March 1929
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
143
IV.
A Third Oracle Proclaiming Good
FRED s . SHEPARD ’S BLACKBOARD OUTL INE
take and in penitence turn to Him with all of her heart. Vs. 1-9 give the confession which the remnant will make in the midst of the “time of Jacob’s trouble." 1. The Obscurity of the Servant. Vs. 1-3. At the time of the national conversion the entire race will, in genuine penitence, look back over the weary waste of nine teen centuries to Messiah’s first advent and confess that when He came He did not come as their forefathers had ex pected, namely, with pomp and earthly grandeur, but rather that He came in an obscure manner and was like a root out of dry ground—an unfavorable environ ment. Their fathers did not see in Him a scion of the royal house whom they wished to enthrone over the nation. All they saw was a man of sorrows and one thoroughly acquainted with the griefs of the nation—one who sympathetically en tered into the sufferings of the entire race of humanity. Therefore they and their children after them turned their faces from Him and considered Him as nothing. 2. The Atonement of the Servant. Vs. 4-6. The converted nation will further con fess their mistake and that of their fore fathers in their estimate of the Messiah, saying that, whereas they thought that He had suffered for His own sins, the truth of the matter is that He was suffer ing for the sins and iniquities of His peo ple. “But he was wounded for our trans gressions, he was bruised for our iniqui ties; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and■with his stripes we are healed.” They then will, in full surrender, gladly make the confession, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." 3. 7-9. The Execution of the Servant. Vs. Continuing this penitential confession the converted nation confesses that “He [the Messiah] was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.”' When He was led as a lamb and as a sheep to be sheared, He was non-resistant. He com mitted Himself unto Him who judges righteously. Furthermore, they will then confess that cruelty was used at the time of His trial and execution and that there was a miscarriage of justice when He was tried for His life. Likewise they will admit that there was none who took His part, none who considered that He was suffer ing for the transgressions of the nation— yes, for the sins of all humanity. Dear friend, the sin question was settled in the sacrifice of Messiah on Calvary, accord ing to this passage and the Hew Testa ment records. It was the plan of His executioners to heap ignominy and shame upon Him by making His grave with wicked men; but the overruling providence of God would not permit His Servant to be thus dis honored. He allowed men to put the Servant to death because it was necessary for Him to die for the sins of the world. As soon as they had done that, God stepped in and took hold of the situation and gave Him favor with a rich man in His death, in His dyings, and caused Jo seph of Arimathaea to ask for His body and to bury it in his own new tomb.
Tidings to Zion. Vs. 9-11. This third oracle is addressed to Zion, Jerusalem. Throughout the Prophets the word Zion is a synonym for the word Jerusalem unless the context indicates clearly that it refers to one of the local hills upon which Jerusalem was built. In this passage it clearly is seen that it re fers to the city of Jerusalem. “Jehdvdh loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken o f thee, O city o f God" (Psa. 87:2, 3). “For Jehovah hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for his habita tion. This is my resting-place for ever-. Here will I dwell; for I have desired it" (Psa. 132:13, 14). Though Zion, together with the whole land, has been in a state of desolation and waste more or less for the past 1,900 years, it has a glorious fu ture. “For the gifts and the calling of God are not repented of" (Rom. 11:29). Jerusalem shall yet be called the throne of God (Jer. 3:14-18). Therefore the good tidings which the messenger brings to Zion is that glorious things are to be her lot in the future when her God comes to her in glory. The importance of the message leads the prophet to urge the herald to get in the place of vantage and to speak his message with strength and power in order that the entire population may understand the glorious promise that Zion’s God is soon to appear. This third oracle is but a repetition of the first one. When the Lord Jehovah comes in ful fillment of this prediction He does not come in humility to suffer but He comes as a mighty one to rule not only Israel (cf. 9 :6, 7), but the entire world. When He comes in this capacity He will bring His reward to His saints and will recom pense His enemies. Like a good and faithful shepherd, He will provide for the comfort and the needs of His flock. His goodness and mercy will cause Him to sympathize with all and will cause Him to meet all of their needs. Then shall righteousness and jus tice be the order of the day and great peace shall be unto all peoples. April 28, 1929 The Suffering Servant of Jehovah Golden Text: “With his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). Lesson Text: Isa. 52:13-53:12. L esson in O utline I. The Career of Messiah. 52:13-15. II. Israel’s Penitential Confession. 53: 1-9. 1. The Obscurity of the Servant. Vs. 1-3. 2. The Atonement of the Servant. Vs. 4-6. 3. The Execution of the Servant. Vs. 7-9. III. The Servant’s Suffering in the Plan of God. Vs. 10-12. 1. The Voluntary Suffering of the Ser vant. V. 10. 2. The Results of His Atonement. V. 11 . 3. The Intercession of the Servant. V. 12 .
A in ] \U FFER IN G ) Isa. 53 :5, 6 VALVATION J To seek and to save.—Luke 19:10
T ’HE passage for this lesson is the high est mountain peak of the prophetic Word. It occupies the central position in the “Book of Comfort’’ (Isa. 40-66).
I. The Career of Whenever G od wished to call at tention to Himself or to His Servant He used the word “behold” (cf. Isa. 40:10; Zech. 6:12, etc.). is S ervant ? Messiah. 52:13-15.
W ho I s
The ancient interpretation of the rabbis was that the passage is the prediction of the Messiah. From the days of Rashi (1040-1105 B. C.) a new interpretation sprang up which is that it is a prediction of Israel in her sufferings and wander ings. In certain circles it is likewise in terpreted to refer to “the pious remnant of the nation.” A close examination of the entire context shows that the Servant is an individual and not the nation person ified. For instance, He is distinguished from the nation in that He suffers in its behalf. This one fact is sufficient to show that the servant cannot be a personifica tion of the nation. This servant during life deals wisely. When it is understood from other pass ages (cf. Isa. 7:14; 9:6, 7) that the Mes siah is God manifest in the flesh, it is nat ural to expect that He deal wisely. He also is exalted. The Hebrew word translated “exalted" literally means to “rise." In view of the fact that the con text shows that He is despised by men and finally put to death by them, after which He comes to life (53:10), it is certain that the literal meaning of the Hebrew word fits the context better than the word “ex alted,” namely, that it refers to His rising from the dead. Likewise the original word translated “lifted up" refers to His being caught up to heaven after His resurrec tion .(see Acts 1:10, 11). The expression “shall be very high” doubtless has refer ence to His exaltation at the right hand of the throne of God during the Christian dispensation. V. 14 shows the astonishment of the on^ lookers who behold His marred, agoniz ing form. V. 15 shows how He when He returns in glory will cause not simply in dividuals but nations to be in utter aston ishment at His power and glory. They then will see that of which they had never heard. II. 1-9. Israel’s Penitential Confession. 53: Israel rejected the Messiah when He came the first time. Blindness in part has befallen the nation until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (cf. Rom. 11:25). Comparatively few of the Hebrews have seen Him in His glory and accepted Him. When, fiowever, in the Great Tribulation Israel is suffering, she shall see the mis
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