His portion—Easter Series Part 12
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12
Throughout history, great victory on the battlefield was rewarded by plundering the spoil of the defeated. The battlefield for Christ extended from His arrest until He breathed His last; the height of His warfare occurred upon the cross. When He uttered the words, “It is finished,” His accusers and buy propecia advancingwomen.org detractors twitched with delight thinking they had silenced forever the One who was believed by many to be the Messiah. It is finished, indeed, they must have smiled to themselves. Now this Upstart has gotten His just desserts.
In an unseen realm, a far more sinister party likewise twitched with delight. He is dead! they must have raved. We did it! We killed the Son of God! What idiots those religious uppity-ups are! They played right into our hands, and now humanity is ours forever! And so the partying continued.
But the Living God was just getting started. True, His only Son had died mere moments ago, but what He planned to do next—fixed in divine order from the beginning of the world—would rock the kingdoms of men and of darkness for the remainder of time.
Five…four…three…two…one…roll away the stone…RESURRECTION!
Scripture says Jesus disarmed the rulers and authorities of darkness and made a public display of them, having triumphed over them (see Colossians 2:15). Bible teachers differ as to whether the actual disarming and display occurred when the Lord was on the cross, while His body was in the grave, or as He rose from the dead. However, I am certain of one thing: neither men nor the hosts of darkness saw it coming. “…for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8b).
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong…
Matthew Henry said of this verse, “…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 envio de levitra eu perils of the battle” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Isa/Isa_053.cfm).
As for the portion and plunder Jesus received, Mr. Henry wrote, “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” (ibid.) Along this line of thought, Holman Christian Standard Bible translates this part of verse 12: “Therefore I will give Him the many as a portion, and He will receive the mighty as spoil.” In other words, the souls of men, women, and children redeemed by His blood are Jesus’ portion and prize. You are Jesus’ portion. You are Jesus’ prize.
…because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
Isaiah ended the prophecy about the Suffering Servant by outlining four key components of His agonizing passion for mankind. This is what qualified Him to be given the many as a portion, and to receive the mighty as spoil.
- He poured out Himself to death. Jesus did not merely die. The very essence of who He was—His righteousness, His purity, His kindness, His wisdom, His power, His love—poured out through His blood upon the ground as a perfect offering for sin, covering the entire human race—whosoever would receive and believe in Him.
- He was numbered with the transgressors. Throughout His ministry, His detractors constantly sought to sully His reputation by accusing Him of sin and carnality. (“He’s a lawbreaker.” “He’s a drunkard and a glutton.” “He’s clueless about the type of woman who is washing His feet.”) Then they nailed Him high on the cross between two thieves as if to say, “He’s riff-raff. He’s bad news.” Those passing by, along with the chief priests and scribes, taunted Him, telling Him to take Himself off of the cross. “He saved others” they sneered; “He can’t save Himself” (see Mark 15:29-31). This was an important aspect of His enemies’ strategy—to paint Him as just another transgressor, every bit as sinful as anyone else.
- He Himself bore the sin of many. Yes, He certainly was crucified between two transgressors on Calvary, but as He hung there for all to see, He took on the iniquity and the chastisement for every transgressor who ever lived.
- He interceded for the transgressors. As the Lord hung high up on the cross, He interceded for all of us. He not only prayed on behalf of sinners; He actually took our place and http://unicttaskforce.org/medicaments-en-vente-libre-cialis/ died in our stead, the highest form of intercession possible—utter identification with the objects of intercession.
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong (Isaiah 53:12a). In short, here’s a summary of both His anguish and His portion and plunder:
- He poured Himself out to death, once for all, never to die again.
- He was numbered with the transgressors, and now transgressors—who receive Him as Lord and are cleansed by His blood—are numbered with Him.
- He bore the sin of many, and because of that, now many have been made righteous.
- He interceded for the transgressors, and now He ever lives to make intercession for all of us.
Today, the resurrected Son of God is alive and well. He is the head of His body, the Church, and He sits at the right hand of the Father, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named—not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He is coming again to sum up everything in Him (Ephesians 1:10).
And all of it is made possible because He was willing to pour Himself out unto death and generic viagra strips canada online ritewaywindowcleaning.com bear the sins of many.
Dorothy
Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Luke 24:5b-6a
Read MoreThe Righteous Servant—Easter Series Part 11
As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:11
The book of Hebrews encourages believers to fix their eyes upon Jesus “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (see Hebrews 12:2). This underscores what Isaiah prophesied about the suffering Servant. The anguish of the Messiah on our behalf was extreme beyond measure, yet the glorious results far outweighed the agony of His sacrifice.
As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied…
His anguish was on purpose to accomplish a purpose. As a result of His anguish, God’s will was carried out, resulting in fullness of joy and abundance of fruit. With great satisfaction, the Servant who suffered for us has been able to look back on His passion without regret. He told His followers before it all happened, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). Who would have thought that through His hour of humiliation, agonizing suffering, apparent defeat, and death that He would soon view it all as joy, satisfaction, and a job well done? The prophet Isaiah knew it by the Spirit of God.
Matthew Henry said it this way: “God will be glorified, penitent believers will be justified, and then Christ will be satisfied” (http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Isa/Isa_053.cfm).
…by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities.
The Suffering Servant is now called the Righteous Servant. Throughout all of His sufferings, this Servant never lost sight of His mission and lived sinlessly despite being tempted in all ways as we. Only a pure and spotless Substitute could bear our sin and take on the full force of God’s wrath against it as He did. After becoming sin for us (see 2 Corinthians 5:21), the Servant emerged triumphant over sin, death, and hell. From start to finish, He Himself remained guiltless as He bore our guilt.
Through knowing Him and accepting what He accomplished that day on the cross, many are justified.
What does this mean? The Hebrew word for “justify” means “to be just” or “to be righteous” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H6663&t=KJV). Therefore, by the knowledge of the Righteous One you are made just; you are made to be righteous. Second Corinthians 5:21 says it like this: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
This is why Jesus came to earth. He came to die in your place and mine as our sinless Substitute, bearing our judgment, so that we could be freed from the domination of sin and be reborn to live transformed, righteous lives through faith in Him.
By knowing Him, you can now know peace. Your guilt has been dealt with by the Righteous One.
Dorothy
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15
For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh… Romans 8:3
But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God…For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:12, 14
Read MoreThe good pleasure of the Lord—Easter Series Part 10
But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. Isaiah 53:10
Jesus, the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the earth, was manifested for this purpose: through being crushed, He would crush the serpent’s head. Through the depths of the grief He bore, the tears of all the saints would one day be wiped away.
But the Lord was pleased to crush Him…
God was not, is not, and never will be a sadist. Like the Son who despised the shame of the cross (see Hebrews 12:2), the Father could not look upon His Son at the height of His agony. The sin, corruption, disease, and depravity of mankind hung on His Son as His Son hung on that cross. The agony of His Son bearing His wrath and the penalty for sin was not a pleasure to God; it was grievous. And as the cup of indignation against man’s sin was filled to the brim, God could not look upon His Son, the sin Substitute hanging upon the cross. Jesus knew it. He cried, “My God, My God! Why have You forsaken Me?” (See Matthew 27:46.)
Why, then, does the Word say that it pleased God to crush Him? It was because of what the crushing would bring about for humanity. Jesus was crushed so that you and I could be redeemed. He was forsaken so that neither you nor I would be forsaken. Like the Son, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame (Hebrews 12:2), the Father’s pleasure was in all the sons and daughters who would be raised to newness of life through faith in His Son’s selfless sacrifice.
… putting Him to grief…
The Hebrew word for “grief” in this verse is chalah and means “to be or become weak, be or become sick, be or become diseased, be or become grieved, be or become sorry” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H2470&t=KJV). Once again, as in Isaiah 53:3-5, the act of redemption is revealed to apply not only to the human soul but also to the human body. Jesus, by His redemptive work, made provision for the total man—spirit, soul, and body.
…if He would render Himself as a guilt offering…
The word “if” reveals something important here—Jesus had a choice in the matter. If He would render Himself as a guilt offering… In the Garden prior to His arrest, Jesus longed for the cup of suffering to pass from Him, but told His Father, “Not My will, but Thine, be done” (see Luke 22:42). He came to do His Father’s will, not His own (see John 6:38)—but He could have backed out. His refusal would have sealed our eternal damnation.
When Peter sought to prevent the Lord’s arrest by cutting off the ear of the High Priest’s slave, Jesus stopped him and declared, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (See Matthew 26:53.) Jesus understood that He could call it quits whenever He wanted; He chose to render Himself as a guilt offering.
Three outcomes of His obedience to this supreme sacrifice are delineated in this verse.
- He will see His offspring
- He will prolong His days
- The good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand
He will see His offspring
You and I, along with an innumerable company of men, women, and children from every nation, race, tongue, and dialect are the offspring born of God due to Jesus’ willingness to render Himself as a guilt offering.
He will prolong His days
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (see John 1:1, 14). Jesus was in the beginning with God. He also declared that He would continue to live after leaving the earth: “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). Jesus was eternal; He dwelt in eternity past; He would dwell in eternity to come.
Therefore, when Isaiah prophesied, “He will prolong His days”, he wasn’t referring to the eternal aspect of the suffering Servant—Jesus already was eternal. I believe this statement, instead, refers to His impact as the Son of Man on the Earth.
Here’s my thinking: Jesus’ days on the earth as a Man filled the span of thirty-three years, from the day He was born in Bethlehem until He breathed His last on the cross at Calvary. IF He would render Himself as a guilt offering, then He would prolong His days. How would this take place? Through His offspring—the sons and daughters born from above by faith in His redemptive sacrifice!
Ever since the days when Peter and the others believed on Him unto eternal life, Jesus has had a body in which to dwell on the earth. He dwelt in His disciples, then in Paul and Barnabus, Silas, Timothy, Phoebe, Priscilla, and Aquila. He dwelt in the true believers throughout the first, second, third, and fourth centuries. He dwelt in the true believers throughout all of the dark ages and into the Reformation and then on into the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. He picked up a lot of us during this last century, and now He is still dwelling in His body here in the twenty-first century. By rendering Himself as a guilt offering, He really has prolonged His days here on earth—through His body!
The good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand
Jesus did render Himself as a guilt offering. Therefore, from that day forward, the good pleasure of the Lord has prospered in His hand. You may look around yourself at all of the strife, sin, sadness, and sickness that has yet to be transformed by His resurrection touch, but look in the mirror! You belong to God; you were pulled out of darkness and depravity and were cleansed, delivered, and placed in the kingdom of His dear Son. That’s a miracle!
And He’s not finished. The Lord will bring many more sons and daughters to glory (see Hebrews 2:10), He will fulfill His Word, He will perform His good work, and He will sum up all things in Christ (see Ephesians 1:10). And as for you? He who began a good work in you will indeed perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus!
You are the good pleasure of the Lord; because Jesus did not turn away from rendering Himself as a guilt offering, you will prosper in His hand.
Dorothy
And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. Philippians 1:6, Amplified
Read MoreHis grave—Easter Series Part 9
His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. Isaiah 53:9
His grave was assigned with wicked men…
This verse displays the laser-like accuracy of Isaiah’s prophecy. Jesus died between two common thieves (Luke 23:32-33), demonstrating the disdain of His executioners toward Him. Apparently, those supervising His crucifixion planned to cast Him into a common grave with the wicked, just as Isaiah 53:9 prophesied.
Religious leadership planned all this in order to heap the greatest level of discredit and disgrace possible upon the itinerant Preacher/Healer. He—who had so completely wowed the crowds by His simplicity, kindness, and power—stood in stark contrast to His detractors. Their lack of warmth, power, and godly authority had been exposed by the life of the Son of Man, and this was something they could not stomach and would not tolerate.
…yet He was with a rich man in His death…
One part of their plan fell apart when wealthy secret disciple, Joseph of Arimathea—himself a member of the Sanhedrin—went to Pilate and requested the body of Jesus (see John 19:38 and Luke 23:50). Pilate agreed, and Joseph, along with Nicodemus (see John 19:39), took the Lord’s body and bound it in linen wrappings and spices, a burial custom for the Jews. Joseph placed the body in his own new tomb (see Matthew 27:60). In this way, Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled: Jesus’ grave had been assigned with wicked men, and yet a rich man—Joseph—was with Him in His death.
…because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
Although indignities had been heaped upon Jesus from the moment He had been arrested and continued unabated throughout His trial, scourging, sentencing, and crucifixion, God would allow no further humiliation to be imposed upon Him. With His death, just as He declared, it was finished.
Further indignities had been planned against this Man, even after His death. As Isaiah had prophesied, His grave was assigned with wicked men. His accusers were determined to afford Him no honor. Indeed, the chief priests and Pharisees met with Pilate and asked that he ensure the security of Jesus’ tomb. Why? They said they feared that His disciples would steal the body to make everyone think that Jesus had risen. Pilate replied, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” With that, they secured the grave, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone (see Matthew 27:65-66). In fearful contempt for the Lord, they wanted to make sure His body stayed put in that tomb.
Yet Jesus had come to fulfill a specific task—to take on the sin of the world and to bear the full judgment for it. When He declared on the cross, “It is finished,” it was finished. Despite the deluded thoughts gurgling within those who killed Him to incriminate Him after death for all time, when Jesus died, their role ceased. God saw to it.
Because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth, God directed Joseph to care for the Lord’s body with dignity and to place it in a respectable tomb. The Lamb of God came to die for you and me; after that He broke open the prison gates of death and the grave by the resurrection power of God. The plan of God had to play out according to His rules, not man’s.
God’s plan will always unfold according to His rules; and when man seeks to override that plan, he will always come up short. If man persists to push against God’s will, like those who crucified the Lord, he will be in for a big surprise: the irrefutable, unstoppable resurrection power of God. Be advised: God’s plan cannot be thwarted.
Dorothy
…but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:7-8
Read MoreHis generation—Easter Series Part 8
By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who 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? Isaiah 53:8, NASB
He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. Isaiah 53:8, KJV
The first of the above two versions of Isaiah 53:8 is from the translation I normally use, the New American Standard Bible (NASB). The second is from the King James Version (KJV); using both versions together sheds new light on this verse.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away… (NASB)
John MacArthur said of the crucifixion of Jesus, “No victim of injustice was ever more innocent than the sinless Son of God…It was the greatest travesty of justice the world has ever seen” (see http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/portraits-of-grace/read/articles/the-murder-of-jesus-13577.html).
Others have stated that His arrest, trial, and sentencing was, by far, the worst case of criminal miscarriage of justice in history. It was because of man’s oppression and evil judgment that Jesus was nailed to the cross, but God turned the twisted wisdom of men’s murderous ambition on its head. Instead of the intended “snuff job”, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ gave the entire human race access to redemption and eternal life—not the outcome His executioners were anticipating.
He was taken from prison and from judgment… (KJV)
Jesus had been oppressed and judged by man’s judgments, and He was taken from the prison of the grave and judgment by the resurrection power of God. Commentator Matthew Henry wrote of this verse, “He was discharged…He was by an express order from heaven taken out of the prison of the grave, an angel was sent on purpose to roll away the stone and set him at liberty, by which the judgment given against him was reversed and taken off” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Isa/Isa_053.cfm). Because of His sinlessness, neither judgment, nor death, nor the grave could hold Him down once He had completed His redemptive mission.
…and as for His generation, who 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? (NASB)
Who living in that generation even once considered during the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ that He was cut off—assassinated—for their own sins and guilt-laden ways? They deserved death and judgment; He took it on for them; they were clueless concerning it.
… and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken (KJV).
The KJV reads, “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation?” Because Jesus was sinless, death could not hold Him. Therefore, when He rose from the dead He became the firstborn among many brethren after bearing our sins and wiping out our debt. As a result, His generation—you and I and all the others who would be born again through faith in Him—would be without number.
“Declare” in this verse is siyach, and according to Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, it means “to think upon anything” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H7878&t=KJV). It is the same word used in Psalm 143:5, “muse”—“I muse on the work of Your hands.” With this definition in mind, a paraphrase of this portion of Isaiah 53:8 might be, “He was taken from prison and from judgment by the resurrection from the dead; who can ponder the full extent of His generation—the innumerable company of His brothers and sisters—who have been raised to newness of life through faith in Him?” Glory to God—that includes you and me!
His generation—those alive during His time—had no idea how significant that gruesome day was until they themselves were raised from death to life by faith in Him. And His generation—the uncountable multitude of human beings who have become His brothers and His sisters by believing in Him—span all generations from His day forward, throughout history, for as long as this age remains.
You, too, are a member of His generation if you believe in Him and the reality of His death and resurrection on your behalf. And because of your genuine faith in Him, the stroke and judgment for your sin will never fall upon you. For you the prison door has been opened; you are no longer guilty; you are free.
Dorothy
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren… Hebrews 2:10-11
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