Kingdom Divided Lesson 21 – Isaiah Part 4

 

Isaiah 49-57 – The Suffering Servant

Isaiah wrote four Servant Songs – Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12.  The first Servant Song introduced the Messiah.  Now the second Servant Song gives His mission.  The Servant Israel here is Jesus the Messiah, because He came from Israel and is the representative of the nation.  Isaiah starts by saying that the Lord called Him by name before He was born and made His mouth a sharp sword meaning His very words have power and authority.  God held Him in His hand; caused Him to be a polished weapon; appointed Him His servant; appointed Him to restore and recover Israel and to be a light for the Gentiles; for Him to give salvation to the end of the world; chose Him, will help him; through him will both deliver the captive and cause joy to break out in heaven and earth.

Israel was God’s servant people, but fell short so God called Jesus to be His servant.  Jesus is the light of the world and we are to be a light to others. “You are the light of the world” – Matthew 5:14a.  The purpose of light in not to draw attention to itself, but to enable people to see.  Our lives should enable people to see the truth of the gospel.  All people are important to God.  He cares about us and He cannot and will not forget us.  He wants us to seek and trust in Him. 

Isaiah as well as Jesus seemed to have labored in vain because the people would not repent.  People who are in ministry sometimes feel this way.  You work long hours; the work is tiring; the results you want don’t always come; very few people are thankful; it often feels like you labor in vain.  Mother Teresa once said, “We are not called to be successful, but faithful.”

Isaiah’s third Servant Song in Isaiah 50 contrasts Israel’s disobedience and the Servant’ obedience.  He said the Messiah will be persecuted and then vindicated.  He said He will be obedient to God which results in His suffering. 

Isaiah 52-53, the fourth Servant Song describes the suffering and triumph of the Servant of the Lord which gives details of the death and resurrection of the Messiah.  He gives His life for ours accomplishing the will of God and our salvation.

God’s Servant is described as:

He will act wise, be raised and lifted up and highly exalted, His appearance will be disfigured and marred beyond human likeness. 

He grew up with no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, His appearance didn’t make us desire Him.  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

He took our infirmities and carried our sorrows.

He was pierced for our transgressions He was crushed for our iniquities.

“We all, liked sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all”. – Isaiah 53:6.

Jesus endured suffering that belonged to us.  We must never underestimate what our sin cost Jesus.  He took the pain that we deserved.  He took on the full the guilt and consequences of our sin – past, present, and future.  He brought sinners peace and spiritual healing.  When arrested, Jesus offered no resistance.  He willing went to the cross like a lamb led to slaughter.  Without His suffering that brought atonement, no one could enter the kingdom of heaven.  Now He sits in glory on the right hand of God, reigning in eternal glory.

By God revealing these specifics about Jesus’ sacrifice centuries before He died confirms that God is omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipotent (all-powerful).

We learn more about God and His ways in these verses:

Isaiah 54:7 – He is compassionate.

Isaiah 55:1-7 – He is merciful.

Isaiah 55:8-13 – His thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways, because they are higher than ours.

Isaiah 57:15 – He lives in a high and holy place, but also with the contrite and lowly in spirit.

Principle:  Jesus came as a suffering Servant and reigns as eternity’s King.

Isaiah 58-62 – The Final Plea

Isaiah recalls the details of Israel’s sin and offered another call for them to repent.  He said their sin had separated them from God; their hands were stained with blood and fingers with guilt; their lips have spoken lies and their tongue muttered wicked things; they didn’t know the ways of peace; there was no justice in their paths; they had turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks in them would know peace. 

Isaiah 63-66 – Isaiah’s Prayer

In Isaiah 63:7-19 speaks of hope in Christ the Redeemer, the glory of his coming kingdom, and of principles followed by those who hope to enter that new Zion – repentance, faithfulness, justice, mercy, wisdom, and integrity.  The redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins.

Isaiah speaks of God’s love and kindness.  He recalls God’s leading His people in the days of Moses.  He asks why God’s zeal for His people had waned.  He wanted God to come down and do awesome things again.  He confessed the people’s sin.  He acknowledged God as the heavenly Father.  “We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” – Isaiah 64:8. 

We are seeing God do awesome things now with the revival that started at Asbury University and His Spirit is pouring out all over the world.  We have prayed for revival and God listened.  There is a spiritual renewal on college campuses and churches here in America and in many other countries.  People are waking up and demonstrating humility, confession, compassion and surrender to the Lord.

In Isaiah 65-66 God answers Isaiah’s prayer.  God speaks of the rebellious and unworthy nation.  God has destined the sword to destroy the rebellious nation, but He won’t destroy it all.  A remnant will be left to bring forth the offspring to inherit the promises.  The nation will suffer but the remnant will be blessed.  God will create new heavens and a new earth.  He will assert His sovereignty and purpose.  The through the suffering, God will cause a new kingdom to be born.  God spoke of the final things in the distant future; of heaven and of hell.

There are repeated themes from this book which are captured in Isaiah 65 – God judges His people, but He loves them and offers them salvation.  Those who reject Him will face His judgment.

Isaiah 66:2 shows us that God is the Creator of all things.  We can never understand anything until we understand just who God is and that we are under His command.  He wants us to humbly serve Him with a contrite spirit and tremble at His Word.

Do you need to repent of a specific sin?

Do you need hope?

What is keeping you from repenting?

Principle:  Nothing can stop God’s eternal plan.

This week’s attribute of God is He is a Person.  He has an identity and a personality.  He is part of the Trinity – God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  He communicates and speaks to us through His Word, the Bible.  We speak to Him through prayer.

Next time we will continue our study of Kingdom Divided with various Scriptures. Hope to see you here.  – I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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