Handling Rejection Series

Even with this undeserved provision: Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God. They believed this about the Servant because the Law said, “he who is hanged is accursed of God” (Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13). The onlookers thought Christ was suffering only what He deserved, but His experience of pain and anguish was for His people (1 Pet. 2:24). The extremity of His suffering shows that His compassion is real and not theoretical (Heb. 2:17, 18) (Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: Bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Is 53:4). Nashville: T. Nelson.).

The justice of God demands that sin meet its deserved penalty: either in us or else in a substitute. It is the good news of the gospel that such a substitute is provided for us in Jesus Christ. The passage finds its fulfilment in the heart-rending cry of dereliction from the cross: ‘About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ’ (Matt. 27:46) (Thomas, D. (1991). God Delivers: Isaiah Simply Explained. Welwyn Commentary Series (339). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.).

Finally in verse five we see: But he was wounded for our transgressions. This verse contains four asseverations of the great truth that all Christ’s sufferings were for believers, and constituted the penal substitutionary atonement for sins. The Servant suffered not for His own sin, since He was sinless (cf. Heb. 4:15; 7:26), but as the substitute for sinners. The emphasis here is on Christ being the substitute recipient of God’s wrath on sinners (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 1:3,4; Heb. 10:9,10) (The MacArthur Study Bible. 1997 (J. MacArthur, Jr., Ed.) (electronic ed.) (Is 53:5). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.).

Please turn to Ephesians 2 (p.976)

Christ was “wounded” or “pierced” (1) by the thorns; (2) by the nails; and (3) by the spear of the soldier. The wounds inflicted by the nails caused his death. He was crushed/bruised; (comp. ch. 3:15; 19:10; 57:15 Ps. 72:4). “No stronger expression could be found in Hebrew to denote severity of suffering—suffering unto death” (Urwick). Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. “The chastisement that brought us peace,” which put a stop to the hostility between fallen humanity and an offended God—made them once more at one (cf. Col. 1:20). The peace which only God can give is the fruit of our salvation and is concomitant with it. Thus, it is only by His substitutionary atonement that we may be saved and experience peace with God and, by our continued obedience, also the peace of God (KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (1390). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).

Ephesians 2:15-17 [15]by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, [16]and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. [17]And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. (ESV)