@DavidTree @civic
Isaiah 53:6
“
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and
the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Like sheep, ignorant and foolish, we chose our own way rather than the way of righteousness. When the LORD looked upon the children of men, He found none in the right way (
Psalm 14:1-3). He found man without any thought of Him and filled with thoughts of sin (
Psalm 10:4;
Genesis 6:5). God had made man upright, but they had sought out many inventions, like Adam (
Eccl. 7:29). The LORD made both Adams the federal head of their posterity which we call the doctrine of representation; and He charged Jesus Christ with all our many sins, just as He had charged
us with Adam’s rebellion. The LORD chose the mighty Son of David upon whom to lay the work (
Psalm 89:19;
Revelation 5:5). Sin and sins were laid upon the Lord Jesus
in a divine legal transaction, whereby God would consider and accept the substitution sufficient for
His absolute justice and (a) absolve His elect from all their own sins and (b) consider them with
the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
How do we know this? By reading
and believing: (
Romans 5:6-21; 2nd
Corinthians 5:18-21; Galatians 3:13;
Hebrews 10:1-14;
Ist Peter 2:24)!
Isaiah 53:7
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb,
so he openeth not his mouth.”
Though enduring great oppression and affliction, Jesus did not revile those who reviled Him; and He did not call for twelve legions of angels or otherwise threaten those who abused Him (
Matthew 26:53;
Ist Peter 2:23). Consider the song, “He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels.” As the lies and false charges were brought,
He said nothing at all, causing marvel (
Matthew 27:14). They mocked, dared, challenged, and ridiculed Him,
which He took meekly and submissively. How easily He could have told a few intimate details of their lives and described hell for them! When they dared Him to identify His tormentors, He knew every detail of their lives, ancestors, physical bodies, fears, hopes, and circumstances. He could have verbally destroyed them! When they challenged Him as the Son of God, He was the Son of God!
Yet He meekly died! When challenged by the thieving criminals beside Him, He did not retort about His own righteousness and their wickedness! When begged for mercy by a repenting thief, He only gave Him the greatest promise in life! As sheep at shearing or slaughter, Jesus did not open His mouth
but meekly submitted to death. What an example He gave us, which we fail to fulfill with the least irritations (
Ist Peter 2:20-24)! So he opened not his mouth: not against his enemies, by way of threatening or complaint; nor even in his own defence;
nor against the justice of God, as bearing hard upon him, not sparing him,
but demanding and having full satisfaction; nor against his people and their sins,
for whom he suffered; again, see
1st Peter 2:23.
Isaiah 53:8
“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.”
Which show
why he opened not his mouth, because in the place of his people and before the law of God
as their surety he
was guilty..."for the transgression of my people was he stricken.” Jesus was indeed stricken according to God's will by using wicked and ungodly men to carry out his eternal purposes.
He was not given a proper and fair trial, where governors and kings were ordained to protect Him; but rather He was taken from their protection and turned over to
the demands of angry enemies. Neither Pilate nor Herod would protect Him (
Matthew 27:24-26). Though faultless and charged out of envy, the justice of government was overthrown to punish him fatally while simultaneously freeing a man truly guilty of murder and worthy of death. The priests, who were given God’s precious law and the responsibility of leading the nation in righteousness and equity,
did all they could to finally foment His crucifixion. There is no reason to make His grave the prison and His sacrificial death the judgment and introduce positive deliverance in the midst of continued negative clauses of His humiliation. Who could declare or describe His generation, for naturally He had none, since He was killed in the prime of life before marriage or descendants. His biography was cut short by murder! This is not a positive statement as to His future glorified generation, as some have said; for the general context, the specific verse, and the conjunction “for” do not show it. For similar uses of the word “generation” see
Psalm 49:19;
109:13;
Proverbs 27:24;
Matt 1:1.
The spiritual seed or generation of Jesus is very great, but not seen blinded Jews (
Psalm 22:30;
45:16-17;
Hebrews 2:13;
Revelation 7:9). And all believers we are part of it. And this travesty of a trial and torturous death were not chance or fate,
but by God’s glorious design for the payment of our sins.
Later Isaiah 53:9.....
