Isaiah 52:13-15
See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him, his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness—so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
Psalm 22:1-8
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: “He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
Psalm 22:16-18
Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
If I should mention the name Hank Williams, most would tell about Hank Williams, Jr. But I wish to go deeper into the past and talk about Hank Williams, Sr. He was one of the first and perhaps the originator of honky-tonk ballads. He both wrote and sang many of his own songs. Once you heard him, you would recognize his voice forever. No one ever called it pretty but it was distinctive. He was famous for both his music and his addiction to alcohol. He died in the back seat of his Cadillac as he was being driven to his next scheduled performance. He had hired a young Auburn University student to drive him to this site because of the weather. He had disembarked from Knoxville on December 31, 1952, but was without life when he arrived in Oak Hill, West Virginia on New Years 1953. He was 29 years old. Those that knew him best said that his body was pretty well used up in his brief life span.
At this point the factual material is diluted by what one must consider a combination of hearsay and legend. One version has him receiving an injection of morphine to control his seizures. Everyone seems to agree that he was sick. One version has him receiving his medical help by way of a private physician. Another version has him receiving medical care in the E.R. of the Knox General Hospital. This story relates that he received penicillin and raises the possibility of an allergic reaction as the cause of his death. His young driver did note that his “breathing was heavy” for awhile. This is one mystery that we can’t solve with the facts. Too much time has passed and the opinions are conflicting.
Such is not the case with out topic at hand, the Old Testament mystery of the Suffering Servant. From our vantagepoint in time, we can see with clarity the presentation. In fact He is the source for the salvation so widely acclaimed in the New Testament. It is worth repeating that although the Old and New Testament are separated in time by an interval of over 400 years, the subject matter deals with the same issues of the defeat and eradication of sin. Sin in its simplest terms is disobedient to the wishes and commands of God. Isaiah 52:13 seems clearly to be the voice of God declaring that His servant will act wisely and be ‘raised and lifted up and be highly exalted.”
For us time travelers, this sounds as though He will be exalted simultaneous with His being lifted up. The ordinary reading suggests that He will receive praise and the “lifting up” will be in accordance with this praise. But the following verse seems to contradict this for many were appalled at His appearance. In the event of His being lifted up, He seems to be marred beyond human recognition. The following verse (Isaiah 52:15b so will he sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand) adds more confusion by inferring that he will be respected by even kings. Confusing for Isaiah and his contemporaries? Yes.
But just as the Old and New Testaments complement one another, the individual writings of prophets living hundreds of years apart may shed more information on the subject.
King David lived 250 years before Isaiah the prophet. He was a talented poet, musician and writer of worship music. One of these is the 22nd Psalm. The 16th verse ( Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. ) indicates piercing by evil men. The outcome of the victim seems obvious since Verse 18 (They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. ) speaks of his helplessness. Verse 1 of this same Psalm is familiar to anyone who has attended a service in and around the Christian Easter. (Verse 1a My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? ). We have all heard this cry from the lips of Jesus as He was pierced and nailed to a tree 1000 years later. The prophecy seems startling when you grasp that punishment by crucifixion would not arrive on the world scene for hundreds of years. The words from David and Isaiah seem to focus on the same individual. With our knowledge of the New Testament and the gospel story, we must conclude that this is Jesus of Nazareth. The mysterious fog of uncertainty seems to have been lifted as we apply our knowledge of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.
It is inescapable that Jesus of Nazareth, the begotten Son of God, did what no one had anticipated. He chose to combine the roles of the Messiah (anointed of God) and the Suffering Servant into one. What emerges is the recognition that Jesus came not merely to live the perfect life but to die at the hands of evil men. This explains the strange behavior of Jesus when He chose to confront the leaders of Judaism rather than to avoid those desiring His death. His willingness to die seems inescapable. Such willingness exceeds the role of a martyr and is clearly much greater than a mere cause. In so doing, Jesus fulfills the desires of God.
Another question arises. What are the desires of God? Isaiah has further words of explanation. In the obvious style of prophecy, Isaiah reveals the very thoughts of God or at the very least God’s intentions. What appears at first as the struggles of the Suffering Servant become intimately involved with us since these struggles are for us.
