I noticed the star of David right away as our waitress stopped by our table to take drink orders. My breakfast companion asked her about the necklace while she poured coffee. With enthusiasm, this middle-aged woman told us about her orthodox Jewish upbringing and recent conversion to Christianity. Fascinated, we barraged her with questions when she delivered our meals.
I told her I’d been studying the book of Isaiah and was curious to know the Jewish interpretation of Isaiah 53. She told me that her teacher in Hebrew school just stopped at Isaiah 52 and went no further. When she read chapter 53 as a Christian, she was in awe of how Jesus fulfilled these ancient words as One who was despised and rejected, led like a lamb to the slaughter, buried like a criminal in a rich man’s grave, and pierced for our transgressions.
This chapter certainly isn’t the only reference to Jesus in the book of Isaiah. The prophet’s words abound with mentions of a future Messiah including a virgin conceiving, a child born, the name Immanuel, a sacrificial death, and many others. The depth of description that finds fulfillment in Christ blows my mind as I see the fuller picture of Isaiah’s message. In fact, Isaiah’s book serves as a sort of Bible in miniature. Its sixty-six chapters have been compared with the sixty-six books of the Bible. Generally speaking, the first thirty-nine chapters focus more on judgment, and the last twenty-seven highlight messages of God’s comfort. Isaiah’s book contains every major theological theme of Scripture and every genre of biblical literature—poetry, narrative, apocalyptic writing, and more.
Yet throughout the book, we continually see glimpses, allusions, and echoes of a future Messiah. In fact, Isaiah’s words are quoted more times in the New Testament than any other Old Testament book. Because of the number of messianic references found in the book, Isaiah has been referred to as a fifth gospel. If we didn’t have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we would know a lot about Jesus just from the breadth of detail given in the book of Isaiah!
One nuance of Isaiah’s messianic prophecy that sets his words apart from other biblical prophets is the emphasis on the Messiah as a Suffering Servant. Isaiah contains four Servant Songs found in Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-11; and 52:13–53:12. There is no evidence these songs were ever sung, but each one uses poetic construction including Hebrew chiastic structure to reveal the Servant of the Lord whom we know as Jesus—the promised Messiah.
When we consider that these words were written about our Savior seven hundred years before He put on flesh and stepped out of eternity and into time, it gives us a fresh perspective on God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promises in our lives. Let’s briefly consider each one of these songs and remember afresh God’s gospel plan to deliver His beloved people.
Just after Jesus healed a man with a deformed hand, He quoted the words of the first Servant Song in Isaiah regarding Himself as one who would have God’s Spirit upon Him and “not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle” (Isa. 42:3; Matt. 12:20, NLT). His name would be the hope of the world. You and I are recipients of that hope as those who need healing. We all have had seasons when our lives felt like a flickering candle or a bruised reed. Jesus revealed clearly that He was the awaited Deliverer that Isaiah spoke of centuries earlier.
In Isaiah 49, we find the Lord using illustrations of a shepherd leading his people beside cool water, a nursing mother never forgetting her child, a courageous warrior, and a God who has written our names in the palm of His hand. Jesus is the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one lost sheep (Matt. 18:10-14). Jesus is the Son but also takes the role of a compassionate mother caring for a dependent child. Jesus may be tender, but He is not weak. He said, “For I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children” (v. 25b). All of these pictures remind us of God’s incredible love for His people.
Isaiah 50 records the third Servant Song in Isaiah. It reveals that God’s Messiah offered His back to those who beat Him and His cheeks to those who pulled out His beard. He wouldn’t hide his face from mockery and spitting (v. 6). All three synoptic gospel writers confirm this treatment of Jesus in regard to the spitting, beating, and mocking that took place (Matt. 26:67; Mark 15:19; Luke 22:63-65). These details move us to consider the high price Jesus paid for our sins.
Isaiah 53 is referenced or alluded to in the New Testament more than any other chapter in the Old Testament. The last Servant Song in Isaiah 52:13–53:12 describes Jesus as hardly recognizable as a human. When I think that He did this so the punishment for my sin could be transferred to Him, I feel the weight of it. These verses also use the metaphor of sheep going astray. All people wander away from God’s path like sheep, so God sent Jesus to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). He gave Himself up for us as the perfect sacrifice to pay for our sins, sacrificing Himself on behalf of the flock.
Though the original readers of Isaiah’s words didn’t have all the details, they learned that their righteousness would be found through a Servant sent on their behalf. Isaiah made it clear that ultimate victory over sin would come not through triumphant conquest but through an obedient Servant enduring rejection and abuse.
God progressively revealed His plan of salvation to His people through the words of His prophets. Isaiah wrote gospel truths without a full picture of how God’s plan would unfold. We have the benefit of hindsight to see with greater clarity how Jesus fulfilled the words of Isaiah. The waitress I met experienced this firsthand when she believed that Jesus is truly the Messiah Isaiah foretold. In this fifth gospel, we are reminded that our God loves us and sent His one and only Son to die for us.
Melissa’s Bible study, Isaiah, centers on striving less and trusting God more. In this 7-session study, Isaiah’s words will reveal that you can trust God more than your own human effort or the counterfeits the world suggests. You won’t be striving harder, but instead trusting more deeply the Faithful One who is so worthy of our utter dependence. In Him you’ll find the comfort and peace you need to sustain you.
Order your copy of Isaiah here.
Melissa Spoelstra is a women’s conference speaker, Bible teacher, and author who is madly in love with Jesus. She is passionate about studying God’s Word and helping women of all ages to seek Christ and know Him more intimately through serious Bible study. Melissa has a degree in Bible theology, and she enjoys teaching God’s Word to the body of Christ, traveling to diverse groups and churches across the nation.
Melissa is the author of many Bible studies, including Acts: Awakening to God in Everyday Life and The Names of God: His Character Revealed. She has also authored several books, including Dare to Hope and Total Family Makeover: 8 Practical Steps to Making Disciples at Home. She is a regular contributor to the Proverbs 31 First Five App, the Girlfriends in God online daily devotional, and many magazines and blogs. Melissa enjoys spending time with her pastor husband, Sean, and their four adult children: Zach, Abby, Sara, and Rachel.
