In this lesson we will study Isaiah 52:13-53:12. We studied this passage in a previous lesson entitled The Cross and Resurrection. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is so important, however, that it will be good to study it again. Before doing so, let us greet one another, pray together, be helpful to one another, and be thankful that we can come together to study God's Word. Let us begin with a prayer and then introduce our lesson.
Heavenly Father, we thank you that you have brought us back together again. We thank you for each other and for your Son, Jesus Christ. We pray that you may pour out upon us the power of your Spirit, that we may give glory to the sufferings of your Son, and by his sacrifice intercede for our sins and those of the world. All this we ask in Christ's name. Amen.
Before we begin this lesson, let us address the questions that we raised in the last lesson. Where did we come from? By birth we can from a sinful humanity. By rebirth, we entered into a new covenant established by Christ Jesus the Lord. Who are we? We are brothers and sisters of the covenant, bound to each other by the blood of the Lamb. Where are we now? We are following in the footsteps of Christ, being taught by him as the Spirit writes his life upon our hearts. Where are we going? We are entering into his life as he transforms our hearts. What must we do? We must learn of him. Here are his words, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
There is some debate within the Christian community as to who wrote Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Some say it is the Isaiah who began his ministry 740 years before Christ. We studied this prophet in the lesson entitled ”Isaiah Five.” Others say the first 39 chapters of Isaiah were written in 740 before Christ, but that the chapters 40 onward were written later, after the people of the Southern Kingdom had been taken captive into Babylon in 597 before Christ. These later prophecies were added to the earlier prophecies to form the book of Isaiah. Whenever this part of Isaiah was written, both groups of Christians believe that Isaiah 52:13-53:12, as well as the prophecies in chapters 40-55, apply to a time after the people of Israel had been carried off into captivity in Babylon.
Among other things, chapters 40-55 of Isaiah proclaim that God will deliver his people from Babylon and bring them home to Jerusalem. The words of the prophet were fulfilled, and in the year 537 before Christ, a number of the exiles returned home. They were able to do so because the Lord used the Persians to defeat the Babylonians. After he had conquered Babylon, the king of Persia, Cyrus, gave the people of Israel permission to return home and rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem. The return of the people and the rebuilding of the city can be found in the biblical books of Ezra and Nehemiah. These books bring us close to the end of the Old Testament.
Chapters 40-55 of Isaiah not only proclaimed the deliverance of the people of God from Babylon, but also a new work of God. Until then, it was commonly believed that God's blessings would be given through the establishment of a kingdom like the one God created by the deliverance from Egypt, the conquest of the Promised Land, and the giving of the law. God did do these things, and a kingdom of law is closer to God's will than kingdoms of arbitrary power. In light of the suffering of Babylon, however, the prophet of Isaiah 40-55 realized that God could work even more profoundly through suffering. This is clearly seen in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, and for this reason, this passage has always been understood by Christians as pointing to Christ who suffered for us on the cross. It also tells us that God uses our suffering for the sake of his Kingdom.
Before reading the following, please read Isaiah 52:13-53:12 aloud at least twice.
In a previous lesson, ”The Cross and Resurrection,” we understood Isaiah 52:13-53:12 as referring to Jesus. We described Isaiah's words as referring to Jesus' saving work on the cross and resurrection with these words,
According to Isaiah, the Lord Jesus was despised, rejected, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, and punished that we might have peace. By his wounds we are healed. The Lord laid upon him the iniquity of us all. He was cut off from the land of the living, and in his death, he was assigned a grave with the wicked. He gave his life as a guilt offering, and he justified many by bearing their sins. He suffered these things, yet he was innocent. He had done no violence, nor was there deceit in his mouth.
After his suffering, he was exalted, seeing the light of life, his days prolonged, dividing the spoils with the strong and having a portion among the great. These lines refer to Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, his being seated at the right hand of God.
This passage from Isaiah helped us repent of our sins. We studied the Ten Commandments, and after we had made a list of our sins, we nailed them to the cross. We believed that we were forgiven. We saw that Jesus died in our stead, that he forgave us from the cross. We believed that "by his wounds we are healed," that "he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows," and was "punished that we might have peace."
Since we first studied Isaiah 52:13-53:12, we have deepened our understanding of God's purposes for us and for all people. Let us review what we have learned so that we may see, ever more clearly in light of Isaiah 52:13-53:12, what God has done for us.
A Review
1. In our lesson, God Creates the World, we learned that God created all things good, that there is only one human race, and that God wants all people to be blessed with the blessings of creation.
2. In our lesson, Sin, Corruption, and Death, we learned that all of us have disobeyed God's commands. The result was the corruption, sorrow, and death that surrounds us. This disobedience was laid upon Jesus, and as we shall see in future lessons, in his presence the blessings of creation are restored to those who come to him.
3. In God Chose a People, we learned that God chose Abraham and his descendants, the people of Israel. Jesus was, above all, the descendant chosen to bless the world. We are spiritual descendants of Abraham, and in obedience to Jesus, we are called to be a blessing. We are not always a blessing, and our failure to bless others was also laid upon Jesus.
4. In Worship and the Covenant, we learned that God wants us to worship him by renewing the covenant we made in baptism. This covenant brings together God's acts of deliverance, his commands to us, and our commitment to him and each other sealed by a sacrifice and a meal. This worship is the Holy Communion celebrated by the church.
5, In our lesson, Leadership, we learned that God began to establish his Kingdom by commanding leaders to study God's Word daily and to put it into practice. Leaders are not to use their positions to amass power and wealth, but as an opportunity for righteousness and justice. We also learned that we are to follow the godly leadership of those God has placed over us.
6. In Land and Work, we learned that God divided the land among the people, and provided laws that returned land to its original owners and cancelled debt. We learned that we, as followers of Christ, are to use our resources for the sake of our communities as well as our own needs.
7. In Micah Three, we learned that leaders, rather than seeking justice and righteousness, often use their positions to acquire wealth and to abuse others. Further, many people give themselves over to immoral living and drunkenness. We, in our churches, our communities, and our nations, have not been the leaders God requires, nor have we worked with leaders in ways that bring justice and mercy. All these sins were placed upon Jesus who was crushed for our iniquities.
8. In Isaiah Five, we learned that the people of God were violating the covenant in their use of land. They added house to house and field to field, leaving their neighbors without the land and work God intended for them. We also have given ourselves over to greed, refusing to use our resources according to God's purposes, and not using our time and strength in productive work. According to Isaiah 53:6, "the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all," which means that those who follow Jesus will be healed of their greed and laziness as they turn to him.
9. In Amos Five, we learned that we go to the Lord's house to worship, but we do not keep his commandments nor honor his covenant. Rather than vain worship, God seeks justice and righteousness. Our false worship and our failure to keep covenant was placed upon Jesus who died that we might live.
For the people of God described in the Old Testament, the consequences of sin were the loss of the land, and the destruction of the people, their cities, their places of worship, and their leadership. All this was the result of sin, and today's world is no different. All around us we see the destruction wrought by sin: shattered families, warring communities and nations, impoverished peoples, ruthless rulers, and heartless greed. All this was laid upon Jesus, who, being God in the flesh, has the power to forgive these sins and make all things new for those who believe.
We are going to end this lesson, the last of our introductory lessons from the Old Testament, by pouring out our hearts to God. God has shown us how to live. He knows how to build a new people, the followers of Jesus, and he knows how to build the new community of the redeemed governed by the law of love which fulfills the covenant commandments. He is stricken by our sin, but he is not defeated. All has been laid upon Jesus, and in Jesus a new kingdom has dawned, a Kingdom that will have no end. We will learn of this Kingdom in the following lessons.
To help us pray, we will use the Great Litany. The Great Litany is very old, reaching back to the beginnings of the Christian Church, and perhaps even earlier, since its pattern is similar to Psalm 136. How shall we pray the Great Litany? One person is chosen to read the opening words of each set of lines. Then, once that is read, everyone else will respond with the words written in italics. It would be good to review this before you do it, so it can be prayed as reverently and fervently as possible. You may notice some phrases that are not familiar to you. Do not worry, we will learn all these things in due time. As you pray, think of your families, your church, community, and nation. Pour out your heart to God. Notice the words in the Great Litany, “By your Agony and Bloody Sweat; by your Cross and Passion; by your precious Death and Burial; by your glorious Resurrection and Ascension; and by the Coming of the Holy Spirit, …” These words reveal the profound mystery and wonder of the Christian faith, that God has laid on Christ the sins of the world. As you pray, ask God to forgive your sins and the sins of your church and community. Ask him to show you how your small group and church can be a blessing to your community. Let us pray, beseeching God for his mercy, and thanking him that sin and death has been placed upon Christ. As God hears this prayer, he will make real in our lives the power of forgiveness, healing our hearts, our lands, and our communities. Believe this. Intercede for the world. You are the hope of the world, commissioned by God to be a blessing, and the first step is to pray for this lost and broken world. As you pray, you may want to kneel and humble yourselves before the great and living God.
The Great Litany
O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth,
Have mercy upon us.
O God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy upon us.
O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful,
Have mercy upon us.
O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, one God,
Have mercy upon us.
Remember not, Lord Christ, our offenses, nor the offenses of our forefathers; neither reward us according to our sins. Spare us, good Lord, spare your people, whom you have redeemed with your most precious blood, and by your mercy preserve us for ever.
Spare us, good Lord.
From all evil and wickedness; from sin; from the crafts and assaults of the devil; and from everlasting damnation,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; and from all want of charity,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all inordinate and sinful affections; and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness of heart, and contempt of your Word and commandment,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From lightning and tempest; from earthquake, fire, and flood; from plague, pestilence, and famine,
Good Lord, deliver us.
From all oppression, conspiracy, and rebellion; from violence, battle, and murder; and from dying suddenly and
unprepared,
Good Lord, deliver us.
By the mystery of your holy Incarnation; by your holy Nativity and submission to the Law; by your Baptism, Fasting, and Temptation,
Good Lord, deliver us.
By your Agony and Bloody Sweat; by your Cross and Passion; by your precious Death and Burial; by your glorious Resurrection and Ascension; and by the Coming of the Holy Spirit,
Good Lord, deliver us.
In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,
Good Lord, deliver us.
We sinners do beseech you to hear us, O Lord God; and that it may please you to rule and govern your holy Church Universal in the right way,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to illumine all bishops, priests, and deacons, with true knowledge and understanding of your Word; and that both by their preaching and living, they may set it forth, and show it accordingly,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to bless and keep all your people,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to send forth laborers into your harvest, and to draw all mankind into your kingdom,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to give to all people increase of grace to hear and receive your Word, and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to bring into the way of truth all such as have erred, and are deceived,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to give us a heart to love and fear you, and diligently to live after your commandments,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you so to rule the hearts of your servants, the leaders of this nation and all others in authority, that they may do justice, and love mercy, and walk in the ways of truth,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to make wars to cease in all the world; to give to all nations unity, peace, and concord; and to bestow freedom upon all peoples,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to show your pity upon all prisoners and captives, the homeless and the hungry, and all who are desolate and oppressed,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to give and preserve to our use the bountiful fruits of the earth, so that in due time all may enjoy them,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to inspire us, in our several callings, to do the work which you gave us to do with singleness of heart as your servants, and for the common good,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to preserve all who are in danger by reason of their labor or their travel,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to preserve, and provide for, all women in childbirth, young children and orphans, the
widowed, and all whose homes are broken or torn by strife,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to visit the lonely; to strengthen all who suffer in mind, body, and spirit; and to comfort with your presence those who are failing and infirm,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to support, help, and comfort all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to have mercy upon all mankind,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to give us true repentance; to forgive us all our sin, negligence, and ignorance; and to bless us with the grace of your Holy Spirit to amend our lives according to your holy Word,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and to turn their hearts,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to strengthen such as do stand; to comfort and help the weak-hearted; to raise up those who fall; and finally to beat down Satan under our feet,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to grant to all the faithful departed eternal life and peace,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please you to grant that, in the fellowship of all the saints, we may attain to your heavenly kingdom,
We beseech you to hear us, good Lord.
Son of God, we beseech you to hear us.
Son of God, we beseech you to hear us.
O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world,
Grant us your peace.
O Christ, hear us.
O Christ, hear us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
The Lord's Prayer
(Said by all)
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
After the Litany is over, you may wish to continue praying, with and for each other. Let us end this lesson with a final prayer.
Almighty God, who has promised to hear the petitions of those who ask in your Son's Name: We beseech you mercifully to hear the prayers and supplications we have made to you; and grant that those things which we have asked faithfully according to your will, may be obtained, to the relief of our necessity, and to the setting forth of your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In our next lesson we will review what we have learned thus far in our survey of the Old Testament.
The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
