Rev. David Holwick B
Boothbay Baptist Church
Boothbay, Maine
January 16, 2022 1 Peter 1:10-12
Isaiah 53
Psalm 22
KNOW MORE THAN A PROPHET
I. The Forbidden Chapter.
Jews, like Catholics, have a tradition of methodically reading
through the Bible in their worship services.
Even a few Baptists follow what is called a lectionary, a
set of Bible passages picked out for each Sunday.
Jews emphasize the first five books of the Bible which make up
what is called the Torah.
In their services they read through the entire Torah in three
years - some even do it every single year.
In addition to the Torah reading, a selection from the prophets
is read.
Their understanding of the prophets is a little broader than
you might think because they include what we call the
historical books - Joshua, Judges, Kings and Chronicles.
They call this reading of the prophets the Haftarah.
One prophetic book really shines in the Haftarah.
But when they get to the end of one of its chapters, they skip
over an entire chapter to get the next reading.
Why is that chapter skipped?
Jews argue many chapters are skipped because the goal is to
read passages that illuminate the Torah text for that week.
Even the most popular prophet has several chapters skipped.
Yet this missing chapter used to be included in the reading.
The 17th century Jewish historian, Raphael Levi, admitted that
rabbis used to read the chapter in synagogues, but after the
chapter caused "arguments and great confusion" they
decided it was easier to just delete that chapter.
#66384
What was that chapter?
It certainly wasn't the first chapter of 1 Peter!
But Peter has some very important things to say about the
prophets of the Old Testament.
II. Our salvation has a heritage.
A. Peter points to the Old Testament prophets. 1:10
1) They "saw" but didn't see all. (much like us)
a) They wanted to know more.
b) Much was hidden from their understanding.
One example is the prophet Habakkuk.
He wanted to know when God would judge the foreigners
who were destroying Israel.
God gave him a vision of the deliverance he would
provide, but he didn't tell the prophet when it would
happen.
God simply tells him, "Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come..." Hab 2:3
Daniel was told that the meaning of some of his visions
were sealed up until the time of the end. Dan 12:4
The meaning was even hidden from him.
2) Studying and insight are not enough. Truth must be REVEALED
to us by God.
a) Note "the Spirit of Christ" gave them their visions.
b) This probably indicates that it was Jesus who
inspired the prophets of the Old Testament.
1> (This is known as the pre-incarnate Jesus.)
B. Many liberals argue prophets were little more than preachers.
1) They were moral spokesmen to their people but that is all.
a) They were much like Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
b) The messages of the prophets DID have a current meaning.
1> Amos and other prophets spoke very strongly on
social injustice and other sins of their day.
2> Jesus did the same thing, condemning things like
evicting widows from their homes. Mark 12:40
2) But prophets also predicted things in the distant future.
a) Jeremiah was almost executed for predicting that
Jerusalem would fall to its enemies.
Leading citizens defended him by pointing to the
prophet Micah who had predicted the same thing,
and he had lived a century earlier. Jer 26:18
b) Predictions which were proved to be false resulted in
death by stoning for the prophet. Deut 18:22
C. What is the most important thing the prophets predicted?
1) The suffering of the Messiah and his glorification. 1:11
2) From the earliest days of Christianity, we have believed
that the events in Jesus' life were part of God's plan.
a) After his resurrection, Jesus himself tied his suffering
and glory to fulfilled prophecy. Luke 24:25-27
b) The first Christians preached this in most of their
messages in the book of Acts.
c) What passages were they thinking of?
III. The most significant prophecy about Jesus.
A. Isaiah 53 the chapter that is no longer read in synagogues.
1) Written 750 years before Jesus was born, it speaks of a
servant who suffers, dies, and apparently comes to life
again.
2) Christians have always believed it predicts Jesus.
B. What does the passage actually say?
1) The servant will not be good looking like most leaders.
a) Isaiah 52:13, where the prophecy actually begins,
says he will have a marred appearance. Beaten up?
b) In 53:2 it says he will have no majesty or beauty.
2) Verse 3, he will be rejected by the people.
a) He is despised and called a man of sorrows.
b) Verse 5 says his rejection is redemptive - he is
carrying our sorrows, his wounds heal us.
3) Verse 7 says he will be silent before his oppressors.
a) Jesus was silent under questioning by Pilate.
4) Verse 8 says he will be cut off, or killed.
5) His death and grave are associated with the wicked and rich.
a) Jesus was crucified between two criminals.
b) He was buried in rich Joseph of Arimathea's grave.
6) Even though he is killed, verse 10 says "he shall prolong
his days."
a) Christians see an allusion to his resurrection here.
7) He will bear our sins and make us righteous. 53:11
C. There is controversy over who this passage predicts.
1) Down through the years, at least 15 people have been
identified as the suffering servant of this passage.
a) See Acts 8:34 - the eunuch wonders if it could be
Isaiah himself.
b) Some ancient Jews suggested King Hezekiah, who had his
life extended by God.
c) Even in Jesus's day, others claimed to be the Messiah.
2) Modern Jews apply it to the nation of Israel, not a person.
a) It is an ancient interpretation - a rabbi debating the
Christian leader Origen used it in A.D. 248.
b) Many passages in Isaiah do refer to the entire nation
being God's servant.
Isaiah 41:8-9 reads:
"But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, "You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off."
Isaiah 43:10-11, 44:1-21, 45:4, 48:20 and 49:3 make
the same equation.
A modern Jewish tract shows a photo of a Nazi firing
squad executing Jewish civilians.
On each of the soldiers is written one of these verses.
The comment underneath bitingly says,
"One nation's identity stolen and given to a single
person:
Israel's identity hijacked and given to Yeshua/Jesus."
The writer obviously considers our interpretation of
Isaiah 53 to be anti-Semitic. [1]
c) But many ancient Jewish rabbis and scholars did believe
the servant of Isaiah 53 was an individual.
d) Isaiah 53:8 says the servant "was stricken for the
transgression of my people."
1> Who was Isaiah's "people"? The nation of Israel.
2> The Servant must be separate from the nation.
IV. The psalm of the crucifixion.
A. Psalm 22 gives vivid testimony to what Jesus endured.
1) Jesus himself quoted verse one while on the cross - "My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
a) This has bothered Christians from the beginning.
b) Jesus wasn't losing his faith, but experiencing the
weight of our sins separating him from his Father.
2) Like Isaiah 53, he is scorned and despised. 22:5
a) Verse 6 even refers to the jeering of the crowd.
3) He has been devoted to God since being in the womb. 22:9
4) The physical effects of crucifixion are described:
a) Bones out of joint. 22:14,17
b) Heart is melted within his breast. 22:14
c) Severe thirst. 22:15
d) Pierced hands and feet. 22:16
(crucifixion victims found in Israel - and England)
e) His clothing is divided up by dice. 22:18
B. A double fulfillment?
1) The psalm was written by King David to describe his own
turmoil.
2) Yet it is clear it goes far beyond what that king endured.
a) Even medieval Jewish sages like Rashi recognized this
and applied the psalm to the Messiah.
V. The ancient prophets serve us.
A. They spoke of New Testament grace. 1:10
1) Grace is God's favor that we don't deserve.
a) As Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 teach, we are sinners and
need to be redeemed.
b) Jesus was sacrificed FOR US.
2) We can benefit from what the prophets say.
a) Many find it convincing enough to be converted.
Growing up Roman Catholic in Louisiana, Michael Girouard
believed the Bible was a fairy tale that couldn't be trusted.
Yet as a college student at Southeastern Louisiana University,
he began to read a Bible someone gave him.
"The claims of Jesus of being the only way to God amazed me,"
he said.
That salvation was a gift from God went against everything he
was taught as a child.
He had always been led to believe you had to be faithful in
church attendance and follow the Ten Commandments.
After finishing medical school he became a doctor.
But he continued to wrestle with the difference between his
upbringing and the truths of the Bible.
Girouard soon began to explore the scientific aspects of
the Bible.
He began to realize that the probability of all the Old
Testament prophecies being fulfilled was scientifically
impossible.
Something supernatural had to have occurred.
The probabilities that really interested him were the
messianic prophecies.
One man -- Jesus Christ -- fulfilled 332 of those specific
prophecies.
To fulfill just 48 of those, the probability would be one
chance in 10 to the 157th power.
Girouard noted if an event has a probability of just one chance
in 10 to the 45th power, it will never be observed to occur
naturally on the earth.
If it does come true, it exceeds the natural laws of science.
Based upon mathematics alone, he came to the conclusion that
the Bible was the writing of a supernatural being.
As a result of his research, Girouard became a Christian.
"Jesus said that he was the cure for death," Girouard said.
"He promised eternal life, and that was supernatural.
That was something I as a doctor hadn't been able to give to
my patients or to myself."
As he puts it, "I resigned from practicing medicine because
I wanted to save lives."
He is now a full-time minister and a popular speaker at
Christian and secular high school and colleges.
#3467
3) We have been blessed by God in ways the prophets were not,
because we can know and experience the fullness of Jesus.
B. It is wrong to separate the Old Testament from the New.
1) Early Baptists emphasized the New Testament as our standard
of faith.
2) It is more correct to say that both the Old and New
Testaments are our standard for finding God's truth.
a) As Jesus himself said, he did not come to abolish the
Law or the Prophets (= Old Testament) but to fulfill
them. Matt 5:17
b) Aspects are already fulfilled, such as the purification
of all food, but the moral and spiritual law remains.
c) Pastor John MacArthur says,
"Now let me make it as clear as I can to you.
The Old Testament is not a collection of the wisdom
of ancient men.
The Old Testament is not a collection of the best
religious thinking.
The Old Testament is not a collection of the good
musings of godly people.
"The Old Testament is the Word of God.
It's not the thinking of any men, good men, godly men
or ancient men in and of themselves.
It is the word of God." #64288
C. Peter says preachers carry on this heritage. 1:12
1) We preach by the Holy Spirit from heaven.
a) Like prophets, we need God's help to communicate.
b) Unlike prophets, you're not supposed to stone us if
we get it wrong!
2) Our message is simple: the gospel, God's good news for us.
VI. The wonder of our salvation. 1:12
A. Prophets wondered enough to investigate the details.
1) (note how Daniel dug into Jeremiah's prophecies.)
2) They did not always know the end result of what they
prophesied, or when it would be fulfilled.
B. Angels long to look into it.
1) Many people today are fascinated by angels.
a) Angels are more fascinated by you!
2) Our salvation is different.
a) Angels had a choice of who to follow when Satan rebelled
in heaven. It was a one-time decision.
b) All humans fall into sin and deserve eternal death,
but we get a second chance to repent and be saved.
3) Angels rejoice in heaven when we are saved. Luke 15:10
With sweat beading on his forehead and a knot in his stomach,
Pastor Shane Pruitt stood behind a funeral home podium staring
at a crowd of several hundred people.
Between the crowd and the pastor was a casket three feet in length
with a child inside it who was way too young.
He gave hope from the Bible which he believed was the only thing
that could help in this dreadful moment.
In grasping and searching for the right words to help others, we
tend to believe and say things that are not biblically true.
Pastor Pruitt has often heard people say, or post on social media,
that "God gained another angel today."
They mean well, and in a sensitive time like at a funeral it is not
proper to try to correct them.
It is actually better for you to be human than it is for you to be
an angel.
Angels have no hope of redemption or forgiveness or grace. We do.
As long as we commit ourselves to the Lord Jesus.
#65864
C. Have YOU looked into this wonderful salvation?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] “Isaiah 53: The Forbidden Chapter,” by R. L. Solberg, 2020;
<http://rlsolberg.com/isaiah-53/>.
# 3467 “Math Helped Physician Grasp Supernatural, Biblical Faith,” by
Dena Dyer, Online Christianity Today, November 20, 1995.
#64288 “John MacArthur On the Bible,” by John MacArthur,
SermonCentral.com.
#65864 “Death and Angels,” by Shane Pruitt, Baptist Press,
baptistpress.org, June 23, 2017.
#66384 “Isaiah 53 – The Forbidden Chapter,” by Dr. Eitan Bar, October 2017;
<https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/inescapable-truth-isaiah-53/>.
Dr. Bar gives the impression that Rashi invented the "national"
interpretation for Isaiah 53 but it had already been encountered
in the early centuries of Christianity. In Origen's "Contra
Celsum," written in 248, Origen debates an unnamed rabbi who
gives this interpretation. Origen pointed out that the passage
refers to the nation separately from the Servant.
A number of Jewish websites say that it is not forbidden to
read Isaiah 53, it is just not included in the haftarah and
many other passages in the prophets are skipped as well. The
key argument is that Isaiah 53 used to included, and now is not.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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