural personal pronouns we, us, and our, all of which refer to Israel as a people. Contextually, it is Israel's national confession. As a nation, Israel will confess these words in the closing three days of the Tribulation, just preceding the Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah. In this context, it is viewed as a past event that Israel will confess in the future.

3. Of Whom Does Isaiah Speak?
Those involved in Jewish evangelism usually have to battle over this passage. It has become a common teaching of the rabbis today that this passage is not speaking of an individual Messiah, rather, it is speaking of Israel as a nation suffering among the Gentiles. There are various reasons why this simply could not be so.

First, all ancient rabbis took this passage to be messianic. In fact, the first one ever to give this passage a national interpretation rather than an individual interpretation was a leading rabbi, Rashi, around A.D. 1000. In other words, prior to A.D. 1000, all Jewish rabbis and all the Jewish writings understood the passage to refer to an individual, and that individual was the Messiah. Even in Rashi's day, the majority did not accept his view. It did not really become a majority Jewish view until the late 1800s and into the 1900s. This is a very recent reinterpretation of the passage.

A second reason this passage must refer to an individual Messiah and not to Israel as a nation is because of its use of distinctive first person pronouns we, us, and our. From the viewpoint of Isaiah, the we, us, and our refer to the Jews. If the we, us, and our are the Jews, then to whom do the third person pronouns he, him, or his refer? They cannot refer to Israel, because Israel is the we, us, and our. The he, him, and his must be the Messiah. Thus, the distinction between the first person and the third person pronouns requires that the first person pronouns refer to the Jewish people and the third person pronouns refer to the Messiah.

The third reason this has to be an individual and not the nation is because of verse 8, where Isaiah states: as for his generation who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due. Verse 8 describes the people to whom he speaks as my people; Isaiah's people were the Jewish people. The Servant in this passage is suffering and dying on behalf of my people. If my people refers to Israel, and if my people are Jews, the Servant cannot be the nation of Israel, but can only be an individual Jew, the Messiah.

The fourth reason this has to be an individual is because He is presented as a singular human personality throughout the passage. Isaiah is speaking about a singular human personality, one who acts like an individual, and one who undergoes suffering only an individual can undergo. The details of this will be explained below.

The fifth reason this has to be an individual is found in verse 7: the suffering of this One is voluntary, willing, and silent. In the case of Israel, the nation has not suffered voluntarily, willingly, and certainly not silently.

The sixth reason this has to be an individual and not the nation is that the Servant suffers a vicarious substitutionary death that in this passage (vv. 4-6, 8, 10-12). Israel did not suffer on behalf of the Gentiles, but rather, Israel suffered because of the Gentiles. Furthermore, Israel suffered for her own sins. The sufferings of Israel during all these centuries has not produced salvation among the Gentiles.

The seventh reason this has to be an individual is that the suffering of the Servant brings justification and spiritual healing to those who accept it (vv. 5, 11). This has not been done for the Gentiles by Israel, and Gentiles have not received justification or spiritual healing by accepting the substitutionary sufferings of Israel.

The eighth reason this has to be an individual is that the Servant dies in this passage (vv. 8, 12). Israel has never died, but has continued to survive regardless of extreme degrees of persecution.

The ninth reason is that the Servant is resurrected in this passage. Israel as a people has never died, therefore, they never needed to be resurrected. After Abraham, there never was a time in history that Jewish people did not exist.

For these reasons, this passage must be interpreted as speaking of the individual Messiah, not of the nation of Israel. This is the way it was understood by the first Jewish believers, as Acts 8:30-35 clearly shows: And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Understand you what you read? And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, So he opened not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray you, of whom speaks the prophet this? of himself, or of some other? And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached unto him Jesus.

B. The Five Strophes
This Servant of Jehovah passage contains five segments or strophes, and each strophe is also the title for that strophe.

1. Behold, My Servant Shall Prosper - Isaiah 52:13-15
The exaltation of the Servant is spoken of in verse 13: Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. Beginning with the word Behold, Isaiah calls for special attention. As in Isaiah 42:1, special attention is once again called to this messianic Servant of Jehovah. He is going to deal wisely. This is a translation of a Hebrew word which means “to deal wisely or prudently, ” “to act with intelligence.” It also has another meaning, and that is “to prosper or succeed.” In this context, this is probably a better translation. The Servant will prosper and succeed. The second phrase states: he shall be exalted. The Hebrew word means, “to rise, ” and it is a reference to His resurrection. The third phrase states that He shall be lifted up, a reference to His Ascension. The fourth phrase is: shall be very high. The Hebrew word means, “to be exceedingly high, ” and it is a reference to His present session in Heaven at the right hand of God the Father. Verse 13 introduces the messianic Person by summarizing His exaltation. First, He will have a successful ministry; secondly, He will be resurrected; thirdly, He will ascend into Heaven; and fourthly, He will remain in Heaven for a period of time. The New Testament records the fulfillment of this verse in Acts 2:31-33; 3:13, 26; and Philippians 2:5-9.

The humiliation of the Servant, which precedes His exaltation is spoken of in verse 14: Like as many were astonished at you (his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men).

Isaiah states: Like as many were astonished at you. Just as many were astonished at Him, so many will also be awed by His future glory. The word for astonished means “to be struck dumb”; they were unable to speak because of the horror of it all. But why were many astonished at Him? The reason is given next: his visage was so marred, that is, so disfigured that he no longer resembled a man. People looking at Him, at one point in His life, were astonished. The time of this astonishment was after the scourging when, indeed, his visage was so marred, so disfigured, that He no longer resembled a man. But just as He underwent suffering, even so, He will undergo glorification. Indeed, glorification in Scripture is often reached by means of suffering.

The victory of the Servant is spoken of in verse 15: so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand. The phrase so shall he sprinkle many nations can also be translated “so shall he startle many nations.” In some passages, this word means, “to sprinkle” in a purifying sense. If that is the meaning here, then the “sprinkling” is that of His blood by which many Gentiles will be purified. But if the meaning is “to startle, ” then the meaning is that, just as they were astonished at His marring at the First Coming, they will be astonished again as a result of the Second Coming; but this time, the astonishment will be one of respect. Contextually, this may be the better meaning. Next Isaiah states: kings shall shut their mouths at him; this is a clear sign of respect. The reason they will shut their mouths at Him is twofold. First, they shall see what had not been told them; and secondly, they will understand what they had not heard. When they realize that the One who had been so terribly despised and rejected at His First Coming is the Messianic King of the world at His Second Coming, they will have no other response except to shut their mouths at Him.

The first strophe Isaiah 52:13-15, summarizing the humiliation, the victory, and the exaltation of the Servant of Jehovah, is an introduction to Isaiah 53:1-12. Verses 1-9 contain Israel's confession of her rejection of the Messiah and how this rejection led to the sufferings, trial, death, and burial of the Messiah. Verses 10-15 give the theology of the Messiah's death and Resurrection.

2. Who Has Believed Our Message? - Isaiah 53:1-3
The second strophe points out that Israel had heard the report of the Messianic Servant in verse 1: Who has believed our message? and to whom has the arm of Jehovah been revealed?

Although they had heard the report, they had not believed it and had not recognized who the arm of Jehovah really was. This verse emphasizes Israel's lengthy period of unbelief even though they had heard of this Messianic Person for a long time.

The humanity of the Servant is spoken of in verse 2: For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he has no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

His humanity is seen in four ways. First, he grew up before him as a tender plant. The word for plant here means “a suckling.” It is a tender twig that grows on a trunk or branch and draws life from it. In fact, men often cut off sucklings because they draw life from the tree and kill it. The point is that as He was growing up and developing, He was sometimes looked upon as merely a suckling, something that needed to be cut off. Secondly, He was a root out of a dry ground. This phrase emphasizes the lowly condition in which the Servant would appear. This is a point Isaiah made earlier in Isaiah 11:1, which was fulfilled when Jesus was born into a poverty stricken family. Thirdly, He had no form or comeliness, meaning He had no outward, physical beauty. All those handsome portraits of Yeshua are dead wrong. Every one of those portraits is a figment of someone else's imagination and, invariably, they contradict the Scriptural portrait of Him. In the Scriptures, Jesus is not seen as someone who was physically beautiful or handsome. Isaiah re-emphasizes this point with the fourth phrase: when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. The point is that, from a human perspective, He was more on the ugly side. Nothing about His outward features would attract men to Him.

How the Servant was despised is described in verse 3: He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.

Five statements are made in this verse. First: He was despised, and rejected of men. The Hebrew word for men means “men of rank” or “leaders”; He was rejected by the leadership of Israel. The same word is used of Him in an earlier Servant of Jehovah passage, Isaiah 49:7. Secondly, He was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. The term a man of sorrows means “a man of pain.” The term acquainted with grief means that He was knowledgeable of diseases. He was confronted with diseases, a product of the fall, and was able to heal those who came to Him with these diseases. Thirdly: and as one from whom men hide their face. Verse 2 stated that He had no outward, physical beauty and, in fact, men were not drawn to Him, for He tended to be on the ugly side. Verse 4 adds that, not only did He not attract men to Him because of His outward features, men were repulsed by those features to some degree. The reason people were attracted to Yeshua was because of His message, His works, and because they felt the love He had for them, not because of His outward features. Fourthly: he was despised, repeating the starting line of the verse. And fifth: we esteemed him not. There is common Hebrew phrase for Him, which translates into English, “may His name and memory be blotted out.” In many of the older Jewish writings, He was often referred to as the “hanged one” or more simply as “that man.” Indeed, Israel did not esteem Him.

3. Surely He Has Borne Our Griefs, And Carried Our Sorrows - Isaiah 53:4-6
Having summarized His humiliation and exaltation, and then having dealt with His basic human development and how He was despised during His life, in this third strophe, Isaiah deals with the concept of substitution.

The substitutionary suffering of the Servant of Jehovah is spoken of in verse 4: Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Isaiah uses the plural pronoun our twice in this verse, to emphasize that His suffering was substitutionary. The Servant took upon Himself our sicknesses and our pains. In the Scriptures, the word “sickness” could be used in a physical or spiritual sense or both. While Jesus was here on earth, He healed a great amount of physical sickness as part of His messianic credentials. He healed all those that actually came to Him and, for this reason, Matthew quoted this verse (Mat. 8:16-17). This will be true again when He returns. The presence of the Messiah always carries with it greater advantages than His absence. But the fact that Yeshua physically healed all those who came to Him while He was present carries no such guarantee now that He is absent. The main purpose of His coming was to deal with the issue of sin and this is the central point of this passage. It is written in the context of sin and how the Messiah will deal with it. The sickness is the spiritual sickness that He came to heal by dealing with the root cause: the issue of sin.

Secondly: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. This phrase states that when Israel looked upon His sufferings, they assumed He was suffering for His own sins; that His suffering was a punishment from God. The Hebrew word translated as stricken is a word that means, “to be stricken with something that is shocking, ” “stricken with a hateful disease.” They looked upon Him as having been smitten of God with a very terrible disease. This is why we know that the word “disease” is being used in a spiritual, not a physical sense. Yeshua did not die of a physical disease. He died by execution by means of crucifixion. In this verse, the execution of Jesus was looked upon as having been smitten with a shocking and hateful disease. The disease could not be physical, simply because Yeshua did not die of a disease. The disease here must be a spiritual disease, meaning sin. They believed that He was a sinner, a transgressor. They believed He was suffering for His own sins. In reality, He was suffering for their sins. Hence, Jesus did die of a disease–not physical, but spiritual. The sins of the world were placed on Him and, because of and for these sins, He died. In that sense, Yeshua did die of a disease. In this context, the “diseases” that Jesus took upon Himself were spiritual, not physical.

Whereas in verse 4, there was substitutionary suffering, there is substitutionary death in verse 5: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Four statements are made concerning His substitutionary death. First: he was wounded for our transgressions. The Hebrew word for wounded means “to pierce through.” It always refers to a violent death, not just a slight flesh wound. Why was He pierced through? It was for our transgressions. The transgressions of verse 5 are the “diseases” of verse 4, and once again speaks of spiritual disease; that is, sins. Secondly: he was bruised for our iniquities. The Hebrew word for bruised means “to be crushed.” He was crushed because of our iniquities. Thirdly: the chastisement of our peace was upon him. Literally, the Hebrew reads “the punishment which leads to peace was upon him.” His substitutionary death will lead to personal peace. His suffering was necessary to bring about spiritual peace for those who believe. Fourthly: with his stripes we are healed. The word stripes refers to welts that are raised on the skin, as a natural result of scourging. The word healed refers to the healing of spiritual sickness, not physical sickness; just as the previous phrases dealt with spiritual sickness, not physical sicknesses. It should be pointed out that Matthew 8:16-17 is only an application and not an exact fulfillment, for at the time that the events of Matthew 8:16-17 were taking place, Yeshua had not yet suffered any of the things in this strophe, though it is by these things that the healing comes.

Israel's condition is described in verse 6: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Israel's condition is described in three ways. First: All we like sheep have gone astray. Secondly: we have turned every one to his own way. Thirdly: Jehovah has laid on him the iniquity of us all. This verse emphasizes the necessity for the suffering of verse 4 and the death of verse 5. He suffered and died because of Israel's straying, Israel's turning away. He had to suffer for the iniquity of all Israel. The Hebrew word iniquity includes three elements: first, the transgression itself; secondly, the guilt incurred as a result of committing the transgression; and thirdly, the punishment incurred because of the guilt. Upon the Messiah was laid the transgression, the guilt, and the punishment for it. This passage is applied to Jesus in I Peter 2:21-25.

4. He Was Oppressed, Yet When He Was Afflicted He Opened Not His Mouth - Isaiah 53:7-9
The fourth strophe picks up with the Servant's sufferings and death, deals with the oppression and afflictions of the Messiah, and terminates with His burial.

The silence of the Servant in the midst of His suffering is described in verse 7: He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

He was oppressed; He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth in any protest. As a lamb led to the slaughter, as a sheep is silent before its shearers he opened not his mouth. He was totally passive in the face of His tormentors. In the midst of the tremendous sufferings described in verses 4-6, verse 7 states that He was silent as He underwent all that suffering and death. It does not mean that He did not say anything. Yeshua did make statements during His affliction and on the cross. But He did not rail against His tormentors. He did not voice opposition. He did not voice dissent and protest against what was being done to Him. He suffered these things quite willingly in keeping with a previous Servant passage, Isaiah 50:4-9. All four gospel writers emphasize the fact that He suffered in silence: Matthew 26:62- 63; 27:12-14; Mark 14:60-61; 15:3-5; Luke 23:8-9; and John 19:10.

The trial and death of the Servant are dealt with in verse 8: By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?

The trial is found in verse 8a: By oppression and judgment he was taken away. The word for judgment refers to a judicial judgment, a judgment resulting from a trial. According to this phrase, He was tried in a court of law, found guilty, and sentenced to death.

His death is described in verse 8b: as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?

Four points need to be noted in this part of the verse. First: as for his generation who among them considered. The generation is the generation of Jesus' day, for that was the Jewish generation that rejected His Messiahship. Again, verses 1-9 contain Israel's national confession, a confession Israel will make in the closing three days of the Great Tribulation, just preceding the Second Coming. As the Jewish generation of the Tribulation will look back to the time of His First Coming, they will ask the question: as for his generation, who among them considered? This is the same generation that the Gospel of Matthew emphasized over and over again with the phrase this generation. This generation of Jesus' day rejected His messianic claims on the basis of demon possession and, therefore, committed the unpardonable sin (Mat. 12:22-45). The generation of Isaiah 53:8 is the generation of Matthew 12.

Secondly: he was cut off out of the land of the living. To be cut off means “to die a violent death.” To be cut off was also the specific legal penalty for violating the Law of Moses. In other words, He was cut off by execution. He was cut off by suffering the legal punishment of the Law. He was cut off, died a violent death, not because someone had merely attacked Him on the street, but He died a violent death as a penalty under the Law. He was executed in the legal sense. Indeed, when Yeshua died, He died under the penalty of the Law, specifically, Roman law, since Jews did not practice crucifixion. He was condemned to death by a Jewish court for blasphemy. He was then condemned to death by a Roman court. He was then executed on the basis of sedition and rebellion against Rome. When Jesus died, He took upon Himself the legal penal execution. It was a penal substitutionary atonement. The penalty He took upon Himself was the penalty of the Law of Moses.

Thirdly: for the transgression of my people. The term my people can only be the people of Israel. He was cut off for the transgression of my people. This statement points at why He died a violent death. He was executed because of violation of the Law of Moses, not because He had violated the Law, but because Israel had violated the Law. When he was cut off out of the land of the living it was for the transgression of my people. It was for the sins of Israel. It was substitutionary death. This verse is the background to Matthew 1:21, where the angel appeared to Joseph and said: You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he that shall save his people from their sin. The his people of Matthew 1:21 are the my people of Isaiah 53:8; that is, the people of Israel.

Fourthly, Isaiah states: to whom the stroke was due to re emphasize that the Messiah, the Servant, was not killed because of anything He had done, but was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of Israel to whom the stroke was due. It should have fallen on Israel. It is Israel that should have been destroyed. But by means of substitution, the stroke fell upon the Servant. Indeed, Yeshua took upon Himself the penalty of the Law, so the stroke fell upon Him, rather than upon Israel. This verse is quoted as applying to Jesus in Acts 8:33.

The burial of the Servant is spoken of in verse 9: And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

This verse would be contradictory without New Testament revelation. The statement: they made his grave with the wicked points out that, since He died a criminal's death, He was assigned a criminal's burial. This was standard practice. If a person was executed under penalty of the Law, he would be buried in an area of the cemetery that was reserved for criminals. His executioners had already assigned Him a grave with the wicked. A hole had already been dug in the criminal section of the cemetery. But God intervened. Isaiah goes on to state: and with a rich man in his death. Nevertheless, by divine justice, He was buried in a rich man's tomb. There were two reasons for this. First, he had done no violence, which refers to outward sin. Secondly, there was not any deceit in his mouth, which refers to inward sin. He was not guilty of either outward or inward sin. His suffering and death were substitutionary. God the Father would not permit Him to be buried in a criminal's grave, but rather, He was buried in a rich man's tomb. So at the very point of His humiliation by death, came the first stage of His exaltation by being buried in a new, unused, rich man's tomb. The fulfillment of this is found in Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:42-46; Luke 23:50-54; and John 19:38-42. The confession of Israel ended with verse 9.

5. Yet it Pleased Jehovah To Bruise Him; He Has Put Him To Grief - Isaiah 53:10-12
The fifth strophe details the theological implications and significances of the suffering and death of the Servant, introduced by Isaiah 52:13-15 and described in 53:1-9.

Although in verses 1-9 the Messiah's suffering seemed to be at the hands of men, verse 10 states who was actually in control: Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand.

Six statements should be noted in this verse. First: Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him. It was God's will. God was pleased to see the Messiah the Servant bruised. The Hebrew word is much stronger than merely bruise; it means, “to crush.” He was totally crushed (v. 5). The word for pleased means that it was God's specific will; it fulfilled His plan.

Secondly: he has put him to grief. The Hebrew word for grief is the same word used earlier that was translated as “disease.” This phrase means that He had put Him to disease. Once again, it is evident that the word “disease” is not used in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense, a spiritual disease. Yeshua died as an atonement for sin. When He died physically, He died by crucifixion, not by disease. Yet this verse states that God diseased Him. Did Jesus die by a physical disease? In no way! He died by crucifixion. But why did He die by crucifixion? He died by crucifixion because He was dying for the sins of others. Because sin is spiritual sickness, in that sense, God “diseased” the Messiah in that He placed the sins of the world upon Him. He died by a spiritual sickness in that He died because of sin; not His own sin, but our sin. Though various groups like to use this passage to teach physical healing, that is not what this passage is dealing with. In order to be consistent with the usage of the words throughout the passage, the text cannot be speaking of physical disease and sickness, but spiritual.

Thirdly: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin spells out the purpose of His death; His death was an offering for sin. The Hebrew word for offering means “a trespass offering.” He died because of Israel's trespass: violation of the Law of Moses.

The fourth statement is: he shall see his seed. This is another seeming contradiction. How could He see the product and the result of His death and burial? Those who are his seed are those who will benefit from His death. By spiritual rebirth, they become His spiritual children, his seed. According to verses 7-9, the Servant Messiah died and was buried. The answer to the question is that the only way this would be possible is by means of resurrection. So this phrase is a very strong implication that He will be raised from the dead. This was already implied in Isaiah 52:13, which stated: he shall be exalted and lifted up. Here is a second clear implication that even after death and burial, He will live again to see his seed. How is it possible for Him to see his seed? Only if He is resurrected from the dead.

The fifth statement adds to the fourth one: he shall prolong his days. If He were dead and buried, how could He prolong His days? The only way possible is if He is resurrected from the dead. So, for the third time, resurrection is implied.

The sixth statement is: the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. The word pleasure means that God will be pleased by the accomplishments of the death of the Servant. Because the death of the Messiah will accomplish the divine purpose for the atonement is the reason He will be resurrected. Therefore, the verse goes on to state that He shall prosper. Isaiah 52:13 stated: Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, or shall prosper or succeed, and it is reiterated here: He will succeed. His death was not a failure. It is a tremendous success. It did accomplish the purpose for which He died. It did bring the atonement.

The death of the Messiah results in justification in verse 11: He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities.

Three statements are made in this verse. First: He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. God will be satisfied by the death of His Servant. His death is a substitutionary death for sin; it was a sin offering that was accepted by God the Father. This is the meaning of propitiation. The second statement is; by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many. More literally, the Hebrew reads, “by the knowledge of Him.” In other words, justification will come to those who have a knowledge of the Servant. The Hebrew word for knowledge refers to experiential knowledge. Those who have an experiential knowledge of this Servant will be the ones who will be justified by the Servant. To have an experiential knowledge is to believe and accept His substitutionary death for our sins. The third statement is for those who will own Him: he shall bear their iniquities.

The Servant will be rewarded in verse 12: Therefore will I 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 was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Therefore, because of everything the Servant did in verses 1-11, He will be greatly rewarded. In the Messianic Kingdom, the Servant will inherit all the kingdoms of the world and will divide a portion and the spoil. The terms the great and the strong refer to his seed who have been justified in the previous verse. The seed that has been justified during this dispensation will share in the rewards of the Kingdom in the next dispensation. Those who are justified because of their faith in the Servant are going to divide the spoil in the Kingdom and have a place of authority. Four more reasons are then given why the Servant will be rewarded: first, he poured out his soul unto death; secondly, He was numbered with the transgressors; thirdly, he bore the sin of many; and fourthly, He made intercession for the transgressors. This re emphasizes the substitutionary nature of His suffering and death. This verse is quoted and applied to Yeshua in Luke 22:37.

The fact that the Servant was going to suffer was spelled out on several occasions, but the great burden of chapter 53 has been to give the reason why the Messiah will suffer. He will suffer by way of substitution. The concept of substitutionary sacrifice and death is stated nine times: four times in verse 5, and once in verses 6, 8, 10, 11, and 12.

V. THE FIRST AND SECOND COMINGS OF THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH - ISAIAH 61:1-3

In the fifth Servant of Jehovah passage, there are truths concerning the First Coming and the Second Coming. There are four types of messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. The first type deals with the First Coming only, such as Isaiah 7:14. The second type deals with the Second Coming only, such as Isaiah 63:1-6. The third type combines the First and Second Comings into one picture, without indicating in the text itself any gap of time between them, such as Isaiah 61:1-3 and Zechariah 9:9-10. The fourth type spells out the
entire career: the First Coming, a gap of time, the Second Coming, and then the Kingdom. An example of this type is Psalm 110.

This passage is the third type of messianic prophecy. In verses 1-2a, Isaiah speaks about the First Coming. He then deals with the Second Coming in verses 2b-3. Each coming has a separate purpose. The purpose of the First Coming was to bring good tidings. The purpose of the Second Coming will be to restore Israel.

A. The First Coming of the Servant - Isaiah 61:1-2a
The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor.

The purpose of the First Coming was to preach the good tidings. The introductory phrase is: The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me. As in Isaiah 42:1, the entire Triune God can be seen in one verse. God the Father is: the Lord Jehovah. God the Holy Spirit is: The Spirit of Lord Jehovah. The speaker is the Servant of Jehovah, who is Messiah, God the Son. This verse combines various thoughts found in earlier segments of the Book of Isaiah, particularly, the Servant passages (11:2; 42:1; 49:8; 50:4-5). The reason the Spirit of the Lord Jehovah was upon Him is because Jehovah had anointed Him. The Hebrew word for anointed is the same word from which the term “Messiah” originates. When it states: Jehovah has anointed Him, it means that Jehovah had “messiahed” Him. The Messiah was anointed, not with literal oil, but with the Holy Spirit. In Isaiah 42:1-4, the anointing with the Holy Spirit was in the presentation of the Messiah to Israel; this was fulfilled at the baptism of Jesus. In this verse, the anointing with the Holy Spirit is in reference to His entire earthly ministry and was fulfilled by the 3 years of the ministry of Yeshua.

God the Father anointed the Messiah, the Servant, for five reasons. First: to preach good tidings unto the meek, to preach the gospel. The very word gospel means “good news” or “good tidings.” To preach good tidings or good news means to preach the gospel. Secondly: to bind up the brokenhearted. Brokenheartedness is a result of sin that is inward; He came to deal with inward sin. Thirdly: to proclaim liberty to the captives. This does not refer to literal captives in literal prisons, for Yeshua did not do such things at His First Coming. For example, He did not free John the Baptist from prison. However, He did proclaim liberty from imprisonment to Satan (Jn. 8:34-47). Imprisonment to Satan results from sin which is outward. A person is brokenhearted because of inward sin; outwardly, he becomes imprisoned by Satan. The Messiah came to proclaim liberty from Satan's imprisonment. This expression is used of the Sabbatical Year in Leviticus 25:8-13 and 27:24. Fourthly: the opening of the prison to them that are bound. The picture is that of a wide open gate. The point is that He opened wide the gate to salvation, making it freely available to all who will simply believe in
Him (Jn. 8:24). And the fifth reason is: to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor. The word to proclaim means “to announce beforehand.” The word year is a term often used for the Year of Jubilee. In the New Testament setting, it became a fitting symbol for the present Dispensation of Grace, thus, to proclaim the dispensation of Jehovah's favor or Jehovah's grace, the Dispensation of Grace. Jesus announced its coming beforehand (Mt. 13), though it did not come into being until Acts 2.

It is at this point that one can understand what is going on in Luke 4:16-21. Yeshua went into the synagogue in Nazareth, and the portion for the reading of the Prophets was from Isaiah 61. Jesus was called up to read it, but instead of reading all chapter 61, which would have been the normal procedure, He read only verse 1 and the first line of verse 2. After He read the phrase: to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, He then closed the scroll, sat down, and announced: Today has this scripture been fulfilled in your ears. This explains why He stopped in the middle of verse 2, because that was all that He was fulfilling at the First Coming. At His First Coming, He was fulfilling only these five things: to preach good tidings to the meek; to bind up the brokenhearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives; the opening of the prison to them that are bound; and to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor.

B. The Second Coming of the Servant - Isaiah 61:2b-3
and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified.

The rest of the passage deals with the Second Coming. The purpose of His Second Coming will be to restore Israel. At His Second Coming, He will be anointed to do three things. First, to proclaim the day of vengeance of our God. The day of vengeance is also known throughout the Old Testament as “the Day of Jehovah, ” which refers to the period known as the Great Tribulation. Secondly: to comfort all that mourn. This will happen at the very point of the Second Coming, as those who have mourned their way through the Tribulation will be comforted by the Second Coming. Thirdly: to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. These expressions refer to a kingdom. The picture is that, while His Second Coming will be preceded by the Tribulation, it will then be followed by the establishment of the Kingdom in which the righteous are going to participate. The result is: that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he may be glorified.

All scriptures are in the American Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

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RECOMMENDED READING

If you enjoyed this Bible study, Dr. Fruchtenbaum
recommends the following Messianic Bible studies (mbs):

mbs 011: The Suffering of Messiah of Isaiah 53
mbs 012: The Messiah of the Old Testament
mbs 013: What the New Testament Says About Jesus
mbs 014: Why Did the Messiah Have to Die?
mbs 025: Jesus' Right to David's Throne
mbs 028: The Olivet Discourse
mbs 032: The Baptism and Temptations of Jesus
mbs 035: The Three Messianic Miracles
mbs 036: The Sabbath Controversy Between Jesus and the Pharisees
mbs 044: The Transfiguration of Jesus
mbs 052: The Names and Titles of the Messiah
mbs 054: The Incarnation
mbs 056: The Triumphal Entry
mbs 060: The Upper Room Discourse
mbs 062: The Feasts of Israel
mbs 063: The Deity of the Messiah
mbs 067: The Seventy Sevens of Daniel
mbs 070: The Death and Burial of the Messiah
mbs 075: The Resurrection of the Messiah
mbs 078: The Present Work of the Messiah
mbs 094: The Sermon on the Mount
mbs 127: The Birth and Early Life of the Messiah
mbs 133: The Lordship of the Messiah
Also, Ariel Ministries' series on Christology by Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum

Many of Dr. Fruchtenbaum's Messianic Bible studies are available for free online reading
and listening at Ariel Ministries' Come and See. All of his materials are available
for purchase at Ariel Ministries in various formats. Other select
materials and resources are available at Ariel, as well.

Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Th.M, Ph.D,
is founder and director of Ariel Ministries.

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