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Isaiah-53

Suffering Servant: A Devotional Study on Isaiah 53​

Introduction​

The 53rd chapter of the prophetic book of Isaiah contains a significant passage that has been often interpreted as a prediction of Jesus' sufferings. As we dive into this poetic depiction, we will explore the profound spiritual insights and truths that base the bedrock of Christian theology.

Section 1: Introduction (Isaiah 52:13-15)​

Devotional Thought: In the verses preceding Isaiah 53, the prophet speaks of heavenly preacher, who comes from Mount Zion - an ancient Jewish tradition that expects the Messiah’s arrival. In this passage, God highlights the significance of the coming Messiah, who will bear the deprived and disgraced but will be fair for work done.

Reflection Questions:

  • How do we rely on the promises God makes in His word for who’s to come?
  • In what way has God fulfilled those promises through Jesus the Messiah, as described in this passage?

Section 2: The Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53:1-3)​

Devotional Thought: As we delve into Isaiah 53, we hear the prophetic forecast of sufferings of the Messiah. The servant is introduced as someone who would not cry or shout in announcement of coming; instead, it was the Lord who has given Him a mission. The description of the servant as a man of pain and afflictions is noteworthy.

Reflection Questions:

  • How does God give His servants a mission, and what were some of the missions Jesus fulfilled?
  • Can you identify, even in modern times, how God still calls and uses people as His suffering servants?

Section 3: The Reaction of the People (Isaiah 53:4-6)​

Devotional Thought: The people around the sufferings servant do not understand His mission or messianic identity. They turn a blind eye, deaf ear as they gape as sufferings and mockery.

Reflection Questions:

  • Today, we often choose to look past the sufferings and focus more on the scandals and flaws of people who are not that different from us. How can we overcome this tendency and instead, seek to understand others and their situations?

Section 4: The Work of the Sufferings Servant (Isaiah 53:7-12)​

Devotional Thought: As we progress through this passage, we begin to realize that the Suffering Servant, who the people have spurned and shamed, is none other than the Messiah. The Atonement that Jesus accomplished on the cross is foreshadowed here, and the text emphasizes that this suffering serves as a means of healing for us.

Reflection Questions:

  • How do we react when we sense someone's pain and the motive behind their hurts?
  • How do we now understand Jesus' mission, as depicted in Isaiah 53?

Conclusion:​

As we conclude our devotional study on Isaiah 53, a book that binds the Old and New Testaments together, we realize that the role and significance of Jesus as the Messiah are well described in the text. What stands out from this chapter is how the sufferings of Jesus on the cross are encoded and labeled, even millenniums before it came to pass. This chapter details how the Lord fits his Suffering Servant's to restore divine order. May we embrace Jesus and his message for eternal salvation and continued stewardship.