Philip Paul Bliss was a revivalist hymn writer in the mid 19th century, who in 1875 penned among others the well-known, “Hallelujah, What a Savior!”, the first line of which reads:
Man of Sorrows! what a name for the Son of God, who came ruined sinners to reclaim.
“Man of sorrows” originates from Isaiah 53:3 in the King James Version, which says:
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
I wouldn’t argue against those who say Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is the greatest passage in the entire Bible. That text is the account of the future saving confession of a repentant Israel. Six hundred years before Christ, Isaiah prophesies of an event at least two thousands years after Christ. In Romans 11:26, Paul predicts, “All Israel shall be saved.” Zechariah 12:10 makes the the same prophecy:
I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son.
This moment we know is during the time of tribulation on earth, a period described in the book of Revelation (6-16), when large numbers of the twelve tribes of Israel will be saved (Revelation 7). Before all of that is said, Isaiah 53 prophesies it. Isaiah 52-53 is a prophecy of a people repenting for something they had done, which itself would not occur for another 600 years.
What we see described in Isaiah 52-53 is a mournful confession of Israel, where they finally, disconsolately, and fully admit they had not received their Messiah. It should serve as the pattern henceforth for any saving confession. An important part of it is the Jews’ explanation of why they did not acknowledge Jesus Christ. They are not saying there were legitimate reasons. They are saying their “reasons” were monumentally faulty. They bewail them. They agonized over their sinful pride, their fatuousness, and their thick incomprehension. Isaiah 53:3 is part of that admission and a model of poverty of spirit and true mourning after sin. They are really, truly sorry for what they did and repentant over it.
One of Israel’s future admissions was that they rejected their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, because he was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” Their imagined Messiah was not “a man of sorrows,” hence their rejection of the real One. They didn’t want a sorrowful Messiah. Instead, they would anticipate and desire an upbeat, victorious, and supremely confident Messiah. He would have a skip to his step and look as though he owned the world and was on the very top of it with everyone else beneath Him. Israel saw herself in that same category, their Messiah mirroring what they thought of themselves. In their minds, this was the one they deserved.
I see society today the same in their envisioning of the person to follow, their leader, and their Jesus. He is nice. He is positive. He offers admiring glances. He gives only thumbs up.
Israel thought of herself as to be appreciated. Their Messiah would come and approve of them. They were looking for a Messiah, who would be glad about them, not be sad when He saw them close up. They were not looking for a doleful Messiah. They wanted One Who came to endorse them and fight the Romans. He wouldn’t be angry with his enemies long, because He would do away with them so quickly.
What I’m writing relates to feelings. I’m saying having the right feelings are important. When Jesus first entered the temple as an adult in John 2, the disciples saw his zeal in cleansing it in a violent act against Israel, and they were reminded of the Psalm 69 prophecy of the future Messiah. The feeling of Jesus cued Andrew toward his reception of Him, reinforcing that this was Jesus. Others ascertained these as inappropriate. Those feelings meant they did not want Him as theirs.
The Jesus people want to accept is a party style Jesus, who smiles and smiles, emoji-like, with likes and hearts and kisses, acceptance and approval. Why was Jesus sorrowful? He was someplace in complete contradiction to His nature. Nowhere in scripture does Jesus laugh. The sins all around weighed on Him, not just their hostility to His righteousness, but His compassion for those bound in them and His knowledge of their future consequence. The sin brought present ruination and eternal damnation. The Lord Jesus knew this to the furthest extent.
Israel confessed they rejected their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, because He was the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. They would have none of Him. When they make this confession, they understand. He didn’t die for sins He committed. He died for theirs. He was sorrowful over theirs. He grieved over theirs.
Still today no one wants any sorrow over a sinful condition, no grieving over any wrong attitude or anything they’ve done. Only celebration. Only fun. Only approval of the drunkenness, fornication, disobedience to parents, worldliness, and despicable dead apathy. The man of sorrows continues to be rejected.
We are all "concluded under sin" by the scripture. Yet only those who have believed and are saved have been able to perceive and agree with the words of Isaiah you bring up here. It is the confession of those who have received the "adoption of sons," and this comprises the "chosen," in other words God's elect— the people of God.
Hebrews 2:2-3 warns us that, "Every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him". This confirmation speaks of him that saw and heard those things the same Person who confirms it today, mentioned in John 19:35, Acts 5:32, 1 John 5:6.
The part of Isaiah you have brought up is the place people (the sons of God) are brought to when they turn away from their former way, because, we were once by nature the children of wrath. All have been concluded guilty of rejecting the Lord, smiting him and are without excuse. Every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward. Therefore, I would assert that this passage in Isaiah pertains to us all, yet may only be rightly perceived and confessed by one who is saved. In other words, I see every reason why this prophecy applies now just as much and to the same degree as at other times also. Including at the Philip Paul Bliss hymn.
A.T.
Andrew,
It's a prophecy of God's people recognizing their rejection of Jesus during his physical life on earth. They did this, so they confess it. That is the prophecy. Yes, it serves as a model, like I said. My point though of the post is the rejection of Jesus as the Man of Sorrows today, yes, today, not by the Jews, but by us, because today we, like them, don't want that Messiah. They didn't confess, I must confess that I couldn't believe, because I wasn't a part of the elect. No, they confessed that they didn't believe because of their pride, their ignorance, their unwillingness to receive the suffering Servant. Today it's seen in many, especially millennials, wanting a chipper, positive, always affirming leader (let alone ruler, which is a absolute no-go to have a ruler). They still reject the man of sorrows, even if it is a small-case man, who preaches the large case, Man.
Pastor Brandenburg,
It seems to me that you have agreed with my point.
"It's a prophecy of God's people recognizing their rejection of Jesus during his physical life on earth. They did this, so they confess it. That is the prophecy."
Exactly as I said.
"My point though of the post is the rejection of Jesus as the Man of Sorrows today,"
This still falls within God's people recognizing their past rejection of Jesus' ministry. It is, just like you say, an event that takes place at least two thousand years after Christ… It is an event that has taken place at Calvary and today. Anyone who is part of God's people is able to perceive the truth of this prophecy and confess this passage towards the Lord. I certainly wouldn't go with those who try to limit the "many" whose sin that he bore according to Isaiah 53:12. And as previously explained by me, this confession entirely belongs to the people of God. And, it is the Spirit which bears witness.
"No, they confessed that they didn't believe because of their pride, their ignorance, their unwillingness to receive the suffering Servant."
Absolutely. But are you not including yourself?
"Today it's seen in many, especially millennials, wanting a chipper, positive, always affirming leader"
There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
"They still reject the man of sorrows"
Ok so it's a matter of whether they will accept the hard truth given in Isaiah 52/53 and bear witness to it. The fact of the rejection stands fast, the question of confessing the fact falls to each individual. For as many as have at one point rejected him (his ministry) has he borne the sins of. Even someone two thousand years later can confess this. It seems to me that you have agreed with me.
I do not know why you seem for some reason to exclude yourself; I am included in the chosen people, the people of God. Maybe it has something to do with your third and fourth paragraphs, but it's not well explained.
Andrew,
Isaiah 53 is not a prophecy of me or everyone. It is a prophecy of Israel in the future even after Jesus Christ. I do not see myself in the prophecy. It's not me. It's not you. It is Israel. It APPLIES to me, because this is a saving confession. However, it doesn't mean that I rejected Jesus because He was a man of sorrows. I never in my entire life had that in mind. I do believe especially millennials don't like any men of sorrow–my point. They want what they want and if it doesn't fit into what they want, not all of them but enough to be characteristic of the whole, then they reject it, ghost it, put up boundaries against it. That is an APPLICATION. It is NOT the MEANING of Isaiah 53. I am interested in how that you get the interpretation of Isaiah 53 to EVERYONE though. I'm using CAPS for emphasis, not screaming (because I don't want to take the time to put in the html code for italics).
Pastor Brandenburg,
Thanks for the article and for your replies on this. Earlier you said (which I believe is accurate) that this was a prophecy of God's people recognizing their rejection of Jesus during his physical life on earth.
Now we also agree on this point, that this is a prophecy of a true statement rightly being made thousands of years later. That he was despised and we esteemed him not. And also, that with his stripes "we" are healed. Similarly, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Even though he died long before our time… he died for us in our lost condition. Due to the fact this is not a "limited atonement," the statement is true in general, but it is only confessed by saved persons. Others "deny the Lord that bought them," as we see mentioned in 2 Peter. Also— He is "the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." I hope that adequately explains the truth concerning this. Now to respond very briefly to something you brought up on the side of this.
"However, it doesn't mean that I rejected Jesus because He was a man of sorrows."
If you are able to elaborate on what you mean by this, it would help. Til then, I can't know what this is exactly supposed to mean. I don't see how that invalidates any of the above. For instance, a person two thousand years later was not physically present to reject the Lord either– yet You believe there are people two thousand years later who confess this. So what makes it apply to them in your mind.
"It's not me. It's not you."
Wait a second here, how is this being charitable? Excluding both me and you from Christ? You would even go so far as excluding me? If I'm not part of Israel according to God, then that means I haven't received the promises and not Jesus' own son, who is the heir according to the promise, See Galatians 3:16. Are you saying Matthew or Luke got their line of descent wrong somewhere?
Did he not say "it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God"?
Regards,
A.T.
To Pastor Brandenburg,
It is alright if what you think I have raised here (in the post above) is unimportant. All you have to do in this case is simply not respond to my question. I believe that this is important enough to be addressed, hence why I asked it.
Or likewise, if you already agree with me then by all means no response is necessary. Only if you think there is something legitimate worth admonishing even remotely, would I honestly hope you be able to address this sincere concern.
Andrew,
Isaiah 52-53 is a prophecy. It a prophecy about future repentant Israel, when Israel is converted. Actual Israel. Actual Jews. The 144,000 are not saved Gentiles.
Anyone with their type of confession can be saved, but it isn't a prophecy of those people. That's an application. Before you apply scripture, you interpret it, and it has only one meaning.
Pastor Brandenburg,
Thanks for your reply. This clarifies things. We can now perfectly agree on what you just wrote. After all, many may confess, but only some are doing so in sincerity.
A.T.
Oh yes, and, I apologize, I forgot to add this verse which I meant to:
Galatians 4:28
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
A.T.