The Lord speaks of His Servants Knowledge and Righteousness

The LORD Speaks of His Servant’s Knowledge and Righteousness,

“by His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities” (v11).

On the first occasion of Christ (the Messiah, Mat.16:16, 20), instructing His disciples about His suffering and death He said that “the Son of Man must suffer many things … and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Mat.16:21). These are facts about Jesus’ impending death and resurrection, but He does not teach a theology of Christ’s death as we have found in Isaiah. Jesus said later to the disciples, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now” (Jn.16:12). The issue is not regarding the extent to which Christ had full knowledge of the theology of the cross but the extent to which His disciples could comprehend His teaching. A crucified Messiah was anathema to them, hence Peter’s rebuke when he first heard about Jesus’ proposed death (Mat.16:22).

The knowledge which Isaiah speaks about is specifically the knowledge which had been revealed to him as the LORD’S prophet and was the same knowledge imparted to Jesus by the great revelator of truth –the Spirit of revelation. Jesus, risen from the grave, walked with two disillusioned and grieving disciples.

“Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Lk.24:25-27).

Jesus affirms the authenticity of O.T. Messianic prophecy from Moses onwards and applies them to Himself as the suffering Messiah. Jesus was informed through O.T. Messianic prophecy to the extent that He applied them to Himself when He considered that His actions or words were the fulfilment of prophecy. The Gospel writers also, following Jesus’ cue applied O.T. Messianic prophecy to specific events in Jesus’ life. This was only possible because Jesus lived and spoke by the leading and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, thus there was an exact correspondence between the Spirit of revelation and the Spirit led walk of Jesus Christ. Jesus was experientially the Messiah, not only by His actions and pronouncements but by His communion with Father and His continual obedience to Him.

Isaiah is speaking of a knowledge and righteousness which is associated with the person of the Servant – it is His righteousness which provides the foundation for our salvation. Righteousness qualifies Him to suffer and to pay the ransom price for our salvation.

The lamb’s sacrificed in the O.T. had to be “without blemish and spot,” pointing to the sinless Lamb of God. The One who was without guile or guilt, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (1Pet.2:22). Righteousness is applied holiness. Jesus taught a living and practical holiness as demonstrated in the Sermon on the Mount. This practical righteousness He called perfection (Mat.5:48). As a man, Jesus translated the holiness of God’s triune nature into the ethics of our humanity; by ethics I mean his behaviour in relation to men and women in everyday living. The Messiah lived a fully human life among men and women, His behaviour was impeccable before men and His life was perfect before God. There is a consistency that runs through the narrative of Jesus Christ, beginning with His conception and birth; continued throughout His life and culminating in His behaviour as He was crucified. Righteousness demonstrates His absolute perfection during the days of His flesh. A sin in thought, word or action would have disqualified Him from offering a sacrifice in perfect righteousness which was acceptable to holy LORD. The result is a complete and perfect salvation. This salvation lifts us – not only into the heavenly places but into God himself! This is outlined by Jesus in His highpriestly prayer of Jn.ch.17). Motyer puts the matter succinctly by saying, “The emphasis laid on the Servant’s righteousness is deliberate. First, it prepares for the reference on sin-bearing in v11d by underlining His moral fitness for the task. Secondly, and immediately, we learn that this righteousness is something He extends to others: He will justify many” will provide righteousness for the many.” (p441). “In a context where the Servant’s personal righteousness receives such emphasis, the phrase “to provide righteousness for the many” can mean only that there are those (“the many”) whom He clothes in His righteousness, sharing with them His own acceptability before God” (p442).

Verse 12, the ESV translation says, “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong.”

The LORD apportions to His Servant “the many and the strong” –allocated to Him as spoil.9 The many are the entire company of those who have been redeemed through the Servant, and the kings introduced at the beginning are the spoil resulting from His conquest. Total supremacy is assured but not yet won,

“You have put all things in subjection under His feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not put under Him. But now we do not yet see all things put under Him” (Heb.2:8).

The work of redemption is now completed, and the gospel is heralded throughout the nations. Ch.54 begins with the universal proclamation of good news for the whole world. The ground on which the Servant has received “the many” as His portion and the strong as His spoil is because of His death. He voluntarily gave His life - He said to His disciples, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father” (Jn.10:18; see also Phil.2:7). “He poured out His life (soul) unto death,” (cf. Job 30:16). This is a vivid and powerful expression describing Christ’s yielding up His entire life to Father in dying and in death.

Verse 12, says that “He was numbered with the transgressors”

During Jesus’ lifetime He infuriated the religious Jews because of His social table habits - eating with publicans and sinners - He was numbered as one of their company. Far more serious was His identification with rebels in His death, keeping this kind of company cost Him His life. This identification was only possible due to His incarnation when He became fully human and because He chose to associate with outcasts and sinners. It meant however, that He acted as their substitute in taking away their wrongdoing on the cross. He paid the full price for their rebellion. By taking upon Himself their sin He suffered the wrath of Almighty for the sins of all humankind. On one occasion He faced an adulterous woman who He refused to judge but having forgiven her – He commanded her to go and sin no more! To forgive sinners, apart from their justification based on the cross would represent a moral compromise on the part of God. Forgiveness results from Christ’s death for sinners (Rom.3:23-26; 5:6-8). The Servant is therefore a go-between, a mediator between rebels and Father. He answered the cry of Job for a mediator or umpire between himself and God (Job 9:1, 33; 31:33-37). Paul the apostle, writing to Timothy says that we have “one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (2Tim.2:15). Similarly, John the apostle writes, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1Jn.2:1). Christhood and manhood have combined together to procure our salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has gained the ear of God on our behalf and we have found acceptance and reconciliation with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The efficacy of His sacrifice extends to all those sinners who avail themselves of Christ’s salvation.

Isaiah closes in v12, with a little-known fact about the death of Jesus, –He died interceding for lost sinners, “and (He) made intercession for the transgressors” (53:12).

In the 3 synoptic Gospels we have an account of Jesus’ intercessions in the Garden of Gethsemane and we also have the unique account of Jesus’ intercessions recorded by the Hebrews writer,

“who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplication, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear …” (Heb.5:7-9).

These verses have always seemed to me to be incredibly important. This verse records the fact that Jesus’ intercessions were answered, He was heard because of His godly fear …” Exactly, what did the Suffering Servant fear? He feared that during the long period of His suffering that He might fail God. He knew that if the Spirit of God did not come to His aid then He would fail, but He chose to believe God. The verse in Hebrews tells us how Jesus prayed, - with strong crying and tears (Rom.8:26), and what He prayed. He prayed “to Him who was able to save Him from death” (Heb.5:7). But there is a lesson for us from Jesus’ life which was characterized by constant prayer to Father, “who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplication,” showing to us the need for continued prayer. Our salvation was won by Jesus’ intercessory prayers and His sacrificial love for you and me.