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The FORBIDDEN CHAPTER, that sounds foreboding and inquisitive
doesn't it. Yet that is exactly what we are going to study today
from God's Word. Yes, an entire chapter that has been forbidden
reading for centuries for some of God's most cherished people.
Indeed, how sad it is for this "forbidden chapter,"
is also the most important chapter that any of God's people could
ever read. What am I talking about? I'm talking about the Old
Testament book of Isaiah, particularly chapter 53. You see for
centuries, God's ancient elect people Israel, today called the
Jews have selectively chosen to banish this entire chapter from
the readings of the Tenach, the Old Testament Bible, in any and
all public synagogue readings of Scripture. In fact, when the
Book of Isaiah is read and the rabbi comes to chapter 52, he will
always skip to chapter 54 with no comment or explanation. And
this has gone on in Jewish ceremony for almost 1500 years. Now
why is this legitimate 53rd chapter of the Book of
Isaiah forbidden to be read? Well in a moment after we pause …
I'll tell you.
Louis Goldberg, a strong and faithful Jewish Christian and college
professor once told the story of his meeting with a Jewish Rabbi.
Goldberg, told of the opportunity that came to share the truth
about Israel's Messiah in Jesus Christ with this spiritually hungry
Jewish sage. Well, he reached for his Bible as they were both
happily discussing the qualifications of the Old Testament sacrifices
and offerings. Goldberg, an accomplished Jewish scholar, read
from the Hebrew delighting his Jewish Rabbi friend. Suddenly Goldberg
turned to the Book of Isaiah and especially chapter 53. He began
reading slowly and clearly straight from the Hebrew. The Rabbi
told him to stop, and asked for the Bible. Closely he peered into
the words Dr. Goldberg had previously read to him. After pondering
it for a moment he then closed the book and said, "Let's
not discuss this any further!" It was obvious Goldberg said,
the truth and powerful message therein came home to this man,
and he could not bear it any longer.
How sad! How close, yet how far away our sinful fallen nature
will keep us when we come close to God and His Word for our sinful
ways. Yet this story speaks volumes about the problems the Jewish
people face when confronted by their own Scriptures when it comes
to recognizing the marks of their promised Messiah.
How very sad that this vitally important Scripture reading from
Isaiah chapter 53 is omitted from the Haftorah, the weekly Sabbath
reading in the Synagogue of the appointed portion from the prophetic
writings. One Sabbath Isaiah 52 is read, the next Isaiah 54 continues
and chapter 53 of the divine Word of God is cast aside and forbidden
to be read and heard by God's wonderful people Israel.
So that we can understand this rejection, I want to take you through
this chapter, briefly because of our time element, but enable
you to see the beauty and wonder of perhaps what is called the
golden passages of all prophecy - the ancient description of the
Person and work of the coming Messiah. Let's begin with some readings
of the text.
Isaiah 53:1-6 (NIV) "Who has believed our message and
to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before
him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He
had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his
appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected
by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one
from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed
him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for
our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon
him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have
gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD
has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Now in absolute honesty one cannot read these words without thinking
of its striking application to the life and death of Jesus of
Nazareth. And, it's precisely the interpretation the true Church
of Jesus Christ has always given to this. Why even the New Testament
speaks of this in,
Acts 8:26-34 (NIV) "Now an angel of the Lord said to
Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes
down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out, and on
his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge
of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This
man [Jewish convert] had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and
on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of
Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit [God] told Philip, "Go
to that chariot and stay near it." 30 Then Philip ran up
to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do
you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. 31 "How
can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?"
So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The eunuch
was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a
sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation he was deprived
of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was
taken from the earth." 34 The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell
me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone
else?""
Here this Jewish convert was confronted with the ancient prophecy
of the Messiah of old who was to come and redeem God's people
from their sins. Philip, a Christian witness, by the direct leading
of God's Spirit explained to this man that Isaiah was speaking
of the Messiah who had come, revealed to the world in the Person
of Jesus Christ. Upon learning of this, and the Lord opening his
heart he resolutely replied to Philip,
Acts 8:35-37 (NKJV) "Then Philip opened his mouth,
and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now
as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch
said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?"
37 Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart,
you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God.""
How wonderful, how marvelous, right there on that dusty road,
a Jewish believer saw the truth taught almost 500 years before,
that the prophecies of a coming Messiah were completely fulfilled
in the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Yet,
this is also precisely why the Jewish faith today refuses to even
allow its followers to read this passage of Scripture. It speaks
to plainly and clearly who was to be the Messiah, and what His
role in actuality was.
Amazingly though, ancient Israel's leadership did not treat the
passage from Isaiah 53 as do modern day Jews. Like the Church
today they applied the words and descriptions to their promised
Messiah as an individual, one who would after this suffering rule
his kingdom with great power and longevity. The viewpoint that
tries to take away the pointing stick of prophecy from Jesus of
Nazareth tries to vainly interpret Isaiah 53's description of
a suffering Messiah from a coming man to the nation of Israel
itself.
So, to this day almost all Jews have either no knowledge of this
passage, or because of the corrupted tradition of the past 1500
years, they have a ready-made explanation pointing away from the
Messiah Jesus and has kept them in the dark.
As a result, the Jews have suffered needlessly through the centuries
with no hope of having a Messiah who could understand their trials,
their pain, their persecutions. A Messiah who through suffering
could take on Himself the burden of their sins and bring them
full and forever forgiveness before the Holy God of Israel. Yet
the truth of this passage goes further than a Messiah suffering
for their sins, for the Bible tells us in,
Isaiah 53:5-6 (NIV) "But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought
us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all,
like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own
way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
In verses 1-4 of Isaiah 53 we have a perfect description of the
life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Then moving on to verse 5-8,
God reveals the manner and purpose for which the promised coming
Messiah would die. Following this in verse 9, we have a description
of His burial and then in verses 10-12, the wonderful promise
of the Messiah's resurrection and exaltation. You see the entire
chapter's theme is what has stumped Israel for centuries since
Christ's coming. The very thing God wanted His ancient people
to fully understand. Moses wrote of old,
Leviticus 17:11 (NIV) "For the life of a creature is
in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for
yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement
for one's life."
All the blood shed on the altars of Israel for centuries was to
show them that the "innocent and guiltless had to die
in place of the guilty, for them to go free." In
theology today in the Church we biblically call it substitutionary,
vicarious atonement. Since the event of the cross, men have tried
to explain it, but no one really can except to understand that
wrongs must be made right, that debts must be paid, and both cannot
happen unless a payment is rendered for loss. This message was
indeed the heart of Israel's sacrificial system, and God meant
it to be so the whole world could see and know that "God
will by no means clear the guilty." Our concept of justice
today fails to see that there is no justice unless crime is paid
for. This is why we historically have prison terms, and even the
death penalty for capital crimes. Such acts are punishment and
payment for evil and sin, not remedial. So God taught in the Bible,
so that when He would finally open court for the sins of the world,
we would see our need and desperate condition.
Before this court of heaven all men, women and children who have
ever lived stand guilty of sin against God. God wants us all to
know sin is serious and cannot be forgotten by a holy righteous
God. The Isaiah 53 passage goes on to tell how the coming Messiah
would suffer as a substitute for the sin payment of all humanity.
We read in,
Isaiah 53:5-7 (NIV) "But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought
us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all,
like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own
way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He
was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he
was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."
Notice, Isaiah by God's direction, calls our sin transgressions
(v.5). This speaks of premeditated rebellion against God. A daring
cross of the line God has struck before His wrath will be poured
out against transgressors. But also notice God calls our sin iniquity
(v.6), which refers to the crooked bent of our sinful nature.
How graphically we are told that our sins and disobedience to
God are by choice and by nature. So
God writes through another great Old Testament prophet,
Ezekiel 18:4 (NIV) "For every living soul belongs to
me, the father as well as the son--both alike belong to me. The
soul who sins is the one who will die."
The Jewish people for centuries have struggled with the teaching
of Isaiah 53 because it so pointedly tells them of their terrible
sin. In the opening verses God prophesies that the very first
people to reject this suffering Messiah would be God's people,
Israel, themselves (Isaiah 53:1-4). So writes God in,
John 1:1 (NIV) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John 1:14 (NIV) "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
John 1:9-12 (NIV) "The true light that gives light
to every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world,
and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize
him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not
receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed
in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--"
Yes, the sorrowing, smitten and silent Servant, the Messiah of
old indeed has come. The miracle of miracles did occur! God became
a man, and before He could rule and reign, He had to fulfill the
very first purpose which was to die as a perfect sacrifice as
the full and final payment for all humanity's sin. Moses foretold
of the need for vicarious atonement, so too the writer to the
Hebrews wrote,
Hebrews 9:22 (NIV) "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."
Hebrews 9:26 (NIV) "Then Christ would have had to suffer
many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared
once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the
sacrifice of himself."
Since that very first convert, the Ethiopian Eunuch who believed
in the coming Messiah Jesus on that dusty road in Palestine, millions
more have since recognized their Passover Lamb was indeed Jesus
Christ, who died for the sins of the world. What an illustration
in Isaiah 53, what a story! In the Old Testament the sheep died
for the shepherd, always showing that one day a greater lamb would
come that forever would pay for our sins. And the New Testament
reveals the shepherd now had come the great eternal Shepherd of
the sheep and he this God/Man laid down his life and died for
His sheep. The Bible again says,
John 10:25-30 (NIV) "Jesus answered, "I did tell
you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's
name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not
my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they
follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given
them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of
my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.""
In Christ God Himself became our Sin-bearer, but not only for
His ancient people Israel but for all humanity. Today the Jews
and the Gentile stand guilty before God, there is no sacrifice
we can make to atone for our sins - it is still a life for life,
and no man is worthy to offer his life for another. We each have
our own sins to pay for. Yet God solved this problem by sending
Jesus Christ, the exact fulfillment, the only fulfillment of His
promised Messiah who would first die for our sins and be raised
in glory to rule and reign forevermore.
Say friend, have you received Him? Our Jewish friends whom we
love and prayerfully intercede for, they too have to come by faith.
They have to believe God's Word and accept what He says about
their sins, and their debt. The Jews can never be saved unless
they receive their Sin-bearer Messiah Jesus, and likewise we Gentiles
too. Yet so many have not understood nor come. In place of a suffering
Messiah, we give some form of suffering in and of ourselves in
religious and sacrificial expressions. Oh when will we ever learn?
Religion doesn't save, good works will never be enough, and hope
that God will forget our sins is foolishness indeed for God cannot
deny His holy righteous character. The Bible from cover to cover
cries - "without the shedding of blood there is no remission
of sins!" Yet that blood, the perfect priceless and pure
blood of God's Lamb has been shed on a cross thousands of years
ago, and by means of the resurrection of the Lamb of God that
took away the sins of the world, we know that vicarious atonement
was accepted by God the Father for all our sins. But now here's
the kicker!
The sin payment, a completed transaction, available to all, freely
given cannot be placed towards anyone's account unless they ask
God for it. That's right! God tells us,
John 1:11-12 (NIV) "He came to that which was his own,
but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him,
to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God--"
We must receive Him, that is open our hearts, change our minds and trust God's Word and His Son Jesus Christ by crowning Him the Lord of our life and knowing He alone is our Sin-bearer for all eternity. All who believe, are given the full forgiveness of sin and the gift of life eternal.
That is the truth of Isaiah's words found in that "forbidden"
chapter of old. Say friend, don't forbid these truths from your
heart, don't banish them to the needs of others, for if you neglect
them, pass them by, there is no other sacrifice for your sins,
and Jesus words will haunt you for eternity.
John 3:18 (NIV) "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
John 3:36 (NIV) "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal
life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's
wrath remains on him.""
Friend, the choice is yours. We either come to Christ, trust Him
alone for our salvation and life eternal, or we will each stand
before God and pay for our own sins in Hell for all eternity.
Yes the Old Testament is filled with the flashing light of God's
love and truth, concerning our sins and forgiveness. Here in Isaiah
chapter 53, a chapter forbidden to the ears of Jewish worshippers
till this day, stands the ultimate reality of God's love. A Messiah
who voluntarily took upon Himself all the sins of the world, that
we might go free and enjoy the Father's love and companionship
for eternity. Yet so great salvation if shunned, or neglected
will cast every sinner into an eternity in Hell. May God sober
us all to seek to know more of God's love and His truths taught
in His Word. May God grant everyone listening an open mind and
heart and a will, that yearns to experience the truths of this
long forbidden chapter. Amen.
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RESOURCES & RECOMMENDED READING:
The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures.A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request.These weekly radio commentaries can be heard in selected areas around the nation. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for 16 years, and serves as General Director. These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them. Also available are radio cassette tapes and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of all messages is available upon request also.
For further information, reprints, or a listing of all topics, please write to our speaker,
Dennis L. Finnan(wwyfin@sparc.isl.net), or visit our webpage at [ http://www.isl.net/wwyweb.html ].