Who is the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53?
First and foremost, let us examine the very word, servant. It is translated into English as slave, but its proper context is indentured servant. Remember, every seven years the indentured servant is to be released from bondage, since by Mosaic law his debt has been cancelled (Exodus 21:2, Jeremiah 34:14). Not only is the slave to be freed, but the master must provide goods to help him along, as specified in Deuteronomy 15:12-15. This has been adopted by many cultures throughout world history, is still used among Chinese immigrants and is even the basis for credit/debt in the U.S.

In certain instances, the servant will choose to serve indefinitely. It may be difficult to understand from our western perspective, but it was quite common in ancient Israel. It is very clearly explained in Exodus 21:2-5; if while in service the slave marries and has a family, he must leave them behind. However, if he chooses to stay with his wife and children, then he must serve his master for the remainder of his life. If that is the case, then the slave and the master perform a ritual as described in Exodus 21:6 and repeated in Deuteronomy 15:17. The master pierces the ear of the slave and presses the awl into a door, thereby symbolically attaching the slave to the home and marking him as a servant for life. In much the same way, the Suffering Servant was pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5) and pressed not onto a door but to a stake (1 Peter 2:24). We ourselves become bondservants to Christ (Galatians 1:10) and live out our own Exodus (deliverance) 21:6 under our divine Door (John 10:9).

Exodus 21:32 demands that the recompense for a slave’s death was 30 pieces of silver. Interestingly enough, in Hosea 3:1-2 YHVH instructs the prophet Hosea to marry an adulterous woman, as a symbol of His love for adulterous Israel, who kept returning to pagan worship. So Hosea took Gomer for a wife: the exact word used is bought, but it also infers trade, or perhaps a form of dowry. Hosea offers a payment of 15 pieces of silver and an homer and a half of barley, which bible scholars believer to equate to another 15 pieces of silver. Keep in mind, the barley infers to the redemption of an adulterous wife, as stated in Numbers 5:15. So in effect, Hosea redeems his wife with thirty pieces of silver. I don’t believe it’s coincidental that Jesus was betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). It makes perfect sense that the Lord Jesus Christ redeemed mankind from adultery to YHVH and that His earthly death as a servant was paid for with the exact amount decreed in Mosaic law.

While not prophetic (or at least not very obviously so) I find Genesis 24 to be a foreshadow of Christ’s gift to His bride, the Church. A “bride payment” is very common in the Middle East. It is the opposite of a dowry, which is the gift from the bride to the groom. A bride payment is a gift given to the bride as proof that the groom will be able to provide for the bride. As a matter of fact, Deuteronomy 24:5 stipulates that the groom must be able to spend the first year of marriage at home with his bride, meaning he must be able to provide financially for her without needing to work for a year. The Lord Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for His bride: His shed blood and the finished work on the cross. We wait in joyful anticipation for the Groom and His marriage supper.

Isaiah 53:7 foreshadowed Christ standing before Pontius Pilate, who offered Him a chance to defend Himself as Jesus answered not a word (Mark 15:3-5). Isaiah 53:10 may be confusing when read with the natural eye, but when read in its spiritual context it makes perfect sense and I for one am grateful for this prophecy. I’ll break down verse 10 using the HalleluYah Scriptures version. “He would see a seed” refers to the birth of Christianity. “He would prolong His days” may seem to contradict the preceding verse, but it simply refers to the Lord’s resurrection and return to eternity, where He is now seated at the right hand of the Father. And “the pleasure of YHVH prosper in His hand” means that the goal was accomplished: mankind was offered redemption through the sacrifice of Christ. The very last verse is another prophetic gem, which parallels Philippians 2:9, Luke 23 verses 34 and 43, Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25.

There are verses scattered throughout the Old Testament that prophesy the birth, ministry, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53 is but one chapter. I chose to do this bible study first and foremost because the Holy Spirit pressed it upon me, but also because I believe every Christian should study Scripture: to show myself approved to God, a believer that needs not be ashamed because she rightly dissects and interprets the Word (2 Timothy 2:15). We are to be ready at all times to defend the gospel (1 Peter 3:15), in and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). The only way to do so is through daily prayer and study. I pray this blesses you.