Isaiah does not say that it is G-d's will that the servant die, let alone to die for mankind. The T'nach makes it clear that no one can die for the sins of another person. We are each responsible for our own actions. Read D'varim / Deuteronomy 24:16 "Fathers shall not die [through the testimony] of their sons, and sons shall not die [through the testimony] of their fathers, since [in any case] every man shall die for his sins." G-d's judging of us is done as a father correcting his child -- in the hope that the child learns and becomes a better person. "The wicked shall give up his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts, and he shall return to HaShem, Who shall have mercy upon him, and to our G-d, for He will freely pardon." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 55:7. And "Do I desire the death of the wicked? says HaShem G-d. Is it not rather in his repenting of his ways that he may live?" Y'chezkel / Ezekiel 18:23. When G-d judges us, He does so with mercy. As King David once said "let us fall now into the hand of HaShem; for His mercies are great; but into the hand of man let me not fall." Shmuel 2 / 2 Samuel 24:14. So the list maker (and much of Christianity) is wrong to think that G-d would accept a "human sacrifice." Vicarious atonement of a person dying for the sins of another is completely forbidden. Moses even offered his life for his people -- and G-d rejected the idea. "the next day that Moses said to the people: "You have committed a grave sin. And now I will go up to the L-rd; perhaps I will obtain atonement for your sin." And Moses returned to the L-rd and said: "Please! This people has committed a grave sin. They have made themselves a god of gold. And now, if You forgive their sin But if not, erase me now from Your book, which You have written." And the L-rd said to Moses: "Whoever has sinned against Me, him I will erase from My book!"" Sh'mot / Exodus 32:30=34. No one can die for your sins. And Isaiah's servant is not one person. The prophet has already made it clear that the servant cannot be one person, but pertains to more than one (plural servant). This excludes Jesus from being Isaiah's servant. Most Christian translations is found in line 9 which says "He submitted his grave to evil people; submitted to his executions with the wealthy, for committing no crime, and with no deceit in his mouth." First notice that the servant will suffer multiple executions (בְּמֹתָ֑יו / b'motav). Go back now and read verse 8, the line preceding this verse. . . "He was released from captivity and judgment; who could have imagined such a generation? For he was removed from the land of the living; because of my people's sin (the sins of the non-Jewish nations) they (the Jews) were afflicted." The line ends with "they were" / לָֽמוֹ lamo -- plural, further emphasizing that Isaiah is speaking of multiple people and multiple deaths. . . Thus בְּמֹתָ֑יו / b'motav (“in their deaths”) in verse 9 is plural referring back to the phrase נֶ֥גַע לָֽמֹו / nĕga lamo ("they were afflicted") at the end of verse 8, yet, most Christian translations have "death" (singular) and "he was stricken" singular -- both incorrect. The servant is more than one person. If today's verse does not say the servant (plural) must die to atone for the sins of others, what does it say? Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10 says "HaShem desired to oppress him and He afflicted him; if his soul would acknowledge guilt he would see offspring and live long days and the desire or HaShem would succeed in his hand." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10.
Nothing about dying, let alone dying for the sins of others. But why would G-d want to oppress and afflict His servant? To encourage the servant to admit his wrongdoings -- and turn back to G-d. This is why the very next part of the verse says if his soul would acknowledge guilt he would see offspring and live long days and the desire or HaShem would succeed in his hand." Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10. G-d warned us what would happen to us Jews if we did not heed His mitzvot. "But this is what will happen] if you do not listen to Me, and do not keep all these commandments. 26:15 If you come to denigrate My decrees, and grow tired of My laws, then you will not keep all My commandments, and you will have broken My covenant. 26:16 I will then do the same to you. I will bring upon you feelings of anxiety, along with depression and excitement, destroying your outlook and making life hopeless. . . "I will scatter you among the nations, and keep the sword drawn against you. Your land will remain desolate, and your cities in ruins." Vayikra / Leviticus 26:14 - 16, 33. G-d does not punish us out of cruelty. G-d is a loving parent, and a responsible parent may have to punish a child for that child to learn to be a better person. "But when the time finally comes that their stubborn spirit is humbled, I will forgive their sin." Vayikra / Leviticus 26:41. G-d punishes us, His servant, for turning away from Him -- and this extends to our behavior, just believing in G-d is insufficient. We must follow the mitzvot, most of which have to do with being good to our fellow man. The second Temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred of Jew against Jew. . . Notice that G-d says He will forgive our sin. And there is no mention of blood. No mention of a blood sacrifice let alone the disgusting idea that a human being should be painfully executed as some sort of abhorrent "sacrifice." So ask yourself: did G-d desire to oppress, crush and afflict His people, the Jews? The answer is yes. "As happy as G-d was to be good to you and increase you, so will He be happy to exile you and destroy you. You will be torn up from the land which you are about to occupy. G-d will scatter you among the nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will serve idolators who worship gods of wood and stone, unknown to you and your fathers. Among those nations you will feel insecure, and there will be no place for your foot to rest. There God will make you cowardly, destroying your outlook and making life hopeless. Among those nations you will feel insecure, and there will be no place for your foot to rest. There G-d will make you cowardly, destroying your outlook and making life hopeless. . . " D'varim / Deuteronomy 28:63 - 64, "There shall come a time when you shall experience all the words of blessing and curse that I have presented to you. There, among the nations where G-d will have banished you, you will reflect on the situation. You will then return to G-d your L-rd, and you will obey Him, doing everything that I am commanding you today. You and your children [will repent] with all your heart and with all your soul. G-d will then bring back your remnants and have mercy on you. G-d your L-rd will once again gather you from among all the nations where He scattered you." D'varim / Deuteronomy 30:1 - 3. G-d desired to oppress His people as a method to have us return to Him -- at which time He will return us to our land, Israel in the true messianic era. None of this happened 2000 years ago with Jesus. 2000 years ago the Jews were not in exile -- we were exiled a mere 40 years after Jesus' death. . . Y'shayahu / Isaiah 53:10 says "HaShem desired to oppress him and He afflicted him; if his soul would acknowledge guilt he would see offspring and live long days and the desire or HaShem would succeed in his hand." G-d warned us what would happen if we failed to keep our contract. . . this was not done out of cruelty, but out of love. Just as a parent punishes a child in hopes that the child will learn and not endanger their life so too G-d is our ultimate Father and wants us to learn to be good people. Here is a translation along with the Artscroll Stone Edition footnotes at the bottom of each response to aid in your understanding of the passage. Y'shayahu / Isaiah 52:13 Behold, My servant will succeed; he will be exalted and become high and exceedingly lofty. 14 Just as multitudes were astonished over you (saying) "His appearance is too marred to be a man's, and his visage to be human, 15 so will the many nations exclaim about him, and kings will shut their mouths (in amazement) for they will see that which had never been told to them, and will perceive things they had never heard. 53:1 Who would believe what we have heard! For whom has the arm of HaShem been revealed? 2 In the past he grew like a sapling or like the root from dry ground; he had neither form nor beauty. We saw him, but without a desirable appearance. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and accustomed to being sick. As one from whom we would hide our faces; he was despised and we had no regard for him. 4 But in truth it was our ills and he carried our pains -- but we had regarded him diseased, stricken by G-d and afflicted! 5 He was wounded as a result (because of) our rebellious transgressions, and oppressed as a result our iniquities. The chastisement upon him was for our benefit, and through his wounds we were healed. 6 We have all strayed like sheep each of us turning his own way and HaShem inflicted upon him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was persecuted and afflicted but did not open his mouth; like a sheep being led to the slaughter or a ewe that is silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 he was removed far away from the land where they lived and a plague came upon them (לָֽמוֹ / lamo) through the transgression of my people (the gentile nations). He submitted to the grave with the wicked and joined with the wealthy in his executions (בְּמֹתָ֑יו / b'motav) 9 He submitted himself to his grave like evil men; and the wealthy (submitted) to his executions for committing no crime and with no deceit in his mouth. 10 HaShem desired to oppress him and He afflicted him; if his physical being would acknowledge guilt he would see offspring and live long days and the desire or HaShem would succeed in his hand. 11. He (he servant) would see (the purpose) and be satisfied with his life's (not immortal soul) distress. With his knowledge My servant will cause the multitudes to be righteous; it is their וַעֲוֹנתָם / iniquities (for impulsive, lustful wrongdoings) that he will carry. 12. Therefore, I will assign him a portion in public and he will divide the mighty as spoils -- in return for having poured out his life for death and being counted among the wicked, for he bore the sin of the many, and prayed for the wicked. Footnotes from Artscroll Stone Edition: Isaiah 52:13 i.e. G-d's servant the people of Israel (Rashi) 52:15 Just as Israel had once been astonishingly degraded, so it will astonish the nations by its exaltedness when the time of redemption arrives. 53:1-3 this is the prophecy foretelling what the nations and their kings will exclaim when they witness Israel's rejuvenation. The nations will contrast their former scornful attitude toward the Jews (vv. 1-3) with their new realization of Israel's grandeur (vv 4-7). 53:5 we brought suffering upon Israel for our own selfish purposes; it was not, as we had claimed, that G-d was punishing Israel for its own evil behavior. 53:6 We sinned by inflicting punishment upon Israel. Such oppression is often described as "Hashem's punishment" (see 10:5, Habakkuk 1:12), for He decreed that it should happen (Abarbanel). 53:8 When Israel's exile is finally ended the nations will marvel that such a generation could have survived the expulsion from "the land of the living, i.e. Israel, that the nations had sinfully inflicted upon it. 53:9 Ordinary Jews chose to die like common criminals, rather than renounce their faith; and wealthy Jews were killed for no reason other than to enable their wicked conquerors to confiscate their riches (Radak). 53:10 That is, Israel. G-d replies to the nations that Israel's suffering was a punishment for its own sins; and when the people realize this and repent, they will be redeemed and rewarded. 53:11 Israel will teach the nations of G-d's righteousness.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Photos used under Creative Commons from dionhinchcliffe, paulasenciogonzalez, paulasenciogonzalez, amy32080, petersbar, Aaron Stokes, amboo who?, Damian Gadal, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, SharonaGott, Udo Schröter, paulasenciogonzalez, Joybot, zeevveez, ianmunroe, freeqstyler, quinn.anya, Ivy Nichols, Groman123, UnknownNet Photography, torbakhopper, “Caveman Chuck” Coker, CarbonNYC [in SF!], dgoomany, Lion Multimedia Production U.S.A., oldandsolo, dbeck03