Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Isaiah
Book: Isaiah
Chapter: 53
Overview:
The person,
(1-3) sufferings,
(4-9) humiliation, and
exaltation of
Christ, are minutely described; with the blessings
to mankind from his
Death.
(10-12)
1-3 No where in all the Old
Testament is it
So plainly and
fully prophesied, that
Christ ought to suffer, and then to enter
into his
Glory, as in this
Chapter. But to this
Day few discern,
or will acknowledge, that Divine power which goes with the
Word.
The authentic and most important report of
Salvation for
sinners, through the
Son of God, is disregarded. The low
condition he submitted to, and his appearance in the world, were
not agreeable to the ideas the Jews had formed of the
Messiah.
It was expected that he should come in pomp; instead of that, he
grew up as a plant, silently, and insensibly. He had nothing of
the
Glory which one might have thought to meet with him. His
whole
Life was not only humble as to outward condition, but also
sorrowful. Being made
Sin for us, he underwent the sentence
Sin
had exposed us to.
Carnal hearts see nothing in the
Lord Jesus
to desire an interest in him. Alas!
By how many is he still
despised in his people, and rejected as to his doctrine and
authority!
4-9 In these verses is an account of the sufferings of
Christ;
also of the design of his sufferings. It was for our sins, and
in our stead, that our
Lord Jesus suffered. We have all sinned,
and have come short of the
Glory of
God. Sinners have their
beloved
Sin, their own evil way, of which they are fond. Our
sins deserve all griefs and sorrows, even the most severe. We
are saved from the ruin, to which
By Sin we become liable,
By
laying our sins
On Christ. This
Atonement was to be made for our
sins. And this is the only way of
Salvation. Our sins were the
thorns in
Christ's head, the nails in his hands and feet, the
spear in his side. He was delivered to
Death for our offences.
By his sufferings he purchased for us the
Spirit and
Grace of
God, to mortify our corruptions, which are the distempers of our
souls. We may
Well endure our lighter sufferings, if He has
taught us to esteem all things but loss for him, and to
Love him
who has first loved us.
10-12 Come, and see how
Christ loved us! We could not
Put him
in our stead, but he
Put himself. Thus he took away the
Sin of
the world,
By taking it
On himself. He made himself subject to
Death, which to us is the
Wages of
Sin. Observe the graces and
glories of his state of exaltation.
Christ will not commit the
care of his family to any other.
God's purposes shall take
effect. And whatever is undertaken according to
God's pleasure
shall prosper. He shall see it accomplished in the
Conversion
and
Salvation of sinners. There are many whom
Christ justifies,
even as many as he gave his
Life a
Ransom for.
By Faith we are
justified; thus
God is most glorified, free
Grace most advanced,
self most abased, and our happiness secured. We must know him,
and believe in him, as one that bore our sins, and saved us from
sinking under the load,
By taking it upon himself.
Sin and
Satan,
Death and
Hell, the world and the
Flesh, are the strong
foes he has vanquished. What
God designed for the
Redeemer he
shall certainly possess. When he led
Captivity Captive, he
received
Gifts for men, that he might give
Gifts to men. While
we survey the sufferings of the
Son of God, let us remember our
long catalogue of transgressions, and consider him as suffering
under the load of our guilt. Here is laid a firm foundation for
the trembling sinner to
Rest his soul upon. We are the purchase
of his
Blood, and the monuments of his
Grace; for this he
continually pleads and prevails, destroying the
Works of the
Devil.