SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Jul 4, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 27.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS

LESSON 3.—JULY 16.—THE SUFFERING SAVIOUR.

Lesson Scripture.—Isa. 52:13 to 53:12, A. R. V.

(13) "BEHOLD, My Servant shall deal wisely, He shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. (14) Like as many were astonished at Thee (His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men), (15) so shall He sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand.

(1) "Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed? (2) For He grew up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground; He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. (3) He was despised, and rejected of men; a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their face He was despised; and we esteemed Him not.

(4) "Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (5) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. (6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

(7) "He was oppressed, yet when He was afflicted He opened not His mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth. (8) By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who among them considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of My people to whom the stroke was due? (9) And they made His grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death; altho He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.

(10) "Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise Him; He hath put Him

to grief; when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand. (11) He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied; by the knowledge of Himself shall My righteous Servant justify many; and He shall bear their iniquities. (12) Therefore will I 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 was numbered with the transgressors; yet He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

Golden Text.—"The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Chapter 53:6.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) What does the Lord say of His Servant? To what Servant does this refer? Verse 13. Note 1. (2) At what were many astonished concerning Him? Verse 14. Note 2. (3) What contrast with this condition does the prophet also see? Verse 15. Note 3. (4) What pointed questions are asked in verse 1 of chapter 53? Note 4. (5) What is said of the human life of Christ? Verse 2; also John 1:46. (6) How was He treated of men? What was His general experience as a man on earth? Verse 3; also Luke 18:31-34. (7) What hath He done for us? And how has He been esteemed? Verse 4. Note 5. (8) For what was He wounded and bruised? Whose chastisement was upon Him? And why did He suffer stripes? Verse 5. (9) To what is sinful mankind compared? And on whom has our sin been laid? Verse 6. (10) With what patience and fortitude did He bear his affliction? Verse 7. (11) By what was He taken away? Who was there who fully appreciated Him at the time? For what was He taken out of the land of the living? Verse 8. Note 6. (12) With whom was He accounted in His death? Yet what was His true character? Verse 9; also Mark 15:27, 28; Matt. 27:57-60; 1 Peter 2:20-25. (13) Who was specially pleased with Christ's faithfulness to the end? Why? Verse 10. Note 7. (14) What is to be the full satisfaction of Christ for His great sacrifice? Through what shall He justify many, or make them righteous? To this end what shall He do for them? Verse 11; also John 17:3. Note 8. (15) Because of Christ's great service, what shall be done for Him? Verse 12. Note 9.

NOTES.

1. The expression, "My Servant," refers to Christ. In Isa. 42:1 we also read: "Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My Chosen, in whom My soul delighteth; I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles." His exaltation is also noted in Phil. 2:9, where, after noting His humility, it is said, "Wherefore also God highly exalted Him, and gave unto Him the name which is above every name."

2. Men were astonished that Christ should have been so outrageously mistreated and abused, as He was at His trial and crucifixion. The astonishment was twofold: (1) That so good a Man should be thus treated by those whom He designed only to benefit; and (2) that One who had manifested so much power should have submitted to such indignity.

3. The contrast drawn in verses 14 and 15 is expressed in Cheyne's translation as follows: "Deeply marred was His appearance, out of all human likeness, And His form out of semblance to sons of man, But as deep will be the obeisance of many, Before Him kings will be awe-struck in silence." The prophet seems to see the Saviour in the awful agonies attending His trial and crucifixion, and in the same view beholds Him as the great High Priest that stands for the cleansing of His people, and a final victor, over all earthly powers. "Kings shall shut their mouths at [margin, "because of"] Him."

4. Jesus quoted verse 1 of chapter 53 as fulfilled in the unbelief of the Jews, when He presented to them the Gospel of salvation (John 12:37, 38); and Paul makes a like application in Rom. 10:16. The "Arm of Jehovah" is Christ. See Isa. 51:9 and 52:10.

5. Among the Jews, any afflicted one was esteemed smitten of God, as a result of sin (John 9:1-3), and even Christ's own disciples doubted that He was the Son of God, because He was permitted to be thus chastised. They thought that they had been deceived in their belief in Him as the Messiah, when He expired on the cross; and that therefore He must have been an imposter.

6. The answer to the question of verse 8 is, No one considered Him cut off for the transgression of the people. They esteemed Him smitten of God, because of His own sins. It is well to note the difference in construction between the A. R. V., which we use in these lessons, and the Common Version.

7. The pleasure that Jehovah had in the sufferings of Christ was that He proved faithful throughout the trying ordeal; that He was obedient even unto death. Phil. 2:8. It was through His death that His numerous seed was manifest. In this lay the assurance of God's promises to the faithful. But the Father's heartfelt sympathy with his agonizing Son was none the less acute. It was simply Jehovah's will that Christ should make the sacrifice of His life for fallen man, and the purpose was faithfully carried out.

8. "The travail of His soul" is equivalent to the pains preceding the birth of the "many" whom He should "justify" through their faith in His atonement for their "iniquities."

9. Christ will divide the spoil with Satan. All mankind will be raised from the dead by virtue of His resurrection (John 5:28, 29; 1 Cor. 15:22). But there will be two resurrections—first, that of the righteous at His coming (1 Thess. 4:15-18); and the other class a thousand years later (Revelation 20). Christ takes the first class for His own, and the second class are destroyed with their "strong" tempter in the lake of fire.