Commissioned Service, not an Unrenewed Commission. It is the highest wisdom for all young Christians to place themselves entirely and unreservedly in the hands of the Redeemer, 6.
Powerful Service, Energised by the Holy Ghost. Not one of His words fell to the ground. God save us preachers and speakers and Sunday School teachers from becoming as sounding brass and tinkling cymbal, a mere sound. But may there ever be recognised a definite power behind all that we say. Sustained Service, Upheld by Wondrous Grace. Isaiah clearly shows this. Is that not a significant phrase found in Revelation , "He that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand," indicating the seven leaders of the seven churches in Asia upon whom so great a responsibility rested had special supporting grace given to them.
He will sustain us. We, too, will always be held up by wondrous grace. Isaiah Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. NET Isaiah just as many were horrified by the sight of you he was so disfigured he no longer looked like a man;. ESV Isaiah As many were astonished at you-- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind.
NLT Isaiah But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.
CSB Isaiah Just as many were appalled at You-- His appearance was so disfigured that He did not look like a man, and His form did not resemble a human being NIV Isaiah Just as there were many who were appalled at him-- his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness Just as many were astonished at you, My people - This is probably not the best translation as it tends to suggest that this statement is directed at Israel.
A better translation is the ESV rendering of as many were astonished at you. Note that this passage begins with "as" which is picked up in Isa that begins with "so" the significance of which will be discussed below. Suffice it to say just as the Jews were horrified at Jesus' appearance at His first coming, so the nations will be startled the alternative reading of "sprinkle" by His second coming!
The pronoun in the previous passage was he, but is now switched to you, MacArthur noting that "switching pronouns from the second to the third is not uncommon in prophetic language in the Old Testament. Isaiah is saying that many will be astonished by the Servant's appearance. This theme is described in more detail in Isaiah I like the HCSB rendering of "many were appalled," a similar reaction from men being evoked by the destruction of Tyre in Ezekiel "Are appalled at you".
Astonishment will be the inner response to the outward scene! This reaction of astonishment or horror is fulfilled by many in the Jewish crowd who looked at Him, for the Jews were the only ones other than Pilate and the Roman soldiers who actually witnessed Messiah's humiliation and disfigurement.
As the crowd lining the street saw Jesus bearing His cross, beaten and bloodied, they were appalled at His appearance.
While many in the crowd were antagonistic to Him, there were also some who loved Him and to whom this sight must have been heart rending! May our thoughts of His broken appearance be used by the Holy Spirit to break our hearts, motivating us to greater and greater loving obedience to Him.
As a side note it is a horrifying truth that Christian art prior to Constantine depicted Christ's normal appearance as repulsive. That they would have done so is unconscionable to me! David Baron comments that "By these strong words and expressions the Spirit of God seeks to give us a glimpse unto the depth and intensity of the vicarious sufferings of our Saviour, and of the greatness of the cost of our redemption; and as we contemplate this picture of the Man of Sorrows, with the "face" which for us was " marred " more than that of any man, and with His form bowed and disfigured more than the sons of men, may our hearts be stirred with shame and sorrow for the sin which was the cause of it all, and with greater love and undying gratitude to Him who bore all this for us!
Thompson on marred - When He was before Annas, Jesus was smashed in the face by an officer John When He was before Caiaphas, He was spit on, slapped, and beaten in the face with fists Matthew ; Mark ; Luke When He was before Pilate, Pilate had him scourged with whips John ; Matthew ; Mark and soldiers brutally punched Him in the face with their fists John His beard was ripped out of His face Isaiah By the time this was all over, you could not even recognize that this is Jesus.
The Septuagint uses a verb found only here in Scripture adoxeo opposite of doxazo which means literally "without glory," and conveys the idea of being held in no esteem, of being of ill repute or even of being despicable!
It can mean to hold one in contempt. It suggest that the Jewish crowd while on one hand were appalled on the other hand they held Him in contempt. Certainly we know the Jewish religious leaders held Messiah in extreme contempt! What callousness was on display on that horrible Passover day! Most lexicons say that the noun marred mishhat is derived from the verb shachath which means corrupted or ruined and in Malachi describes the sacrifice of "a blemished shachath animal.
The Jews see Jesus' appearance which would make any Passover lamb unacceptable for sacrifice as it would be disqualified after inspection by the Temple priests! And so the irony is that the Passover Lamb of God Jn would have been an unacceptable sacrifice physically speaking, but He was in fact the perfect, sinless sacrifice praise God spiritually speaking!
Thy open bosom was my ward, It braved the storm for me. Thy form was scarred, Thy visage marred; Now cloudless peace for me. O but He was still the Lamb of God! Have you ever thought of the goodness of the Father in not only prophesying of the sufferings of Christ, but also of the glory that was to follow? Therefore we here not only have prosperity foretold, but much more than that: surely this means nothing less than the exaltation and enthronement of Deity. Unlike mere mortal and finite men, the Man of Sorrows knew exactly all that awaited Him—the betrayal, the failure of His followers, the cruel scourgings, and the awful death.
But how often, as He reflected on all these sad accompaniments of His death, His heart must have been cheered by this bright and attractive forecast. That prosperity should follow prudence is to be expected. What is prudence? Prudence and wisdom are not one and the same thing. Prudence is wisdom in action. The prudent are not only the possessors of wisdom. They are those who use that wisdom wisely and well.
It is possible to be wise and yet not prudent. In other words, for wisdom to dwell alone. But prudence always dwells with wisdom, as is pointed out in Proverbs "I, wisdom, dwell with prudence. Our Blessed Lord Jesus was greater in wisdom and prudence than Solomon. Indeed He was, and is, the source of all wisdom and prudence. The greatest and grandest example is found in Him.
This declaration in the Golden Passional is, of course, a prophecy. His own life is its fulfilment. A very devoted and eminent preacher of the Gospel of our own time has pointed out how our Lord so wonderfully exercised prudence in His life, and manifested it also in His death. Time and again His enemies sought to slay Him, but our Lord and Saviour took every precaution. Till He knew His work was done He would not allow His life to be squandered, 2.
His Insight into Character. All who came into touch with Him became conscious of the fact that He knew them through and through, better than they knew themselves. They were aware, time and again, of the fact that He could read their thoughts; and He acted toward all with unerring wisdom. In the Adroitness of His Replies. Christian workers cannot do better as a preparation for missionary work, whether at home or abroad, than to study our Lord's methods with individuals.
Both as a preacher and as a teacher He manifested amazing skill—was calm, never flurried, had always an apt reply, ever hitting the nail on the head. Over and over again we simply marvel at His replies. That He was the All-Wise One, and the All-Knowing One, possessing and exercising in His human life all the attributes of Deity is a fact, yet He never talked or preached above the heads of His hearers.
As as example of this He stooped to parabolic teaching, conveying the most abstruse thoughts in simple language. Hence "The common people heard Him gladly," as well as the learned scholars of His time. Many a public teacher is destroyed through lack of prudence.
Time and again, in dealing with individuals, He recognised and complimented them where He could. As for example: "Thou art not far from the kingdom. There He admitted their diligence in ascertaining the mind and will of God in the written Word. In His Work of Salvation. He ever recognised that man's greatest need is not teaching, but disposition, not merely a code of morals, but a clean heart. Nicodemus right away opened the interview by acknowledging our Lord Jesus as a peerless teacher, assuming that all that was required for the regeneration of mankind was better teaching, but this our Lord at once countered by a firm declaration that man's chief need was a new life.
In His Wondrous Scheme of Redemption. Study Ephesians It is in the redemptive work of our Lord that we have the greatest example of His prudence.
So marvellous is the scheme that Satan with all his skill has never yet been able to find fault with it, and we may add, he never will. Every Divine attribute is in perfect and harmonious operation in this wondrous plan of salvation. There at the Cross mercy and truth met together, there, righteousness and peace kissed each other. Exalted to the highest pitch of honour. Study Philippians These records of His wonderful prudence are given to us not merely for our admiration, but also for our emulation Heavenly wisdom is exceedingly practical, as is pointed out in James Prudence is much to be coveted and desired in our daily lives and service, and "who is sufficient for these things?
The marvel of our redemption is that not only did our Lord Jesus suffer on the Cross in our stead, but after we have accepted that great fact and received Him, He comes to dwell within us and to live out His own wondrous life.
The Prudent One will be prudence to us. Oh, that He might fill us with His own gracious presence! Isaiah Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.
Amplified Version Classic Edition - So shall He startle and sprinkle many nations, and kings shall shut their mouths because of Him; for that which has not been told them shall they see, and that which they have not heard shall they consider and understand. In other words, the thought of Isa has been resumed. In this case, the surpassing greatness of the Servant causes the kings of the earth to shut their mouths cf Ps , that is, they are rendered speechless. Their own greatness is so small that they have nothing to say in his presence and can only fall at his feet see Isa Thus what they have never heard of before is how one who took such a lowly place could ever sit on the very throne of God in the end.
Thus He will sprinkle naza many nations - This is a difficult verse to interpret because the verb naza usually means to sprinkle but it can mean to startle. Probably the most common interpretation of verse 15 is that Messiah will sprinkle the nations, which speaks of His provision of forgiveness as a result of His atoning work on the Cross.
This is interesting for " sprinkling " is not typically described for nations but individuals. Peter says "to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout" nations or regions. Then Isaiah records that " Kings will shut their mouths. But has that really been the case in world history? How many kings have shut their mouths because they came to understand Messiah and His work of redemption?
Yes, some kings have become believers, but they are a minority. Do they fulfill Isaiah's prophecy? That seems to be a "stretch. In fairness below are a few examples of interpreting this passage as Messiah sprinkling rather than startling.
Perhaps this is a passage where we will just have to agree to disagree. Here, the promise is that the work of the Messiah will bring cleansing to many nations. His saving, cleansing work will extend far beyond Israel to many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths at Him: Though all will be astonished at His appearance, they will have nothing to say against Him.
His glory and His great work will stop every word. When they spoke against Him before, it was in blindness, but now what had not been told them they shall see. Enduring Word Bible Commentary— Isaiah. The main problem is that the verse does not specify what the Servant will use to sprinkle them.
The best guess is that it refers to a ritual act like the sprinkling of blood Lv ,17; ,19; Num or oil Lv The effect of this sprinkling is either to purify or to dedicate to a holy status. ESV Study Bible note - As the servant was rejected by many in his passion, Jesus was beaten into a shockingly inhuman mass of wounded flesh , so he will sprinkle many nations to make them clean see the ministry of sprinkling in Ex.
Kings representing the nations shall shut their mouths, awed by his wretched humiliation and exalted glory cf.
Ro Warren Wiersbe - The people whose mouths dropped open with astonishment at His humiliation and exaltation will shut their mouths in guilt when they hear His proclamation Now we see why people are astonished when they understand the message of the Gospel: This Man whom they condemned has declared that they are condemned unless they turn from sin and trust Him.
You cannot rejoice in the Good News of salvation until first you face the bad news of condemnation. Jesus did not suffer and die because He was guilty, but because we were guilty. People are astonished at this fact; it shuts their mouths. The word translated " sprinkle " in Isaiah can be translated "startle," but most likely it refers to the ceremonial cleansing that was an important part of the Mosaic sacrificial system Lev.
While the sprinkling of blood, water, and oil did not take away sins, it did make the recipient ceremonially clean and accepted before God. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, we can tell all the nations that forgiveness and redemption are offered free to all who will receive Him 1 Pe Now here is another "interpretation" by the same highly respected commentator I love Dr Wiersbe's work which offers a different interpretation - The prophecy begins with Isaiah — But when He returns the second time v.
See Zech. The first time He came, He astonished a few people in Palestine; the next time He comes, He will startle the whole world. Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament - copyright - Notice this edition is 4 years later than the resource above - Did Wiersbe change his mind? Bolding mine. John Martin - The Servant will sprinkle people in many nations. This Servant, whom many have not considered important at all, will actually provide the most important thing for nations and their kings , namely, cleansing from sin cf.
John ; Heb. That is why they will shut their mouths. They will be appalled that they had miscalculated the situation so badly. Realizing their great mistake, they will have nothing to say.
Bible Knowledge Commentary. Ex —21; Lev —15 , preparing us for further sacrificial language later in the passage. It also relates his sacrificial work to the world in general, not simply to Israel. His exaltation gives him complete supremacy over all; and kings will fall silent in his presence, astonished, over-awed, deeply respectful cf. Expositor's Bible Commentary. The NET Note comments on naza writing that "Some emend the text; others propose a homonymic root meaning "spring, leap," which in the Hiphil could mean "cause to leap, startle" and would fit the parallelism of the verse nicely.
MacArthur adds that the verb naza "can mean to spurt and metaphorically, to leap up. And there is evidence that could mean to leap up by excessive emotion. It can mean to startle metaphorically. Individuals can. But the whole world can be startled and will be startled by the return of Christ. The day will come when the nations of the world will tremble with astonishment when He comes.
They will be electrified. What is surprising is that very few commentaries make significant mention of the Septuagint translation of this verse. And before you say that this version is not "inspired" you need to realize that Paul quoted part of this very passage not from the Hebrew text but from the Greek text Septuagint in his inspired letter to the Romans Ro That fact alone should establish the Septuagint rendering of Isaiah as valid and can serve as an aid in interpretation of the passage.
That said, it is noteworthy that the Septuagint renders naza with the Greek verb thaumazo future middle which means to be extraordinarily impressed with, on one hand or extraordinarily disturbed by, on the other hand. Thaumazo is often used in the NT to express the human reaction to divine revelation Mt ; , 2 Th , Acts , etc.
Clearly the Hebrew translators were fully aware of the distinctly different Greek verb rhantizo used in Heb which means to sprinkle but they passed on that verb and instead choose the verb thaumazo.
That fact plus the context of the passage the following phrase referring to the the shutting of the mouths of kings , would seem to favor that this passage is best translated " He will startle many nations. Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him - Startled nations and shut king's mouths signify an awesome event. What would cause this degree of reaction by men who are not easily shaken because they are normally in control as are kings? Some have proposed the kings are amazed when they realize Messiah brought atonement and forgiveness of sins.
That hardly makes sense, for His proclamation of good news was rejected by the majority of people, including kings. Why would they suddenly have a "change of heart? It would be more reasonable to interpret the sudden return of the King of kings as an even which will shut the mouths of kings!
So it is to be. We must think, therefore, of the kings as overwhelmed by the Servant, but the precise cause of their silence is not explained.
As alluded to in the previous paragraph, we know that such a reaction did not occur at His First Coming. The only alternative is that these great men will be startled when they see Him at His Second Coming and the result will be that their mouths are shut! I agree with John MacArthur's comment on shut their mouths - At His exaltation, human leaders in the highest places will be speechless and in awe before the once-despised Servant cf.
Ps MacArthur Study Bible - see expanded comment below from his sermon on this passage. Because when He comes to establish His Kingdom, He will literally take over the world. He will replace rulers.
Why are the nations in an uproar, Psalm 2? They were stunned at His crucifixion, the ones who saw it. The whole world will be stunned when He returns and appears in glory. The drama that will occur as the sky goes black and as Christ appears in glory will not be lost on anyone. Kings will therefore shut their mouths on account of Him. Those who always have a right to speak will be speechless. The involuntary effect of shock and amazement, extreme astonishment, intense emotion will render them silent.
The world will be mute as He comes. But when He comes, they will all see it; they will all understand it, and they will be in stunned silence. His exaltation will astonish the globe; the whole world will see Him.
David Cooper - In contrast to the astonishment which the spectators experience in looking at Messiah when He is executed, nations, according to Isaiah , will likewise experience a mighty shock when they see this same One, Who has been executed, seated upon a throne of glory and all nations bowing down in humble submission before Him.
The prophet therefore said, " so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which has not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand. The primary meaning of this word is " sprinkle. The term also means, "startle," as our translators have rendered it in the footnote.
If the primary meaning of a word does not fit the context, then we are to select that secondary or metaphorical meaning which does satisfy these demands. Since the prophet is drawing a parallel between the amazement of the spectators at the execution of Messiah and the great astonishment of kings when Messiah sits upon His throne of glory, we are forced to accept the meaning " startle " as the correct term expressing the idea of the Hebrew in this connection.
We should therefore render the clause, "so shall he startle many nations. They are shocked by what they see and what they cannot understand. In contrast with that, when Messiah comes the second time every eye shall see Him and even those who pierced Him shall look upon Him.
The nations of the world will be struck with astonishment when they behold Him in His glory : "But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separated the sheep from the goats" Matt. The kings of the earth who will not have been told of Messiah in His glory will be shocked by the splendor of that which they visibly and literally see at His Second Coming.
In Isaiah therefore we see the entire redemptive career of King Messiah set forth which, as noted above, consists of His first coming, His rejection, His execution, His burial, His resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the throne of God, His session on the throne with His Father during the present age, and His final return to establish His kingdom upon the earth and to reign here for a thousand years.
This passage does not tell that our Lord will reign a thousand years when He returns. This information is found in Revelation , which passage is parallel with this one. Commentary Bolding mine. The latter is the reading in the Vulgate and in Aquila and Theodotian, carrying the sense of purify by his life-blood, that is.
But there are several things problematic with that view. Moreover, that rendering is competing against the context which describes the amazement of leaders at the exaltation of the Lord.
The Hebrew term is difficult. Isaiah The Suffering Servant. Ross in his exposition adds "The exaltation is reported in v. Kings are astonished that he, of all people, should be so exalted. In that day, they shall realize what the wisdom of God teaches, that the suffering servant will be exalted. For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand - This explains why the mouths of kings will be shut!
They will finally one day see the One they rejected and ridiculed and reviled. They will then understand that He was indeed Who He had claimed to be, the Savior of the world, and Who His disciples proclaimed over the centuries that precede His Second Coming. But in that day their mouths will be shut because it will be too late to receive Him as Savior! Paul took the truth of this passage and applied it to the present proclamation of the Gospel to those who had no news and had not heard , but with positive results of acceptance of the Gospel not rejection as with the great and mighty men kings of this world.
MacArthur comments on Romans - He quoted that, showing that the verse embraces not only the final exaltation and reign of Christ, but the preaching of the gospel that leads up to that. The world will be shocked when it happens because they will not expect it. But all through history, even now, people are being told, people are coming to understanding.
People who have had no news of Christ, who have not heard the Gospel, are found everywhere. They can be found in every country, every city and town, and in every community and neighborhood. God does not call every believer to be an evangelist, but He calls every believer to be a witness.
It therefore should be the desire and prayer of all believers that the unsaved will be given spiritual sight to see Christ as their only hope of salvation and that they will be given spiritual hearing in order to understand the gospel and turn to Him to be saved.
Isaiah Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? CSB Isaiah Who has believed what we have heard?
And who has the arm of the LORD been revealed to? Notice from the highlighted passage below that these pronouns appear 16 times in 6 verses. Now remember that Isaiah is a Jewish prophet addressing a Jewish audience. So the question is this - to whom do these pronouns refer? In support of this interpretation notice that the verbs are not future tense. You can observe the other verbs and you will discover that they are past tense , not future tense.
You may be saying "So what? Of course it is a prophecy that was fulfilled in Messiah's First Coming. So in that sense the passage looks forward to Messiah's suffering and death on the Cross.
But what I had never seen before is that these passages are more than a prophecy looking forward to the first coming of the Messiah. They are also a lament of those Jews who are saved in the future and who look back on this prophecy that was missed by most of their Jewish ancestors. And so this section begins with a rhetorical question Isa that expects a negative answer - " Who believed In summary, after studying the passage and reading the commentaries, I think interpreting the speaker as a future saved Jewish remnant looking back makes good sense See excursus.
Unwilling to blame their rejection of the Messiah Isaiah 53 forecast, Israel's sages internalized the prophet to fit the historical situation as they experienced it, not as their ancestors foresaw it. Even as revisionists re-interpreted Scripture to fit life as they experienced it, traditional scholars denigrated the novel interpretation and produced textual and historical proofs in rebuttal. Since it's easier to blame others, including God, for miseries our mistakes inflict on us and others, however, the medievalist view remains the dominant Jewish position today.
But let it be understood: while the passage of time clarifies the meaning of historical events, it may also prejudice our view of those events. Thus, present-day Israel lives in the shadow of past persecution, not in the hope of future deliverance. Their retrospect cannot offer a more accurate interpretation of Isaiah 53 than the prospect of earlier generations of Israelite scholars. Isaiah 53 refers to Jesus Christ because New Testament writers freely relate the prophet's words to Christ.
John and Romans use Isaiah to state Israel's rejection of Christ despite His many miracles in their presence. Matthew describes Christ's healing ministry, using Isaiah to show Jesus assuming our infirmities and carrying our sorrows.
Luke reminds us that Jesus was familiar with suffering, as Isaiah noted. Similarly, in an explanation of Ruth in the Midrash Rabbah it states:.
The Zohar, in its interpretation of Isaiah 53 , points to the Messiah as well:. This palace the Messiah enters, and He summons every pain and every chastisement of Israel. All of these come and rest upon Him. The early sages expected a personal Messiah to fulfill the Isaiah prophecy. No alternative interpretation was applied to this passage until the Middle Ages.
And then, a completely different view was popularized by Jewish commentator Rashi Rabbi Shlomo Itzchaki , who lived one thousand years after Jesus. Rashi believed that the servant passages of Isaiah referred to the collective fate of the nation of Israel rather than a personal Messiah. Some rabbis, such as Ibn Ezra and Kimhi, agreed. Second, they pointed out that the text is grammatically in the singular tense throughout.
This verse presents some difficulty to those who interpret this passage as referring to Israel:. Isaiah God promises that Israel will live forever:. If this fixed order [the sun to shine by day, the moon and stars to shine by night, etc. Jeremiah How can the sin-bearer and the sinner be the same? To this day, many rabbis persist in citing Rashi as the definitive word on how to interpret Isaiah But looking through this list of people, we are confronted with the fact that none of them was totally blameless.
None of them died for the sins of others. We also cannot deny the reality that countless numbers of Jewish people have come to believe in Yeshua after studying this very passage. He substituted himself in the room of sinners, as a sacrifice. He made his soul an offering for sin; he himself explains this Mt. When men brought bulls and goats as sacrifices for sin they made them offerings, for they had an interest in them, God having put them under the feet of man.
But Christ made himself an offering; it was his own act and deed. We could not put him in our stead, but he put himself, and said, Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit, in a higher sense than David said, or could say it. This mentioned again v. See how this dwelt upon; for, whenever we think of the sufferings of Christ, we must see him in them bearing our sin. He subjected himself to that which to us is the wages of sin v.
He loved not his life unto the death, and his followers, the martyrs, did likewise, Rev. Or, rather, he poured it out as a drink-offering, to make his sacrifice complete, poured it out as wine, that his blood might be drink indeed, as his flesh is meat indeed to all believers. There was not only a colliquation of his body in his sufferings Ps.
He suffered himself to be ranked with sinners, and yet offered himself to be an intercessor for sinners, v. It was a great aggravation of his sufferings that he was numbered with transgressors, that he was not only condemned as a malefactor, but executed in company with two notorious malefactors, and he in the midst, as if he had been the worst of the three, in which circumstance of his suffering, the evangelist tells us, this prophecy was fulfilled, Mk.
Nay, the vilest malefactor of all, Barabbas, who was a traitor, a thief, and a murderer, was put in election with him for the favour of the people, and carried it; for they would not have Jesus released, but Barabbas. In his whole life he was numbered among the transgressors; for he was called and accounted a sabbath-breaker, a drunkard, and a friend to publicans and sinners. It was a great commendation of his sufferings, and redounded very much to his honour, that in his sufferings he made intercession for the transgressors, for those that reviled and crucified him; for he prayed, Father, forgive them, thereby showing, not only that he forgave them, but that he was now doing that upon which their forgiveness, and the forgiveness of all other transgressors, were to be founded.
That prayer was the language of his blood, crying, not for vengeance, but for mercy, and therein it speaks better things than that of Abel, even for those who with wicked hands shed it. The grace and glories of his state of exaltation; and the graces he confers on us are not the least of the glories conferred on him. These are secured to him by the covenant of redemption, which these verses give us some idea of. He promises to make his soul an offering for sin, consents that the Father shall deliver him up, and undertakes to bear the sin of many, in consideration of which the Father promises to glorify him, not only with the glory he had, as God, before the world was Jn.
He shall have the glory of an everlasting Father. Under this title he was brought into the world ch. This was the promise made to Abraham who herein was a type of Christ , that he should be the father of many nations and so be the heir of the world, Rom. As he was the root of the Jewish church, and the covenant was made with him and his seed, so is Christ of the universal church and with him and his spiritual seed is the covenant of grace made, which is grounded upon and grafted in the covenant of redemption, which here we have some of the glorious promises of.
It is promised, 1. That the Redeemer shall have a seed to serve him and to bear up his name, Ps. True believers are the seed of Christ; the Father gave them to him to be so, Jn. He died to purchase and purify them to himself, fell to the ground as a corn of wheat, that he might bring forth much fruit, Jn.
The word, that incorruptible see, of which they are born again, is his word; the Spirit, the great author of their regeneration, is his Spirit; and it is his image that is impressed upon them. That he shall live to see his seed.
Christ's children have a living Father, and because he lives they shall live also, for he is their life. Though he died, he rose again, and left not his children orphans, but took effectual care to secure to them the spirit, the blessing, and the inheritance of sons.
He shall see a great increase of them; the word is plural, He shall see his seeds, multitudes of them, so many that they cannot be numbered. That he shall himself continue to take care of the affairs of this numerous family: He shall prolong his days. Many, when they see their seed, their seed's seed, wish to depart in peace; but Christ will not commit the care of his family to any other, no, he shall himself live long, and of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, for he ever lives.
Some refer it to believers: He shall see a seed that shall prolong its days, agreeing with Ps. While the world stands Christ will have a church in it, which he himself will be the life of. That his great undertaking shall be successful and shall answer expectation: The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. God's purposes shall take effect, and not one iota or tittle of them shall fail. Note, [1. It is well for us that it is in his, for our own hands are not sufficient for us, but he is able to save to the uttermost.
It is in his hands who upholds all things. Whatever is undertaken according to God's pleasure shall prosper, ch. Cyrus, a type of Christ, shall perform all God's pleasure ch. Christ was so perfectly well qualified for his undertaking, and prosecuted it with so much vigour, and it was from first to last so well devised, that it could not fail to prosper, to the honour of his Father and the salvation of all his seed. That he shall himself have abundant satisfaction in it v. He shall see it beforehand so it may be understood ; he shall with the prospect of his sufferings have a prospect of the fruit, and he shall be satisfied with the bargain.
He shall see it when it is accomplished in the conversion and salvation of poor sinners. He will not come short of his end in any part of his work, but will himself see that he has not laboured in vain. He will reckon all his pains well bestowed, and himself abundantly recompensed, if the many sons be by him brought through grace to glory. Let him have this, and he has enough. God will be glorified, penitent believers will be justified, and then Christ will be satisfied.
Thus, in conformity to Christ, it should be a satisfaction to us if we can do any thing to serve the interests of God's kingdom in the world. Let it always be our meat and drink, as it was Christ's, to do God's will.
He shall have the glory of bringing in an everlasting righteousness; for so it was foretold concerning him, Dan. And here, to the same purport, By his knowledge the knowledge of him, and faith in him shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear the sins of many, and so lay a foundation for our justification from sin.
The great privilege that flows to us from the death of Christ is justification from sin, our being acquitted from that guilt which alone can ruin us, and accepted into God's favour, which alone can make us happy. Christ, who purchased our justification for us, applies it to us, by his intercession made for us, his gospel preached to us, and his Spirit witnessing in us. The Son of man had power even on earth to forgive sin.
There are many whom Christ justifies, not all multitudes perish in their sins , yet many, even as many as he gave his life a ransom for, as many as the Lord our God shall call. He shall justify not here and there one that is eminent and remarkable, but those of the many, the despised multitude. It is by faith that we are justified, by our consent to Christ and the covenant of grace; in this way we are saved, because thus God is most glorified, free grace most advanced, self most abased, and our happiness most effectually secured.
Faith is the knowledge of Christ, and without knowledge there can be no true faith. Christ's way of gaining the will and affections is by enlightening the understanding and bringing that unfeignedly to assent to divine truths. That knowledge of Christ, and that faith in him, by which we are justified, have reference to him both as a servant to God and as a surety for us.
He is himself righteous, and of his righteousness have all we received. He that is himself righteous for he could not have made atonement for our sin if he had had any sin of his own to answer for is made of God to us righteousness, the Lord our righteousness.
We must know him, and believe in him, as one that bore our iniquities-saved us from sinking under the load by taking it upon himself.
He shall have the glory of obtaining an incontestable victory and universal dominion, v. Because he has done all these good services, therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and, according to the will of the Father, he shall divide the spoil with the strong, as a great general, when he has driven the enemy out of the field, takes the plunder of it for himself and his army, which is both an unquestionable evidence of the victory and a recompense for all the toils and perils of the battle.
God the Father has engaged to reward the services and sufferings of Christ with great glory: "I will set him among the great, highly exalt him, and give him a name above every name.
Christ comes at his glory by conquest. He has set upon the strong man armed, dispossessed him, and divided the spoil. He has vanquished principalities and powers, sin and Satan, death and hell, the world and the flesh; these are the strong that he has disarmed and taken the spoil of.
Much of the glory with which Christ is recompensed, and the spoil which he has divided, consists in the vast multitudes of willing, faithful, loyal subjects, that shall be brought in to him; for so some read it: I will give many to him, and he shall obtain many for a spoil.
God will give him the heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession, Ps. His dominion shall be from sea to sea. Many shall be wrought upon by the grace of God to give up themselves to him to be ruled, and taught, and saved by him, and hereby he shall reckon himself honoured, and enriched, and abundantly recompensed for all he did and all he suffered.
What God designed for the Redeemer he shall certainly gain the possession of: "I will divide it to him," and immediately it follows, He shall divide it, notwithstanding the opposition that is given to him; for, as Christ finished the work that was given him to do, so God completed the recompence that was promised him for it; for he is both able and faithful.
The spoil which God divided to Christ he divides it is the same word , he distributes, among his followers; for, when he led captivity captive, he received gifts for men, that he might give gifts to men; for as he has told us Acts he did himself reckon it more blessed and honourable to give than to receive. Christ conquered for us, and through him we are more than conquerors. He has divided the spoils, the fruits of his conquest, to all that are his: let us therefore cast in our lot among them.
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