Messiah the Suffering Servant (4)—Smitten by God - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:4 NKJV

Messiah the Suffering Servant (4)—Smitten by God
One of the interesting features of this great prophecy is that it is written in the past tense though it would not be fulfilled until 700 years after the time of its writing. Bible scholars call this the prophetic perfect tense. Indeed, it looks to a time beyond our own era, to a future time, when a godly Jewish remnant will make Isaiah 53 their confession. What a wonderful testament to the truth and power of inspiration!

The realization will dawn upon some of the Jews, during the time of “Jacob’s trouble,” that Christ’s sufferings were on their behalf. The griefs and sorrows which had been mentioned in verse 3, and mentioned again here, would be seen as having been borne by Messiah!

They had despised Him and had not esteemed Him as their king; indeed, just the opposite: “we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” Crucifixion was ghastly, and anyone suffering it surely was cursed by God. Indeed, their own Scriptures declare, “he who is hanged is accursed of God” (Dt. 21:23; cf. Gal. 3:13). Their leaders wanted Him crucified for this very reason. No Jew would ever believe in a messiah who had been crucified. It would be a major stumbling block for them (1 Cor. 1:23). This is why they insisted on Pilate crucifying Him, though he had said, “You take Him and judge Him according to your law” (Jn. 18:31). In effect, he was saying, “I don’t care if you take Him and stone Him; just don’t involve me.” But they cried all the more, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” (19:15).

He indeed was “smitten of God”; He was “made a curse for us,” and for them.

-- Brian Reynolds

Jesus the curse sustains, guilt’s bitter cup He drains,
Nothing for us remains, nothing but love.

-- T. Kelly