Jehovah Exalts His Messianic Servant

IMAGINE that you are to meet with an important dignitary. The time and the place of your meeting are set.  But there is a problem: You do not know what he looks like, and he will be traveling discreetly, without fanfare.  How will you recognize him?  It would help if you had a detailed description of him.

In the early part of the first century C.E., many Jews faced a situation like this.  They were expecting the Messiah-the most important man who would ever live.  (Daniel 9:24-27; Luke 3:15)  But how were faithful Jews to recognize him?  Jehovah, by means of the Hebrew prophets, had painted a detailed  written portrait of events surrounding the Messiah that would enable  discerning ones to identify him unmistakably. 

Among the Hebrew prophecies of the Messiah, perhaps none provide a clearer picture than that recorded at Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Over 700 years in advance , Isaiah described, not the physical appearance of the Messiah, but details that were more significant-the purpose and manner of his suffering and specifics about his death, burial, and exaltation. A consideration of this prophecy and its fulfillment will warm our hearts and strengthen our faith. 

Next time: "My Servant"-Who Is He?

From the Book Isaiah's Prophecy Light for all Mankind, Volume II, 2001