One in Messiah Congregation

John.15 [12] This is my commandment, That ye love one another,

as I have loved you .

[13] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends

Isaiah Chapter 53 - Yeshua -Salvation

Over 50 references of a man are made in this chapter.

[1] Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
[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 .
[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.
[4] Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[11] He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
[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.

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The masculine gender for is used here. The "Land of Israel" is always reffered in the feminine gender.

Hebrew grammar is very involved.

In Hebrew grammar, it is very important to understand the verb system in form, function and meaning. In the Hebrew Bible, there are just over 23,000 verses. In the midst of these verses are found almost 72,000 verbs. Approx. 3 verbs to a verse. Verbs contain person, gender and number. The Qal is the basic verbal stem. There are six derived conjugations which are constructed on the verbal root.

In the chapter, the Niphal stem with the ( 3ms ) form is applied in many verses.

The context of a sentence is very important to watch. Some words take on different meanings pertaining to the sentence structure.

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Messiah died for the sins of the World

Rom.3[ 25] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past , through the forbearance of God;

Rom.5[ 6] For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

[8] But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.[ 9] Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Rom.14[ 15] But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

1Cor.8[ 11] And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

1Cor.15[ 3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

Eph.1[ 7] In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins , according to the riches of his grace;

2Cor.5[ 14] For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:[15] And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Col.1[14] In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins

1John.2 [2] And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Acts.13[ 38] Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

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Tanakh : Hebrew Bible (Torah/Teaching, Nevi'im/Prophets and Ketivim/Writings).

Targums : Aramaic translations of the original Hebrew Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures) written between 200 BC and 200 AD.

Talmud : Mishnah (Oral Law) and Gemara (Commentary) written about 200-400 AD.

Midrash : Commentaries on the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures) from 100-1600 AD. ( and still changing as of 2006 AD )

Rabbi Mosheh Kohen Ibn Crispin: This rabbi described those who interpret Isaiah 53 as referring to Israel as those: "having forsaken the knowledge of our Teachers, and inclined after the `stubbornness of their own hearts,' and of their own opinion, I am pleased to interpret it, in accordance with the teaching of our Rabbis, of the King Messiah....This prophecy was delivered by Isaiah at the divine command for the purpose of making known to us something about the nature of the future Messiah, who is to come and deliver Israel, and his life from the day when he arrives at discretion until his advent as a redeemer, in order that if anyone should arise claiming to be himself the Messiah, we may reflect, and look to see whether we can observe in him any resemblance to the traits described here; if there is any such resemblance, then we may believe that he is the Messiah our righteousness; but if not, we cannot do so." (From his commentary on Isaiah, quoted in The Fifty-third Chapter of Isaiah According to the Jewish Interpreters , Ktav Publishing House, 1969, Volume 2, pages 99-114.)

Here is where change came :

Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Itzchaki, 1040-1105) and some of the later rabbis, though, began to interpret the passage as referring to Israel. They knew that the older interpretations referred it as the Messiah.

However, Rashi lived at a time when a degenerate medieval distortion of Christianity was practiced. He wanted to preserve the Jewish people from accepting such a faith and, although his intentions were sincere, other prominent Jewish rabbis and leaders realized the inconsistencies of Rashi's interpretation.

They presented a threefold objection to his innovation:

First - they showed the consensus of ancient opinion that it was about the Messiah.

Secondly - they pointed out that the text is in the singular .

Thirdly - they noted verse eight. This verse presented an insurmountable difficulty to those who interpreted this passage as referring to Israel. It reads:

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 transgressions of my people was he stricken .

Were the Jewish people, God forbid, ever cut off out of the land of the living? No! In Jeremiah 31:35-37, God promised that we will exist forever. We are proud that Am Yisrael Chai - "The people of Israel are much alive." Likewise, it is impossible to say that Israel suffered for the transgressions of "my people," which clearly means Isaiah's people. Surely Isaiah's people are Jews and Gentiles who converted.

The words of the prophet Isaiah are words of hope. We have a glorious future and an abundant present if we appropriate the salvation made possible by the One who "was wounded through our transgressions and bruised through our iniquities."

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Jonathan ben Uziel (early first century A.D.) Targum Jonathan - Isaiah 52: 13. Behold my servant Messiah shall prosper; he shall be high, and increase, and be exceeding strong:

Zohar: "`He was wounded for our transgressions,' etc....There is in the Garden of Eden a palace called the Palace of the Sons of Sickness; this palace the Messiah then enters, and summons every sickness, every pain, and every chastisement of Israel; they all come and rest upon him. And were it not that he had thus lightened them off Israel and taken them upon himself, there had been no man able to bear Israel's chastisements for the transgression of the law: and this is that which is written, `Surely our sicknesses he hath carried."

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Why Isaiah 53 cannot refer to the nation of Israel, or anyone else, but must be the Messiah

The servant of Isaiah 53 is an innocent and guiltless sufferer. Israel is never described as sinless. Isaiah 1:4 says : Isa.1[ 4] Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

What a far cry from the innocent and guiltless sufferer of Isaiah 53, Messiah, who had "done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth!" This can only be Messiah!

Isaiah said: "It pleased the LORD to bruise him" meaning God was pleased to have Messiah suffer and die as our sin offering to provide us forgiveness and atonement.

Some untruthful rabbis contend, Isaiah 53 refers to the holocaust. Can we really say of Israel's suffering during that horrible period, "It pleased the LORD to bruise him?" No.

The person mentioned in Isaiah 53 suffers silently and willingly. Yet all people, even Israelites, complain when they suffer!

Brave Jewish men and women fought in many resistance movements against Hitler. In the Vilna Ghetto Uprising, Jewish men who fought on the side of the allies. Can we really say Jewish suffering during the holocaust and during the preceding centuries was done silently and willingly?

In Isaiah 53 Messiah suffers, dies, and rises again to atone for his people's sins. The Hebrew word used in Isaiah 53:10 for "sin-offering" is "asham," meaning "sin-offering." We can look at how it is used in Leviticus chapters 5 and 6.

Isaiah 53 describes a sinless and perfect sacrificial lamb who takes upon himself the sins of others so that they might be forgiven.

Can anyone really claim that the terrible suffering of the Jewish people atones for the sins of the world? No.

Isaiah 53 speaks of Messiah who suffers and dies in order to provide a legal payment for sin so that others can be forgiven. This cannot be true of the Jewish people or of any other people.

How can Isaiah be speaking of Israel in verse 8 that says the sufferer was punished for "the transgression of my people," Who are the people of God and Isaiah? Israel. How could Israel suffer for Israel?

Isa.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.

The figure of Isaiah 53 dies and is buried according to verses 8 and 9. The people of Israel have never died as a whole. They have been out of the land on two occasions and have returned, but they have never ceased to be among the living. Yet Jesus died, was buried, and rose again.

If Isaiah 53 cannot refer to Israel, how about Isaiah himself?

Isaiah said he was a man of unclean lips - Isa.6[ 5] Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah did not die as an atonement for our sins. Could it have been Jeremiah ? Jeremiah 11:19 does echo the words of Isaiah 53. Judah rejected and despised the prophet for telling them the truth. Leaders of Judah sought to kill Jeremiah, and so the prophet describes himself in these terms. But they were not able to kill the prophet. Certainly Jeremiah did not die to atone for the sins of his people. What of Moses ? Could Isaiah been speaking of him? Moses wasn't sinless either. Moses sinned and was forbidden from entering the promised land Num.20[ 12] And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not , to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

Moses indeed attempted to offer himself as a sacrifice in place of the nation, but God did not allow him to do so.

Exod.32[ 31] And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.[32] Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.[33 ] And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book

Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah were all prophets who gave us a glimpse of what Messiah, the ultimate prophet, would be like, but none of them quite fit Isaiah 53.

So what can we conclude? Isaiah 53 cannot refer to the nation of Israel, nor to Isaiah, nor to Moses, nor another prophet.

If not to Moses, certainly not to any lesser man. Yet Messiah would be greater than Moses. As the rabbinic writing "Yalkut" said : "Who art thou, O great mountain? (Zech. iv.7) This refers to the King Messiah. And why does he call him`the great mountain?' because he is greater than the patriarchs, as it is said, `My servant shall be high, and lifted up, and lofty exceedingly' --he will be higher than Abraham...lifted up above Moses...loftier then the ministering angels..." (Quoted in The Fifty-third Chapter of Isaiah According to the Jewish Interpreters , Ktav Publishing House, 1969, Volume 2, page 9.)

Of whom does Isaiah speak? He speaks of the Messiah, as many ancient rabbis concluded. The second verse of Isaiah 53 makes it crystal clear.

Isa.53[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.

The Messiah grows up as "a tender plant, and like a root out of dry ground." The tender plant, shoot springing up is beyond a reasonable doubt a reference to the Messiah , and, in fact, it is a common Messianic reference in Isaiah and elsewhere.

The Davidic dynasty was to be cut down in judgement like a felled tree, but it was promised to Israel that a new sprout would shoot up from the stump. The Messiah was to be that sprout.

Several Hebrew words were used to refer to this undeniably Messianic image. All the terms are related in meaning and connected in the Messianic texts where they were used. Isaiah 11, which virtually all rabbis agreed refers to the Messiah , used the words "shoot" (hoter) and branch (netser) to describe the Messianic King. Isaiah 11:10 called Messiah the "Root (shoresh) of Jesse," Jesse being David's father. Isaiah 53 described the suffering servant as a root (shoresh) from dry ground, using the very same metaphor and the very same word as Isaiah 11. We also see other terms used for the same concept, such as branch (tsemach) in Jeremiah 23:5, in Isaiah 4:2 and also in the startling prophecies of Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12.

Beyond a reasonable doubt , Isaiah 52:13-53:12 refers to Messiah Yeshua / Jesus. He is the one highly exalted before whom kings shut their mouths. Messiah is the shoot who sprung up from the fallen Davidic dynasty. He became the King of Kings. He provided the ultimate atonement, Himself.

Isaiah 52:15 states: 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.

The word translated "sprinkle", never translate "startle" is found several other places in TeNaKh that pertain to priestly sprinklings of the blood of atonement, the anointing oil of consecration, and the ceremonial water used to cleanse the unclean.

Isaiah 52:13 is telling us that the Messiah will act as a priest who applies atonement, anoints to consecrate, sprinkles to make clean.

This vision of the Messiah as both priest and king is also found in Zechariah 6:12-13), but, priests were to come from the tribe of Levi and Kings from the tribe of Judah! What kind of priest is he? David told us Messiah would be a priest of the order of Melchizedek (see Psalm 110 and Hebrews chapters 7-9).

Isaiah 53 must be understood as referring to the coming Davidic King, the Messiah. King Messiah was prophesied to suffer and die to pay for our sins and then rise again. He would serve as a priest to the nations of the world and apply the blood of atonement to cleanse those who believe. There is one alone who this can refer to, Yeshua / Jesus, whom millions refer to as Messiah or Christ, which is from the Greek word. Those who confess him are his children, his promised offspring, the spoils of his victory. According to the testimony of the Jewish Apostles, Jesus died for our sins, rose again, ascended to the right hand of God, and he now serves as our great High Priest who cleanses us of sin and our King. Yeshua / Jesus rules over his people. The first century Jewish disciples were willing to die rather than deny they had seen the risen Messiah. Remember men don't die for something they know is a lie.

Isaiah 53 is obvious to all honest hearts, it speaks of Israel's greatest son, Yeshua / Jesus, the Messiah.