God’s Great Proof A New Translation and Commentary of Isaiah 53 by Richie Cooley Jr. - HTML preview

From no matter what vantage point you look at it, ecumenism simply doesn’t work. It doesn’t even make Biblical sense. According to the Bible there is no such thing as the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, etc.; those are all just made-up names that don’t exist in the Kingdom of God (don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s horrible to speak that way for the sake of convenience, but we still must be undergirded with the reality of the matter). There is only a Christian (cf. Acts 11:26; 1 Peter 4:16; Isaiah 62:2) and the Bible, and it’s the Christian’s job to follow the Bible as strictly as possible, which means we teach sexual purity, we don’t bow down to idols, and we don’t think to save ourselves through our own righteousness. These things are true not because I say so but because the Scriptures say so. We are to be encouraging every Christian to be striving as much as possible to be as obedient as possible, and not be simply drawing circles around great swathes of people and saying “you’re okay!”

In conclusion, the funny thing is that Chuck Colson is perhaps the biggest sectarian of them all. He allows people to hide behind sectarian titles. People identifying themselves with their sin is a big problem; it happens all the time. “I’m gay,” as opposed to “I’ve chosen to pursue a gay relationship.” “I was born a Jew and I’ll die a Jew” -- which was never in question since Paul also died a Jew -- instead of, “I’ve chosen to embrace the religion of Judaism.” Etc. Etc. Etc. Colson allows people to hide this way among the trees of Eden, to simply say “I’m Orthodox,” even though they unorthodoxly worship a powerless wee woman who has been in the tomb for a few thousand years. It’s not really possible to “be a Methodist” or to “be a Baptist;” they are not DNA-encoded-people-groups; those distinctions don’t exist genetically and they certainly don’t exist Biblically…

…For you* are still fleshly. For whereas [there are] among you* jealous rivalry and strife and divisions [or, discords], you* are fleshly and are walking about [fig., conducting yourselves] according to human [standards], are you* not? For whenever someone says, “I indeed am of Paul,” but a different [one], “I of Apollos,” you* are fleshly, are you* not? Who then is Paul? But who [is] Apollos? But rather [they are] servants through whom you* believed, and to each [one] as the Lord gave. -- 1 Corinthians 3:3-5

I’ll give you a declaration and name it “The Trout River Mobile Home Park Quip”: kick to the curb unbiblical sectarian titles and follow the words of the Epistles of the New Testament as closely as possible.

If you preach like that you’ll be hated, REALLY hated. People are going to talk bad about you. People are going to treat you like the most bigoted and problematic wretch in the whole world. People are going to treat you, well, just like they treated Jesus Christ. Let’s take a look at the words used to describe his sufferings in a bit more detail, using the NASB and the NASB Exhaustive Concordance (NASEC) as a guide….

[He is] despised and rejected of men -- a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief…

1. Despised

The NASEC gives the sole definition for this word as “to despise.” The NASB uses the term throughout its translation as follows (the numbers in parenthesis give the total times the definition is employed)…

careless (1), contempt (1), despicable (1), despise (5), despised (32), despises (2), disdained (1), disdained*(1) [the asterisk here just highlights that another Hebrew word is involved in the rendering; cf. pg. 1351 of the NASEC]

2. Rejected    

The NASEC gives the definitions for this term as “forbearing” and “lacking.” The NASB uses the term throughout its translation as follows…

forsaken (1), refuses (1), transient (1)

John Gill says concerning the clause “rejected of men” which the NASB renders “forsaken of men…”

The Vulgate Latin version renders it, “the last of men”, the most abject and contemptible of mankind; despised, because of the meanness of his birth, and parentage, and education, and of his outward appearance in public life; because of his apostles and audience; because of his doctrines, not agreeable to carnal reason, and his works, some of them being done on the sabbath day, and, as they maliciously suggested, by the help of Satan; and especially because of his ignominious sufferings and death...

Keil and Delitzch add…

The chief men of His nation who towered above the multitude, the great men of this world, withdrew their hands from Him, drew back from Him: He had none of the men of any distinction at His side.

3. Sorrows

The NASEC gives the definition for this term as “pain.” The NASB uses the term throughout its translation as follows…

pain (10), painful (1), sorrow (1), sorrows (3), sufferings (1)

4. Grief

The NASEC gives the definition for this term as “sickness.” The NASB uses the term throughout its translation as follows…

affliction (1), disease (2), grief (1), griefs (1), illness (3), sick (1), sickness (14), sicknesses (1)

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says concerning this slightly complex term…

This noun follows the verb in meaning “sickness” whether from physical causes (the fall of Ahaziah, II Kgs 1:2), or from disease (in Asa’s feet, II Chr 16:12; in the bowels of Jehoram, II Chr 21:15). It may be applied figuratively to a nation (Hos 5:13). It is used to describe a given situation as a calamity (Eccl 6:2, RSV, “affliction”).

The word is translated “grief” in Isa 53:3-4, although it may be better translated “sickness” (margin of ASV and RSV), whether physical or spiritual. The parallel is mak’ôb, meaning “pain,” but translated “sorrow.” Jeremiah (chaps 6-7) uses the term to describe the spiritual depravity of Jerusalem (KJV, “grief”). The KJV also translates “grief” in Jer 10:19 (RSV, affliction), but the use in context is similar to Eccl 6:2 (above), perhaps to be translated “calamity.”

I chose “grief” over “sickness” because I think the general idea is broad enough to include mental, spiritual, or physical pain, whereas sickness chiefly evokes physical pain only.

In closing, as far as the line “and like [one from whom man practices] a hiding of face from him,” it is also possible to render this as if the Messiah was hiding his face from the nation, since “him” could rather mean “us.” There are a lot of passages in the New Testament that show forth the fact that Jesus Christ veiled his glory, and Isaiah even mentions this idea in 8:17 (see also 30:20). I think the passage could legitimately be translated either way.

VII. Isaiah 53:4

Surely our griefs he -- he has lifted up, and our sorrows -- he has dragged them along; and we -- we esteemed him stricken, beaten of God, and afflicted.

The ideas expressed here bring the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ directly in view. Having expressed in the previous verse that his life would be characterized by griefs and sorrows, the prophet is now explaining in explicit detail exactly how he would bear these pains. First he will lift them, and then he will drag them along. The Hebrew term rendered “lift” is a very common word and according to the NASEC means “to lift, carry, take;” although it has many idiomatic uses, the primary idea is “lift,” for closely related words mean “prince” or to be “exalted,” etc. As for “drag along,” the general idea is to “bear,” as related terms are “a load,” “a burden,” and even “an ear of grain.” The Theological Wordbook has a noteworthy snippet about this term…

The primary meaning of this root is to “bear,” “transport” (i.e. a heavy load)…

In contrast to the synonymous nāśā’ “lift up,” “bear/carry (away),” sābal lays stress on the process of bearing or transporting a load (Isa 46:7), hence, becomes a figure of servitude (Gen 49:15).

The root is also utilized in contexts which deal with the bearing of punishments or penalties. Jeremiah laments that the Jerusalemites have sinned as had their fathers, hence must bear the penalty for violating God’s covenant with them (Lam 5:7). The most important context in which this root occurs is Isa 53:4-11. Here the coming servant, Messiah, lifts up and takes upon himself man’s sicknesses and bears the weight of his worrisome sorrows. Nothing could more graphically portray the vicarious sacrificial work of Christ who bore the penalty for man’s sin so that man may receive God’s righteousness and stand justified before him.

We’ll revisit Jeremiah in a moment. For now let’s look at the second part of the verse. Since it’s very clear the cross is sharply in view, it’s significant that the prophet now speaks about how his enemies would view this Messiah. For it wasn’t until he was nailed to the tree that his critics really began to heap upon him insults of irony and state emphatically that God was punishing him…

And the people had stood looking on. Then the rulers also began sneering with them, saying, “He saved others, let Him save Himself, since this is the Christ, the Chosen One of God!” -- Luke 23:35

It’s as if Isaiah was at the foot of the cross. Indeed, the word rendered “stricken” sometimes carries with it the idea of divine activity…

The word used here means “to smite, to strike,” and is sometimes employed to denote divine judgment, as it is here. Thus it means to smite with blindness [Genesis 19:11]; with the pestilence [Numbers 14:12]; with emerods [1 Samuel 5:6]; with destruction, spoken of a land [Malachi 4:6]; of the river [Exodus 7:25] when he turned it into blood. -- Barnes

But someone may say, “How could Isaiah know this? It’s just too specific. It’s just too majestic. Perhaps the prophecy is some sort of forgery.” Remember, the early manuscripts of Isaiah found at Qumran completely rule this out, as does many supporting finds of a similarly antique nature, such as early papyri of the Gospel of John, a writing which quotes Isaiah. Not only so, but there has come to light a fascinating archaeological find that goes to lend supporting evidence to the veracity of the Old Testament prophets…

Peter Masters, a very gifted preacher who has faithfully served in Spurgeon’s old church for many decades, has published a very memorable book entitled, Heritage of Evidence in the British Museum. It is a guidebook to help the Christian get the most out of their visit to the exhibits, but also serves as a lovely standalone catalogue of Biblical archaeology. One of the most amazing finds on display is “the Lachish Letters”…

These letters (in Case 10) take us back to 586 BC when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, invaded Judah, destroying Jerusalem and its Temple with great violence, and carrying multitudes into captivity. At the time the prophet Jeremiah was in Jerusalem warning King Zedekiah of the impending catastrophe. Near to Jerusalem was the fortress town of Lachish (destroyed by Sennacherib over a century before, but later rebuilt). These letters were found in 1935 in the ruins of a guardroom by the main gate of Lachish. Twenty-one letters were found, written in joined-up writing, in black ink on pieces of broken pottery (called ostraca). Written in alphabetic Hebrew, they are urgent messages, full of ‘eleventh hour’ tension, written as Nebuchadnezzar’s army closed in on a very apprehensive Jerusalem.

…One letter appears to have been written shortly after the state of affairs described in Jeremiah 34:6-7, which mentions that Jeremiah delivered a message to King Zedekiah while the cities of Lachish and Azekah still remained standing…

[The Lachish Letter states…] ‘May Yahweh cause my lord to hear this very day tidings of good. And now, in accordance with everything my lord has written, so has your servant done. I have written on the door everything which my lord has written to me…and I report that we are watching for the fire signals of Lachish according to the directions which my lord has given, because we cannot see Azekah.’

It is possible that Azekah had fallen. Another Lachish letter logs the departure of a deputation to Egypt, and also includes the following:

‘And as for the letter of Tobiah, servant of the king, which came to Shallum son of Jaddua through the prophet, saying, “Beware!” thy servant hath sent it to my lord.’

Who was the prophet referred to here? It is likely to have been Jeremiah. (This is the first known mention of a Jewish prophet outside the Bible.)

…The Lachish Letters obviously relate to the crisis leading to the fall of Jerusalem, confirming powerfully the historical reality of the biblical record, including the situation in the city reflected in the book of the prophet Jeremiah (pgs. 58-61).

The prophets were real people and the situations they described are what fills places like the British Museum.

VIII. Isaiah 53:5

Even [though] he [was] bore through on account of our rebellion, crushed on account of our iniquities; (the) chastisement of our peace [was] upon him, and with his wound we are healed [literally, “it/he has been healed to/for us”].

In both instances above where “on account of” appears the preposition more literally means “from” or “of,” yet “on account of” is possible by extension. “From” can have the sense of “owing to.”

The word rendered “rebellion” means to rebel, revolt, or transgress. We normally wouldn’t think of everyday people as rebels, but Isaiah highlights the fact that we all truly are, just as Moses relates…

Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with [Or rule in; some ancient versions read abide in] man forever, because he also is flesh [Or in his going astray he is flesh]; nevertheless [Or therefore] his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” -- Genesis 6:3

God strives with each of us throughout our lives. This verse from Genesis is awesome, for the implication is that God strives with us throughout our entire lives. The word rendered “strives” is where the name Dan comes from in the Bible, and generally means “to judge.” God judges us all, always. It’s fascinating how true this is. Many of the great tragedies in the world happen in poorer countries because these places don’t have the infrastructure to withstand the disaster. Many of the wealthier places seem almost impenetrable, yet these are the very areas (such as the U.S. and Western Europe) where depression and addiction are incredibly rife. We might keep God from knocking down our buildings (for now), but we can’t stop him from shaking the walls of our hearts…

Though they dig into Sheol, from there will My hand take them; and though they ascend to heaven, from there will I bring them down. Though they hide on the summit of Carmel, I will search them out and take them from there; and though they conceal themselves from My sight on the floor of the sea, from there I will command the serpent and it will bite them. -- Amos 9:2-3

God knows how to reach his enemies. Instead of bowing to God’s smiting, people rebel against it. They are unhappy, yet instead of falling at the feet of the Almighty for help in humble repentance and faith, they are rather more likely to turn on their fellow man and blame him for their misery. “It’s the capitalists!” “It’s the communists!” “It’s the Christians!” “It’s the Jews!” “It’s Victorian morality!” “It’s Creationism!” No, it’s you; it’s me; it’s sin. I’ve never known a person in my life who didn’t go through regular periods of gloom. This is God knocking; this is God calling; this is the love of God pleading; he’ll not plead forever. 

The word rendered “bore through” above is an interesting one. There are two major families (and one minor) of definitions linked to the root; many grammarians believe the families ultimately have different sources, thus the roots are homonyms, yet I don’t really see why that’s necessary, for there is a strong relation between the two. According to Brown-Driver-Briggs, one means “to profane, defile, pollute, desecrate, begin,” while the other means “to wound (fatally), bore through, pierce, bore.” Obviously when something is bore through it is defiled, which is why it can also mean “begin,” as when you begin to dig into something. This is the perfect word to describe the wounds of the Lord. God in the flesh was bore through, his perfect humanity defiled and pierced by the justice of the Father. We rebelled, yet he, the peace maker, got pummelled with the Billy club and shot at.

Isaiah goes on to say that our peace and our health is owing to the sacrifice of the Messiah. This of course must be understood of our ultimate peace and health, for it’s not in our best interests to always be fit as a fiddle now. God must shape us with the right hand of blessing and the left hand of smiting; if the sacrifice of Christ cut off God’s left hand then he wouldn’t be able to shape us properly. After all, it’s the bad times that really fortify us; it’s being poor that really enriches us. Spurgeon is reported to have said…

I bear my witness that the worst days I have ever had have turned out to be my best days. And when God has seemed most cruel to me he has then been most kind. If there is anything in this world for which I would bless him more than for anything else it is for pain and affliction. I am sure that in these things the richest tenderest love has been manifested to me. Our Father’s wagons rumble most heavily when they are bringing us the richest freight of the bullion of his grace.

This is coming from one of the most influential and prolific preachers of all times, who himself constantly struggled with poor physical and emotional health. You can see Spurgeon’s pain through the beauty of his prose. I make a point of this because whole books (such as Christ the Healer) have been published largely on the premise that Isaiah 53 teaches that we can claim victory over every disease if we just believe in the Lord Jesus. Why would God heal hardness of hearing only to allow hardness of heart to strangle our spirits? You can’t always have it both ways…

And so that I [Paul] should not be puffed up with pride by the exceeding greatness of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me [cp. Gal 4:13], a messenger [or, angel] of Satan, so that it should be beating me with its fists [fig., treating me harshly], so that I should not be puffed up with pride. -- 2 Corinthians 12:7 [the cause of Paul’s disease was probably biological, but there were perhaps irritants and stimuli etc. that an angelic overseer was charged with putting in Paul’s path; all the charismatic “rebuking” in the world wouldn’t have stopped this, for God was the author and ultimate authority of it; Paul prayed; he didn’t “rebuke” (see verse 8)]

Pride is nothing more than a hapless display of ignorance; affliction is oftentimes a God-given dose of reality. But again, even though we are being seasoned now according to Fatherly love, the contempt and purposeless punishment that is deserving of the worst criminals have been spent on Christ. He bore the chastisement of the Father-Judge to a fratricidal felon so that we could be treated as untrained darlings. The Lord Jesus was treated like Cain and Absalom so that we could be treated like Seth and Solomon. 

IX. Isaiah 53:6

All of us like the sheep have wandered off; we have turned each [literally, “a man”] to his [own] way; and Hashem has interposed on him (the) iniquity of us all.

This is one of the most significant statements in the Bible. The Father placed ALL the iniquity of his people upon the Saviour. ALL! ALL! Wonderful ALL! This is why any other interpretation of Isaiah 53 must be rejected. Righteous remnants and prophets and sanctified nations may give us good examples and holy instruction, yet God has never placed ALL our sins upon anyone, save Jesus Christ. Notice as well that it’s Jesus who saves: not Mary, not the Baptist church, not the Republican party, not the Tories, not social theory, not education, not good works; it’s JESUS! A lot of people won’t consider Christ because they think it means they must then vote a certain way or do the whole “church thing” or put on pretentious airs; forget all that: what do you think of Christ? His pierced hand is extended to you; take his hand in repentance and faith, and never mind the mortals.

All we like sheep have gone astray, yet Christ paid the price for our wanderings. The Lord Jesus removes not only the penalty of sin but the emotional guilt of it as well. This is a sweet truth that’s easy to miss.

For an example of what I mean by this concept I’ll relate a silly personal story. One morning on the way to work I stopped to get a bottle of Pepsi only to realize I was 35p short when I went to pay. I was mortified and asked the clerk anxiously if it would be okay if I went out to the car for the rest of the money. He politely said something like, “It’s okay, I got it.” I thought he was being kind and said that he would make up the difference of the money, and so drove away; then it hit me that maybe he was saying rather that “It’s okay, I’ll wait for you to go get the money.” I’ve never been back to that shop. A 35p debt was enough to bar me forever. Yet think of what great debt we owe the Father. How could we ever look at him in the face? Even if I did go back and repay the 35p the sheer embarrassment of the situation would still keep me from the shop. Now no one could ever think to repay God for even one intentional sin (for the glory of God cannot be repaid by his creation), but even if we could repay him, the sheer embarrassment of being such a sinful rebel would constantly inhibit our sense of comfort. This is guilt. Christ paid the full price, and this includes not only the cancellation of our debts but the complete restoration of complete fellowship with the Godhead. It’s as if there never was any debt, but rather only obedience…

He said, “Be at ease [Lit Peace be to you