Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
Isaiah 53
1 Who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
3 He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
1 Who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
3 He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
Commentary:
53:1 The message of salvation in Christ often meets an unbelieving response (John 12:37–43; Rom. 10:16).
53:2 Unbelief in the servant was natural because he was an obscure, outwardly unimpressive person in a failed culture. “His generation” was blind (v. 8).
53:3 See 49:7; cf. John 1:10–11. Rejection of the servant reveals how misguided the human mind is. a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Jesus experienced sorrow and grief of various sorts throughout his whole life. “Acquainted” could also be rendered “knowing” (ESV footnote; see note on Isa. 53:11).
53:4–6 The servant bore the sins of other people; he was himself innocent. This paragraph is the heart of the passage.
53:4 Surely introduces the truth about the servant’s sufferings. Acting as his people’s substitute, with no support or understanding from them, the servant took upon himself the bitter consequences of their sin: griefs, sorrows (cf. Matt. 8:14–17). The sufferings of the servant would show the consequences that sin brings to fallen humanity, though he himself would not sin (Isa. 53:9). smitten by God, and afflicted. God would be the ultimate source of the sufferings of this faithful servant.
53:5 But contrasts with “our” incomprehension in v. 4b. The servant’s anguish was “our” fault, not his own. our transgressions, our iniquities. His sufferings went to the root of all human woe (cf. Matt. 8:17; 1 Pet. 2:24). wounded, crushed, chastisement, stripes. Isaiah emphasizes how severely God punished the rejected servant for the sins of mankind.
53:5 The messianic servant undergoes substitutionary suffering (Rom. 4:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24–25).
53:6 All we … every one. The servant, who alone was sinless, was uniquely qualified to bear the sins of others, and all people contributed to his pain. like sheep. Stupid and helpless. the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. See Lev. 16:21–22; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:25.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1338.
53:2 Unbelief in the servant was natural because he was an obscure, outwardly unimpressive person in a failed culture. “His generation” was blind (v. 8).
53:3 See 49:7; cf. John 1:10–11. Rejection of the servant reveals how misguided the human mind is. a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Jesus experienced sorrow and grief of various sorts throughout his whole life. “Acquainted” could also be rendered “knowing” (ESV footnote; see note on Isa. 53:11).
53:4–6 The servant bore the sins of other people; he was himself innocent. This paragraph is the heart of the passage.
53:4 Surely introduces the truth about the servant’s sufferings. Acting as his people’s substitute, with no support or understanding from them, the servant took upon himself the bitter consequences of their sin: griefs, sorrows (cf. Matt. 8:14–17). The sufferings of the servant would show the consequences that sin brings to fallen humanity, though he himself would not sin (Isa. 53:9). smitten by God, and afflicted. God would be the ultimate source of the sufferings of this faithful servant.
53:5 But contrasts with “our” incomprehension in v. 4b. The servant’s anguish was “our” fault, not his own. our transgressions, our iniquities. His sufferings went to the root of all human woe (cf. Matt. 8:17; 1 Pet. 2:24). wounded, crushed, chastisement, stripes. Isaiah emphasizes how severely God punished the rejected servant for the sins of mankind.
53:5 The messianic servant undergoes substitutionary suffering (Rom. 4:25; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24–25).
53:6 All we … every one. The servant, who alone was sinless, was uniquely qualified to bear the sins of others, and all people contributed to his pain. like sheep. Stupid and helpless. the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. See Lev. 16:21–22; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:25.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1338.
Questions:
- On Sunday, Clayton talked about the supernatural consistency and accuracy of Scripture. No other historical writings even come close! The most astounding fact shared on Sunday was concerning the over 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled. These were prophecies written hundreds of years before Jesus' birth. The odds of one man fulfilling just one in eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power. The odds of fulfilling all of them? 1 in 10 to the 2000th power. That's a 1 followed by 2,000 zeros! The conclusion? Scripture is real and true and accurate beyond anything man could be capable of. How much confidence does this give you in the reliability of Scripture? How much does knowing that Jesus really is who He said He was build your faith and make you more assured that you're on the right side?
- Reflect on this quote: “The Bible was written over a period of roughly 2,000 years by 40 different authors from three continents, who wrote in three different languages. Shepherds, kings, scholars, fishermen, prophets, a military general, a cupbearer, and a priest all penned portions of Scripture. They had different immediate purposes for writing, whether recording history, giving spiritual and moral instruction, or pronouncing judgment. They composed their works from palaces, prisons, the wilderness, and places of exile while writing history, laws, poetry, prophecy, and proverbs. In the process they laid bare their personal emotions, expressing anger, frustration, joy, and love. Yet despite this marvelous array of topics and goals, the Bible displays a flawless internal consistency. It never contradicts itself or its common theme: God’s redemption of mankind through Jesus Christ.” Take some time today and thank God for the miraculous gift that is His Word. How much do you appreciate it?
Pray:
- That you confidence in Scripture would grow as you read.
- That your heart would stay grateful that God gave us His Word
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
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