VICARIOUS ATONEMENT (3)
Vicarious Atonement Set Forth in Isaiah 53

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The vicarious atonement wrought by Christ, through which God and His elect are brought together, is clearly and gloriously set forth in Isaiah 53.

I. Messiah's sufferings were vicarious.

1. "Surely He has borne our griefs" (v.4; cp. Matthew 8:16f). The Hebrew word translated griefs means "sicknesses" (see margin), and refers to those of our depraved spiritual nature. As one may physically "become sick with the illness of which he would die" (2 Kings 13:14), so has it happened to us spiritually. The Hebrew word translated borne implies both "taking upon Himself" and "taking away from others". Christ bore for His people the cause of all evil consequences to them, including physical infirmities (see Matthew 8:16f). As the Old Covenant sin offering was appointed by God "to bear the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD" (Leviticus 10:17), and as the scapegoat was appointed by God to "bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land" (Leviticus 16:22), so it is with Christ: "He bore the sin of many" (v.12). Christ is "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). It is for this reason that Christ was "acquainted with grief" (v.3). Note also that "it pleased the LORD to ... put Him to grief" (v.10). Vicarious atonement pleases God!

2. "Surely He has ... carried our sorrows" (v.4). The Hebrew word translated sorrows means "pains" (see margin), and refers to our "sorrow of heart" (Isaiah 65:14). The Hebrew word translated carried means to "transport a heavy load". The same word is later in this chapter translated "bear" (v.11): "He shall bear their iniquities." It is for this reason that Christ was a "Man of sorrows" (v.3).

3. "He was wounded for our transgressions" (v.5). The Hebrew word translated transgressions means "rebellions, revolts against the standard", especially those that have caused the breach between God and man. God's people confess that "our transgressions are multiplied before You" (59:12). The Hebrew word translated wounded signifies being "pierced through" (see margin) – violently and unto death, and as with spikes in a crucifixion and with the sword of God's justice. It is for this reason that "He was numbered with the transgressors" (v.12).

4. "He was bruised for our iniquities" (v.5). The Hebrew word translated iniquities means "perversions, deviations from the standard", and refers to all the ways we have deviated from and twisted the law of God, as in "I have ... perverted what was right" (Elihu in Job 33:27). The Hebrew word translated bruised signifies being "crushed" (see margin) – even in such a way as to result in the complete destruction of the victim. It is for this reason that God's people confess that "the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (v.6) and "He shall bear their iniquities" (v.11), and why He is said to have been in their place and stead "stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted" (v.4).

5. "The chastisement for our peace was upon Him" (v.5) - reference here being to the chastisement which brought peace to us. The meaning is "the severe punishment of death that was required for us to have peace with God was endured by Christ". He suffered for our peace God's "rod of correction" (Proverbs 22:15).

6. "And by His stripes we are healed" (v.5; cp. 1 Peter 2:24f). The stripes suffered by Christ, including the physical stripes laid upon Him by men and the spiritual stripes laid by God's rod of justice, procured the healing and health of His people. Sin is our disease, the leprosy of our soul. Christ bore stripes so His people would be healed.

7. "And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (v.6). The "all" are every one of the "many" whom Christ justified in His death (v.11), those whom God calls "My people" (v.8). The first part of this verse sets forth the reason why Christ suffered: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way." The last part of this verse sets forth the manner in which He suffered: the guilt for our sins was caused to land on Christ (see margin) in a violent manner, as when one "lays into" or "falls upon" his enemy. Christ not only did "bear their iniquities" (v.11), but also died for them.

8. "For the transgressions of My people He was stricken" (v.8). Compare "He was wounded for our transgressions" (v.5). The emphasis there (v.5) is on the sufferings Christ experienced as the Substitute of His people. The emphasis here (v.8) is on the death Christ endured as the Substitute of His people, "For He was cut off from the land of the living" in their place and stead. He was executed after "He was taken from prison and from judgment" (v.8) – not only from Pilate's judgment hall, but also from Jehovah's.

9. "You make His soul an offering for sin" (v.10). Christ's soul here is not merely His spiritual part, but rather His entire nature in union with His divine person. Christ was the offering sacrificed for the sins of His people - the saint's "trespass offering to the LORD" in order to "make atonement for him before the LORD" (Leviticus 6:6f). An innocent victim died as the substitute for guilty sinners.

10. "He shall bear their iniquities" (v.11; see above).

11. "He bore the sin of many" (v.12). This many is less than all mankind, but more than a few, and elsewhere said to be "a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues" (Revelation 7:9). This many is those whom Jehovah calls "My people" (v.8): those members of mankind whom God the Father in eternity sovereignly and graciously predestined to be His children and chose in Christ unto salvation (Ephesians 1:4f), and whom He therefore calls Christ's people (Matthew 1:21).

II. Christ's vicarious sufferings were atoning.

1. "He shall see the travail of His soul, and be satisfied" (v.11). The Hebrew word translated travail signifies "unpleasant factors of labor and toil", as of a woman travailing in childbirth. It here includes the distress (see margin) of Christ in working out the salvation of His people (as described in Psalm 22). Jehovah beholds this travail of Christ and declares that it "satisfied" all that He had required of His Son for the atonement of His people. When God is thusly satisfied, atonement is wrought.

2. "By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities" (v.11). The identity of this "knowledge" is debated. Some say it is the knowledge possessed by Christ by which He justifies those whose iniquities He bore. Others say it is the knowledge possessed by others concerning Him as their sin-bearer, a knowledge approximating faith, by which they know He justified them. Whichever, Christ did "justify" all whose sins He bore. None for whom Christ died as substitute will ever be condemned.

3. "And by His stripes we are healed" (v.5). The stripes suffered by Christ, including the physical stripes laid upon Him by men and the spiritual stripes laid by God's rod of justice, procured the healing and health of His people. None for whom Christ suffered stripes will die unhealed.

4. "He shall see His seed" (v.10). God's people are Christ's spiritual seed (Psalm 22:30). He died in their place, but is resurrected because of their justification (Romans 4:25), and therefore shall behold them. Christ will have no stillborn children!

5. "He shall prolong His days" (v.10). Christ, having been raised from the grave, shall live throughout eternity, beholding all for whom He died as substitute and being beheld by them in everlasting glory.

6. "And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand" (v.10). Christ will complete His work, and never fail. He died to obtain atonement for all His people, and has certainly done so.

7. "Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great" (v.12). Christ will be given the nations for His inheritance (Psalm 2:8). Why? "Because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

8. "And He shall divide the spoil with the strong" (v.12). Christ will share His inheritance with all whom He made "strong" for salvation, so that all for whom He died will be "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17).

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