The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 290

HOMILETICS. Vere. ~11.-" The sufferings of Jesus." It is the great object of Isaiah, in this chapter, to declare to his countrymen (1) that the Messiah would be a suffe1ing Messiah; (2) that his sufferings would be vicarious ; and (3) that they would have a propitiatory or atoning character, I. 'fHE MESSIAH A SUFFERING MESSIAH, Hitherto Isaiah had looked upon the promised Redeemer on the side of bis glories and his triumphs. His names were to be "Immanuel," or "God with us" (eh. vii. 14), " Wonderful," "Counsellor," "The Mighty God,"" The Everlasting Father,"" The Prince of Peace" (eh. ix. 6). "Of the increase of his government and peace there was to be no end, upon the throne of David, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever" (eh. ix. 7). "The Spirit of the Lord was to be upon him, .. and with righteous- ness was he to judge the poor, and to reprove with equity for the meek of the earth, and to smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips to slay the wicked" (eh. xi. 2---4). He was to" bring forth judgment to the Gentiles" ( eh. xiii. 1) ; he was not to " fail nor be discouraged " ( eh. xlil. 4) ; he was to be "upheld ever by God's hand" (eh. xlii. 6); "the isles were to wait for his Law" (eh. xiii. 4). But now the prophet has to speak in another strain. Psalms probably written before his time (as Ps. ii., xxii., xxxi., xl., lxix., etc.) had partially drawn aside the veil, and given indications that the career of the Deliverer would not be all glory or all triumph. But it was difficult to determine how far they were historical, how far prophetic. It was a part of Isaiah's mission to reveal, in language that could scarcely be mistaken, the darker aspect of Messiah's coming, the "contradiction of sinners" which he would encounter, and its consequences. Messiah was to be "despised,"" for- saken " ( ver. 3), " pierced," "crushed," made sore with "stripes" (ver. 5), "oppressed" (ver. 7), "cut off" before his time, "stricken" (ver. 8), "dealt with grievously" (ver. 10). He was to be condemned by an iniquitous "judgment" (ver. 8), to be" brought as a lamb to the slaughter" (ver. 7), to be "assigned his grave with the wicked" (ver. 9), and "reckoned with transgressors" (ver. 12). His earthly life was to be such as would be best summed up in the brief phrase, "A Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" ( ver. 3). II. 'fHE SUFFERINGS OF MESSIAH VICARIOUS. Men make a difficulty about vicarious suffering; but half the suffering in the world is of this nature. Who that watches by a sick-bed, and supports and props the sufferer, and stays unmoved in a cramped posi- tion not to disturb the sick one's snatch of slum her, but suffers to assuage or remove another's pain? Who that, hungry himself, passes on to another the food that he might eat himself, but does the same? What mother but bears a thousand discomforts to shield her child from them? What soldier but tries to take himself the blow which he sees must otherwise prostrate hiR chief? How are the young, who rush into ruinous extravagance which would cripple them for life, saved but by a father or a guardian taking on him the grievous trouble of paying the debts incurred? What do not refined ladies undergo to rescue and recover those among their sisters who have fallen? Men's and women's kindness of heart is continually leading them to undergo vicarious suffer- ing; nor is there often any other way by which the sufferings of our fellow-creatures can be removed. If I take the load that is galling anothei's back and put it on my own, I do it with the full kuowledge that my back will soon ache. If I transfer my wraps to o. sick fellow-traveller on a wintry day, I am quite aware that the cold will clutch me instearl of him. The vicarious character of Messiah's sufferings is the direct subject of seven distinct assertions: (1) "He bath borne our griefs;" (2) "He hath carried our sorrows;" (3) "He was wounded for our traus;:ressions; " ( 4) " He was bruised for our iniquities;" (6) "The chastisement of our peace was upon him ; " (6) "With his stripes we are healed" (vers, .4, 6); (7) "For the transgression of my  300 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. [en. LtU.1-12,