Isaiah 53 (Part 9) – Isa 53:11

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Isaiah 53 (Part 9) – Isa 53:11

Isa 53:11 – He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 

1. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:
   1. “He” refers to the Messiah who was the subject of the second half of verse 10.
   2. The Messiah would see the travail of His soul and be satisfied.
      1. Travail n. – 1. Bodily or mental labour or toil, especially of a painful or oppressive nature; exertion; trouble; hardship; suffering.
      2. Satisfied adj. – 1. Contented, pleased, gratified.
   3. Jesus would see the painful suffering of His soul, and the salvation it would procure for His people, and be pleased and gratified.
      1. He was satisfied because He knew that He would finish the work the Father gave Him to do (Joh 4:34 c/w Joh 17:4 c/w Joh 19:30).
      2. He was satisfied because He knew He would save His people from their sins (Mat 1:21).
      3. He was satisfied because “he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand” (Isa 53:10).
2. by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
   1. by his knowledge
      1. Jesus Christ justified many by His knowledge in the following ways.
         • He knew the Father and therefore laid down His life for the sheep (Joh 10:15).
         • He knew His sheep that He came to die for (Joh 10:14, 27).
         • He knew the Father’s will was for Him to save all that He gave Him (Joh 6:39; Joh 17:2).
         • He knew the scriptures and kept them perfectly (Mat 26:54; Mar 12:10; Mar 14:49; Joh 5:39; Luk 24:27).
         • He knew all things that would come upon Him (Joh 18:4) and nevertheless submitted Himself to the will of God.
         • He knew no sin (2Co 5:21).
      2. This verse does not say that “by their knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many.”
         • Many professing Christians think that it is our knowledge of Christ that justifies us.
         • It is rather Christ’s knowledge which justified us.
      3. Christ’s knowledge, along with His grace (Rom 3:24; Tit 3:7), blood (Rom 5:9), and faith (Gal 2:16) justified His people.
   2. shall my righteous servant
      1. Jesus Christ was righteous (1Jo 2:1; Mat 27:19, 24; Act 3:14; Act 7:52; Act 22:14).
         • Righteous adj. – 1. a. Of persons: Just, upright, virtuous; guiltless, sinless; conforming to the standard of the divine or the moral law; acting rightly or justly.
         • Just adj. – 1. That does what is morally right, righteous. just before (with) God or, simply, just: Righteous in the sight of God; justified. Now chiefly as a Biblical archaism.
         • He had to be righteous in order to die in the place of the unrighteous to bring them to God (1Pe 3:18).
      2. He was a servant (Isa 42:1; Php 2:7).
         • Jesus came to do His Father’s will as a servant (Joh 6:38).
         • Jesus came to minister to His people (Mat 20:28).
         • Minister v. – II. Intransitive uses. 8. To serve, wait at table; to attend to the comfort or wants of another; to render aid or tendance.
         • Jesus demonstrated His servanthood by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and washing His disciples’ feet.
   3. justify many
      4. Justify v. – 4. To absolve, acquit, exculpate; spec. in Theol. to declare free from the penalty of sin on the ground of Christ’s righteousness, or to make inherently righteous by the infusion of grace: see justification 4.
      5. Justification – 4. Theol. The action whereby man is justified, or freed from the penalty of sin, and accounted or made righteous by God; the fact or condition of being so justified.
      6. Jesus justified many through His righteousness and perfect obedience (Rom 5:18-19).
      7. Jesus gave Himself a ransom for many (Mat 20:28).
      8. Jesus redeemed men out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation (Rev 5:9).
   4. for he shall bear their iniquities
      1. Bear – I. To carry; with its transferred and fig. senses. 1. a. trans. To support the weight of (anything) whilst moving it from one place to another; to carry. Now usually restricted in prose to the carrying of something weighty or which requires an effort.
      2. Iniquity n. – 1. The quality of being unrighteous, or (more often) unrighteous action or conduct; unrighteousness, wickedness, sin; sometimes, esp. in early use, Wrongful or injurious action towards another, infliction of wrong, injury; in modern use generally connoting gross injustice or public wrong.
      3. Jesus was the lamb of God upon which God laid the iniquity of us all (Isa 53:6).
      4. See notes on Isa 53:6.