August 20, 2023
Isaiah 53:5
“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.”
The prophet Isaiah was one of the most influential prophets mentioned in the entire Word of God. He is considered to be a major prophet because of the length of his book which bears his name. He was the son of Amoz and his name means “God is salvation or the Lord saves.”
Isaiah was used mightily by God to prophesy of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This particular verse of Scripture out of the Old Testament is giving us a truthful account of the actual sufferings of the Messiah our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What He went through on behalf of mankind is unfathomable.
The Word of God gives us some descriptive details in John 19:1-3 of how horribly He was beaten and abused. It states, “So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.” The word scourged being used means to cause great suffering or severe punishment.
This prophecy of Isaiah discloses some of the reasons why our Lord Jesus Christ went what we went through for us. Some of those things are: because of our transgressions, on account of our iniquities, so that we can have peace, and so that we can experience complete healing. He died a perfect death on the cross at Calvary for our “just in case.” Just in case we choose to love Him back, trust Him with our entire heart, and make Him our Lord and Savior.
God made every one of us with a free will because He didn’t want to create a human race that was forced to love Him. He loves us so much He allows us to make that choice. Unfortunately a lot of people do not allow Him into their hearts or even believe that He exists in the first place. Our Heavenly Father endured the death of His Son because He knew that was the only way that He would be able to reconcile His relationship with us. That is the fullest demonstration of absolute love.
Let’s take a closer look at the powerful passage of Scripture out of the book of Isaiah, 53:5. The word “wounded” which is the Hebrew word “ḥālal” means: to wound fatally, bore through, and pierce. The words “for our transgressions” is the Hebrew word “peša” which means: transgression against God. Our evil doings, sinless behavior, rebellious acts, and doing things our own way is what caused separation between humanity and God in the first place.
Jesus was fatally wounded because of the sins of others. The shed blood of Christ is what made us back in right standing in the sight of God. The blood of bulls and goats could not completely atone for our sin. The forgiveness of sins could only be done through a perfect sacrifice which was the Son of God. He lived a sinless life even though He was consistently tempted by the devil to sin.
Another important part of this passage of Scripture that needs to be pointed out is the words “the chastisement” which is the Hebrew word “mûsār” which means: more severely, chastening, chastisement of God. In other words the severe punishment that we should have received because of our iniquities was placed on Jesus Christ allowing us to have peace.
The words “for our peace” used in Isaiah 53:5 is the Hebrew word “šālôm” which means: peace with God because of covenant relation. Jesus’ death on the cross brought us back into covenant alignment with God. We are promised peace that surpasses all understanding, Philippians 4:7. One of the Names of God is Jehovah Shalom which actually means the Lord our peace, Judges 6:24.
Another part of this verse of Scripture that I wanted to dive deeper into is the words “are healed” which is the Hebrew word “rāp̄ā’” which means: be healed, healing has come to us. One of the most powerful things that the Lord Jesus’ death allowed us to have as a free gift is the victory over death, sickness, and disease.
If you notice the words that the prophet Isaiah chooses here are the words “are healed” not might be healed, could be healed, or possibly be healed. Our healing is there but we have to believe God’s Word at face value and stand firmly on His promises. He is not a Man that lies; He also puts His Word above even His own Name, Numbers 23:19. You can rest assured that whatever is written in the Holy Bible will never and can never change.
The healing that the Lord is referencing is: spiritual healing, physical healing, emotional healing, mental healing, and everything in between. We are promised to have the victory over everything that the devil tries to do to keep us from walking in the purpose that God has for our life.
The reason why a lot of Christians don’t experience this promise of healing is because of the involvement of blatant sin. The Word of God details in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” One thing that we never want to do is take the grace of God for granted. The Apostle Paul is making it plain to us in this New Testament verse of Scripture. Sin equals death.
There is really no getting around this one. The Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed His life so that our sin debt could be paid in full. However, that does not give us the right to freely sin thinking there will be no repercussions. The Bible is a book of law just like the law of the land; there are rules and regulations that the Lord expects us to abide by.
The devil if very familiar with the Lord’s Word and in fact knows more of the Bible than most believers do. You best believe he can and will use your transgressions against you. When you violate God’s Word, it gives the enemy a legal right to come into your life and wreak havoc.
That is why it is so important to understand the victory that we have because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. Another verse of Scripture that details the healing power that we are given because of the Lord’s sacrifice is found in 1 Peter 2:24. Peter describes, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”
We can see some similarities with this passage of Scripture and Isaiah 53:5. Our own sins that we committed are why Jesus Christ died on the tree (a cross) so that He could pay for our sin debt. Notice the words used here are “were healed” instead of “are healed.” The reason that Isaiah uses “are healed” is because he is prophesying the death that Jesus would have to endure (future tense) and the Apostle Peter is talking about the death that Christ had already suffered (past tense).
Take note of where Peter states “having died to sins” he is giving us the stipulation that we have to meet in order to receive the Lord’s complete healing. The common belief that a lot of people have is that you can sin as much as you want as long as you ask the Lord for forgiveness you’re good to go. That is so far from the truth; we are to turn away and “die” to our sins and live as righteously as we can.
The only way that we are going to have the power and strength to turn away from the persistent sin and bondages that we face is to get into the Word of God paired with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I am going to continue to break down some of the verses of Scripture out of Isaiah that you can meditate on and add to your Scriptural memory bank.
The book of Isaiah is saturated with so many powerful verses of Scripture that you can apply daily. The key to living a victorious life is to make sure that you are studying to show yourself approved with the ability to rightly divide God’s Word. You want to make sure that you are taking your walk with Christ seriously: reading the Lord’s Word, understanding it, and applying it to every aspect of your life.
One of the ways that the devil is able to successfully oppress believers of Jesus Christ is by using our lack of knowledge against us. God is clear in Hosea 4:6 when it states, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
One thing that you can keep in your mind is; the more of God’s Word that you have saturated in your heart and mind, the more weaponry that you will have to fight the enemy back with! If the Lord Jesus Christ Himself used the Word of God against the devil, how much more do we have to?!
Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:
Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back
Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit
Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing
Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent
Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds
What are Spiritual Strongholds?
The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1
The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 2
The Spiritual Laws of God-Restoration
The Spiritual Laws of God-The General Principles
The Spiritual Laws of God-The Power of Your Tongue!
The Spiritual Laws of God-Having an Understanding
If you’ve missed any of the other weekly quotes, no worries I am listing them down below:
Positive Quote for the Week: The Battle is His
Positive Quote for the Week: True Love
Positive Quote for the Week: Imperfectly You
Positive Quote for the Week: The Process
Positive Quote for the Week-Hidden Pain