Defining Isaiah 53…An Arm, a Servant and Who is We?

A Forbidden Chapter?

The 53^rd chapter of Isaiah is one of the key chapters Christians use to convert Jews to Christianity. It is often claimed by Christians that Isaiah 53 is a “forbidden chapter” by the Jews because of of it’s “clear reference to Jesus.” It is in fact, a difficult chapter to understand, even if not taken out of context. If a few verses are taken and laid side by side with the New Testament story of the Passion of Christ it seems to make a complete match, especially when Christian translations of Isaiah are used. But there is a problem with this match. Perhaps there is something that even the rabbis of Judaism have missed. Rabbinical commentaries mostly favor the view that the Servant in Isaiah is consistently Israel. But there are problems with this view.

There are a few key terms in the passage that must be defined. Their context can be shown from other parts of Isaiah, especially in chapter 52 for which the last few verses are an introduction to Isaiah 53. There are other verses on the same subject throughout the Tanakh. Who is the “the Arm of YHVH?” and who is the “Servant”? Who gives the report and who hears it?– and besides that, who is “all of us?”

Who is the Arm of YHVH? Isaiah 51: 9-10 (for Hebrew, click here)

9. “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of YHVH; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that has cut Rahab in pieces, and wounded the dragon?” (תַּנִּין) (Also rendered “serpent” in the Tanakh.) 10. “Art Thou not He which dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?”

The Arm of YHVH is the Eternal Himself. Can anyone question who it was that “dried up the sea and opened a path for the people to cross over?” This was/is not a mortal man.

Here are other verses from the Tanakh that refer to the Arm of the L-RD:

Exo 6:6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am YHVH, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: (Hebrew)

Exo 15:16 (Hebrew)Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of Thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O YHVH, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased.

Deu 4:34 (Hebrew) “Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out Arm, and by great terrors, according to all that YHVH your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?”

Isa 52:10 (Hebrew) “The L-RD hath made bare His Holy Arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our G-d.”

Take a look at these verses as well: Deu 11:2, Isa 30:30

After reading what the Bible says, can we make the Arm of YHVH into an entity or person that acts for Him? Does this make sense? The Arm of YHVH cannot be a prophet, nor Moses nor can it refer to a Messiah figure, though the “servant of YHVH” as we are going to see, is human and will be strengthened by this “Arm”. How do I know that the Arm strengthens the Servant.

An arm is the part of the body that executes or acts in a physical sense. To detach the arm from the body, we render it useless! The Arm is not something or someone separate from God Himself. No, not a man; not a prophet; not a messiah; not a human king. The Eternal manifests his will with His Arm.

When we start dissecting the Creator into parts rather than a whole we get into strange interpretations that take away from the Unity of G-d and this amounts to confusion.

Num 23:19 – “G-d is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do?”

So if G-d is not a man then why do people say that He is a man? Or even part man? Does G-d need man to do things for Him? Did He need Moses or was Moses blessed to be used as a spokesperson? Did G-d even need Moses to speak? Didn’t Israel ask Moses to speak to them because they could not bear the voice of YHVH? Exodus 20:19. So the Eternal allowed this as it was all the people could bear.

So mortal men can speak or act under the direction of YHVH, but as tools or vessels, not as a power independent from Him. The effort to fragment the Eternal G-d and separate Him into pieces is a grievous mistake. That He is “One” is stated clearly in Deuteronomy 6:4– the Shema (שמע).

So as we approach Isaiah 53, we see the first verse speaks of this Arm.

מִ֥י הֶאֱמִ֖ין לִשְׁמֻעָתֵ֑נוּ וּזְר֥וֹעַ יְהֹוָ֖ה עַל־מִ֥י נִגְלָֽתָה׃

Isaiah 53:1: “Who would have believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the L-RD revealed?”

Again, who is this Arm? The passage mentions the Arm (which is not a man, but the power of G-d displayed in physical manifestation and this Arm strengthens whom it will). We already discovered who is the “Arm,” but the verse asks for the identity of the one(s) to whom this “Arm” is revealed. That is a BIG difference and to be a bit redundant, the “Arm” is not the one to whom the Arm is being revealed. So to whom is the Arm revealed?

The Isaiah 53 passage addresses the following entities:

1. Those who are listening to the report (from Chapter 52)

2. Those who give the report (from Chapter 52)
3. The “Arm” of the L-RD (YHVH) 53:1
4. The righteous servant (introduced in chapter 52).
5. “us all” 53:6: “Us all” seems to be the same group that give the shocking and unbelievable report (Note it is plural-our report–לִשְׁמֻעָתֵ֑נוּ). But who are those who are shocked by this unbelievable report?

Isa 52:15:

כֵּ֤ן יַזֶּה֙ גּוֹיִ֣ם רַבִּ֔ים עָלָ֛יו יִקְפְּצ֥וּ מְלָכִ֖ים פִּיהֶ֑ם כִּ֠י אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־סֻפַּ֤ר לָהֶם֙ רָא֔וּ וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־שָׁמְע֖וּ הִתְבּוֹנָֽנוּ׃

“so shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths: for that which had not been told shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they perceive.”

Those who are shocked by the report are the kings and nations of the world, and what they “perceive” is not the story of someone dying for the sins of the whole world, but that Israel is being restored as a people (nation). And there is an Arm of Deliverance working through a “righteous servant” among them. How can this be? (Perhaps this idea is not apparent at this point, but bear with me!)

Let me run this by you! … If the kings and nations of the world are shocked by “the report,” it is something they are not aware of. For 2000 years the kings and the nations have persecuted the Jews for not accepting the Christian religion. So, they would by no means be shocked to hear what is being revealed if it is about the same theories they have always believed.

And those who give the report may not be the same ones that hear the report. Each person as he perceives the revelation, shares it and those who hear also share. So whom is it that gives the report? Apparently the overwhelming surprise to the nations that Israel is being restored opens the eyes of the world and this happens when the “Arm of the L-RD” has been revealed. This is what shocks the world! The Arm that has empowered the “righteous servant” and delivered the people of Israel to return to their land and rise above their enemies. But we must see who this “righteous servant” is in a bit.

To whom does Isaiah 53:6 refer to as “us all”?

כֻּלָּ֙נוּ֙ כַּצֹּ֣אן תָּעִ֔ינוּ אִ֥ישׁ לְדַרְכּ֖וֹ פָּנִ֑ינוּ וַיהֹוָה֙ הִפְגִּ֣יעַ בּ֔וֹ אֵ֖ת עֲוֺ֥ן כֻּלָּֽנוּ׃

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the L-RD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon him.” Who are the “sheep?”

Eze 34:6 “they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.”

1Ki 22:17 “And he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the L-RD said, ‘These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.’”

Jer 50:17 “Israel is a hunted sheep driven away by lions. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has gnawed his bones.”

US All–the sheep represent Israel.

The majority of Israel–“us all”– caused the suffering of the righteous servant. So who would that be?

The Eternal willed for the iniquity of Israel to fall on His Righteous Servant. But before we assume that this is some kind of vicarious atonement or that the Righteous Servant is someone who takes the place of the ones who sin, we must remember all that we learned above. The application of Christ to this prophecy is clearly a misfit, as well as his being a bearer of the sins of the whole world. It is about Israel’s disobedience to the covenant for whom the Righteous Servant suffers. He does not suffer for the world but because of those who transgressed the Everlasting Covenant. The Torah was given to Israel, not to the nations. But how is it that he suffers if he is not doing this as an atonement for Israel? We’ll get to that but first, we remember that G-d never made a covenant with the nations other than the covenant given after the flood in the rainbow promise not to destroy all flesh again by a flood. We remember the covenants with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and then Israel at Sinai. There is no covenant of law in the Tanakh for the rest of the world. And why? Because Israel was to teach the world—that is, to be a light to the nations… and this still is not being done…not yet. G-d gave special instructions in the Torah to those who wanted to join Israel. The stranger or proselyte had to enter into the covenant through the covenant of circumcision and obedience to the Torah including eating of the Passover. Otherwise there was no covenant for them.

“and the L-RD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon him”

Exo 12:48-49: “But if a stranger resides with you and celebrates the Passover to the L-RD, all of his males are to be circumcised, and then he shall come near to celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised male may eat it. One law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger that sojourns among you.”

Num 15:15 “One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourns with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as you are, so shall the stranger be before the L-RD. 16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourns with you.”

Numbers 15:29 “Ye shall have one law for him that sins through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourns among them.”

Israel had the responsibility to instruct the nations to follow G-d’s ways–we were to be a light to the nations.

Isa 2:3 – “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the L-RD, to the house of the G-d of Jacob; and he will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the L-RD from Jerusalem.”

Isa 60:3 – “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

Why was Israel cut off or exiled?

Isaiah 53:8:

מֵעֹ֤צֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט֙ לֻקָּ֔ח וְאֶת־דּוֹר֖וֹ מִ֣י יְשׂוֹחֵ֑חַ כִּ֤י נִגְזַר֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּ֔ים מִפֶּ֥שַׁע עַמִּ֖י נֶ֥גַע לָֽמוֹ׃

“By oppression and false judgment was he taken away; and of his generation who considered? For he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of (my) people to whom the stroke was due” or more precisely, “was he smitten”.

Where or what is the land of the living? (מֵאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּ֔ים) M-eretz Haim—The land of life or living land) Is this not Israel? Did not the righteous prophets suffer right along with the rebellious and were they not exiled as well? The transgression (Pesha) of my people (Ami) caused the righteous to be cut off along with the rest of Israel. Most translations refer to this as the land of the living. They also indicate that somehow this righteous servant is cut off (along with Israel) from life to go to the grave or Sheol. Certainly in some cases it is the grave, but if we look a little closer, it fits a bit better with the exile which is almost like death, for the land is what connects Israel to the promises and thus the life promised by the Creator. If the prophet or righteous servant is being exiled, he also is being cut off from the land of life-(Israel) a fate worse than death for the sons of the promise. And he is cut off along with the sheep (Israel) with whom he suffers the same fate, not vicariously, but along with them.

What was it that makes the Righteous Servant (or Remnant) suffer?

In verse 8. “…for the transgression of my people (מִפֶּ֥שַׁע עַמִּ֖י) was he smitten,” the translation “for” is used but this is not correct. Biblical Hebrew shows that a mem placed as a prefix before a word means “from” or “because of”, not “for”. This means it was the sins of “my people” that hurt the servant. It was not about YHVH making the servant into some kind of atoning sacrifice or whipping boy for the rest of them. The idea that somehow the servant appeases the wrath of G-d is what often comes to mind through English translations of Isaiah 53. No, and let me repeat: The servant, whether it be a prophet, messiah or just a few righteous people, suffers the same sicknesses, exiles, persecutions and everything else along with those “to whom the stroke was due.” They do not live in a separate world completely protected from all evil.

The righteous servant of the Eternal suffers because of the sins of Israel who were exiled as a result of their sins. These are the people to whom the stroke (punishment) was due. The question looms today, why are the majority of the Jews not in the land of Israel? Why are they still scattered to the nations? Originally because of their continued idolatry and seeking after the sins of the nations. And shamefully, it has not been about Israel being a witness to the nations, though that would have been ideal. And the continued exile shows the consequence for involvement in idolatry and for bowing to the rule of the nations in preference to their Deliverer YHVH.

Here are some corroborating verses about Israel being exiled:

Isa 2:6 – “Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.”

Deu 28:25 – “The L-RD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

Jer 15:4 – “And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.

Isa 5:13- “Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.”

And the “cutting off” of the righteous servant, what is that about?

As we saw above, this appears to be speaking of death and the grave (Sheol) where no man is living, but I think there is something deeper here.

Perhaps the “righteous servant” refers to a righteous “remnant” that hold fast to the covenant of the Eternal even amidst their mistaken brethren? It is not, in my opinion, a single person, though it at times could refer to a prophet or messiah figure who will be strengthened by the “Arm of the L-RD” to do great things for Israel, and in the view of an End Time application, this seems viable.

Again, the remnant suffer right along with those whose sins have brought the exile and punishment. Some died with them in the terrible persecution of the inquisitions of the dark ages and in the holocaust of the 20^th century. Others suffered under derision and betrayal and shame by our own people.

I would like to explore a little more in reference to the symbolism of death and the grave? Check out this passage:

Eze 37:11-14: “Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the L-RD G-d: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the L-RD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the L-RD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the L-RD.” Here the exile is equated with death and the places of exile with the grave.

Can it be possible that the verses about death in Isaiah 53 has nothing to do with a righteous person dying for, or even because of the sins of Israel? At times this has been the case, but could it be that being taken away captive along with the rest of the Jewish people was/is a fate worse than death and the countries became their prisons and symbolized death to the Jews? When we see the promises of Israel being gathered back from the nations, it becomes even clearer.

Eze 37:21 “…then say to them, Thus says the L-RD G-d: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land.

Eze 28:25 “Thus says the L-RD G-d: When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob.”

Eze 36:24 “I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.

Look again at this section from Eze 37 which I quoted above:

12 “Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the L-RD G-d: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the L-RD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.” To be taken from the graves is to be removed from the COUNTRIES where they have been exiled and returned to the land of Israel!

Do we need more evidence for this idea that death and the grave refer to the exile and the countries in which the people of Israel are trapped? If we look at Isaiah 52, which sets the context for 53, we see…

Isaiah 52:1-3: “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Yerushalayim, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Yerushalayim: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus says the L-RD, You were sold for nought; and you shall be redeemed without money.”

Here Isaiah sets the stage for what he says in Isaiah 53. The deliverance of the chosen people from their captivity and the cleansing of Jerusalem from those who do not belong there.

Isaiah 52:5: “And now what do I have here?” declares the LORD. “For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock,” declares the LORD. “And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed.”

52:9-12: “Break forth into joy, sing together, O waste places of Yerushalayim: for the L-RD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Yerushalayim: the L-RD has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our G-d. Depart, depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing: go out of the midst of her; be clean, you that bear the vessels of the L-RD. For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the L-RD will go before you; and the G-d of Yisrael will be your rearguard.”

Here we see the Arm of YHVH acting to deliver His people from the places where they have been exiled. But then the chapter goes into who the Servant is in order to set the foundation for what follows in chapter 53.

Here is a list of the rest of the references for “my servant” in the book of Isaiah. As an author, Isaiah must show what he is referring to.

Isa 20:3: My servant Isaiah

Isa 22:20: My servant Eliakim

Isa 37:35: My servant David

Isa 41:8, Isa 44:1: My servant Jacob/Israel whom I have chosen

Isa 44:2: Jacob, My servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen (Jeshurun יְשֻׁרוּן) means upright one, which ties into the righteous remnant).

Isa 44:21: Jacob and Israel, My servant

Isa 45:4: My servant Jacob and Israel, My chosen

Isa 49:3: My servant Israel

Isa 41:9 “you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”;”

Isa 42:1, 19: “1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. … 19 Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the L-RD?”

Isa 43:10 “10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the L-RD, “and my servant whom I have chosen…”

Isa 49:6 “he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.””

Isa 52:13 “Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.”

The references to My servant in Isaiah seem to change in the latter part of the book to a special servant or maybe a righteous remnant who are empowered by the Arm of the L-RD. Note above in chapter 49:6, the servant is commanded to raise up the tribes of Israel and bring them back from the exile. In chapter 42, we see the servant empowered by the “spirit” of the L-RD:

Isa 42:1-8: “1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coast lands wait for his law. 5 Thus says G-d, the L-RD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 “I am the L-RD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the L-RD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.”

The Servant not only brings the exiles home, he brings justice to the nations and establishes law and order. We certainly need that now!

In chapter 49 we see parallel information for the righteous remnant or messiah of Isaiah 53.

5. “And now, says the L-RD that formed me from the womb to be his servant to bring Yacov back to him, that Yisrael should be gathered to him, and I was honored in the eyes of the L-RD, and my G-d was my strength.”

6. “And he said, It is too slight a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Yacov, and to restore the preserved of Yisrael: I will also give thee for a light to the nations, that my salvation may be to the end of the earth.”

7. “Thus says the L-RD, the Redeemer of Yisrael, his Holy One, to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall prostrate themselves, because of the L-RD who is faithful, and the Holy One of Yisrael, who has chosen thee.”

8. “Thus says the L-RD, In an acceptable time have I answered thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to restore the land, and to assign desolate inheritances to their owners.”
9. “That thou mayst say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be on all high places.”

Why is G-D pleased to crush or bruise the righteous servant?

In other words, why does it seem that G-d is happy with the death or affliction of the righteous? Is there something about this affliction that purifies them or those around them?

וַיהֹוָ֞ה חָפֵ֤ץ דַּכְּאוֹ֙ הֶחֱלִ֔י אִם־תָּשִׂ֤ים אָשָׁם֙ נַפְשׁ֔וֹ יִרְאֶ֥ה זֶ֖רַע יַאֲרִ֣יךְ יָמִ֑ים וְחֵ֥פֶץ יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּיָד֥וֹ יִצְלָֽח׃

Isa 53:10: “But it pleased the L-RD to crush him by disease: if his soul shall consider it a recompense for guilt, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the purpose of the
L-RD shall prosper in his hand.” (we do not find the phrase “crush him by disease” (דַּכְּאוֹ֙ הֶחֱלִ֔י) in most Christian translations. I wonder why?)

This same verse in the KJV has two errors. The words “Sacrifice for sin” is not there in the Hebrew. And secondly, the word for disease or sickness is omitted. This disease is placed upon him for soul guilt: הֶחֱלִ֔י אִם־תָּשִׂ֤ים אָשָׁם֙ נַפְשׁ֔וֹ . The idea in the translations is far from the truth. The servant suffers sickness which is placed upon him for soul guilt, but whose? Could it be that when the majority falls ill because of their deviance, he also bears the infirmity? Nowhere does it suggest that he is making an atonement for others sins through his suffering.

מֵעֲמַ֤ל נַפְשׁוֹ֙ יִרְאֶ֣ה יִשְׂבָּ֔ע בְּדַעְתּ֗וֹ יַצְדִּ֥יק צַדִּ֛יק עַבְדִּ֖י לָֽרַבִּ֑ים וַעֲוֺנֹתָ֖ם ה֥וּא יִסְבֹּֽל׃

Isa 53:11: “He shall see the travail of his soul, he shall be sated with seeing: by his knowledge did my servant justify the righteous One to the many, and did bear their iniquities.”

The Servant justifies the Holy Righteous One, which means his life glorifies the Creator, and His Covenant before those with whom he associates. And this even while suffering because of the sins of his generation. What does it mean to bear their sins? It surely does not mean that these righteous ones take on the sins themselves, but to bear with their sins, and to rebuke and chastise where needed. And they do receive the penalty of exile and plague and persecution right along with those whom they associate.

Work of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement

If we look at the High Priest’s work in the Tabernacle we see that Aaron, on the day of Atonement, represented the entire congregation. He represented them in the process of atonement for their transgressions. He, as it were, carried (bore) their sins into the Sanctuary and placed them on the head of the sacrifice which was the instrument for atonement. But Aaron was not the instrument of atonement—He was the appointed Servant in this case. What is this sacrifice today? What is the instrument that brings reconciliation between G-d and man? A broken and contrite spirit? Repentance? Something else? But, I hope we see clearly that the servant does not serve as a substitute for the guilty. He can represent them, help them, suffer along with them, but the Bible is clear that the innocent do not pay for the sins of the guilty…

Eze 18:20: “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

לָכֵ֞ן אֲחַלֶּק־ל֣וֹ בָרַבִּ֗ים וְאֶת־עֲצוּמִים֮ יְחַלֵּ֣ק שָׁלָל֒ תַּ֗חַת אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֶעֱרָ֤ה לַמָּ֙וֶת֙ נַפְשׁ֔וֹ וְאֶת־פֹּשְׁעִ֖ים נִמְנָ֑ה וְהוּא֙ חֵטְא־רַבִּ֣ים נָשָׂ֔א וְלַפֹּשְׁעִ֖ים יַפְגִּֽיעַ׃

Isa 53:12: “Surely I will give him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he has poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with transgressors; but he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

Moses made intercession for Israel and the righteous prophets of all times have done the same. We see Elijah on Mt. Carmel. Aaron stood between the living and the dead to make intercession. And these of the righteous remnant do this for those around them.

In summary, we see the Arm of the Eternal (YHVH), strengthening by His Spirit the Servant (Righteous Remnant or Messiah) so that he rises up to deliver Israel from the Exile in all the nations where they have gone, the “us all” of Isaiah 53. My people lost in the Exile, will be, as it were, resurrected from the graves of captivity and returned to the land of Israel where they will, along with the Servant, be delivered, repentant, exalted and when G-d purifies and restores Jerusalem, they will be there to teach the nations to worship the G-d of Israel who has delivered them from Exile, a fate worse than death.

May it be soon!

Ariella

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