Devotionary

Isaiah 53 portrays Jesus as the Suffering Servant. He would suffer and die, paying the debt owed for the sins of mankind. And His faithful submission to God’s will was to be an example for the people of Judah as they faced difficult days ahead.

Judah's difficult situation was not a sign that God didn’t care. He was simply sticking to His divine plan and keeping the timeline He had established. God wasn’t in a panic and He was in no rush. The times were difficult, but the message was simple: Your God reigns.

Judah had sinned against God, and yet He was going to do great things for them. Not right away. Not even in their lifetime. But they were expected to wait, trusting that He would implement His plan at the right time and in fulfillment of His promises.

In all of Judah, there was only a handful of those who pursued righteousness and remained true to God. And God wanted them to know that they could trust Him, in spite of all that was going on around them.

The arrival of the servant was centuries away, but they were expected to take God at His word and trust His promises. God had already told them, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light,” but they were going to have to believe that it was true.

Judah's circumstances were not proof of God’s weakness or as evidence of His lack of love. It was all a reflection of His holiness and His hatred for sin. He had the power to deliver, but He also had the responsibility to discipline those whom He loves.

Judah's immediate circumstances were bleak and the outlook for the foreseeable future wasn’t any better. But God had long-term plans in place and He wanted them to know that He could be trusted because He is faithful and committed to His covenant promises.

This passage reveals the return of Jesus at His second coming. On that day, He will fulfill the decrees outlined in these verses, doing for the people of Judah all that God has promised. The Suffering Servant will come as the all-victorious Savior.

Judah could have enjoyed a restored relationship with God if they would have humbly returned to Him with penitent hearts. But now, they would learn the painful lesson that there is no peace for the wicked, even those who are called by God’s name.

God promises to redeem them, not because they deserved it, but for His own reputation. They had dishonored Him, dragging His reputation through the mud. But He would protect the honor of His name by redeeming them in spite of them.

Even Judah would fall before the forces of Babylon. Yet, Babylon's boasting was uncalled for and premature, because God had other plans in store for them. No matter how much success they enjoyed, they were no match for God Almighty.

God asks the rhetorical question: “To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” And in chapter 46, He reiterates His incomparable nature, reminding the people of Judah that He has made them and that it is He who will bear, carry, and save them.

God wanted Judah to know that He would remain faithful to them in spite of their unfaithfulness. He would redeem them and restore them to a right relationship with Himself. And the day was coming when all nations would honor Him as the one true God.

God would use an unlikely source to accomplish His will regarding His people: The pagan king of a foreign nation. He will even refer to this king as His servant. And while this made no sense to the people of Judah, it was the sovereign will of God.

The same God who created the heavens and the earth had formed them into a nation. And while defeat and exile was in their immediate future, restoration and redemption were part of God’s long-term plan for them