The Suffering Servant Exalted

Translated by Daniel P. Bailey The Servant Song of Isaiah 53 has been highly significant in both Jewish and Christian thought. Rarely, however, has it been explored from the broad range of perspectives represented in this long-awaited volume. In "The Suffering Servant ten talented biblical interpreters trace the influence of the Servant Song text through the centuries, unpacking the theological meanings of this rich passage of scripture and its uses in various religious contexts. Chapters examine in depth Isaiah 52:13-53:12 in the Hebrew original and in later writings, including pre-Christian Jewish literature, the New Testament, the Isaiah Targum, the early church fathers, and a sixteenth-century rabbinic document informed by Jewish-Christian dialogue. Contributors: Jostein Adna Daniel P. Bailey Gerlinde Feine Martin Hengel Hans-Jurgen Hermisson Otfried Hofius Wolfgang Hullstrung Bernd Janowski Christoph Markschies Stefan Schreiner Hermann Spieckermann Peter Stuhlmacher

Written by eleven biblical scholars, this study explores the theology of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53 and answers a number of imporant questions: What is a Christian interpretation of Isaiah 53? What is a Jewish interpretation of Isaiah 53? How did the New Testament writers understand Isaiah 53? How should forgiveness and salvation be understood in Isaiah 53? How can Isaiah 53 be used in Jewish evangelism? How do we preach Isaiah 53?

This book serves as a documentation of what a recipient of the mercy and grace of Elohim has found convincing from His written Word. God is love. I have the utmost respect for the gift of free choice from the loving Father God. This is the fifth and final volume of "The Messianic Credentials" series. This series is not about what the right choice should be. It would be ludicrously futile to debate over such a thing as it is a matter of perception. In the process of putting this series together, I realized that God (Elohim) did not write what we like to hear. He wrote what we need to hear. This is because love corrects (Proverbs 3:12 and Hebrews 12:6). And God is love (1 John 4:8 and 1 John 4:16). He wrote the Bible out of His Spirit of love. In view of the above, I have written this series to relay that same Spirit. It is an appeal to consider reunion with God the loving Father from the perspective of the salvation wrought through Christ crucified. The love of God will bring about a change in perspective. In the words of Romans 2:4, it is the kindness of God that leads to repentance. As a caveat, this series is to be read with an open mind. It is meant to present the state of things from a Biblical perspective with no malicious and derogative intent. Any perception to the contrary is highly unfortunate and/or regrettable. The quality and success of an occasion hinges on the amount of preparation that goes into it. The ultimate sacrificial lamb was tested and proven to be without spot or blemish. In this fifth volume, you will get to see how God prepared Jesus of Nazareth to be the perfect sacrificial Lamb from even before birth. He was well prepared, so to speak, before being deployed as the Perfect sacrifice for sin. For the lack of a better example, just relate to how one would prepare the turkey for Thanksgiving. We have been purchased with the precious blood of a spotless and unblemished sacrificial lamb (1 Peter 1:19). You will also get to see a biblical example of deployment without prior preparation.

The Suffering Servant of the Lord: A Prophecy of Jesus Christ is a major new study of the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah. It is exegetical, expositional, devotional, and Christological: It is exegetical in that it is based on a careful study of the text. It is expositional in that it explains the meaning of chapter to both its original and modern readers. The book will give preachers and teachers help in outlining and illustrating their sermons and lectures. It is devotional in that this marvelous chapter addresses the deepest need of people, the need for forgiveness of sin and peace with God. It is Christological in that it focuses on the person of Jesus Christ. MacLeod writes, I have finished this work more convinced than ever that the passage is a straightforward prophecy of Jesus Christ written by the prophet Isaiah some seven hundred years before the birth of the Savior.

The description of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 is a beloved biblical text with an unshakable place in the theology and self-understanding of the church. Since New Testament times, this text has fed the church's thinking about the person and work of Jesus Christ. Leading Old Testament theologian Gordon McConville offers a lively exposition of Isaiah 53 that is at once true to its Old Testament context, conversant with the history of interpretation, and deeply Christian. McConville illuminates the text's contribution to our apprehension of who Jesus is and explores the various ways the text can speak to us in faithfulness to its scriptural authority and character. The author explores the theological and spiritual issues that arise from the poetry's words and phrases and shows how this classic text can speak to the life of the church today. The Touchstone Texts series addresses key Bible passages, making high-quality biblical scholarship accessible to the church. The series editor is Stephen B. Chapman, Duke Divinity School.

Who is the servant of Isaiah 52:13-53:12? Answering this question is what this study is all about. Through the centuries countless commentaries have been written, tracts have been distributed, debates have raged over the identification of the servant in this passage. Here we investigate the evidence presented over the last 2000 thousand years for the two leading candidates for this role of servant of the Lord. The two are Jesus and the Jewish people. Christians see in this passage the literal fulfillment by Jesus of all it contains. Jews see it in its plain meaning as a historical overview of Jewish history and the suffering to be endured by the nation of Israel until the final redemption. Source materials used by opposing sides in discussing this passage are thoroughly reviewed. In particular, each verse in the passage is studied in depth. But, the purpose of this volume is not simply to have an intellectual discussion of the issues involved. Its intent is to make it an unavoidable issue for Christians that there are very real disqualifications of Jesus from being the suffering servant and to identify the subject of the servant passage as none other than the nation of Israel. Furthermore, we seek to educate Jews so they do not fall prey to those who would have them believe Jesus is the Messiah.

Recipient of a Christianity Today 1994 Critics Choice Award Among Old Testament prophetic books no other equals Isaiah's brilliance of style and metaphor, its arresting vision of the Holy One of Israel and its kaleidoscopic vision of God's future restoration of Israel and the world. Now, after over three decades of studying and teaching Isaiah, Alec Motyer presents a wealth of commentary and perspective on this book. His emphasis is on the grammatical, historical, structural, literary and theological dimensions of the text. Though based on the Hebrew text, his exposition easily accomodates readers without a working knowledge of biblical Hebrew. And he writes with an interest in Isaiah's meaning for Christians today. Along the historical timeline on which the Isaianic prophecies are strung, Motyer finds three central and recurring themes: the messianic hope, the motif of the city and the theology of the Holy One of Israel. Moreover, he argues, the Isaianic literature is organized around three messianic portraits: the King (Isaiah 1-37), the Servant (Isaiah 38-55) and the Anointed Conqueror (Isaiah 56-66). Preachers, teachers and serious Bible students of all types will find this commentary a wise, winsome and welcome guide to the prophecy of Isaiah. It may easily be the best one-volume evangelical commentary on Isaiah available today.