It becomes clear in this stanza of the song that the Servant's sufferings were not His own fault, as onlookers thought. They were for the sins of humankind and resulted in our healing. Furthermore, He would not merely suffer because of the sins of the people, because He was one of them. He would suffer in their place. The substitute nature of His sufferings is clear in the descriptions Isaiah presented, in the context of the arm of the Lord references, and in view of the nature of sin. Since sin is against a holy God it does not just require physical suffering, which Israel had experienced in abundance, but spiritual suffering, separation from God. Animal sacrifices covered human sin only temporarily, but a perfect sinless human sacrifice was necessary to remove the sin of humanity.
53:4 The Servant's humble appearance and unattractiveness were for the benefit of humankind. It was the consequences of oursins that He would bear, not those of His own sins (cf. Matt. 8:17). Yet onlookers would consider that God was striking, smiting, and afflicting Him for His own sins.578The Servant did not just suffer withHis people but forthem. His atonement was substitutionary.
Who were the people that Isaiah had in mind when He described the benefits of the Servant's work? Were they only those who would become the people of God by faith in the Servant, or were they all people? Isaiah did not make this distinction in His prophecy. He did not get into the debate about limited and unlimited atonement. What he wrote does not enable us to solve the question of for whom Christ died.
53:5 "But"continues the contrast between the Servant and the rest of humankind. He would not only experience affliction for us but injury as well. "Pierced through"and "crushed"describe extreme distress resulting in death (cf. 51:9; Job 26:13; Ps. 109:22; Lam. 3:34). The Hebrew words behind these terms are the strongest ones in that language for violent and excruciating death.579Transgressions are willful and rebellious sins, and iniquities are sins that result from the perverted quality of human nature due to the continuing effects of the Fall.
"Thus, verse 4 demands the noun substitution', and verse 5 adds the adjective penal'."580
Looking back from the Cross we can see how appropriate these terms were in view of the death Jesus died, death by crucifixion. It was God who was behind the piercing and crushing of the Servant (vv. 6, 10). It was as though the Servant took the whipping that we deserved for being rebellious children (cf. Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:3; Heb. 5:8; 9:28; 1 Pet. 2:24-25).
"This is not a matter of a raging tyrant who demands violence on someone to satisfy his fury. It is a God who wants a whole relationship with his people, but is prevented from having it until incomplete justice is satisfied."581
What the Servant would do in bearing the consequences of humankind's sins would bring about positive results for many people.582He would bear away sins so people could experience healing and well-being (Heb. shalom, the fullness of God's blessing). This is far more than just physical healing; the whole passage is dealing with redemption from sin.583
But does it include physical healing? Is there healing in the atonement? Does what the Servant did guarantee physical healing for every believer? Ultimately it does. Eventually we will experience good health since poor health is one effect of sin. But immediately it does not in every case. We have yet to enter into all the benefits of Christ's death for us and must continue to struggle with some of the consequences of the Fall until we see the Lord.
53:6 A simile now reinforces the point just made. Sheep are notoriously short-sighted; they go after the next clump of grass without regard to where their feet may lead them. They are also self-centered; their only thought is how they can satisfy themselves with no concern for the welfare of other sheep. Consequently sheep often get lost. Humans are the same.
"Sheep tend to travel together, so if the leading sheep turns aside from the path for grass or some other purpose, usually all the sheep do so. They tend to follow the lead sheep which is often dangerous. Similarly all Israel [even all people] had turned aside (cf. 1 Peter 2:25) from following the Lord, from keeping His commandments."584
But Yahweh would cause the consequences of our natural sheep-like tendencies to fall on the Servant. Rather than every person having to bear the consequences of sin himself or herself, as Job's friends argued he or she must, God would make His Servant suffer for the iniquity of all sinners (cf. Lev. 16; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:22-25).
Suffering in God's service is frequently vicarious. It often involves suffering because of the sins of others as well as for our own sins.
