The question of whether Isaiah 53 is about the Messiah or Israel as a whole is a false dichotomy. To be the Messiah means to be the Davidic king who brings Israel back from exile and reveals the God of Israel to the Gentiles. In Samuel, David himself is presented as a one-man-Israel. He recapitulates Israels exile and exodus, going into Philistia (Philistines are associated with Egyptians in Genesis 10) and returning from exile to be enthroned as king. His life is full of allusions to the life of Jacob, who, of course, is the source of the name Israel. The inheritance of any particular person depends on whether they are in Davids alliance. Of course the Suffering Servant is Israel. That doesnt answer the question of whether it is messianic. A number of considerations support the messianic identity of the Servant: First, the Servant is presented as the kinsman redeemer of Israel. According to Isaiah, Israel is as a forsaken Bride. God had cursed her in the exile. And the Servant comes as a kinsman redeemer to renew the marriage covenant of the Lord. Israel then spits at his face. There is an irony here, since if a kinsman redeemer fails to carry out his obligation, the widow is to spit in his face. If the Servant is actually the many-peopled nation, then who are they redeeming? They ARE the Bride. Second, Isaiah 53 contains many allusions to Isaiah 14. Isaiah 14 is about the king of Babylon, who struck the nations with unceasing blows. He exalts himself above the stars, but is brought down to Sheol. In Sheol, the nations are astonished at how low he has descended. By contrast, the Servant is himself struck. Instead of exalting himself above the stars, he humbles himself and is cut off from the land of the living. But after this, he is exalted: Behold my servant shall act wisely, shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. Instead of astonishing the nations by His lowliness, He shall astonish many nations by his exaltation. The Servant reverses the pattern of the false king, so that we should see Him as the king of Zion, the Messiah. Third, Isaiah 40-48 attributes to Israel a vocation that she has failed to carry out. She was summoned to bring justice to the coastlands, to be a light to the nations. But Isaiah 42 says that the Servant himself is blind. How, then, can Israel carry out its vocation? Isaiah 49:3 presents the answer. You are my Servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified. But the Servant is then said to bring the remnant of Israel back from exile and act as light to the nations. It is clear, then, that the Servant is distinct from the exiled Israelites as a whole. Instead, as exile is death (see Deuteronomy 30, Ezekiel 37), the Servant joins Israel in their plight and inaugurates the return from exile by prolonging his days after his departure from the land of the living. Fourth, Isaiah 54 refers to faithful Servants in the plural. The logic of the passage is that Israel, having failed in her mission, is narrowed down to a single person, the messianic king, who suffers Israels exile and is then exalted. Then, many people become Servants as they identify with the restored messianic king. Fifth, Isaiah 55:5 attributes to the whole nation the Davidic promise. While some scholars read this as a denial of a unique messiah for Deutero-Isaiah (who is really just Isaiah), the logic is actually what I explained in point four. Israel is narrowed down to the Messiah, and the election of the Messiah then includes all who are incorporated into the Messiah. As such, the Davidic promise is fulfilled in the whole people of God, who have returned from exile to possess the whole Earth (see Isaiah 54:4-5). Sixth, Isaiah 42:1 describes faithful Israel (who will become the Servant) in terms drawn from Isaiah 11, which is obviously messianic. He is the one anointed with the Spirit who brings forth justice to the nations. --- The Servant is not only the Messiah- but God Himself. A few ways to demonstrate this: First, as Kinsman-Redeemer, the Servant marries Israel. But throughout Isaiah 40-55, the marriage covenant that is being renewed is between Israel and the Lord. Second, the Servant is described in terms used only for God. The Servant is exalted and he is high and lifted up. But in Isaiah 2, it was said that when God redeems Israel and judges the nations, God will be lifted up and He ALONE will be exalted. Isaiah 6 describes the Lord, enthroned in His Temple, high and lifted up. Isaiah 35 has the Lord saying Now I will lift myself up, now I will be exalted. If you do a word study of these terms in Isaiah, they are used over and over and over again for the Lord- and the Servant. This is a clear clue as to His actual identity. Third, Isaiah 59 contains allusions to Isaiah 53, and it makes the union of God and Messiah very clear. In Isaiah 59, Israel has broken the covenant. Her feet are swift to shed blood. When the Lord looks down and sees Israel transgressing He concludes that there is no one to intercede. He then puts on the Breastplate of Righteousness Himself (this is the garment of the High Priest) and does the job Himself. He renews the covenant with the remnant, pours out the Spirit upon them, and then in Isaiah 60 we see the nations streaming to Zion. In Isaiah 53, the Servant makes intercession for the transgressors and the words of Isaiah 52:13 hearken back to Isaiah 2, when the nations are streaming to Zion. Fourth, the work of the Servant is described as Gods baring his arm before the nations. Isaiah 59 describes the events above as his own arm [bringing] salvation. --- Finally, Daniel 9, describing an anointed one, draws from Isaiah 53. The anointed one is cut off, but not for himself (see Gentry on this translation) and that hearkens back to Isaiah 53 where the Servant is cut off for the transgression of my people.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 12:53:17 +0000
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