Isaiah 53:11

Isaiah 53:11

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

1. “He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied…”

a. [He] shall see [Strong: 7200 ra'ah raw-aw'; a primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative):--advise self, appear, approve, behold, X certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, X indeed, X joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, X be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one another), shew (self), X sight of others, (e-)spy, stare, X surely, X think, view, visions.]

b. [of the] travail [5999 `amal aw-mawl'; from 5998; toil, i.e. wearing effort; hence, worry, wheth. of body or mind:--grievance(-vousness), iniquity, labour, mischief, miserable(-sery), pain(-ful), perverseness, sorrow, toil, travail, trouble, wearisome, wickedness.]

c. [of his] soul [Strong: 5315 nephesh neh'-fesh from 5314; a breathing creature] [Blue Letter Bible: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion, that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man, living being, living being (with life in the blood), the man himself, self, person or individual seat of the appetites, seat of emotions and passions, activity of mind, dubious, activity of the will, dubious, activity of the character, dubious.]

d. [and shall be] satisfied [Strong: 7646  saba` saw-bah' or sabeay {saw-bay'-ah}; a primitive root; to sate, i.e. fill to satisfaction (literally or figuratively):--have enough, fill (full, self, with), be (to the) full (of), have plenty of, be satiate, satisfy (with), suffice, be weary of.]

1). The period of time mentioned here is from the time Jesus began pray in the garden, his arrest and trial before the Sanhedrin, trial before Pilate, the crucifixion and death and his suffering in hell. As mentioned previously a part of Isaiah 53:10 must be combined with the beginning of verse 11 to further understand it. But I’m going to alter it a little bit by combining Isaiah 53:10, and 11 to see more clearly the revelation I believe is here.

2). “…when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin… he shall see the travail of his soul…he shall see his seed… and shall be satisfied.”

a). Because of the context and because of the revelation of the whole man is spirit, soul and body, I believe his whole being was in travail, while he was standing before the Sanhedrin, before Pilate and still alive on the cross and after he died, his spirit and soul continued to suffer travail in the heart of the earth, paying the debt of our sin. Jesus suffered for our sins while he was on the cross when he became our sin and at that moment he was separated from his Father.

b). Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

c). Bible scholars have for centuries taught that the majority of Psalm 22 is a prophetic glimpse of Jesus on the cross. Psalm 22 gives us a partial revelation of the suffering, “the travail of his soul”. We must remember that this was not the suffering of one individual that Jesus was experiencing, he was suffering for all of mankind, all of mankind’s sin was laid on him, he became the sin of all mankind.

(1) Psalm 22:1-21 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

22:2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

22:4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

22:5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

22:7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

22:8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

22:9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

22:10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

22:11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

22:12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

22:13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

22:17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

22:18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

22:19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

22:21 Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

d). I have read articles by medical doctors detailing some of the verses in this Psalm with the physical complications that occur in crucifixion.

(1) The Anatomical And Physiological Details Of Death By Crucifixion: By Dr. C. Truman Davis, A Physician Analyzes the Crucifixion. From New Wine Magazine, April 1982. Originally published in Arizona Medicine, March 1965, Arizona Medical Association: Crucifixion was invented by the Persians in 300 BC, and perfected by the Romans in 100 BC. It is the most painful death ever invented by man and is where we get our term “excruciating.” It was reserved primarily for the most vicious of male criminals. Jesus refused the anaesthetic wine which was offered to Him by the Roman soldiers because of His promise in Matthew 26: 29, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” Jesus was stripped naked and His clothing divided by the Roman guards. This was in fulfilment of Psalm 22:18, “They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” The Crucifixion of Jesus guaranteed a horrific, slow, painful death. Having been nailed the Cross, Jesus now had an impossible anatomical position to maintain. Jesus’ knees were flexed at about 45 degrees, and He was forced to bear His weight with the muscles of His thigh, which is not an anatomical position which is possible to maintain for more than a few minutes without severe cramp in the muscles of the thigh and calf. Jesus’ weight was borne on His feet, with nails driven through them. As the strength of the muscles of Jesus’ lower limbs tired, the weight of His body had to be transferred to His wrists, His arms, and His shoulders. Within a few minutes of being placed on the Cross, Jesus’ shoulders were dislocated. Minutes later Jesus’ elbows and wrists became dislocated. The result of these upper limb dislocations is that His arms were 9 inches longer than normal, as clearly shown on the Shroud. In addition prophecy was fulfilled in Psalm 22:14, “I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint.” After Jesus’ wrists, elbows, and shoulders were dislocated, the weight of His body on his upper limbs caused traction forces on the Pectoralis Major muscles of His chest wall. These traction forces caused His rib cage to be pulled upwards and outwards, in a most unnatural state. His chest wall was permanently in a position of maximal respiratory inspiration. In order to exhale, Jesus was physiologically required to force His body. In order to breathe out, Jesus had to push down on the nails in His feet to raise His body, and allow His rib cage to move downwards and inwards to expire air from His lungs. His lungs were in a resting position of constant maximum inspiration. Crucifixion is a medical catastrophe. The problem was that Jesus could not easily push down on the nails in His feet because the muscles of His legs, bent at 45 degrees, were extremely fatigued, in severe cramp, and in an anatomically compromised position. Unlike all Hollywood movies about the Crucifixion, the victim was extremely active. The crucified victim was physiologically forced to move up and down the cross, a distance of about 12 inches, in order to breathe. The process of respiration caused excruciating pain, mixed with the absolute terror of asphyxiation. As the six hours of the Crucifixion wore on, Jesus was less and less able to bear His weight on His legs, as His thigh and calf muscles became increasingly exhausted. There was increasing dislocation of His wrists, elbows and shoulders, and further elevation of His chest wall, making His breathing more and more difficult Within minutes of crucifixion Jesus became severely dyspnoeic (short of breath). His movements up and down the Cross to breathe caused excruciating pain in His wrist, His feet, and His dislocated elbows and shoulders. The movements became less frequent as Jesus became increasingly exhausted, but the terror of imminent death by asphyxiation forced Him to continue in His efforts to breathe. Jesus’ lower limb muscles developed excruciating cramp from the effort of pushing down on His legs, to raise His body, so that He could breathe out, in their anatomically compromised position. The pain from His two shattered median nerves in His wrists exploded with every movement. Jesus was covered in blood and sweat. The blood was a result of the Scourging that nearly killed Him, and the sweat as a result of His violent involuntary attempts to effort to expire air from His lungs. Throughout all this He was completely naked, and the leaders of the Jews, the crowds, and the thieves on both sides of Him were jeering, swearing and laughing at Him. In addition, Jesus’ own mother was watching. Physiologically, Jesus’ body was undergoing a series of catastrophic and terminal events. Because Jesus could not maintain adequate ventilation of His lungs, He was now in a state of hypoventilation (inadequate ventilation). His blood oxygen level began to fall, and He developed Hypoxia (low blood oxygen). In addition, because of His restricted respiratory movements, His blood carbon dioxide (CO2) level began to rise, a condition known as Hypercapnia. This rising CO2 level stimulated His heart to beat faster in order to increase the delivery of oxygen, and the removal of CO2 The Respiratory Centre in Jesus’ brain sent urgent messages to his lungs to breathe faster, and Jesus began to pant. Jesus’ physiological reflexes demanded that He took deeper breaths, and He involuntarily moved up and down the Cross much faster, despite the excruciating pain. The agonising movements spontaneously started several times a minute, to the delight of the crowd who jeered Him, the Roman soldiers, and the Sanhedrin. However, due to the nailing of Jesus to the Cross and His increasing exhaustion, He was unable to provide more oxygen to His oxygen starved body. The twin forces of Hypoxia (too little oxygen) and Hypercapnia (too much CO2) caused His heart to beat faster and faster, and Jesus developed Tachycardia. Jesus’ heart beat faster and faster, and His pulse rate was probably about 220 beats/ minute, the maximum normally sustainable. Jesus had drunk nothing for 15 hours, since 6 pm the previous evening. Jesus had endured a scourging which nearly killed Him. He was bleeding from all over His body following the Scourging, the crown of thorns, the nails in His wrists and feet, and the lacerations following His beatings and falls. Jesus was already very dehydrated, and His blood pressure fell alarmingly. His blood pressure was probably about 80/50. He was in First Degree Shock, with Hypovolaemia (low blood volume), Tachycardia (excessively fast Heart Rate), Tachypnoea (excessively fast Respiratory Rate), and Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).   By about noon Jesus’ heart probably began to fail. Jesus’ lungs probably began to fill up with Pulmonary Oedema. This only served to exacerbate His breathing, which was already severely compromised. Jesus was in Heart Failure and Respiratory Failure. Jesus said, “I thirst” because His body was crying out for fluids. Jesus was in desperate need of an intravenous infusion of blood and plasma to save His life Jesus could not breathe properly and was slowly suffocating to death. At this stage Jesus probably developed a Hemopericardium. Plasma and blood gathered in the space around His heart, called the Pericardium. This fluid around His heart caused Cardiac Tamponade (fluid around His heart, which prevented Jesus’ heart from beating properly). Because of the increasing physiological demands on Jesus’ heart, and the advanced state of Hemopericardium, Jesus probably eventually sustained Cardiac Rupture. His heart literally burst. This was probably the cause of His death. To slow the process of death the soldiers put a small wooden seat on the Cross, which would allow Jesus the “privilege” of bearing His weight on his sacrum. The effect of this was that it could take up to nine days to die on a Cross. When the Romans wanted to expedite death they would simply break the legs of the victim, causing the victim to suffocate in a matter of minutes. This was called Crurifragium. At three o’clock in the afternoon Jesus said, “Tetelastai,” meaning, “It is finished.” At that moment, He gave up His Spirit, and He died. When the soldiers came to Jesus to break His legs, He was already dead. Not a bone of His body was broken, in fulfilment of prophecy (above). Jesus died after six hours of the most excruciating and terrifying torture ever invented. Jesus died so that ordinary people like you and me could go to Heaven.

3). The physical and soulish/mental, emotional suffering shown in Psalm 22 was clearly fulfilled while Jesus was on the cross; but it was not the complete fulfillment. The revelation of the Scriptures tell that Jesus was made our sin. We can see in these verses a partial fulfillment of the travail of his soul. During this part, Jesus has already had the iniquity of us all laid on him, he has been forsaken of God, his Father.

a). 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

4). The prophetic foreshadow of this act of redemption is in the Old Covenant.

a). Numbers 21:4-9 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

21:5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

21:6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

21:7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

21:8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

21:9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

b). John 3:14, 15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

3:15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

5). After Jesus died physically he went to hell.

a). Acts 2:25-31 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

2:26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:

2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

2:28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.

2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

b). Ephesians 4:8, 9 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

c). Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

d). Romans 10:7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

6). Knowing that Jesus went to hell and as Jesus himself said in Matthew 12:40, that he would be there three days. What happened during the three days?  Jesus suffered in hell the punishments meant for us.

a). Acts 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

(1) pains [5604 * odin] Strongs: the pain of childbirth, travail pain, birth pangs

intolerable anguish, in reference to the dire calamities precede the advent of the Messiah.]

(2) Note that the pains of death were loosed before Jesus was raised. The death referred to in Acts 2:24 is the death Jesus suffered by the grace of God for all mankind mentioned in Hebrews.

(3) Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

b). Psalm 88:1-8 O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:

88:2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;

88:3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.

88:4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:

88:5 Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.

88:6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.

88:7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.

88:8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance for from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.

(1) We must remember the words of verses 10 and 11 here: “When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed…he shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.” When Jesus was being made an offering for sin, we were in view. Here we see the demands of justice being met, satisfied and sin being paid for.

c). Psalm 71:20, 21 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

71:21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

2. “…by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”

a. by his knowledge [Strong: 1847 da`ath dah'-ath; from 3045; knowledge:--cunning, (ig-)norantly, know(-ledge), (un-)awares (wittingly).]

b. shall my righteous [Strong: 6662 tsaddiyq tsad-deek'; from 6663; just:--just, lawful, righteous (man).]

c. servant [Strong: 5650 `ebed eh'-bed; from 5647; a servant:--X bondage, bondman, (bond-)servant, (man-)servant.]

d. justify [Strong: 6663 tsadaq tsaw-dak'; a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) right (in a moral or forensic sense):--cleanse, clear self, (be, do) just(-ice, -ify, -ify self), (be turn to) righteous(-ness).]

e. many [Strong: 7227 rab rab; by contracted from 7231; abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality):--(in) abound(-undance, -ant, -antly), captain, elder, enough, exceedingly, full, great(-ly, man, one), increase, long (enough, (time)), (do, have) many(-ifold, things, a time), ((ship-))master, mighty, more, (too, very) much, multiply(-tude), officer, often(-times), plenteous, populous, prince, process (of time), suffice(-lent).]

1). I want to repeat what we discussed in Isaiah 53:5 how that we received the peace while Jesus received the chastisement and the fact that the peace was accomplished because of the resurrection, i.e., when we were justified Jesus was raised. Our justification comes from Christ alone and what he did for us. It was completely substitutionary! Jesus bore our sin in our place. When he was justified we were justified.

a). Romans 4:23-5:1 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

(1) Most Christians look at that passage in the wrong way. They think, because the Bible says, “being justified by faith” they believe its their faith that Romans 5:1 is referring to. Saints, that is not what its saying.

(2) Romans 4:25 [NASB] He who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

(3) Romans 4:25 [Young’s Literal Translation] who was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised up because of our being declared righteous.

(4) E.W. Kenyon in his book, What happened from the Cross to the Throne: “When Christ was raised from the tomb, everyone had righteousness set to their account, which would give them a legal right to eternal life, but this righteousness did not become theirs until they personally accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and confessed Him as their Lord. Those who teach a universal salvation have only grasped the legal side of redemption.”

(5) And it must be stated that by itself universal salvation is a grave error, it is false doctrine. But we can that our justification was accomplished by Christ and then he came out of the grave.

b). 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

2). Everything that Jesus went through was in our place. The result of Jesus bearing our iniquities was we were justified! It was complete substtutionary.

a). Jesus was crucified: Matthew 27:35

(1) We are crucified with him: Romans 6:6

b). Jesus was justified: I Timothy 3:16

(1) We are justified: Romans 4:25

c). Jesus was quickened and we were quickened together with him Ephesians 2:5. In light of this truth, there is a fascinating verse in Psalms that touches on quickening and resurrection.

(1) Psalm 71: 20, 21 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

71:21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

d). Jesus was raised and we were raised together with him and to sit in heavenly places Ephesians 2:6.