Religion and Theology

The Historical and Literary Setting of the Text
The Context of the Text in Israels History
The Book of Isaiah, written sometime in the last parts of the 8th century B.C.  finds Israel besieged by wars of conquests from different kingdoms. For the Chosen people it was a period of defeat and oppression coupled with unreliable alliances with foreign powers. It was during these times that Syria and Israel compelled Judah to fight against Assyria to no avail. The Assyrians took over the Northern Kingdom of Israel and nearly captured Jerusalem.  They were again tempted to make an alliance with Egypt out of fear. Isaiah is not keen on having alliances with foreign powers on trusting fully the God of Israel alone. (Wolf)

The Times in which Isaiah Lived
Isaiah lived to witness the Israel, the Northern Kingdom being conquered by the Assyrians, the destruction of Samaria, and the fierce resistance of Jerusalem against the Assyrian army.
Isaiah prophesied in Judah, the Southern Kingdom when his contemporary prophet Amos was preaching in the Northern Kingdom before it was crushed by the Assyrians.  The other prophets during Isaiahs time were Hosea and Zechariah.

All these prophets reflected the social crisis that characterized the situation of the chosen people. The gap between the rich and poor was increasing alarmingly which never happened during the  time of the Judges. The Chosen people forgot all about the Gods Covenant and the Day of Atonement where they have to follow conditions for social justice to flourish. Land grabbing was rampant. Usury, exploitation, and profiteering were the order of the day. The rulers were corrupt. Judges can be bribed. The peoples lifestyle was that of debauchery, drunkenness, indifference, sexual permissiveness and greed.  (Yates)

The religious leaders at that time were deaf to Gods word falsely believing that Israel could fulfil their part of their Covenant with Yahweh by simple observance of ritual and animal sacrifices. They were having illusions that God would never permit Jerusalem to be conquered and relegating the Day of the Lord to be simply rhetoric but not implementing the rules of social justice. (Kelly)

Thus by way of summary, the conditions of the Israelites at that time can be characterized by individual and spiritual iniquity as evidenced by greed, laziness, drunkenness, lust, and idolatry social and cultural decay characterized corruption, evil leaders (Ahaz, Manasseh), social injustices, and false piety by religious leaders, and external subjugation under the oppressive rule of the Assyrians. It is in this context of massive social unrest and difficulty that the message of Isaiah finds meaning and significance.  (Kelly)

The Cultural Context of the Text
It must be noted that part of the culture of the Israelites is to offer animal sacrifices to Yahweh in order to appease Gods wrath. (cf. Gen. 227-8 Exod. 123, 5 Lev. 57 John129).

 They especially do this whenever they are experiencing sickness and misfortunes which they perceive is Gods punishment for their sins. They believe that the more valuable the animal sacrifice is, the more effective it would be in pleasing God and thereby putting to a stop whatever misfortunes that are plaguing them.  Since the Israelites were shepherds, their most valuable animal sacrifice is the sheep.  (Wolf)

During the time of Isaiah, the Chosen people were experiencing intolerably bad times and they were guilty of many sins. It was such situation that made Isaiah refer to the most valuable lamb of God,  a servant of God, who would take away their sins and eventually remove all their woes.  Thus in Isaiah 537, we read

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.
Yet in the same chapter of Isaiah, this sacrificial lamb will bring peace to the chosen people.  Chapter 53 verse 11 of Isaiah would read
After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

In the New Testament, where the Chosen people were again under the rule of the Romans and a traitor king Herod, John the Baptist would refer to Jesus as, ... the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 129).

The Literary Setting of the Text
The first part of the book of Isaiah (Chapters 1-39) contains warnings and prophecies of affliction to Judah that they will be punished by God for their wicked ways.  The tone changed dramatically in Isaiah Chapters 40-66 where the messages are no longer mainly about punishment but of hope and consolation.

In the first part, Isaiah warns the people of Israel and criticized their evil ways. In Chapter 1 verse 4, A nation of sins, a people weighed down with iniquity, a wicked race, perverted children They have turned away from Yahweh and despised the Holy One of Israel, they have forsaken him.

Yet in the same chapter 1, verse 18-20 there is a call to repentance and at the same time a warning that if the people resist, war would be upon them (Is 118-20) In chapter 5 verse 1-7, Isaiah compares the people to the vineyard that bore sour fruits despite Gods care and tending. Thus this vineyard will be trampled upon. Despite Isaiahs incessant warnings and pleas, his words remain unheeded (Is 5 8-230)

In Isaiah 105-14, Assyrian pillage of the Northern Kingdom is seen as a punishment of God against the wickedness of the Israel. The whole chapters 13-23 were dedicated to oracles against foreign nations.

The woe oracles are seen to be more frequent in Chapters 28-35 where Ephraim turned against God by siding with a foreign power. In chapter 36-39, Isaiah sheds light on the attack of the Assyrian king on Jerusalem yet on account of Hezekiahs repentance (371-4), Jerusalem was saved.

Yet in Chapters 40-55, the tone of Isaiah shifted from warnings of punishment to messages of consolation, hope, peace, and reconciliation. Isaiahs sharp tongue and invectives now gave way to reassurances of Gods love and hope that things will be better.

Thus the message of Isaiah 52-- can now be seen in a better light. All sins would be washed away. There is hope and a new beginning.

This would be in a form of an ultimate sacrifice of Gods beloved servant. This ultimate sacrifice would be the one who would totally transform their society and wash them clean. This ultimate sacrifice would serve the purposes of pacifying Gods wrath and thereby putting a stop to Gods punishment which they perceive is a result of their sinfulness. Thus it would restore the broken relationship between God and his people and create peace and prosperity in all the land. (Child)

The Significance and Function of the Text in Israels andor  Judahs Life

Taking into consideration the historical, socio-cultural, and literary juxtaposition of the text reveal the paramount significance of this text.

Considering that the Israelites were suffering tremendously from oppression by the foreign power the Assyrians, this text is a message of hope and liberation that promises them freedom from slavery and subjugation. The looming threat of the looming invasion of Judah and the  near pillage of the most holy city of Jerusalem have filled their hearts with fear and anxiety. This text has given the people something to hold on to in these fearful times. The possibility of Jerusalem which is the symbolic and spiritual center as a people would be a totally ravage their spirit. This text has not only provided hope but also given the means by which their salvation would be attained.

The iniquities that plagued their society from within such as poverty, greed, land grabbing, corruption, usury, wicked kings, among others would now be cleansed.

From Chapters 40-55 there are four Servant Songs  (421-4 491-6 504-11 5213-5313), and a lot more references to a Servant (e.g. 418 4310 441 454 4820). This Servant who would serve as one who would take away their sins would be the center of their hopes and the solution for all their intolerable sufferings. This servant is to become their ultimate Savior, their King, the long awaited Messiah that would bring them final and definitive salvation. (Child)

The text provides a promise of complete and integral transformation of the chosen people promising a new life and a new society where theres justice, peace, and love.

The Israelites have a general notion that Gods power and deliverance would come in the form of a great display of force crushing their enemies and annihilating all foreign oppressors from their lands. (cf.502 515, 9 5210) At the same time they know that God would not do this if they continue to  be sinful and forgetful of the Covenant they have with Yahweh. In fact, in a sense, they know they deserve everything that is happening to them and have accepted these as Gods punishment.

Thus for the Israelites, the first thing that they need to do is to repent and ask forgiveness for their sins. Judging from the sufferings that they are undergoing, they know that their sins must be so many so as to deserve such punishment. In order for their sins to be forgiven, then need  to offer a worthy sacrifice to Yahweh who can replace and erase the magnitude of their sins.  (Constable)

The text is made up with five stanzas with three verses in each stanza. The beginning and the last stanzas shows how God is pleased with His Servant.  The  three middle stanzas illustrate how the  Servant is fully worthy and commited to Gods will. The central stanza is very important for it stresses on the mode of Israelites deliverance through the sacrifice of the servant.  Here we can find two contrasting events where the salvation of the Israelites is ultimately tied to The servants suffering and death and his eventual exultation by God.

Let us now examine how Isaiah would describe Gods Servant who alone is the worthy sacrifice that would erase all the sins of the Israelites.

How Gods Servant can Replace their Sins
If we look at the following verses, we can examine how Gods Servant can wash clean the sinfulness of the Israelites

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities... (534-5)
...the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (536)
...the LORD makes his life a guilt offering ... (5310)
... he will bear  their iniquities. (5311)
For he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. (5312)
According to Dr. Ralph F. Wilson (Wilson)

The Hebrew word shem means trespass offering (KJV) or guilt offering (NRSV, NIV), and occurs 22 times in Leviticus.6. In several of these instances a lamb is the guilt offering (Leviticus 1413, 21, 24-25 Numbers 612).7 Clearly the Servant -- the Lamb -- is seen as a trespass offering, but one who takes the sin of not just a few, but all.

The Hebrew word n -- lift, carry, take. The term is used literally, as well as figuratively of bearing the guilt or punishment of sin, such as in Genesis 413 Leviticus 51, 17 718 Numbers 531 1434 Leviticus 1017. The word is used of the scapegoat bearing Israels sins into the wilderness on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 1622). Nasa can also imply the taking away, forgiveness, or pardon of sin, iniquity, and transgression (Exodus 347 Numbers 1418 Micah 718 Psalm 321, 5).8

sbal -- The primary meaning is bear, transport (such as a heavy load) with stress on the process of bearing or transporting a load (Isaiah 467), hence becomes a figure of servitude (Genesis 4915). In Isaiah 53 it puts the stress of bearing the weight of mans sickness, sorrows, sin, and punishment.
pga -- In the Hiphil tense there are two primary meanings, both used in our text -- to intercede (Isaiah 5312) and to lay, burden (Isaiah 536).10

Thus God s Servant would act as a scapegoat, a guilt offering, bearing all the burden of the sins of the Chosen people, intercede for them by taking all of the supposed punishment of God upon him, and so in the end wash away all their sins.

Apostle Pauls Second Letter to the Corinthians reads
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 521)

Again, St. Peter would repeat the same message
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth. quotes Isaiah 539
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness by his wounds you have been healed quotes Isaiah 535. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 224-25)

The Israelites know that they have sinned and that they deserve all the punishment that they were suffering during that time. However, they can no longer endure the sufferings and thus the Lords Servant, the lamb of God would act as the scapegoat to take all the punishment for himself unto death. In the end the Lamb of God would appease Gods anger, put an end to punishment and restore the broken relationship back to peace. (Wilson)

Theologians would refer to this as the substitutionary atonement.  (Wilson)

How the ServantLamb of God would Consider his Mission
Isaiah 53 characterizes the Servant as one who would act voluntarily and accept his sufferings willingly. The following verses would attest to this
... he poured out his life unto death.... (5312)
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows... (534)
He was oppressed and afflicted yet he did not open his mouth he was led like a lamb to the slaughter ((537)
... As a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (537)

The Servant will make people righteous before the Lord
In his suffering, the Servant will now make righteous the Chosen people of God and will bless them.
... so will he sprinkle many nations. (5215)

This servant would now restore the broken Covenant with Yahweh and consequently restore the land and the people. Thus by his sacrifices that bring atonement,  this servant will cleanse the land and bring justice to many.

By his knowledge my righteous servant will justify  many... (5311)
In Romans 3 24-26, St. Paul referring to Jesus as the Servant of the Lord, says
... and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished -- he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 324-26)

The Servant will be  Exalted by God in the End
The following verses in Isaiah 53 highlights God raising up his righteous Servant.
See, my servant will act wisely he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. (5213)
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong... (5312)
After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied... (5311)

The New Testament Usage of the Text
The Spiritual Significance of the Text in our Present Times
Although the context of the text was especially meant for the Israelites during those times, Isaiahs prophetic powers and words of wisdom transcended the narrow confines of their situation to find universal significance.

For one, the fulfilment of this text finds ultimate expression in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

This is the reason why this text will be referred to time and again in the New Testament. When Isaiah said that the Servant will ... so will he sprinkle many nations. (5215), this means that the Lordship of Yahweh will now no longer be limited to the Chosen people but will now cover the whole universe.
St. Paul echoes this theme
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 29-11)

A major but very significant difference is that the identity of this Servant is now revealed. He is Jesus Christ the Son of God. The Son of God would be the most worthy sacrifice of all, and would have the capacity to carry the sins of all the nations and bring them all in righteousness before God.

Thus the Servant is not only the Son of God who will suffer and die but in the end would take His rightful place equal to the Father himself.(cf. Acts. 233 313, 26 Phil. 29 Col. 31 Heb. 1381 1012 122 1 Pet. 322). This is a startling contrast with Isaiahs version where the servant is simply compared to the lamb of God where the lamb is sacrificed by the shepherd to God. In the New Testament, Jesus is not only the lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world Jesus will also be the shepherd who would die for his sheep. Gods Son himself would be sacrificed for the atonement of sins.

Another major difference is that in the New Testament, it will be clear that this Servant will not only be lifted high but will actually resurrect in bodily form and ascend to the heavens in bodily form.

In Isaiah 534, the Servant is described as unattractive, despised, and poor just as Jesus Christ who was born poor and blended with the crowds that even John the Baptist himself nearly failed to recognize him. Even the people would see the Servant as unworthy. Yet in the end will all the Kings be astounded and speechless for the glory that they will see. This is what literally happened with Christianity. Here we see Jesus Christ, a son of a poor carpenter, crucified as a thief and a rebel, now exulted in the high heavens where every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Jesus Christ although born of the root of Jesse, a direct descendant of King David, did not come as a mighty king who would deliver the Jews from Roman domination. He was born in a manger, a poor baby, barely escaping the slaughter of babies under the orders of the Roman puppet King Herod. Jesus did not become a Pharisee or a saduccee in the temple but as a street preacher beckoning passersby to lend their ears. Jesus rode only a donkey in his triumphal entry to Jerusalem with poor people waving only palms to recognize his kingship. In a few days after his entry to Jerusalem  he was immediately arrested and crucified on the cross despised by everyone as a thief.   In Luke 920-22 Jesus affirmed his being the Messiah when He posted a question to His disciples Whom say ye that I am Upon confirmation Jesus said that that the Messiah will undergo suffering and be despised by the Israels leaders and would be killed. (Mat. 2656, John 1632)

Because of these precedents, people could not believe the wonder that was to follow. Jesus is resurrected from the dead and ascends to heaven claiming his divine place in equality with God. Thus the kings of earth were all astounded.

The Israelites in fact found their local messiah in the person of Cyrus King of Persia, who would eventually set them free. Even if King Cyrus is not part of their religion, he was nevertheless treated to be anointed by God because he has restored the promised land back to the chosen peoples. In contrast however, Jesus Christ was not able to restore the promised land to the jews under the Roman oppression but as the Son of God, he will accomplish something infinitely greater. Jesus has restored the whole of humanity to God.  (Wolf)

The power and significance of the text to our times is that the God of Israel will no longer be Israels God alone. He is now the God of all nations and the God of the universe. And this God no longer manifest himself as a vengeful God but as a loving God who is willing to sacrifice his own son because of his love for humanity.  (Wolf)

This God will demonstrate his love for humanity by being human himself in the form of Jesus Christ. The Son of God will not only take human form but the lowliest of human forms, that of a son of a poor carpenter with no education whatsoever. The Son of God will not only be  poor but will be despised, rejected, and eventually crucified innocently as a criminal. God will eventually sacrifice his own son as a ransom for our sins. This is what God is willing to do for his love of humanity.

The Spiritual Significance of this text for the Christianchurch and my  life
This text has an astounding spiritual, economic, political, cultural, moral and all-sided significance for all peoples of the world.

Personally, it is just simply totally inconceivable and mind boggling to think of the magnitude of Gods love for me. My mind cannot fathom the depths and heights of Gods love. I cannot imagine why God would love humanity that much so as to offer his own son as a ransom for my sins. I cannot even bear to think what is in me that would be worthy of such love. I cannot imagine why me, located in the earth which is but a tiny speck in the universe, could be loved by a love that is beyond human comprehension. This thought alone uplifts my spirit to sing songs of praises that words are not even enough to describe.

Yet however, it affects me now that upon realizing the original meaning of the text, we modern Christians have completely missed out on very important elements of the original meaning. The original meaning of the text in its context meant a lot of things that we usually miss. We tend to over-spiritualize the significance to the point of message losing its power and potency in our actual world today.  Let me enumerate

The text original meaning signifies individual and personal repentance and total change of heart.
The problem with Israelites during those times was that that were continually offering sacrifices to the Lord without mending their ways. Amos, Isaiahs contemporaries in the Northern Kingdom Israel relates Gods words to the people.

I hate, I despise your religious feasts
I cannot stand your assemblies.
Even though you bring me burnt offerings
and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
Away with the noise of your songs
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream. (Amos 521-24, NIV)

Many Christians nowadays are comparable to the Israelites of old. We are fond of religious rituals and yet we do not live our lives in righteousness and justice.

Again in Jesus we hear of the woes levelled at the scribes and Pharisees.

Matthew 2323 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

Even now, this criticism can be levelled at modern day Christians, myself included, we have been complacent at the fact that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and thus making us righteous in the eyes of God. However, we continue with our unrighteous ways and make no effort at real and lasting conversion while we delude ourselves that simply praying and false piety will save us.
The text  original meaning signifies complete social and moral transformation.
Isaiah pinpoints corruption, landgrabbing, usury, impoverishment of the poor due to greed...
For three sins of Israel,
even for four, I will not turn back my wrath.
They sell the righteous for silver,
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
They trample on the heads of the poor
as upon the dust of the ground
and deny justice to the oppressed. (Amos 26-7 NIV)

Yet however, many Christians seem to be contented to live side by side with poverty and oppression and discrimination without batting an eyelash. Although we say that by Faith, we have already been saved, this faith is not concretely manifested in our actions. According to St. James, Faith without good works is dead.(James 215) In the gospels we read,  How can someone claim faith but fail to feed the hungry or clothe the naked

The text original meaning means deliverance from foreign oppressors. However modern day Christians tend to be apathetic, indifferent, and sometimes consider it to be against their faith if they involve themselves in social and political issues such as the movements for peace, anti-war, the environment among others. Because Christ died for our sins, this means that we have to manifest this salvation in our daily lives and in our society. Our salvation should not be limited to heaven but should spread out to economic, political, social, and cultural salvation.

Our being paid off by the blood of the lamb should not mean that we are now licenced to sin. It should not create a double standard Christianity where our faith and actions are inconsistent. This salvation should be spiritual as well as physical, individual as well as social, heavenly as well as earthly, moral, economic, and political because Gods salvation is holistic and cannot be limited to heaven only and not earth, spirit only and not body, for God is the God of all or else he is not God at all.

The Timelessness of the Message
For as long as there is earth, this message will have its timeless significance. It is the story about complete and holistic salvation here now and hereafter. This message will ring true until the final judgement and the Second Coming of Christ.

Concrete Applications to my life
As a believer, I must continuously meditate on this love story of how God saved me for all eternity. Because I have sinned and made righteous before God by the blood of Jesus Christ, I will manifest this salvation in my life by loving others as God has loved me.

In relation to myself, I would echo the words of St. Paul, I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me. Therefore I will make myself an imitation of the Christ and live my life with integrity, holiness, and compassion.

In relation to others, I will manifest this salvation by being a blessing to others especially the poor and the needy.

In relation to my social, political, and economic world, I would manifest this salvation by living the values of Gods Kingdom of justice, love, peace, and harmony  against all forms of institutionalized greed, oppression, idolatry of money, war, discrimination, social decay.

And because Christ died for my sins assuring for me an eternity of happiness, no longer will i be afraid of the forces that can kill the body but not the spirit. I will proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord and let all evil depart. With Christ, I will be an instrument of his love and defeat evil in all its forms  individual or social, economic, political, cultural, moral, environmental and spiritual.