Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
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The Questions
1) Why would God send a Saviour who would be despised and rejected?
2) How can my heart be healed by Christ’s wounds?
3)How should I respond after reading Isaiah 53?
Isaiah 53
Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He didn’t have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at him, no appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him. 4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds. 6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 He was taken away because of oppression and judgment; and who considered his fate? For he was cut off from the land of the living; he was struck because of my people’s rebellion. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, but he was with a rich man at his death, because he had done no violence and had not spoken deceitfully. 10 Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely. When you make him a guilt offering, he will see his seed, he will prolong his days, and by his hand, the Lord’s pleasure will be accomplished. 11 After his anguish, he will see light and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, and he will carry their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him the many as a portion, and he will receive the mighty as spoil, because he willingly submitted to death, and was counted among the rebels; yet he bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels.
Original Intent
1)Why would God send a Saviour who would be despised and rejected?
Isaiah 53 was written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, but this chapter offers a prophetic look at the death of Jesus and the events leading up to it. Isaiah 53 shows us the coming Messiah, but He was not depicted as the savior people were expecting. He was not impressive to look at. In fact, the sight of him made people turn away. Why would this be God’s choice? So we could clearly see the impact of Jesus’ sacrifice. The Savior chose to suffer rejection and crushing to highlight His sacrifice of atoning for our sins. Jesus suffered the punishment we deserve to save us from our sins and give us life eternal. He chose to remain silent when He was being oppressed, even though He was innocent of any sin, because He was taking our blame for us. He was despised and rejected for us, in our place, so we could be reconciled to the Father. (Phillip Nation “The Atonement in the Old Testament” at christianitytoday.com)
2) How can my heart be healed by Christ’s wounds?
Isaiah 53:4 tells us Christ “bore our sickness and carried our pains” and verse 5 tells us we are healed by His wounds. On the cross, Jesus took the sickness of sin upon Himself, providing healing from wounds of the heart and soul we could never be cured of on our own. His physical wounds obtained our eternal, spiritual healing. The Gospel of Matthew refers back to Isaiah 53 in Matthew 8:16-17, describing the healing of the sick from physical wounds as well: “When evening came, they brought to him many who were demon-possessed. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick, so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: He himself took our weaknesses and carried our diseases.” Christ died for us on the cross to forgive our sins, heal our hearts, carry us in our physical weakness, and bring wholeness for all who call on Him as Savior.
3) How should I respond after reading Isaiah 53?
Isaiah 53 was written to point the original audience, a nation turned away from God, towards the eternal life and hope that would one day come for all through the Messiah. The prophesied picture of Jesus’ life and death in Isaiah 53, written in the 8th century, is an accurate portrait of what would happen to Jesus some 700 years later. Whether Isaiah had a vision of the crucifixion or just a revelation of what the Messiah would endure is unclear, but the commentary of Matthew Henry states, “No where in all the Old Testament is it so plainly and fully prophesied that Christ ought to suffer, and then to enter into His glory, as in this chapter.” Isaiah 53 was written to give all of us a clear picture of what the Saviour would be like and how He would suffer.
Everyday Application
1) Why would God send a Saviour who would be despised and rejected?
It seems so natural to fight for my rights and to look out for number one. If I am wrongly accused or if someone tries to take advantage of me, I have no problem defending myself and seeking justice. That makes God’s silence in His suffering for my sins all the more incredible to me. I can’t even stand being falsely accused of line jumping at the amusement park, how could He carry ALL the iniquities of All who have sinned without defending Himself?! He who knew no sin became sin for us so that He could save us from the wages of sin: death. (Romans 6:23) He was rejected so I could be accepted. That truth is both astounding and liberating!
2) How can my heart be healed by Christ’s wounds?
Jesus’ love is amazing! Because of His great love, Jesus took my sin and gave me eternal life. He makes a way for me to live healed and free from the heart sickness of sin. He gives me His Word to change me (Hebrews 4:12) and His church to strengthen and encourage me (Ephesians 4:15-16). In Psalm 34: 17-19, the promise is that the Lord delivers the righteous from many afflictions, even broken hearts and crushed spirits. He also promises in Romans 8:28 that He works all things together for our good. Even when I face things I don’t understand or go through things that cause me pain, I know God is in control and is working it out for my benefit. I keep seeking to understand His ways while praising Him daily that His death on the cross gives me abundant life now and eternal life hereafter.
3) How should I respond after reading Isaiah 53?
The only reason God was “pleased to crush” His Son was because He loved us so much and hated sin so greatly. Just as Isaiah’s first audience had turned away from the Lord God to love idols instead, so have each of us. We have all chosen to love our sin over the Savior. God knew the only way to reconcile us back to Himself was through the sacrifice of Jesus. God wants us to accept that free gift of salvation won for us by Jesus’ death on the cross. Christ died so we might live, and that is what God wants for us! He wants us to live in the freedom and grace of His love and forgiveness. If you have never accepted His gift of salvation, all you must do is believe Jesus is God the Son, fully able to pay the penalty for your sin, and trust in His finished work on your behalf. (Romans 10:9) If you’ve already trusted in Jesus, reach out to those around you who need to hear the Good News and share it with them today!
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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“He makes a way for me to live healed and free from the heart sickness of sin. He gives me His Word to change me (Hebrews 4:12) and His church to strengthen and encourage me (Ephesians 4:15-16). In Psalm 34: 17-19, the promise is that the Lord delivers the righteous from many afflictions, even broken hearts and crushed spirits. He also promises in Romans 8:28 that He works all things together for our good. Even when I face things I don’t understand or go through things that cause me pain, I know God is in control and is working it… Read more »