Life and Ministry of the Christ in Isaiah
Isaiah 52
14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
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.
This is a wonderful and amazing passage. It is actually the beginning of the next chapter‡. I will only present these three verses today, offering the insights of John Gill* and Adam Clarke† because their words are so much better than mine.
This is v 13 in the Jewish Targum+, Behold, my servant the Messiah shall prosper. He shall be exalted and extolled, and He shall be very strong. Amen! This is about Christ.
And now John Gill on these verses:
52:13
Behold, my servant shall deal prudently.... Here properly a new chapter should begin, these three last verses treating of the same person and subject as the following chapter; even of Christ, his person, offices, humiliation, and exaltation, and the effects and fruits thereof; for of him undoubtedly the whole is to be understood. Christ, as man and Mediator, is the servant of God: the principal part of his service lay in working out the salvation of his people.
he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high - The Jews say of the Messiah, in reference to these words, that he is exalted above Abraham, extolled above Moses, and made higher than the ministering angels.
52:14
As many were astonished at thee.... Not so much at the miracles he wrought, the doctrines he taught, and the work he did; or at his greatness and glory, though very wonderful; rather at his humiliation, the mean appearance he made, the low estate he was brought into; the sufferings and death which he underwent. Indeed, it is astonishing that one so great as he was should become so low as he did; and also that one that was brought so low should be raised so high.
his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men - With the griefs and sorrows he bore, and troubles he met with; with watchings and fastings, with laborious preaching, and constant travelling about to do good; with sweat and blood, with buffetings and scourgings, never was any man's face more marred, or his form more altered, than his was.
52:15
So shall he sprinkle many nations - This is not to be understood of water baptism, for though this has been administered in many nations, yet not by Christ, nor done by sprinkling; rather of the grace of the Spirit, which is expressed by water, and its application by sprinkling, and is of a cleansing and sanctifying nature, and which Gentiles are made partakers of; but better of the blood of Christ, called the blood of sprinkling, by which the conscience is purged from dead works, and the heart from an evil conscience, and by which multitudes of many nations are justified and sanctified.
The kings shall shut their mouths at him - astonished at the glories and excellencies of his person and office, as outshining theirs; at his wonderful works of grace and salvation. It seems to denote a reverent attention to them, and a subjection to Christ and his ordinances; and must be understood of their subjects as well as of themselves.
For that which had not been told them shall they see, and that which they had not heard shall they consider - or understand. The Gentiles had not the oracles of God committed to them; could not be told the things of the Gospel by their oracles, or by their philosophers; nor could they be come at by the light of nature, or by reason; such as the doctrines of a trinity of Persons in the Godhead; of the deity, sonship, and incarnation of Christ; of salvation by him; of justification by his righteousness, pardon by his blood, and atonement by his sacrifice; of the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life: but now Christ and his Gospel are seen and understood by spiritual men; who, besides having a revelation given them, and the Gospel preached unto them, have their eyes opened; so that they have a sight of Christ, of the glory, beauty, and fulness of his person by faith, through the Word, so as to approve of him, appropriate him, and become like unto him.
And now Adam Clarke:
52:13
My servant shall deal prudently - shall prosper, or act prosperously. The subject of Isaiah's prophecy, from the fortieth chapter on has been, in general, the deliverance of the people of God. This includes in it three distinct parts; which, however, have a close connection with one another; that is,
1. The deliverance of the Jews from the captivity of Babylon;
2. The deliverance of the Gentiles from their miserable state of ignorance and idolatry;
3. The deliverance of mankind from the captivity of sin and death.
Cyrus is expressly named as the immediate agent of God in effecting the first deliverance. A greater person is spoken of as the Agent who is to effect the two latter deliverances, called the servant of God, in whom his soul delighteth; Israel, in whom God will be glorified. Isaiah has not treated the three subjects as quite distinct and separate in a methodical and orderly manner, like a philosopher or a logician. He has handled them as a prophet and a poet; he has allegorized the former, and under the image of it has shadowed out the two latter: he has thrown them all together, has mixed one with another, has passed from this to that with rapid transitions, and has painted the whole with the strongest and boldest imagery. He introduces the Messiah as appearing at first in the lowest state of humiliation and then the glory which should follow it.
52:15
So shall he sprinkle many nations - Does not sprinkling the nations refer to the conversion and baptism of the Gentiles? Many nations shall become proselytes to his religion.
Kings shall shut their mouths at him - His Gospel shall so prevail that all opposition shall be finally overcome; and kings and potentates shall be overwhelmed with confusion, and become speechless before the doctrines of his truth. When they hear these declared they shall attentively consider them, and their conviction of their truth shall be the consequence.
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Amen! These three verses are powerful in themselves, yet they serve almost as an introduction to the most amazing chapter in Isaiah. But they tell us, when Christ comes he will be brought very low through his sufferings, then he will be exalted and extolled, and be very high. And the salvation he purchased for us through his sufferings will spread to many nations. All this was fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth when he was crucified, died and was buried, raised from the dead and exalted to be Lord of all. And it was all spoken and written some 800 years before Jesus was born! He is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior and Lord, and he gives his salvation to all who come to him!
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‡ Robert Estienne created verse numbering in his 1551 edition of the Greek New Testament which was also used in his 1553 publication of the Bible in French. Estienne's system of division was widely adopted, and it is this system which is found in almost all modern Bibles. He also produced a 1555 Vulgate that is the first Bible to include the verse numbers integrated into the text. Before this work, they were printed in the margins. The first Bible in English to use both chapters and verses was the Geneva Bible published in 1560.+ Targum – paraphrase/explanation of the Jewish scriptures in the language of the listeners. "The Targum to the Prophets was composed by Jonathan ben Uzziel ‘from the mouths of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi,’ thus implying that it was based on traditions derived from the last prophets." (Jewish Encyclopedia). Jonathan Ben Uziel lived thirty years before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and was a disciple of Hillel.
* John Gill - English Baptist pastor, biblical scholar, and theologian; 1697-1771
† Adam Clarke – English Methodist theologian and biblical scholar; 1760-1832
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