Transcript Slide 1
Penal Substitution
Did Jesus Die in My Place?
Comments on Isaiah
The written prophecy of Isaiah has two purposes: (1) to try to bring Judah
to repentance so she will not be taken into captivity as a result of the
temporal judgment of God and (2) to let them know that God will one
day send a deliverer who will set up a kingdom that will not be
exclusively for Jews.
Comments on Isaiah
These two themes are frequently intermeshed or entwined one with
another. Some of the things of which he writes have a double application
– a primary one for those of his day and a secondary one for those of a
future generation.
According to Peter, the Old Testament prophets did not fully understand
what their predictions of the future were all about.
1 Peter 1:10-11
Of this salvation the prophets have inquired
and searched carefully, who prophesied of the
grace that would come to you, searching what,
or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ
who was in them was indicating when He
testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ
and the glories that would follow.
1 Peter 1:12
To them it was revealed that, not to
themselves, but to us they were ministering the
things which now have been reported to you
through those who have preached the gospel
to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-things which angels desire to look into.
Comments on Isaiah
Even the Jewish ruling class struggled to harmonize the prophecies of a
suffering servant with those of a triumphant king. The prophetic types of
Christ and his office were so varied that the “fathers” were very much
confused. This is what led to the questions that the rulers asked John the
baptizer.
John 1:19-20
Now this is the testimony of John, when the
Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem
to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed, and
did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the
Christ."
John 1:21-22
And they asked him, "What then? Are you
Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the
Prophet?" And he answered, "No." Then
they said to him, "Who are you, that we may
give an answer to those who sent us? What do
you say about yourself?"
Isaiah 53:1-2
Who has believed our report? And to whom
has the arm of the LORD been
revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as
a tender plant, And as a root out of dry
ground. He has no form or comeliness; And
when we see Him, There is no beauty that we
should desire Him.
Isaiah 53:3-4
He is despised and rejected by men, A Man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we
hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was
despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely
He has borne our griefs And carried our
sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:5-6
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities; The
chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed. All we like
sheep have gone astray; We have turned,
every one, to his own way; And the LORD
has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:3-5
It was the Jewish rulers who “despised and rejected” Him; “the common
people heard Him gladly.” (Mark 12:37)
His “sorrow” and “grief” were not over anything He had done but over
the sins of mankind. (Gen. 6:6)
He was grieved as was His Father. The “we” who “turned our backs on
Him” are the people of His own nation initially, and people the world
over eventually.
Isaiah 53:3-5
“We” did not necessarily despise Him but “we did not care” that “He was
despised.”
He carried our weaknesses and our sorrows weighed Him down. But in
what sense did He carry our weaknesses?
It was most likely in His own heart. Our sorrows weighed him down
emotionally (compare 2 Cor. 11:29)
Isaiah 53:3-6
“We thought,” etc., but we were wrong.
He was not pierced “in place of” our rebellion but “because of” our
rebellion.
Likewise, He was not crushed “instead of” our sins but “because of” our
sins.
His beating and whipping was a prelude to His crucifixion which sealed
His covenant, which contained conditions whereby we could be made
whole.
Isaiah 53:3-6
Verse 6 says the same thing as Rom. 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God.”
“We have turned, everyone, to his own way” is equivalent to Eccl. 7:29
“See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have
sought out many schemes.”
It was by His sealing a covenant whereby we may all receive forgiveness
that our iniquities were all laid on Him.
Isaiah 53:7-8
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet
He opened not His mouth; He was led as a
lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before
its shearers is silent, So He opened not His
mouth. He was taken from prison and from
judgment, And who will declare His
generation? For He was cut off from the land
of the living; For the transgressions of My
people He was stricken.
Isaiah 53:9-10
And they made His grave with the wicked-But with the rich at His death, Because He
had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in
His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to
bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When
You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall
see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And
the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in
His hand.
Isaiah 53:11
He shall see the labor of His soul, and be
satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous
Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear
their iniquities.
Isaiah 53:12
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the
great, And He shall divide the spoil with the
strong, Because He poured out His soul unto
death, And He was numbered with the
transgressors, And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.