Isaiah 52:13-15 THE SERVANT/KING, SUFFERING This fourth “servant song,” is the longest and most impacting of them all, because of the scope of the message and the graphic illustrations of the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ. Words from this song of the “Suffering Servant” are quoted often in the New Testament, speaking directly of our Lord Jesus and the subject of the Gospel. When we read these words, we are touched in our hearts with all our Lord Jesus Christ endured when “He was made sin for us, He who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” One who loves the Lord Jesus cannot read the words of Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12, without going in our minds and hearts, to the time of His suffering on the cross that He might bring us to God.
“My Servant” is the Messiah/King who will reign wisely when He reigns in the coming time of His exaltation all across the whole world. He will “deal prudently,” means that God’s Work will prosper because of His wise leadership in a coming day in which the world will be blessed because of Him. In Isaiah 53:10, God’s Will prospers because of Him. God found moral and righteous pleasure in the sacrifice our Lord Jesus made on our behalf. Isaiah 54:16-17 assures us that God’s Warfare will triumph because “no weapon formed against Thee shall prosper.” In Isaiah 55:11, God’s
Word prospers when it is declared, and it will not be empty words, but will achieve the purposes He has in mind when it is preached. Sometimes the preaching of the word of God is informative. Other times it is convicting and other times it is enlightening. What an encouragement it is to know that what God does, “prospers.”
The last time the unbelieving world saw the Lord Jesus, was when He was suffering on the cross as God’s Perfect Servant. He was physically abused until He was disfigured beyond that of any human. The treatment of our Lord by those who afflicted Him, was absolutely inhuman.
The Lord Jesus Christ understood His work as the Suffering Servant when He came to do His Father’s will. There are quite a number of the prophecies made concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, that were fulfilled as He accomplished redemption for us. His exaltation, verse 13, is referred to in Philippian 2:9. The fact that His visage would be marred more than any man, verse 14 and 53:2, was fulfilled in Mark 15:17-19. Then it was prophesied that He would make atonement by the “sprinkling” of His blood, verse 15, and fulfilled, 1st Peter 1:2. He was certainly widely “rejected by men,” Isaiah 53:1,3, which was answered to in John 12:37-38. The fulfillment of the prophecy regarding bearing our sins and our sorrows [53:4-5] is in Romans 4:25 and 1st Peter 2:24-25. The truth that he would be our substitute in verses 6-8, is replied to in 2nd Corinthians 5:21 where it says He who knew no sin was made sin for us. He voluntarily accepted our guilt and punishment, verses 7-8, as the Good Shepherd who gave His life for His sheep [John 10:11] and then said, “It is finished” [John 19:30]. He was buried in a rich man’s tomb [John 19:38-42], just like it was prophesied in Isaiah 53:9. Isaiah 53:10-11, tells us prophetically that He would save those who believe in him, and John 3:16 and Acts 16:31 tells us that is what happens. He would die for transgressors, was made plain in verse 12, and Mark 15:27-28 and Luke 22:37 tells us that happened and how it happened.
The sin-cleansing blood of the Perfect Sacrifice extends world-wide (many nations) in its saving power. The treatment of our Savior by wicked people goes beyond our comprehension because of our moral and spiritual limitations. We do know the infinite sufferings of our Savior has not only provided for the salvation and forgiveness of sins of those who believe on Him, but it also startles those who will finally realize who He is. The nations of people will someday come to recognize who our Lord Jesus Christ is and why He did what He did. Kings will go silent in the face of such love and benevolent mercy from the King of kings.
In the future, those who led nations will see and understand that our Lord has accomplished an act of righteous justice that far exceeds anything they have ever conceived of, let alone has ever been done by any other human authority. They will understand what He did and why, even though they never heard any word of prophecy about it previously. His humiliation and then exaltation will bring to the leaders of the world an understanding of who the Messiah/King of Israel really is, and they will submit to Him. There is triumph in verse 13, as a result of His suffering in verse 14. The final result will be victory and exaltation in verse 15. “What a day that will be, when my Savior I shall see! When I look upon His face, the One who saved me by His grace!”