The Apostasy…Genesis 11 pt 1

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.  And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.  And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.  And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.  ^{(Genesis 11:1-4)} 

Genesis 11 takes a closer look at events alluded to in the previous chapter, ie the references to the rise of the tyrant Nimrod, (whose name means, “Let us rebel”), and to Peleg, of whom it was said that in his time the earth was divided. The cause and nature of that division is the subject of chapter 11.

At this time the tribes of Shem, Ham and Japheth had not yet spread out over the earth, as God had commanded them to do,  rather it seems that they  banded themselves together in the city named “Babel”, which is interpreted as “gate of the gods”, in the land of Shinar, in southern Mesopotamia. The word ‘Shinar ‘ means ‘casting down’.

The apostasy, which involved virtually the entire population of the world, centered around three things,

*A city- The city was already built, of course, Babel, Nimrod’s capital. It became the focal point for the universal rebellion against the God who told them to go out and to subdue and fill the earth. They would not spread out, nor would they pioneer to subdue the earth. Rather, they would collectivize, joining hand in hand to live on their own terms without God.

Like their ancestor Cain, who founded a city after slaying his brother, naming it Enoch, ie “inauguration”, the city Babel became the “new beginning” of life for the united world away from the God of Shem.

* A tower- Central to the new, world uniting city, was a tower, “Whose top would reach unto heaven”. There are several plausible theories about the meaning of the tower. Some say it was a safeguard against the possibility of another flood. As if the priests of Babel were saying, “This time some of us,(the elite) will survive, by seeking refuge on top of the tower. We can’t ever allow the God of the flood to wipe us out again!”.

Another theory, one that I find most plausible, is that the tower was a pyramid or ziggurat, which elevated a platform for priests to better observe  the planets in order that they might practice astrology.

There is a third theory, that the Tower represented heaven. The Ancients would create their own symbolic cosmological ‘heaven’ on high platforms, so that through ritual performance, man would be in control of what happens in heaven and subsequently, on earth.

The truth could be any one of these or any combination of them. The effect was that man would be in control of his own life, and to be the one to define and create  his own destiny. Shem’s God wouldn’t be needed anymore, nor would he have to be feared, now that they had the unity and technology to make their own way.

* A name-Underlying the tower and city building project, was the deepest  reason for the apostasy, for they would ‘…make a name…’ for themselves. This is another way of saying that they wanted to be independent of God.They wanted to re-define themselves in terms of their humanity, and to divorce themselves from the God of heaven, Shem and the flood.

The fact that God named Adam, and calls men by their names, implies His dominion over them. The object named belongs to the one who named it. There is accountability also, for the namer defines the named. When God allowed Adam to name the animals, He was giving man dominion over them.

The city and Tower building project was a revolt against God, a rejection of accountability to, and definition by the Creator of the universe. At that time man was absolutely united, in rebellion and repudiation of God. All spoke the same language and virtually all had adopted the rebellious mindset.

In order to accomplish their goals, the leaders set out to utilize technology and to organize labor, to mass produce bricks, and to harvest bitumen for mortar for the project. Nothing would be spared in this monumental undertaking, all men worked together in a remarkable spirit of unity.

The making of bricks, ie artificial stones, all uniform, to the same standards, sizes and weights has a symbolic meaning in scripture. A Stone represents truth, thus the Ten Commandments are etched into stone tablets. Bricks are man made, and represent falsity. The Temple was made of stone, not brick. Pharoah forced the children of Israel to make bricks.

Bricks represent man’s technology to make his own world. The conformity of bricks as opposed to stone seems to be a good metaphor for the man made unity, the one size fits all, no distinctions, multi-cultural world we are constructing, in which no one is “right” or “wrong”, nothing is distinct, All is one.

Isn’t this what we in the modern world desperately want? Isn’t the idea of all men communicating, and working together in one common cause, one of our highest ideals? How many popular modern songs have pined for an ideal world in which we all ‘love one another’, and work for the common good, and in which there are no separate nations, no wars, no barriers, nothing to keep men apart?

Haven’t we always wanted to “teach the world to sing in perfect harmony“? To Imagine a world “As one”, in which there is “nothing to live for, or to die for’”? How different are God’s ideals from man’s! Our Saviour has told us “…that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God…”.

At the height of the idyllic world unity project, God himself “…came down…” out of concern for man, to see for himself this project and to determine the best course of action to utterly destroy it.

 

 

 

 

Shem’s Family…Genesis 10 pt 3

Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born. The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.  And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash. And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber. And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,  And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,  And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,  And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.  And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.(Genesis 10:21-30)

Noah’s Son Shem, was given a special blessing, distinct from his two brothers, for Noah had prophesied that Shem would peculiarly be associated with the name of God , “Blessed Be the LORD God of Shem…”.

To Shem was vouchsafed the custody of the true worship, and of the Revelation of the only true God.

The Messiah himself, the long promised “Seed of the woman” would come through the line of Shem, bringing God’s salvation to the entire world by crushing the serpent’s head, yet by sustaining a painful wounding , as the primal prophecy foretold.

The introduction to Shem, in the table of nations bypasses two generations, declaring Shem to be the “father of all of the children of Eber”. It is from the name of Eber , the son of Salah, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem , that we get the name Hebrew.

The Name “Eber” or “Hebrew” means “one who crosses over”. This is spiritually significant because one who would know “the God of Shem” would have to “cross over” from the world into the Kingdom, as the Hebrews crossed over the Euphrates river, the Red Sea, and the Jordan river, into the promised land. All true believers are Hebrews in the sense that by repentance and faith they cross over.

Shem’s sons Elam and Assur would also become mighty nations; the Elamites and the Medes becoming the Medo-Persian people, and Asshurr gave rise to the Assyrian  Empire. Lud became the Lydians(according to Josephus), and Aram became the Aramean Empire (Syria), for a short time Aramaic became the world language.

Eber had a Son named Peleg, of whom it was said, “…In His days was the earth divided”, referring to the judgment at Babel.

The Gospel of Luke has a genealogy of Jesus which takes us from Adam to Christ, and through Shem’s line;

…Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,  Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem…(Luke 3:34-36)

 

 

 

 

The Family of Ham…Genesis 10 pt 2

And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.  And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.  And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.  He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.  And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.  ^{(Genesis 10:6-10)}

Noah’s son Ham had four sons; Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan.

Special attention is focused on the line of Cush. His sons were Seba,Havilah,Sabtah, Raamah. and Sabtecha. Raama’s two sons were Seba and Dedan. Cush settled in southern Arabia and in Ethiopia. Seba and Dedan also located on the Arabian peninsula.

But the text draws our attention to one other son of Cush, Nimrod, whose name means ‘let us rebel’ . Nimrod settled in the land of Shinar, that is between the Tigris and the Euphrates  river, and founded the world’s first great Empire, known by modern archeologists as Sumeria.

Nimrod was said to begin’… to be a mighty one in the earth’. In other words Nimrod would be the first of a long line of powerful despots. Nimrod is furthermore described as being a ‘mighty hunter before the Lord”,  in fact it became a proverb, ‘As Nimrod, a might y hunter before the Lord’.

But what does it mean, this two part saying, that actually entered into the minds and mouths of the common man, as an adage, ‘Nimrod, a mighty hunter…” and “…before the Lord”? 

That Nimrod was a mighty hunter, does not refer to the pastime of hunting wild game, rather he was as a King , a conqueror. He took cities, territories and Peoples.

“Before the Lord…”, at first glance is obvious, God sees everything everyone does, and takes note for the day of judgment. But there is more to the saying than that, for it also indicates a radical separation from the Lord, in the modern vernacular it could be paraphrased, “In the very face of the Lord“, or even, “in defiance of the Lord”.

Thus  the power and prowess of Nimrod and his open defiance of the God of Shem, made him wildly popular with many of his contemporaries, so much so that His rebellion became a byword in the ancient world.

 

Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,  And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.  And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,  And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.  

Ham’s other sons, founded great civilizations, settling in all of Africa, Arabia and the land of Canaan, and as seafaring Phoenicians and Philistines, built cities around the Mediterranean.

 

And Canaan begat Sidon his first-born, and Heth,  And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,  And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,  And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.  And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.  These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. (Genesis 10:6-20)

Mizraim founded Egypt, Phut settled west of Egypt in what is now known as Libya. Mizraim’s son Pathrusim  founded Pathros. The Philistines descend from Ham, through Mizraim’s son Casluhim.

Finally Canaan settled in what is now known as the Holy land. Canaan had a son Sidon whose name survived in the city-state on the coast of Lebanon.

Genesis 10 tells us that “and afterwards were the families of Canaan spread abroad…”. Henry Morris speculates that “This suggests the intriguing possibility that certain groups of Canaanites (notably the Hittites and perhaps also the Sinites, whose very name suggests China) may have spread over into the great Asian Continent as well. The record does say that of the three sons of Noah,”The whole earth was overspread”(Genesis 9:19). (Henry Morris , God and the Nations)

We do know that everyone on earth is traceable to at least one of these three Sons of Noah, and that the nations were formed and divided that men may seek God.

And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:(Acts 17:25-26)

 

Table Of Nations: Japheth….Genesis 10 pt 1

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.  The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.  And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.  And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.  By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. (Genesis 10:1-5)

We come to the “Table of Nations”, which has been described even by unbelieving “higher critics” of scripture, as a remarkably accurate, and unique historical document. This Divine family record is the connecting genealogical path from the immediate aftermath of flood, to the emergence of the various nations which we see in Biblical history.*

Humanity as we know it, has a threefold root system, for we all trace back either to Shem, Ham or Japheth. There are no “races”, for behind those three, we all descend from Noah, and from Adam before him.

The Table starts with Japheth, and his seven sons.

Gomer- The descendants of this son of Japheth eventually settled north of the Black Sea, in a district which was called Cimmeria ,and even today is known as Crimea. It is possible that the name of Gomer also survives in the name of the Germanic peoples.

Gomer’s three sons were ,Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. Ashkenaz is definitely associated with the Germans. The Jews call German Jews, Ashekenazi.  It is also possible that the name Riphath is preserved in the name of Europe, the continent whish was predominantly settled by the sons of Japheth. The Armenian and Turkik peoples around the Caspian Sea and the Caucus mountains descend from Togarmeh.

Magog- This name can mean,”The place of Gog”. Magog was believed to be the ancestor of the Scythians, the original settlers around the Black Sea area.

Madai- Madai is the father of the Medes, who dwelt in what is now known as Persia and eventually intermarried with the Elamites,(Semitic) to become the ancestors of the Persian people. The sons of Madai also inhabited the Indian subcontinent, the Indo,Aryan peoples descending from them. The Aryans of Inida have always insisted that their Ancestor was a man named, “Iyepti”, which is perhaps a corruption of Japheth.

Javan- The son of Japheth, whose name was eventually pronounced Ionias went on to become the Greek nation, settling in the Aegian sea, and in Asia minor(Turkey). Javan’s children are also listed, Elisha, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. The name Elisha would become Hellas, from which the term Hellenistic, or the name geographical name Hellespont derives.

The Roman people in their time of idolatry worshipped as chief God “Jupiter” a possible corruption of the name of their ancestor, Japheth.

Tarshish would settle in North Africa,(Carthage) and in Spain,(Tartessos), but eventually Phoenicians . Kittim would be associated with those who settled the Cypriot Islands, and the Greek mainland also. Dodanim may have given his name to the straits of the Dardenelles.

Tubal- and Meshech- Both of these are usually associated together in the Bible. THey originated in and around the area we now call Turkey, and spread out as far as the Caucusus mountains, and the Georgian and Armenian areas.

Tiras- Josephus tells us that Tiras, would give descent to  the Thracian peoples, and possibly the Etruscans of Italy came from him as well.

Noah predicted that Japheth,”the expander” would expand, and thus he did both geographically, colonially, culturally philosophically, and intellectually. It is of interest that to this day, it is western civilization which is dominant in the world for good and evil.

It is also of interest that in the predictions of the final battles, the very names of the sons and grandchildren of Japheth re-emerge as participants in the final gentile attempt to wipe out Israel and overthrow Israel’s God.

Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,  And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:  And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:  Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:  Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee(Ezekiel 38:2-6)

*I am heavily indebted in this section to Dr Henry Morris’s Genesis Record for this section

What Gay Marriage and Earth Day Have in Common

(They)… changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.(Romans 1:25)

The apostle Paul described the degeneration of Ancient society in a way that is prophetic of what we see happening in the decay of our own formerly Judeo Christian world.

The downward trajectory goes like this,

* The refusal to acknowledge God as creator…(Secularism)

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

* The exchange of the concept of the inherent dignity of individual humanity…(Man not seen as being made ‘In the Image of God’)…(now people are seen as evolved mammals)

And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things (Romans 1:23)

* The politicisation and degeneration of sciences and the arts…(their foolish heart was darkened)

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,(Romans 1:21-22)

* The collapse of society’s moral confidence, and the coarsening and even perversion of marriage and sexuality,

 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:(Romans 1:24)

But at some point the secularism that the society has embraced , proves inadequate. Man cannot live on such bread as atheism provides. People are incurably spiritual, they must have religion. Thus a shift in Romans 1, from secularism, (godlessness) to a new spirituality,

* But not to the older, repudiated Judeo Christian religion (Truth) , rather, they turn to Creation worship…(the Lie)

 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.(Romans 1:25)

What is the nature of ultimate reality according to the Judeo Christian revelation? The best statement to answer this profound question succinctly is this,

“In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the earth…”

Ultimate reality is that there is an infinite God, and there is his Creation. All is two… . God is distinct from his creation. What was God’s great work after creating everything by the simple statement of command, “Let there be light…” ?

He went about separating everything that he had made. Water from above, had to be divided from water from below, earth had to be separated from water, salt water had to be separated from fresh water, day from night, light from dark, mammals from fish, and finally man from animals. The great work of the Creator, after creation was separation.

Furthermore when God formed a people, Israel, and taught them how to live, we see in His Torah a constant teaching of separation. Israel, God’s son was to learn to discriminate between clean and unclean food, or clothes, or skin conditions, etc. He wanted them to think and live in terms of thesis and anti-thesis.

But the ‘new religion’ of the once secular West is really a variation of the oldest apostasy, that God is in everything, and that all is one, for God is in all. This denial of the distinction between God and hs creation, has profound practical consequences.

The Judeo Christian God of the Bible made constant distinctions within His creation, as an expression of his own Holiness.

But the new religion of Creation worship, leads its devotees to the opposite of  any discrimination, and to the eradication of all distinctions. If “all is one” then there should be no differences at all, none between male and female, truth or lie, right or wrong,  creation or creator, or between self or God.

Thus we have earth day… a day to worship the earth, a collective  attempt at human self salvation by ecology. The sins of the old religion,such as lying, taking God’s name in vain, adultery, idolatry, failure to honor parents, murder ,covetousness, and theft, have been replaced by new sins; not using paper instead of plastic, littering,having an excessive carbon footprint, or having too many children for a ‘sustainable planet’.

We as a civilization, now worship the Creation, not the Creator. We are steadily repudiating everything in the early chapters of Genesis that God set in order for humanity to live sanely.

Be fruitful and multiply? Not anymore, instead birth control, abortion and ZPG. The roles of Male and female and marriage as the basic social building block? , Nah, we now know better than that, gender roles ar mere constructs, and marriage can be redefined in these enlightened times.

Subdue the earth? Spread out and make it fruitful to serve man?  How dare you? Instead we are to collectivize and allow as much of the earth as possible to remain in an undeveloped condition, even if it means we have to curtail populations. Man as the supreme regent of cration, called to rule over animals? Who says people are more significant than animals?

I could go on and on, about the various repudiations of every distinction God set in place in the first 11 chapters of Genesis in our society. We have transformed ourselves  from being Judeo Christian, to Secular, and now into a paganized religious society which wrships creation.

What ‘Earth Day’ and “gay Marriage’ both have in common, is they both spring from the defection documented in Romans 1. Both of these have come about because of a societal rejection of reality, and by the repudiation of a God who is separate from his Creation, and to whom we must all give account one day, on the day of judgment.

But we don’t believe in judgment anymore either do we? The problem is that God does believe in ultimate accountability, for in spite of what our society tells us, this is a moral universe. As Proverbs warns us,

“Though hand join in hand, the wicked will not go unpunished…” Proverbs 11:21

The Victor’s Portion …4th Servant Song pt 8

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 53:12)

The last verse of this fourth Servant Song has always struck me as anti-climatic. But this is because I believe the King James version confuses the meaning somewhat, for it reads as though the Servant takes his place among other great and strong ones.

But the according to evangelical scholar Alec Motyer, Hebrew text reads, “I will allocate to Him the many, and the strong will be apportioned as a spoil”.  Thus, the Servant receives as his own possession, the many for whom he died to save.

As for his possession of the strong, the prophet has already sung about the reactions of the “princes” of the earth to the Servant,

So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.(Isaiah 52:15)

Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship,because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.(Isaiah 49:7)

The song closes by listing the grounds for which the Servant receives ‘the many’, as his own, and why the “strong’(Kings of the earth), as His possession,

“Because…” Young points out in his commentary,that this word,‘tahat aser’, is the strongest causative in Hebrew, and is the equivalent of “Because of the fact that…”.

…he hath poured out his soul unto death… He will receive the many and the strong for his possession, because He gave His life as a drink offering to God. Notice that the Servant is not said to have been murdered, He himself was the agent of his own death, He poured out his own life!

…and he was numbered with the transgressors… The word ‘numbered’, niphal, is in a ‘tolerative ‘ tense, “He let himself be numbered…”The Servant receives the reward because He voluntarily identified with the people He came to save. He allowed himself to be so identified with us, He actually became liable before God for our guilt! Paul proclaims,

“He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him”(2 Cor 5:21)

…and he bare the sin of many…As a substitute, the Servant ‘lifted up and took away’ the transgression of the rebels, bearing our sins to judgment on the cross. Like the scapegoat of Leviticus, he was banished for us, carrying away the guilt of our defection from God.

 …and made intercession for the transgressors. Finally, because he became a mediator, standing  between we who deserved nothing but wrath and judgment, and the Holy God, against whom we have sinned. He made His own life our sin offering. His sinless life , perfectly pleasing to God, becomes our only plea for pardon and favor.

The cross itself, which fixed him between heaven and earth, is the ultimate intercession, the final and complete act of interposition. He put himself between sinful man, and the Holy God! He took upon himself our judgment, our guilt and the sorrows that accompany our rebellion!

He still pleads for us at the Right hand of God, as the ever faithful High Priest, constantly bringing us to God, and maintaining our life before Him, in spite of our sins, flaws and periodic defections.

The Servant himself is our peace, for He has accomplished the task, He has pleased the LORD, who has ordained Him to bring this reconciliation without. Small wonder that in the end, all shall sing with trembling adoration,  ”Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is LORD”.

Yet in grace and love that is nearly unfathomable, He freely shares the spoil, with all of us who by faith have gathered to Him and who freely identify with Him in the great conflict between darkness and light. He justified us, redeemed us, Loved and washed us from our sins in His own blood! And the Servant lavishes gifts upon we, who are his bride! All glory, honor and praise to Jesus!

My Servant Shall Justify the Many…4th Servant Song pt7

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. 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.  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 53:10-12)

We come now to the last section of the 4th Servant Song of Isaiah.These verses point to the benefits which the efforts of the suffering servant of the LORD have purchased for God, and for himself and for us.

We have already examined the terrible reality of the saying, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him (crush him), He hath Put Him to grief (He hath made him sick).…”.

The plight of sinful man required this self offering of the Servant, as a substitution, for a righteous God can only receive sinners on righteous terms. Sin must be paid for, Holiness must be satisfied, the punishment must be carried out.

The LORD  appointed the Servant,  that He might take our place in the judgment of our sin. All of the humiliation, pain, perplexity and estrangement that He experienced, is summed up in this terse, “He(the LORD) hath put him (the Servant) to grief“. It can also read, “He hath made him sick”. 

The death of the Servant was an offering of propitiation for our sins, that is a satisfaction offering. All of the demands of the broken law of God, and the offended holiness of God against sinners, have been satisfied by the offering of the Servant.

…when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin…This is addressed to the reader or hearer of this prophecy, “… When You make His life your sin offering…”. We are to approach God solely by the offering of this life, for this is the only sacrifice acceptable to God. In fact, this Servant is nothing less than the offering God made to himself.

…he shall see his seed… Death will not be the last word for the Servant, for the Servant will see the outcome of his agony,  a believing seed will arise out of his work. His sufferings will be the source of a vast, redeemed congregation , purchased  by His blood. They will be  faithful and true believers in Him, and in the God whom He came to reveal.

Psalm 22, a similar prophecy of the suffering and glory of the Messiah predicting the crucifixion the casting of lots for His garment and the Servant’s death at the hands of gentiles, starts with the cry of dereliction, “My God,My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  and ends with a variation of the saying, “It is finished (He hath accomplished)”.

But in the middle of the Psalm the prophet looks ahead past the suffering of Messiah, to behold the glory and exaltation which should follow,

All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.  A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.(Psalm 22:29-31)

…he shall prolong his days, … This is a prediction that the Servant will live forever.  How could the same servant be “Cut off of the land of the living…and be appointed a grave with the wicked and the rich in his death”  yet prolong his days?  Isaiah 53 predicts here the resurrection of the LORD”S Servant.

This promise is also given in Psalms to David’s seed,

He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever. His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him. For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.(Psalm 21:4-6)

…and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand

God’s pleasure, all that the Lord would accomplish for the reconciliation of Israel and of all sinful men, will succeed by the hand of the willing Servant. There will be many of every tribe and tongue who shall come to know the “only true God” through the work of the servant. The good purposes of the Lord shall flourish by the suffering of this one.

…He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied… This too is a reference to the resurrection of the Servant, and the satisfactory outcome of his work. He will see the result of what he suffered for, and will be satisfied. It will have been worth pouring out his very soul to death, when He sees the redeemed company, knowing and loving God.

…by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities… Accepting in humble faith, the report of what the Servant has done for us; with all of it’s implications as to our persons, (that we are sinners in need of redemption, utterly separated from God by our sins, in need of forgiveness and deliverance from wrath), amounts to saving faith.

Knowing and receiving the risen Servant of the LORD, and his work of sin bearing, taking upon himself the guilt for our sins,  is the only way sinful man can be justified before a holy God. It is the God appointed way to be saved.

As “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness“, even so the many, who simply believe the report of the Servant, shall receive as a free gift right standing with God. This is only possible because the offering of the Servant has satisfied the claims against us, and given the LORD a Righteous way to justify us.

What glorious mystery! That we sinners can be justified by faith in the one who took our place in judgment before the Lord, dying under the penalty of God’s law in our place. Truly with tears streamiing down our eyes we sing ;

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain-
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

‘Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
‘Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
‘Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace-
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray-
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Amazing love- how can it be” That thou my King shoudst die for me?

 

 

Hallelujah!