May 8, 2006
-
You may want to read the previous entry so that this makes more sense – this is more research that I did regarding notes I took on Friday’s Bible study.
I found a better explanation for the Isaiah 52:13-53:12 passage that is more clear than what I stated. Comes from the above book.
Page 332-334
(a friend of the author describes his reaction to the above passage as follows):
“I vividly remember the first time I seriously confronted Isaiah 53, or better still, the first time it seriously confronted me,” Barry explains. “Being rather confused over the identity of the Servant in Isaiah 53, I went to my local rabbi and said to him, ‘Rabbi, I have met some people at school who claim that the so-called Servant in Isaiah 53 is none other than Jesus of Nazareth. But I would like to know from you, who is this Servant in Isaiah 53?’”
Barry was astonished at his response. The rabbi said, “Barry, I must admit that as I read Isaiah 53 it does seem to be talking about Jesus, but since we Jews do not believe in Jesus, it can’t be speaking about Jesus.”
Barry didn’t know a lot about formal logic at that point, but he knew enough to say to himself, “That just doesn’t sound kosher to me! Not only does the rabbi’s so-called reasoning sound circular, it also sounds evasive and even fearful.” Today Barry observes, “There are none who are as deaf as those who do not want to hear,
For those who do want to hear, Larry Helyer (Yesterday, Today, and Forever: The Continuing Relevance of the Old Testament, Salem, 1996) does a fine job of summarizing the characteristics and accomplishments of Isaiah’ Servant. Beginning with the first Servant song in chapter 42, Helyer makes the following observations about the Servant”
1. He is elected by the Lord, anointed by the Spirit, and promised success in his endeavor. (42:1, 4).
2. Justice is a prime concern of his ministry (42:1,4).
3. His ministry has an international scope (42:1,6).
4. God predestined him to his calling (49:1).
5. He is a gifted teacher (49:2).
6. He experiences discouragement in his ministry (49.4).
7. His ministry extends to the Gentiles (49:6).
8. The Servant encounters strong opposition and resistance to his teaching, even of a physically violent nature (50:4-6).
9. He is determined to finish what God called him to do (50:7).
10. The Servant has humble origins with little outward prospects for success (53:1-2).
11. He experiences suffering and affliction (53:3).
12. The Servant accepts vicarious and substitutionary suffering on behalf of his people (53:4-6, 12).
13. He is put to death after being condemned (53:7-9).
14. Incredibly, he comes back to life and is exalted above all rulers (53:10-12, 52:13-15).
In addition to Helyer’s observations, we note that the servant is also sinless (53.9)
Just a casual reading of the passage should leave little doubt that the suffering Servant is Jesus. In fact, the traditional Jewish interpretation of the Servant passages was that they predicted the coming Messiah. That is, until Jews began having more contact with Christian apologists about a thousand years ago, at which point they reinterpreted the suffering Servant to be the nation of Israel. The first Jew to claim that the Suffering Servant was Israel rather than the Messiah was Shlomo Yitzchaki, better known as Rashi (c.1040-1105). Today Rashi’s view dominats Jewish and rabbinical theology.
Unfortunately for Rashi and many present-day Jewish theologians, there are at least three fatal flaws with the assertion that Israel is the Suffering Servant. First, unlike Israel, the Servant is sinless (53:9) To say that Israel is sinless is to contradict and negate virtually the entire Old Testament. The recurrent theme of the Old Testament is that Israel has sinned by breaking God’s commandments and by chasing after other gods instead of the One true God. If Israel is sinless, then why did God give the Jews a sacrificial system? Why did they have a Day of Atonement? Why did they constantly need prophets to warn them to stop sinning and come back to God?
Second, unlike Israel, the Suffering Servant is a lamb who submits without any resistance whatsoever (53:7). History shows us that Israel certainly is not a lamb–she lies down for no one.
Third, unlike Israel, the Suffering Servant dies as a substitutionary atonement for the sins of others (53:4-6, 8, 10-12) But Israel has not died, nor is she paying for the sins of others. No one is redeemed on account of what the nation of Israel does. Nations, and the individuals that comprise them, are punished for their own sins.”
****
Another thing to keep in mind is that the Great Isaiah Scroll was written some 100 years before Christ and the material it contains is even older. Manuscripts and manuscript fragments of the Old Testament, including Isaiah, were found with the Dead Sea Scrolls, and those predate Christ by hundred’s of years.
The book continues with more good arguments and passages that are helpful in showing the prophesies that are fulfilled in Jesus, and Jesus alone.
Have a blessed day,
Heather
Comments (13)
Great post!
Have a blessed day!
Michele
Great Post Heather… Thanks for commenting.. sorry it took me so long to get back, but you know the weekends and with us preachers, it take a bit more
Have a blessed week in the Lord!
Phil
Great word. It’s amazing how God speaks to us so much through His Bible.
Kenneth
A fellow Bible treasure hunter! Yeah!
I just saw that you have been to my Rosemaryssermon site…how nice of you to check it out.
Now I am curious about you…i.e., who you are, what you do…..
Drop by and tell me sometime.
And, my email is RBarnesrol@aol.com
amen. good post.
Hi Heather! RYC: I am humbled by your very kind words, and I pray that in a small way, He is better known, by those who desire Him…that He may be glorified, for He is the priceless treasure we seek. Grace, peace, and JOY in Christ Jesus! ys, Lois
Thanks, The artist s a guy named Lorenzo Ghiglieri, check him out on the internet. The painting sold for $50,000 6 yrs. ago. I wanted to sell the Drawing to Mel Gibson but my wife said no…. Rex
remember to pray ALL ways…
Hi! Very informative post and I enjoyed it a lot!! Have a great day! Lisa
Hello Heather,
I do not just see the life of Yeshua, personally I feel that short of the being condemed (and if you were you would act the same why) and the gentile part, it is anyone of us that know why we are here, what our father has asked of each and every one of us and is not afraid to go forward with it. It is a Daniel and the lions den story to me. We have not been in that den, but if we were!!!!!
Yes I see us standing in silence at the hands of the oppressers because we know where we will be at the end. We just have not as yet been exposed to some of these things. But if or when we are, as true believers we know just what to do.
Have a great day.
justmarty
very nice post, and thank you for comment
Donald
Thanks so much for always sharing what you’re learning. ryc: thanks so much for your loving words of encouragement, and for the prayers. It’s an honor to have you as my sister in the Lord. Gerrie
I grew up and went to school in Orange County, NY and I liked the Sept – June 15 schedule just fine, yes they do start earlier here, about the 2nd week of Aug, it’s really still hot here in Texas!!!
ryc, thanks for your comments, yes, we had several good teachers….May God Be Praised…..Mike
I have shared this passage, along with parts of Zechariah 12 and Psalm 22 with non-Christians of various religious beliefs (from Jewish, to agnostic, to atheist) without telling them where the passages come from or when they were written. Then I ask the question, “Who do you think this is talking about?” 100% of the time people have answered that it sounds like Jesus. When I explain that these passages were written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, and to Jewish people that it is in their very own Tanach (our OT) and tell them where, it’s so beautiful that you can practically see the wheels start turning in the person’s mind.
Another thing I’ve asked with Jewish friends is the question, “If not Jesus then who?” With the destruction of the Temple came the destruction of any chance to prove a lineage to David, so any would-be Messiah now couldn’t prove a thing. And even according to Daniel, the Messiah had to come and be cut off before the second temple was destroyed. So who else before the destruction of the Temple made such an impact? Who else has a life that paralleled so much of Scripture in the Tanach? If not Jesus, then no one, and your hope for a Messiah was destroyed with the Temple almost 2000 years ago. The Lord does not leave us without hope.