Isaiah 53:10 - Meaning and Application

In the earlier verses, the prophet spoke very clearly about Christ’s sufferings, though he also gave hints of the good outcome that would follow. Here he returns to those sufferings, but he speaks more fully about the glory that would come after them. We can see, first, the work and suffering of Christ in his humble state. Come and see how he loved us, and see what he did for us.

He submitted to heaven’s displeasure, (Isaiah 53:10). “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him,” to put him to pain, torment, and grief. Scripture never says that Christ, in his sufferings, endured God’s wrath in the sense of being hated by him. But it does say here that the Lord bruised him. God did not merely allow men to bruise him, he also set his own sword against him (Zechariah 13:7). People thought Christ was struck by God for some great sin of his own (Isaiah 53:4). In truth, he was struck by God, but it was for our sin. The Lord bruised him, for he did not spare him, but gave him up for us all (Romans 8:32). God placed the bitter cup in his hand and required him to drink it (John 18:11), after laying our guilt on him. God made him sin and a curse for us, and turned to ashes all his burnt offering, showing that it was accepted (Psalm 20:3).

He bruised him so deeply that he was put to grief. Christ willingly entered into this plan and felt the sorrow that came from his Father giving him up. He was troubled to such a degree that he fell into agony, and he began to be deeply distressed and overwhelmed.

It pleased the Lord to do this. He had planned it from eternity. It was part of his eternal purpose, and he took delight in it because it was the sure way to save people and to protect and advance his honor.

He also took the place of sinners, as a sacrifice. “He made his soul an offering for sin.” Christ himself explains this when he says he came to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). When people brought bulls and goats as sacrifices for sin, they could be called their offerings, because God had put them under human control. But Christ offered himself. This was his own act. We could not put him in our place, but he put himself there. He said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” in a deeper sense than David could say it. He was saying, “Father, I commit my soul to you. I place it in your hands as the life of the sacrifice and the price of pardon.” In this way he would bear the sins of the many whom he meant to justify, that is, to count righteous (Isaiah 53:11). He would take away the sin of the world by taking it on himself (John 1:29). This is said again in (Isaiah 53:12): “He bore the sin of many,” men who, if they had carried their own sin, would have been crushed by it and sunk into the lowest hell. This point is repeated for emphasis, because whenever we think about Christ’s sufferings, we must see him carrying our sin in them.

He also submitted to what is the wages of sin for us, (Isaiah 53:12). “He poured out his soul unto death.” He poured it out like water, showing how little he held his life back when giving it up was the appointed way to redeem and save us. He did not love his life too much to die, and his followers, the martyrs, did the same (Revelation 12:11). Or better, he poured it out like a drink offering, to complete his sacrifice. He poured it out like wine, so that his blood might truly be drink to all believers, just as his flesh is truly food for them. There was not only the wasting of his body in suffering (Psalm 22:14), but also the giving up of his spirit. He poured it out, even to death, though he is the Lord of life.

He allowed himself to be counted with sinners, and yet he also offered himself as one who would plead for sinners, (Isaiah 53:12). This greatly increased his suffering, because he was numbered with transgressors. He was not only condemned as a criminal, but executed with two well-known criminals, with him in the middle, as if he were the worst of the three. The Gospel writer says this prophecy was fulfilled there (Mark 15:27-28). Worse still, Barabbas, the worst criminal of all, a traitor, thief, and murderer, was set against him in the people’s choice, and Barabbas won. They would not have Jesus released, but Barabbas. In his whole life he was treated as one of the transgressors, because people called him and counted him a Sabbath-breaker, a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and sinners.

This also added great honor to his sufferings, because in them he made intercession for the transgressors, even for those who insulted and crucified him. He prayed, “Father, forgive them.” In doing so, he showed not only that he forgave them, but also that he was laying the ground for their forgiveness, and for the forgiveness of all other sinners. That prayer was the voice of his blood, crying out not for revenge but for mercy. In this, it speaks better things than Abel’s blood, even for those who shed it with wicked hands.

Second, we see the grace and glory of Christ’s exalted state. The graces he gives us are no small part of the glory given to him. All this was secured to him in the covenant of redemption, that agreement between the Father and the Son in which Christ promised to make his soul an offering for sin, agreed that the Father would give him up, and undertook to bear the sins of many. In return, the Father promised to glorify him, not only with the glory he had as God before the world began (John 17:5), but also with the glory of the Mediator, the one who stands between God and people.

He will have the glory of an everlasting Father. He was given this title when he came into the world (Isaiah 9:6), and he will fully answer to it when he leaves the world. This was like the promise made to Abraham, who in this was a picture of Christ, that he would be the father of many nations and the heir of the world (Romans 4:13, 17). Abraham was the root of the Jewish church, and the covenant was made with him and his seed. In the same way, Christ is the root of the whole church, and the covenant of grace is made with him and his spiritual seed. That covenant rests on, and grows out of, the covenant of redemption, whose glorious promises are partly shown here.

It is promised that the Redeemer will have a seed to serve him and uphold his name (Psalm 22:30). True believers are Christ’s seed. The Father gave them to him for that very purpose (John 17:6). He died to purchase them and make them pure for himself. He fell to the ground like a grain of wheat so that he might produce much fruit (John 12:24). The word, that imperishable seed from which they are born again, is his word. The Spirit, the great one who brings about their new birth, is his Spirit. And it is his image that is stamped on them.

It is also promised that he will live to see his seed. Christ’s children have a living Father, and because he lives, they also will live. He is their life. Though he died, he rose again. He did not leave his children orphaned, but made sure they would have the Spirit, the blessing, and the inheritance of sons.

He will see a large increase of children. The phrase is plural, “he will see his seed,” meaning a great crowd of people, too many to count. He will also continue to care for this large family: “He shall prolong his days.” Many people, after they see their children and grandchildren, are ready to pass on in peace. But Christ will not hand over the care of his family to anyone else. He himself will live forever, and “of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end,” because he lives forever.

Some take this to mean believers: he will see a seed that continues through the ages, in line with (Psalm 89:29) and (Psalm 89:36), “His seed shall endure for ever.” As long as the world stands, Christ will have a church in it, and he himself will be the life of that church.

His great work will succeed and fully answer God’s purpose: “The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.” God’s plans will take effect, and not one small part of them will fail. The work of human redemption is in the hands of the Lord Jesus, and it is in good hands. It is good for us that it is in his hands, because our own hands are not enough for us. He is able to save completely. It is in the hands of the one who upholds all things.

This is the good pleasure of the Lord. That means not only God’s purpose about this work, but also his delight in it. That is why God loved him and was pleased with him, because he agreed to lay down his life for the sheep. This work has succeeded so far, and it will keep succeeding, no matter what blocks or troubles stand in the way. Anything done according to God’s will will prosper (Isaiah 46:10). Cyrus, who was a type of Christ, carried out all God’s purpose (Isaiah 44:28), and Christ will certainly do the same. He was fully fit for this work, he pursued it with great strength, and it was so wise from beginning to end that it could not fail. It will bring honor to the Father and salvation to all his seed.

He will also find full joy in it: “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:11). He will see it before it is finished, as he looks ahead to the fruit of his sufferings. He will be satisfied with the result. He will also see it when it is completed in the conversion and salvation of poor sinners. Our Lord Jesus was in great soul pain for our redemption and salvation, with a strong desire to be delivered. All the pain and anguish he endured were for that purpose and hastened it forward.

Christ does and will see the blessed fruit of his soul’s travail in the founding and building up of his church, and in the eternal salvation of all those given to him. He will not fall short in any part of his work, but will himself see that he has not labored in vain. The salvation of souls is a great joy to the Lord Jesus. He will count all his pain well spent, and himself richly rewarded, if many sons are brought by him from grace to glory. Give him this, and he has enough. God will be glorified, repentant believers will be made right with him, and Christ will be satisfied. So, in following Christ, it should also satisfy us if we can do anything to help God’s kingdom in the world. Let it always be our food and drink, as it was Christ’s, to do God’s will.

He will also have the glory of bringing in an everlasting righteousness, as was foretold in (Daniel 9:24). In the same way, “By his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many, for he shall bear their sins” (Isaiah 53:11). This lays the foundation for our being declared righteous before God. Justification means being accepted as right with God and freed from the guilt that would destroy us.

The great benefit we receive from Christ’s death is justification from sin, our being cleared from that guilt and brought into God’s favor, which alone can make us happy. Christ, who bought our justification for us, applies it to us by his intercession for us, his gospel preached to us, and his Spirit bearing witness in us. The Son of man had power even on earth to forgive sins. Many are justified by Christ, though not all, since many perish in their sins. Yet he justifies many, even as many as he gave his life as a ransom for, as many as the Lord our God calls. He does not justify only a few outstanding people, but those among the many, the despised crowd.

We are justified by faith, by our agreement with Christ and with the covenant of grace. In this way we are saved, because God is most glorified, free grace is most honored, self is humbled, and our happiness is most firmly secured. Faith is the knowledge of Christ, and without knowledge there can be no true faith. Christ gains the will and affections by first giving light to the understanding and bringing it to sincerely agree with divine truth.

That knowledge of Christ, and that faith in him, by which we are justified, look to him both as a servant of God and as a surety for us, someone who takes responsibility for another. As one sent by God to carry out his purposes and advance the honor of his glory, he is “my righteous servant,” and as such he justifies men. God has appointed him to do this, and it is according to God’s will and for his honor. He is himself righteous, and from his righteousness we have all received. The one who is himself righteous, and who could not have made atonement for our sin if he had any sin of his own to answer for, is made by God our righteousness, the Lord our righteousness.

We must also know and believe in him as one who undertook for us. He bore our guilt and saved us from sinking under its load by taking it upon himself.

He will also receive the glory of winning a clear victory and ruling over all, (Isaiah 53:12). Because he has done all these good works, “I will divide him a portion with the great,” and according to the Father’s will, he will “divide the spoil with the strong.” This is like a great general who, after driving the enemy from the field, takes the plunder for himself and his army. That plunder is both clear proof of victory and a reward for the hardship and danger of battle.

God the Father has promised to reward Christ’s service and suffering with great glory: “I will set him among the great,” highly exalt him, and give him a name above every name. Great riches are also given to him: he will divide the spoil and have plenty of grace and comfort to give to all his faithful soldiers. Christ comes to his glory through conquest. He has attacked the strong man armed, driven him out, and divided the spoil. He has defeated principalities and powers, sin and Satan, death and hell, the world and the flesh. These are the strong ones he has disarmed and taken spoil from.

Much of the glory that Christ receives, and the spoil he divides, is the large number of willing, faithful, loyal subjects brought to him. Some read the verse this way: “I will give many to him, and he will win many as spoil.” God will give him the nations as his inheritance and the ends of the earth as his possession (Psalm 2:8). His rule will reach from sea to sea. Many will be changed by God’s grace and give themselves to Christ, to be ruled, taught, and saved by him. In this way, he will count himself honored, enriched, and richly rewarded for all he did and suffered.

What God planned for the Redeemer he will surely receive. God says, “I will divide it to him,” and then it immediately says, “He shall divide it,” even though opposition is raised against him. Christ finished the work given to him, and God will also complete the reward promised for that work. God is both able and faithful.

The spoil that God divides to Christ, he also distributes among his followers. It is the same word in both places. When Christ led captivity captive, he received gifts for people so that he might give gifts to people. As he told us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Christ conquered for us, and through him we are more than conquerors. He has divided the spoils, the fruit of his victory, among all who belong to him. Let us therefore cast in our lot with them.