Isaiah: The Messianic Prophet by Brother Curtis Hansen

         The prophet we are going to study about in this lesson is Isaiah. Isaiah foresaw Christ as a suffering servant who would bring comfort, hope, and restoration to Israel and would be the light of salvation to the Gentiles. The lesson text is going to be the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. We will begin at verse 1.

        1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

        2 For he shall grow before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we  shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

        3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

        4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

        5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

        6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

        7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

        8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

        9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

       10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

       11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

       12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. 

        Isaiah lived approximately 700 years before Jesus. Why did the people seeing Jesus not connect the prophecy to Isaiah in that moment? There are some people who saw the miraculous events of Jesus and matching the scripture. The word messiah means anointed or chosen one. The smallest of detail that Isaiah had prophesied was fulfilled by Jesus. Our text, chapter 53 gives the broad strokes of the crucifixion.

        The Pharisees were often concerned with Jesus because his description and his countenance was a disruption to their status quo. Jesus could have easily ended the Pharisees rule with a sign of wonder to Caesar, but that was was not prophesied. Isaiah's time had seen him live under four different kings of Judah. Uzziah (Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. 

        Between the years 735-687 BC, Ahaz was the king of Judah who had been overtaken by Assyria. If you read chapters 36-39 of Isaiah he writes of the Assyrians building up their armies and Ahaz going to them for help. Assyria removed Israel from power. Hezekiah replaced Ahaz and he would remove the alliance Judah had with Israel. Assyria came and destroyed Judah and Jerusalem. A city was slaughtered before the Assyrians were beat and turned back to Judah. Hezekiah had to humble himself and ask God for help in that dire time. 

        Are you using the armor of God correctly in your life? What exactly are you fighting? Our carnal self always goes to the medieval mindset of bloody battles when you mention armor and a sword. You can use the armor incorrectly in that matter, going to battle with Satan and his minions. You are really supposed to use this armor for defense purposes. It is how you keep your mind focused on the truth. Persia would come in after Assyria and overtake them. Persia would then release Israel. Israel would experience a restoration but after while Israel would be taken by Babylon.