Isaiah 52:13-53:12 52:12: “For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward. V. 13. “Behold my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. V. 14. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any other man, and his form more than the sons of men. V. 15. So shall He sprinkle many nations: the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Isaiah 53:1-3 V. 1. “Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? V. 2. “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. V. 3. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him: He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

Isaiah 53:4-6 V. 4. “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. V. 5. “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. V. 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.

Isaiah 53:7-9 V. 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. V. 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. V. 9. “And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.

Isaiah 53:10-11 V. 10. “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. V. 11. “He shall see the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.

Isaiah 53:12 V. 12. “Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Background – Discussing the “Servant of the Lord” Isaiah 42:1-4 – The Servant Whom God had Chosen. Isaiah 49:1-7 – The Servant with a Mission, note v. 9. Isaiah 50:4-9 – The Servant Who would suffer, Note esp. v. 6. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 – The Servant Who Would Suffer for sin.

The Text Outlined: The “Servant” Exalted and Extolled, 52:13-15 The “Man of Sorrows,” 53:1-3. The Servant “Wounded for our transgressions,” 53:4-6. The Servant, as a Lamb, was completely submissive, 53:7-9. Exaltation and Reward follow Humiliation and Sacrifice, Isaiah 53:10-12.

The “Servant” Extolled and Exalted, Isaiah 52:13-15 V. 13. “Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. Cf. Isaiah 7:14; Acts 2:32-33; Hebrews 1:3. V. 14. “As many as were astonied at thee; His visage was so marred more than any other man, and His form more than the sons of men. Cf. Matt. 27:26. V. 15. “So shall He sprinkle many nations: the kings shall shut their mouths at Him: for that which hath not been told them shall they see: and that which they had not heard shall they consider. “Sprinkle” – ritual purity, Leviticus 14:6-7; 8:11 Silent amazement when they see Jesus for Who He is!

The “Man of Sorrows,” Isaiah 53:1-3 V. 1. “Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” “Our report” note John 12:37; Romans 10:15-16. “The arm of the Lord” (metonymy for divine power). Note Romans 1:16-17; Deuteronomy 5:15.

The “Man of Sorrows,” Isaiah 53:2. V. 2. “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground.” “As a root out of dry ground” (cf. Isaiah 11:1) denotes the fallen lot of the house of David – from which Jesus sprang!

The “Man of Sorrows,” Isaiah 53:3. V. 3. “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised and we esteemed Him not.” “Despised” or held in contempt (Gen. 25:34). “Acquainted with grief” because of the spiritual sickness of the human race” (Isaiah 1:4; John 1:10). “Esteemed Him not” (cf. John 1:11).

“The Servant” “ Wounded” and “Bruised” v. 4-6 Vs. 3,4: “…He has borne our griefs..carried our sorrows;..stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. Matt. 8:17; Lk. 13:16; I Pet. 2:24; Heb. 9:18; John 1 V. 5. “But He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed. Matthew 26:67; 27:26; I Pet. 2:21-24; Eph. 2:14-16

“The Servant” “Wounded” and “Bruised,” v. 6 V. 6. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” “Gone astray” – not “born” astray! Mathew 18:1-3; Romans 3:23. He became our sin offering! 2 Corinthians 5:21.

“The Servant” as A Lamb, Completely Submissive, v.7-9! V. 7. “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted; yet He opened not His mouth..brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. “Oppressed” – subjected to ill treatment. “Opened not his mouth” – Matthew 27:13-14; Luke 23:9.

“The Servant” As a Lamb Completely Submissive, v. 8! V. 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.” -- Taken from Judgment, after being declared worthy of death, Matthew 26:66, to be crucified! -- “Cut off” to suffer the death penalty! -- “For the transgression of My people,” Hebrews 2:9; I John 4:10.

“The Servant” As a lamb Completely Submissive, v. 9! V. 9. “And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.” -- Crucified between two thieves; intended that he be buried with the wicked. -- But a rich man requested his body, Matt. 27:57-60. -- Christ “borrowed the tomb for three days, and returned it back as good as new” (DeHoff).

Exaltation and Reward Followed Humiliation and Sacrifice! V. 10. “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him: He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed; He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.” “Pleased the Lord to bruise Him” (Acts 2:23). His soul “an offering for sin” (Heb. 10:4,10) “Shall see His seed” (Galatians 3:29; 6:15). “Prolong His days” (Revelation 1:17-18). “Shall prosper” (Rev. 3:21; 12:11; 19:16; Daniel 2:44).

Exaltation and Reward Followed Humiliation and Sacrifice! V. 11. “He shall see the travail of His soul and be satisfied, by His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.” “Satisfied” – the demands of justice met in Jesus Christ, Romans 3:24-26; I John 2:2. “By His knowledge” (or the knowledge of Him) “shall my servant justify many,” John 6:44-45.

Exaltation and Reward Followed Humiliation and Sacrifice! V. 12. “Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” “Divide the spoil with the strong.” cf. Matthew 12:29; John 12:31; Hebrews 2:14,16. “Bare the sin of many,” 2 Corinthians 5:21. “Made intercession.” Luke 23:34; Hebrews 7:25; I Timothy 2:5.

Application Isaiah 52:13-53:12 should strengthen our faith! Isaiah told us what would happen before it came to pass, so that we would believe. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 should serve to increase our hatred for sin! Jesus suffered the agony outlined in these verses because we sinned. He was numbered with the transgressors so that we could be numbered with the Redeemed!

Conclusion: Jesus came to the earth in the form of a man, Hebrews 2:14-18. Jesus tasted death so that we could live eternally, Hebrews 2:9. Jesus is now “King of kings and Lord of Lords,” Revelation, 19:16. He is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, Hebrews 5:9!