Isaiah 52: 13-15 GOOD FRIDAY "He was wounded for our transgression"

Today we remember “Good Friday”.  It is a good  day, not  because Jesus died a horrible death  at the hands  of horrible, sinful people. It is a good day because on this day  God, in Christ provided an answer  to a terrible dilemma  which we  could not  fix.  This is the day when  we remember that the perfect, sinless Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Lord   Jesus,  gave His  life in exchange for  all those who trusted in His Name and in His work  for them. This is the day   on which  the Lord Jesus Christ provided an effective cure  for  the  problem of sin. This is the day  when   redemption  became a reality. 

This is the day  when our sin died with Christ on the cross (Col.2:14,15). This is the day when  Christ  paid for the penalty  for  our sins. Oh,  how our God knows how to turn tragedy into triumph!

On Palm Sunday  we worked through   most of the 52nd chapter of Isaiah. The ESV entitles  verses  1- 12,   “The Lord’s coming salvation”,  and I showed you  on that Sunday  how aptly  this text fitted  into the context of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.[1]  In the 4 gospels  we see  that Christ came  riding  into Jerusalem  in a most unassuming manner, as a servant [2] on a donkey, and yet the crowd shouted  “Hosanna”  (save  we pray! Cf. Psalm 118:25 ). Now combine that  with the fact  that  Jesus’  name  means,   “Yahweh saves”[3], and  then we understand that Jesus’   journey into Jerusalem was   for the purpose of  saving His people  from their sins.  But  more than that, He  did not just ride  into Jerusalem to preach good news – the gospel.  Jesus Himself was the gospel! He Himself  was the good news in person, riding   into Jerusalem   to do for His people what they  could never  have done for themselves. They were so weighed down by their own  sins and  so weighed down by their  nation’s  sins.   As a result they had  experienced  themselves  forsaken by God (Isa. 49:14).   People were acutely aware of their need for a Saviour. The truth of Isaiah’s prophetic preaching (e.g. Isa.  45:22-24 ; 48:1,2)   was ever before them, even while they were experiencing the physical threats of the  assault of the Assyrians.  It is into this  spiritual  darkness  that the prophet  Isaiah speaks  his twin messages of  doom and  encouragement.  This  is nothing new as you may recall from  passages  such as Deuteronomy  28, in which God spells out  blessings for obedience  and curses for disobedience.

Thus,  Jesus came riding into a city  so burdened with  a sinful history  and  burdened with present idolatry. He came riding into  the city  of David which had  been favoured  with so  many  blessings in the past – the temple, God’s  manifest presence, the priesthood, all which was  designed  to  be  a blessing from  God  to serve  the people, helping them to remain focussed on God in this earthly journey  …  and yet, all that blessing was now terribly abused  and  empty  of  the true presence of God.  So Jesus, the gospel in person,   entered  the city  to save a people  who could not save themselves, and  Isaiah  with  joy  sees the servant of God  by faith and  by the Holy Spirit he declares: “How beautiful upon the mountains  are the feet of  him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness , who publishes  salvation, who says to Zion, your God reigns.” etc. (52:7-10). 

And please note,   He comes not only to Zion, symbolic of  the heart of Israel’s  existence, but Isaiah also   declares, “The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall  see the salvation of our God.”  Thus Jesus, the Saviour came to die not only for the chosen Jews, but  He came  to die  for all the chosen people among  all the nations. As I said  on Palm Sunday, so I say again : This is BIG!

And so  this  amazing  pre-amble, the  triumphal entry  in the ‘gospel of Isaiah’  (53:1-12)   gives way to   Isaiah  52:13-53:12, that legendary and mind boggling text  which describes  the death  and resurrection of Christ,  more than 700 years before it actually happened.  Just in passing we  also want to remember that it was this text that puzzled the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts  8:26-40, until  God miraculously sent an expositor  called  Philip   to  his side, explaining that this  scripture  containing information concerning the  mysterious suffering servant,  was nothing less  than  the good news about Jesus  (Acts 8:35). When  the eunuch saw that  he  believed in Jesus there and then and   he was  baptised,  and he went  on his way to his country rejoicing!

Our  chosen text begins with these words : Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind— so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand. (Isa. 52:13-15)

Let us now consider  the  closing  3 verses of Isaiah 52. Josh Hooker will pick up on  Isaiah  53 tomorrow  morning ,  the silent day of Easter, the day that Jesus  was in the grave .

TAKE  ANOTHER  CAREFUL  LOOK AT THE SERVANT ! (V. 13)

"Behold my Servant.”   Stop, and look at Him! … says Isaiah.  This one who came riding into Jerusalem, unassuming, on a donkey,  this servant  ….look at Him!  Do not be fooled by His unassuming appearance! Do not be fooled by His humility! What He is about to do  is stupendous!  Behold ! (Look!), says John the Baptist , the Lamb of God  who  takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29,36) “Behold, my servant shall act wisely…”. This is the  servant  of God, and as such  He will act wisely. Another way to read this, according to the footnote  is,  “my servant  shall prosper”. Notwithstanding the fact that He looks so very  unpromising, He will succeed in this  divine mission. This text sets the  direction for the rest of the chapter.  Because  the servant  acts with wisdom,  the prosperity  or  the success  of his mission is guaranteed. Now this is very important  to understand, since at face value  you may not see  Christ’s  identity with the poor,  and the powerless  and the sinful  and  weak, and  you may not see His unassuming  entry  into Jerusalem,  and then His cruel trial and death in terms of a success story. And so we ask the question as we contemplate Good Friday: What good can come out of a suffering servant? The prophet, speaking for God maintains:“Behold my Servant  shall act   wisely”. He will prosper…  We are  of course privileged to know the story from the other side of the cross. We  now know  and appreciate the wisdom of Jesus as   He  rode into Jerusalem,  as He was  tortured by cruel men, as He was crucified  and as He rose again. We  now know that this was the wisdom of God.  He did prosper. He did succeed, and we are amazed at the wisdom of God, so contrary to the wisdom and logic of this world.  The apostle Paul comments on this in 1 Corinthians  2:6,7.

But  the  success of His mission is seen in particular in this  phrase:  “He will be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted”.  Isaiah  goes on to describe  Christ’s  exaltation, and once again we are reminded of this  in Philippians 2:  “Being in very nature God … (He) made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant … He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow .. every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The suffering servant  is the exalted Christ , who after His  death and resurrection ascended  to the Father in heaven, from where He shall come again , but this time as  conquering King  of kings and Lord of lords, to judge  the living and the dead and   thus to set up His eternal kingdom, just as He had proclaimed at His first coming.

BEHOLD  THE SUFFERING  SERVANT! (vv. 14, 15a)

Behold  my servant! … But now  from  a completely different angle. “As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind”.  The first  portrait was  of the servant   high and lifted up, and  exalted! But now   we find a  striking contrast  as we are introduced to a very different picture. Isaiah expresses  “astonishment”  that this exalted servant should  be so disfigured … a man whose appearance is marred beyond human semblance.  

We imagine  that we  hear someone asking : “Excuse me, but is this the same  person we are looking at?” He looks  scarcely human. He is entirely disfigured.   Why this disfigurement?  Verse 15a provides us with the profound answer. “… so shall  he  sprinkle  many nations.”

The sprinkling  referred to here  was something  associated  with the work  of the  priests of the OT.   The  sacrificial system which they administered  was  associated with the sprinkling of blood[4], and this act signified  an act  of  cleansing and purifying the sinner who by faith had brought the blood sacrifice to the priests for  the  atonement of His.  Isaiah, with this picture of  the disfigured servant, is saying  here  what  he will  frequently  repeat in this text, namely that  by the suffering of this servant there will be healing and wholeness and cleansing.  The most  famous  text  in this regard is  Isaiah  53:5,6: “With His stripes we are healed … the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” The effect  of  the servants work will  be  BIG…by His blood He will sprinkle the nations, not just those that believed in Him  in Jerusalem, and not just those who believed  in Him in Israel, BUT all who would believe  in Him  among the nations!  He will sprinkle them with His blood of  atonement (Hebr. kippur à covering)

BEHOLD, OUR RESPONSE TO THESE CONTRASTING PICTURES OF JESUS (v. 15b-c)

“…kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand”.The image  of  the Jesus, the suffering servant, whom we are called to look at  is strangely mixed: triumphant, reigning, in control,  and full of authority.Yet  we find Him also disfigured, distorted and  seemingly defeated.  Mankind simply does not know how to deal with such an image. We struggle  to  accept such   redemptive, vicarious suffering. It  is beyond our grasp.How do we reconcile this apparent paradox? Isaiah leads us  to a conclusion.  “Kings shall shut their mouths because of  Him.”  They do not know what to say.  The picture is too powerful – it transcends language. “… for that  which  has not been  told them they see; and that which they have not heard, they  understand.” This unassuming  servant, who is  riding on the  foal of a donkey, who is  recognised by some as the Messiah in His triumphal  entry, but who is then   arrested, beaten and  killed upon a cross is in fact  the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 

And so the thought of the Servant’s supreme exaltation causes the lesser kings of the earth to shut their mouths. The truth about  this servant  has dawned. Sadly  for many people and kings, the truth about this  great Servant King who  has been revealed to the world  has dawned , but  not really sunk in.  But on the day of His appearing , “every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD to the glory of God the Father. “  On that day it will have no saving effect .

The final question is therefore,   do you trust this  exalted , disfigured King now  for  His work on the cross ?

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[1]  All four gospels record the triumphal entry : Matthew 21: 1- 11 ; Mark 11:1-11 ; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19

[2] Note the four servant   passages  in this regard :  42:1-9; 49:1-7 ; 50:4-11 ; 52:13-53:12

[3] Matthew 1:21

[4] Ex 29:16,20 ; Lev. 1:5,11  etc. 

Isaiah 52:1-12 - "The Lord’s Coming Salvation" (PALM SUNDAY)

As we begin to focus on the  last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry, we begin with His significant  triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This  event is described in all four gospels [1] and is  specifically prophesied   by the prophet Zechariah (Zech. 9:9)  and in so many other indirect ways  in the  Old Testament, such as this passage which we have just read in  Isaiah, which precedes  the  famous Isaiah 53 passage  which we shall  consider   on  Easter  Friday  and also on a special occasion  on   Saturday.

Today we remember the occasion   when Jesus, as  the  chosen  servant   of God[2] came, riding on a humble donkey   to fulfil  the work that the Father  had given  Him to do in laying down His life for His people[3]. As He entered  the city,  He was most   surprisingly  received  in the manner of  a conquering King, although “he had no  form or majesty  that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him…”  (53:2), and yet the crowd  received Him  with  these words, "Hosanna[4] to the Son of David”. This   was tantamount to saying (and so  it was understood  by the Pharisees e.g. in Lk 19:39) that He was the long expected Messiah of Israel.    

In Luke’s account of the triumphal entry, Jesus  following His entrance  is deeply disturbed at what He sees. In fact He weeps over Jerusalem  (see Lk  19:41- 44 ; and see  also  Lk  13:34 – 35).  This act is followed  by the famous  temple cleansing (Lk. 19:45-48; Matt 21:12-17)

It is particularly   Lk  13:34 – 35 that gives us an insight  into  the spiritual state of Jerusalem. It was  this city  that  had killed the prophets. It was this city that would kill the Son of God, and amazingly, Jesus  knew that  this was going to happen! What was the purpose for which Jesus rode into Jerusalem to lay down His life?   It was  to hand Himself over to wicked men  to do what they had wanted to do all along, BUT  in this  atrocious act  He  would make atonement for  sin! By His  death He would  secure  eternal life for  all his own people,  for all those “who did receive Him, who believed  in His Name” (John 1:12). It was  ultimately  to secure for them a  future, not in this earthly Jerusalem, but  in the new, the heavenly Jerusalem, the home of every true believer  which Jesus went to prepare in John 14:1-4  and of which  we read in   Revelation 21.

Now we know from the history of Jerusalem  that she had been  besieged and captured many times. In the days of  Israel’s  occupation of Jerusalem[5], this city was  sacked  eventually by the Babylonians in around  586 BC. She  was  burned and destroyed and her  people taken into exile in  Babylon, just as  Isaiah and Jeremiah and others had said. But before that, approximately 135  years  earlier,  in the days of Isaiah,  this city  was also threatened by the Assyrians  who did in fact capture the northern territory of Israel and with it 10 tribes, who were sent into  exile in 722 BC (2 Kings 17:5ff).   All prophets, particularly the  major  prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, and later the Lord Jesus, God’s final Revelation (Hebr. 1:1-3) saw  that the continued rebellion  of this city  that had experienced  so much  of God’s favour, in terms of hosting  the temple of God, and therefore  the visible presence of God in Israel, that this city  would  face the wrath of God.  This leading  city  of the Jews   had lost the vision   of God in her midst.

Now Isaiah’s  prophecy  can be divided into two parts. The first part,  Chapters  1-35  focus on God’s judgement on Israel, the northern kingdom,   by  Assyria; then there is a ‘bridge’  in Chapters 36-39 before the prophecy closes with the second major part  in chapters 40 – 66,  where we find  a vision of the  return of the remnant from Babylon.

The point is this. Isaiah’s vision is big!  Not only does he  include future events from his own perspective in about 722 BC;  Isaiah sees  the restoration of Israel  after the Babylonian captivity, much later in 520 BC, when he was long dead. But more  than that, Isaiah’s  prophecy anticipates  the  ministry and mission of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ (whom we shall meet as the suffering servant in  Isaiah 53) more than 700 years later! And from our perspective Isaiah  foresees  even more than that. He foresees  the rule  and restoration  of all things under Christ  in  days to come, which, from our perspective,  is STILL  in the future!

Now from the present perspective  of Isaiah, and  from Christ’s  perspective, when He rode into Jerusalem, and also  from our own perspective, this earthly Jerusalem  was and is  anything but a holy city.   But  Isaiah  sees  beyond that  and he  like His Messiah, the Lord Jesus look  to the far future  when things will look very different. And it all began  on that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. On this day  He came to  Jerusalem  to  secure the future  of  the inhabitants  of a far greater Jerusalem. He came to  do this   in His death  and resurrection  which is described  in Isaiah 53. In preparation for that I want you then to take a look with me at this text[6] which precedes the phenomenal  events of Isaiah 53, just as the triumphal entry     preceded the phenomenal events of the week that lay ahead:

1.Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Obviously,  the prophet is not speaking here of  a political  entity  called  Jerusalem. He is speaking  of  that future city where  there  shall be no sin – the heavenly Jerusalem of  Revelation 21. That  is the city that Jesus ultimately  came to establish when He came riding into  this sinful Jerusalem, that killed the prophets, and therefore the prophet continues …

2. Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. What did the Lord Jesus  achieve  in his death and resurrection?  He  purchased  freedom  for a people in the dust, a people enslaved by sin. He freed them  for citizenship in the new Jerusalem,  by the shedding of His blood.

3.  For thus says the Lord: “You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.” What does this   mean?  In context  this  would refer to the Babylonian captivity. Babylon acquired   Judah and paid nothing for  her when they took her captive in 586 BC. However,  roughly 70 years later under Cyrus  the Persian and then Artaxerxes [7]  she was freed  without the payment of money,  when men like Ezra and Nehemiah led the people back to Jerusalem  from captivity, being in fact supported by the Babylonians to rebuild Jerusalem[8]. But in a greater sense it would mean  that the sin which our  first father Adam committed, and of which we had borne the fruit, would now  be borne  by Christ in His death, BUT no  one has  to pay for their redemption. It was free for those who would take it.    This  was the purpose for which  Jesus  came to ride into the city! 

4 For thus says the Lord God: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing. Israel’s first stint away from their   earthly Jerusalem in Canaan  was  experienced when they had lived  for 430 years in  Egypt, after which they returned under Moses and Joshua  to Canaan, their promised land.  Then  David  established the   physical Jerusalem  for Israel, but under  the often foolish rule of his  grandsons, substantial chunks of the kingdom were gradually lost – first under the  Assyrians, who   claimed the northern kingdom of Israel.  

In Christ’s day the  Jews were oppressed  by the  Romans, and the Jews hoped for  their Messiah  to return to  deliver them from the  Roman yoke. But was this ultimately the yoke  that  they needed to be  delivered from? Was not the yoke of sin their ultimate problem?  And who alone could effectively deal  with sin, if not the Son of God? And so Jesus rode into Jerusalem …

  

5 Now therefore what have I here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,” declares the Lord, “and continually all the day my name is despised. Many a time when Israel was  attacked by her enemies (no doubt, due to their own foolishness, which resulted in the hand of God being lifted from them),  their enemies  were  blaspheming the  name of God  when they  taunted  Israel: “Where now is your God?”  (e.g. Ps 42:10;  115:2; Joel 2:17). In truth, this was also  the  general attitude of the Jews   to Jesus. When he hung on the cross they mocked Him, saying: “He saved others, let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One.”(Lk. 23:35). The truth was that in continually  mocking Christ they were continually mocking the work of God. And so Christ rode into Jerusalem on  this day  to make a distinction between the righteous and the unrighteous!  

6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.” In the  historical context  the  release from Babylonian captivity and the rebuilding of Jerusalem would be  a true testimony  to the power of God.  Nehemiah confirms this in Neh.6:15,16  when he says, “… all the nations around us …perceived that this work  had been  accomplished with the help of our God !” But in a greater sense  the greatest work  would be the   establishment  of the  eternal city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, which would be populated by  those who had been redeemed by the blood of Jesus.  Jesus came riding  into  Jerusalem  to  declare that He would do this ON THE CROSS!   This  is  therefore what gives rise to the next verse!  Here is the gospel  of the good news   for all the people… for all the nations !

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Paul quotes this passage in Rom 10:15.  The point is that whatever historical situation brought  the good news  in Isaiah’s day, he was looking much further, when our  Messiah  made the gospel  terms  effective  by His death and resurrection .For this reason Jesus came riding into Jerusalem.

8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy;  for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion.  In the  historical setting this  was accomplished  when God restore the Jews to liberty under the leadership of men  like  Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Yet again,  and in a greater sense, these things were fulfilled in Christ’s coming into Jerusalem  for this purpose – that He might lay down His life for a great number of people  and to establish  for them a city whose foundations cannot be shaken.

9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.  Historical deliverance happened  under Cyrus, (2 Chron. 36:22,23). The  Lord  displayed his power among the Medes and Persians, but afterwards he made it visible to all the nations. But again, see the ultimate fulfilment  in this  text. The Abrahamic covenant  is being fulfilled, as not only Jews but  gentiles  were participating in the salvation of God in Christ. All this began  to be fulfilled  in Christ riding into Jerusalem  to lay down His life for  Jews and gentiles. 

11 Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. 12 For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. In context  this was a call to  all  the Jews to leave Babylon, and to leave the things of Babylon behind. Those  that were  carrying the vessels of the Lord ( i.e. the vessels  for the temple), the priests, these were to be  especially consecrated. 

The redeemed would not need to  leave in haste as they had done when they left Egypt in the Exodus. They were completely free. God would go before to lead them and behind to protect them as they journeyed to their Promised Land (cf. Exodus 13:21-22; Exodus 14:19-20). In our context, it is important that we need to leave the city of destruction and make sure that we are on the  road to the heavenly  Jerusalem. (Pilgrims Progress)  

Here then,  in this  part of  Isaiah’s prophecy  the dual implications of the prophet's promises are very clear.  The Babylonian captivity  formed the background  to what  Isaiah  said, but  Isaiah  had the larger issue of slavery to sin in mind.  Return to the land was in view, but even more so, the opportunity to return to the Lord through spiritual redemption was his greater focus. God would deal with the result in Israel's case, captivity, but He would also and more importantly deal with the great cause of  every man's   problem, namely sin !

All this Jesus  came to do when he rode on that donkey  into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  

Hallelujah, what a Word! 

Hallelujah, what a Saviour! 

AMEN .

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[1] Matthew 21: 1- 11 ; Mark 11:1-11 ; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19

[2] Note the four servant   passages  in this regard :  42:1-9; 49:1-7 ; 50:4-11 ; 52:13-53:12

[3] i.e. as the Lamb of God for His sheep

[4]  Lit. “save now”

[5] This city was captured by David from the Jebusites  in  2 Samuel 5:6-10 , after which it was called “the city of David”

[6] The proper  parameters for this text is  Isaiah 51:1-52:12. The chapter division at 52:1 is unfortunate . Similarly  the chapter division should not begin with 53:1, as it does, but should start at 52:13.

Outline of Ch.  51:1- 52:12 : 1. A threefold  call  to listen :  i.e.  51 : 1; 4; 7   2. A threefold  exhortation to awake  : 51:9;17 & 52:1  

[7] Ezra 1:1; 4:7

[8]  Ezra 1:2ff ;Neh. 2:8

Genesis 11:1-9 "The Origin of Languages"

Last time we considered the consequences of Noah’s prophecy in Gen. 9:25-28,  as he prophetically outlines the futures of his three sons  Shem, Ham and  Japheth. 

We are  not going to deal with  Genesis 10 in any detail  since it consists  of a long list of  the descendants of Japheth (10:2-5), Ham  (10:6-20) and Shem (10:21-32). The final verse in Chapter 10 essentially summarizes  the chapter: “these are the  clans of the sons of Noah , according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.”

The Bible teaches us that mankind  originated from one  couple, Adam and Eve. As a result of their  disobedience the terrible curse of sin was introduced into the world. That sin  which has affected every member of the human race  caused  God  to  put an end to that  by  causing   a  worldwide flood to swallow up  mankind and all that moves,  all except Noah and his three  sons and their families – and that simply  because of grace.  After the flood, the   world was repopulated  once more  by  three couples  who  descended from Noah.

The perfect chance given by God to Noah  and his family  to get  it right was missed when Noah got drunk. Sin  always has knock- on effects. So, Noah’s sin is followed by Ham’s sin.  This has an intriguing effect  upon  the future   of Canaan, the fourth of the sons of Ham. The Canaanites became a   proverbial  stench in  the nostrils of God, for they  became an utterly depraved people.

And so, in short,  we  have observed   that man’s basic sin problem, originating from  the fall  of Adam,  was not washed away by the universal flood.  The problem  was  that Noah, though He was chosen by God[1],  was a sinner himself. And so we  should not be surprised  that as  Genesis 11 follows,  that it doesn’t get  any better. Donald  Gowan^[2] sees a progression in terms of an increased alienation of  relationships in these first 11 chapters: husband from wife (Ch. 3), brother from brother (Ch. 4), children from parents (Ch. 9) and now people from other people (Ch. 11).  Why do we grow apart?  In each of these accounts, alienation at the human level is caused  and accompanied by alienation of humans from their God. This is  seen most  clearly  in chapters 3 &4.

Chapter 11 :  All these  different languages  are actually  a curse !

Ethnologists, estimate  that  there  are  well over  7000 languages in the world. This clearly  makes communication  a great challenge.  But  where  did   all these different languages start, since the Bible maintains that we had a common beginning? The Bible has a plain explanation for the origins of all languages.

In Genesis 11:5-7  we read: 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children  of  man had built.  6 And the LORD said, “Behold , they are one people, and they have all one language , and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And  nothing  that they propose to do will now be  impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language so they may not understand one another’s speech.”

We are told in no uncertain terms that the origin of  these many languages is  ultimately a matter  of God’s  judgement. If mankind can co –operate by means of a common language, then the real danger exists that  their wicked hearts will unite to plan evil.  So,  language becomes another  judgement from God . Within the span of the first 11 chapter of Genesis  we have now seen that there have been three great judgements upon  the whole of humanity: (i) The fall (ii)The flood (iii) flawed communication

We shall now consider the judgement at Babel  before we conclude with some vital lessons which  from this  story.   We  shall find here  an introduction (11:1) and   5  brief  scenes  and a conclusion.

Introduction : (11:1)

Genesis 11 introduces us to the fact that the world after the flood once only had one language , after all  people who have a common origin should have a common language. It is significant  that at Pentecost the  many languages present were made intelligible (decoded)  by the one gospel – pointing to the great  reverse that comes through Jesus Christ. One day in heaven  people from every tongue , tribe and nation shall praise God again   by means of one tongue. This is what the prophet Zephaniah anticipates: “For at that time l will change  the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD  and serve him with one accord.”  (Zeph. 3:9)   

 5 SCENES:

Scene 1 (11:2)

People were  on the move, moving eastward. If the ark came to rest in Ararat (northern Turkey), and if they moved eastwards they would have arrived at the plain of Shinar  (in Mesopotamia/ modern day Iraq).  

Scene 2  (11:3-4)

The sign of a godless society is that it makes plans without reference to God:

q  They said to  one another, “Come and  let us make bricks…”

q  Come let us build ourselves a city, and a tower…ley us  make a name for ourselves. Building techniques in southern  Mesopotamia were very different to Egypt or Canaan. According to D.E.Gowan^[3], “Mesopotamia is a place  where no stone is available for building”. Bitumen is found plentiful in  the Gulf region which is rich in oil deposits. Bitumen is tar,  and this they used  to cement the bricks together.

These people had big plans! They wanted  to build a tower  that connected  earth with heaven. They naively  wanted  to bridge the gulf between God and man,  and in the end  they wanted to be like God. This was the original temptation in the garden of Eden – to be like God, and to take over the place that belongs to Him alone! Archaeology confirms   that towers (or ziggurats) became very popular in this region. The great temple tower of the Babylonian god  Marduk was discovered at the end of the 19^th century. It was aproximately 100 metres high.  The highest tower today is the Burj Khalifa in  Dubai (at 830 metres, completed in  2010)  followed by the Tokyo skytree (at 634 metres, completed in 2012)  Man still tries  to build towers for his own glory today.  But  back to the tower of Babel. The purpose  for building this tower was that  the  people in that day wanted  to make a name for themselves.  They wanted  glory for  themselves. This is nothing but usurping the glory of God. It is idolatry, and it is strictly forbidden in God’s moral law.  What God said to Baruch, through the prophet  Jeremiah, should also be our motto : “And do  you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not… “  (Jer. 45:5) The important issue in life is that God gets the honour. He, in turn will reward those who put him first.

Also note: the reason they wanted to build this tower, was not just to make a name for themselves, but  they  wanted a unifying ‘something’  so that they would not be dispersed  over the face of the whole earth. This is also contrary to God’s will, for the divine will was that they should subdue and fill the whole earth (9:1). Ironically they were condemned to suffer what they tried to prevent.  The God whom they opposed, scattered them.

Scene 3  (11:5)

This is the turning point in the whole story. We move from the way men think and plan  about their future to the way God thinks about  things. The tower, which they tried to build was in reality so  tiny  that God had to come down (see the irony!)  to see what they were doing ( the language is  anthropomorphic). Here is some perspective :

q  Psalm 2:1,4 :  Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? … 4.  He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

q   Isaiah 40:22: “ It is he  who  sits  above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants  are like grasshoppers; who  stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. “

Scene 4  (11:6-7)

We need to understand that God is dealing primarily with people’s motives. Building in itself  is not evil. The problem lies in the motive.  And so building the tower becomes a prelude to something worse. Understand then that human beings, precisely  because they are created in God’s image, they are capable of planning incredible projects. But because they are fallen beings, they  easily  turn their gifts from God into  idols.  They will glorify their own gifts, rather than the Giver of their great gifts . So what will God do?

Remember  that  God  will not destroy the earth again until Christ’s second return. So He has to intervene to restrain evil.  Incidentally, from the Scriptures  we learn that  before Christ return God will remove  all restraints  so that man’s unspeakable capacity for evil  may take its course. (2 Thess. 2:6-8) .

And so we learn that,  for the time being ,God does not give people unlimited freedom to do their own thing. And so  God  restrained them from plotting further evil by confusing their communications.

Scene 5  (11:8)

In Scene 1 we saw people on the move, coming to congregate in one place  in the land of Shinar. Now they were scattered by God. Without the ability to communicate in the same language it was  impossible for them to co-operate.  

Conclusion (11:9)

This concludes the results of God’s judgement. The city they aimed to build lies unfinished. Its name is Babel – the Hebrew form of the Greek, Babylon. Even though the  Babylonians understood  the name to mean “the gate of God”,  by a play on words, the Bible reinterprets  it as “confused”, and hence the word “babble” – to be  incoherent!)

The  real comfort is that the city   which the anti- Christ seeks to build in opposition to the heavenly Jerusalem , will never see its finishing touches. Jesus will overthrow  it.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS? THE MESSAGE OF BABEL :

1. Babel is about lack of communication, and it is seen as a divine judgement. Languages are ultimately  God’s judgement. They are at the centre of ethnic quarrels.  We see how much ink is spilled on this subject. Communication is much spoken about, and many seminars are held, because it clearly isn’t happening! Good communication  aims  to break down barriers and prevents misunderstanding and isolationism.  Fallen man will never be capable  to communicate well, since  sin and its cousins (pride, selfishness) will always drive us apart.

2. In the Bible,  Babel or Babylon represents  the world power in opposition to God. Nimrod (10:8) an early king of Babylon was a symbol of rebellion against God. Isaiah describes another king of Babylon in  satanic terms (Isa. 14:13-15). The book of Revelation uses  Babylon as  a synonym of worldly  opposition to God and His people (Rev. 17 – 19) . In contrast to Babylon the great harlot who is  left naked and destroyed, we have the picture of the new Jerusalem , the bride of Christ , clothed with dignity and His majesty.

3. In the third place we learn, what alone can effectively deal with this great judgement: On  Pentecost Sunday when the promised Holy Spirit filled those first believers, there was  a great reversal of  Babel. Instead of confusion and scattering, the language barrier was broken down, and people from different parts of the world heard the word of God in their own language – every nation was there – descendants of Shem, Ham & Japheth. The gospel of Jesus Christ was the decoder! And instead of division and separation, these believers were brought together (Acts 2: 1 – 47). This is of course  a foretaste of that great day, when in heaven, with one mouth, we  shall glorify God in perfect harmony, and all  who can sing now, will sing then ,  in the words of  Psalm 87:1-7:  

He has set his foundation on the holy mountain; 2 the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are said of you, O city of God:  Selah

4 “I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me— Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush— and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’”  5 Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.” 6 The LORD will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.” Selah 7 As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”

There will be no confusion then, and  no lack of understanding,  and no communication gaps! The problem  and enigma of Babel, which affects us to this very day , will have been solved forever and ever. 

We now draw near to the table which  God has prepared for us, as we remember with thankful remembrance that Christ has died to make us one. The miracle of unity is already at work with in us. It shall be completed on the day of Christ’s return.

 Amen!  

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[1] Noah’s salvation here as elsewhere in the Scripture is always by grace through faith !

[2] D.E. Gowan : From Eden to Babel, p.116

[3] D.E.Gowan , From Eden to Babel , p.117

Genesis 9:24-29 - Noah’s astounding Prophecy !

The sad  fact of  Noah’s fall, so soon after  his literal ‘coming down to earth’ (having spent  a year in the ark), should not surprise us.  Noah was after all a  descendant of Adam, and as such we should not be amazed that Noah was able to sin.  The life of Noah  is no fairy tale, and there is no living  happily  ever after for him and his family. Sin  with its  many  tentacles (and in this case Noah’s drunkenness) remains a  curse  and  it is this that accounts for  the complicated history of mankind. So let us not be amazed that Noah would sin so soon after his exit from the ark. Rather, let  us be  amazed that God,  for whom every sin  is  contrary to  His pure and holy being, should have chosen to  bear with mankind  for  so long after the flood.  

We have seen that God  deals with  Noah,  not in the  way of what he  deserves. 

He deals with  Noah by way of a covenant. 

We have first seen a confirmation of  this covenant  in  Genesis  6:18 & 9:9, “Then God said  to Noah and to his sins with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you.”

A word that is often used in the OT to describe God’s  heart  behind this  this covenant is the  word translated as “loving kindness“ or “steadfast love” (ESV). The  best word to describe this  loving kindness may be summed up in a single word: Grace! Noah found grace (favour) in the eyes of the Lord. (Gen. 6:8). 

God's loving-kindness is illustrated in the OT in His relationship with Israel.  Despite  Israel's persistent waywardness could  God would not  relinquish his love for her. The book of Hosea  bears eloquent testimony to this (see for instance Hosea 11). Even though  Israel was faithless, yet God remained faithful. But the supreme  and final token of God’s  covenant kindness is seen  in the  cross of Christ.“But God shows his love for us in that  while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”(Rom.5:8) The “us”, according to John  are those “…who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.”

So then  as Noah wakes up from his drunken stupor, a  series of events is set into motion  which would profoundly affect the  history of the peoples of the world. 

And so it is. 

It is  often the small, seemingly unimportant  things that trigger  huge events. You may have heard  this before, but it’s worth repeating[1]:  

“For Want of a Nail”

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

 For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

 For want of a horse the rider was lost.

 For want of a rider the message was lost.

 For want of a message the battle was lost.

 For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.  

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Such illustrations we find in the Bible. One disobedience  in terms of eating the forbidden fruit drives Adam and Eve out of the garden of God’s presence.  This act of disobedience by our first parents  has huge consequences for the whole of mankind.   

One murder  drives Cain  and his future  offspring even further away from God and   into the land of wandering. 

A little too much wine causes Noah to behave inappropriately, and a little too much gazing upon the naked body of his father,   as he lies exposed in the tent,  affects Ham and his future family.

Noah discovers   upon awaking  from his  hangover  that  he  had been dishonoured by  his youngest son, Ham, and following  this  he  utters  a  prophecy with far reaching consequences, containing  a curse upon his youngest son  Ham and a  blessing upon his two other sons,   Shem and Japheth.

THE CURSE AND THE BLESSING

What is  the link between  Noah’s fall and Noah’s prophecy ? Following his own sin Noah  in vv. 25-27 makes a profound utterance  concerning  the future  of his three sons  which  is  forms an outline  of the beginning  of the three great divisions of the human family after the great flood. From  Gen. 10:32 we know  that the  great races of the earth are  all descended  from Noah  through  Shem, Ham and Japheth.  

What will be the history of the races that spring from Noah’s three sons?  How will the new world begin?  

It  can only begin with human failure,  and so we  must not be surprised  to see the rapid spread of sin and evil  so soon after the flood .  I remind you of the initial  sequence of sin   Noah sins – Ham sins – and Ham’s son, and Canaan,  the father of the Canaanites,   becomes the epitome of sin  in  the Bible.

But here’s  what we need to understand. These words of Noah were not  simply  uttered  as a result of  resentment against Ham for having entered  Noah’s private  space while he was lying  drunk and exposed in his tent.  That may be so at face value. There is however  far more in Noah’s words than just a temper tantrum or words spoken in anger. These words spoken  in  9:25-27 were in fact spoken as prophecy. They were  uttered  under a Divine impulse! This  fact is proven by the fulfilment of the prophecy itself. A careful comparison of other Scriptures shows us this, and its remarkable fulfilment demonstrates that  this  was indeed  a  prophetic word.   

This prophecy  consists of two pronouncements:   a  curse and a blessing.[2]  

Initially, the cursing and  the blessing had  something to do  with  the way  the sons had  approached their drunk and naked  father in his tent.  Ham seems to have  dishonoured his father  by his irreverent approach. This is later  described as  the 5^th commandment Ex.20:22. He had failed to honour his father  here.   It seems as if Ham  may  have  used this  moment not only to gaze shamelessly upon his naked father, but  he might have also  ridiculed him to his brothers. Philip Eveson says,  “Corrupt minds feed on scantily  dressed or naked bodies in suggestive positions. The modern media have made their millions through pandering to human lust” [3]

The contrast in attitude is  observed  when his brothers, Shem and Japheth  walk into the tent,‘backwards ‘ (i.e. respectfully!) so that that they would not see their father’s nakedness, and covered him with a garment.   Their attitudes and therefore their  action is  in direct  contrast  to  Ham. Had he really cared for his father’s reputation   he would have acted as his brothers did. The moral law (the 10 Commandments) which were  given  later with Moses,  included the necessity of  children maintaining respect for their parents. Children who disrespected their parents,  according to  the OT law were  even  liable  the death penalty.  (Deut. 21: 18-21) Shem and Japheth  continued  to treat their father with respect, even though he had compromised himself.   We must never  gloat  over the sins of others. We must never  add  to their shame by our own shameful behaviour.

And now we see something peculiar. When   Noah wakes up from his drunken stupor  he  curses not Ham, but his son Canaan, and in the curse passed upon Canaan we find a very  solemn instance of the sins of the fathers being visited upon the children.

Note the consequence: he reaped exactly as he had sown—Ham sinned as a son and was punished in his son! [4] (A.W.Pink).  So, the curse uttered by Noah did not fall directly on Ham but upon one of his sons, in fact,  the fourth son who was called "Canaan" (see Gen. 10:6).  So, we discover  that not all the sons of Ham bore the curse!  Canaan bore the curse!

We have to  make this point  because there is some horrible theology  that has been associated  with this text.  The appalling misuse of this passage had been sometimes used   by  to justify the enslaving of  the African people.  This warped theology came  mainly from the proponents  of slavery in 19th Century America and Britain, who ignored the unexplained transition from Ham to  Canaan in Noah’s curse, and  who drew  the simplistic conclusion that according to Ch. 10,  Ham was the ancestor of  Africans, concluding   that his black descendants may be rightfully enslaved. However , they ignored the plain fact that the curse is directed against Canaan, and  Canaan was neither black, nor African! 

The Canaanites  were  the  inhabitants  of the  territory that was promised by God on oath to Abraham and his descendants.   And these Canaanite  tribes of which you read  – they were the cursed  people, and the prophecy was  fulfilled  when Israel took over that land, and  they  were either annihilated or subjected   to slavery  with the conquest of Canaan under Joshua. In many instances the Canaanites actually became a stumbling block to Israel when   Joshua and Israel  failed to drive them out of the land.  The point is   that this is the fulfillment of the curse  in relation to the promised land. It has nothing to do with Africans.

Besides that we do not  actually know, who exactly the Hamitic races  might be today. That issue is not  exactly relevant to the central message of the Bible , since it is now clear to us that “ all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God”  (Rom. 3:23).  Today  there  are  really only two types of people in this world today,  Christians and non-Christians, and they are not separated along racial lines!From the clear perspective of the N.T.  it is important  to understand  that all tribes, nations and tongues  are fallen. The curse rests on the entire human race, and no man shall  escape the coming judgement by fire, unless they are washed in the blood of the Lamb!

THE BLESSING 

The curse was upon Canaan. And the  particular blessing expressed  was upon (note) the God of Shem."Blessed be the Lord, the  God of Shem; and let Canaan be  his servant.”  (v.26) Donald Grey Barnhouse says, “The blessing is not upon Shem, but upon the God of Shem. Nothing can take root in man. It is the God of Shem who will bring forth Christ from Shem “[5]

This   fact speaks  of the  continued covenant relationship in which  God was to enter into a covenant relationship with the children of Shem. The realization that Yahweh  was to be the God of Shem caused Noah to break forth into thanksgiving—"Blessed be the Lord God of Shem."  It is very clear that the Shemites are the Semites, from which the Hebrew people  are descended , and through whose line  the Lord Jesus was to be born.

"May God enlarge the territory of  Japeth (v. 27). The name  Japheth means "enlargement" so  that here there was a play upon words.  The Japhetites are  most probably the  progenitors of Greeks, Romans etc. the first fruit among the gentiles  following the preaching of the gospel to the gentiles.  It was through the influence of the Greek and Roman empires that the gospel spread – and so it was: "May Japheth live in the tents of  Shem."

THE FULFILMENT OF NOAH'S PROPHECY

This  prophecy uttered by Noah gives us  in a few brief sentences the history of the new world and thus in the closing verses of Genesis 9 we have an  unfolding of the future destinies of the new humanity. Shem is to have  the spiritual  pre- eminence  among his brothers; to Japheth is given  the task of enlarging their territory; and Ham  and his sons are  left  without a substantial commission, except that Canaan is cursed.

An attempt to categorise  exactly   as to who  today  descends from whom is futile.

The  NT view   needs to guide out OT interpretation. We are assured  that all the nations today  are in need of the gospel.  The temptation to  separate this or that nation as God’s favourites (as has been attempted in many instances in history) will just not do. “All have sinned  and have fallen short of the glory of God”. No single civilization, including the Hebrews have ever managed  to live righteously before God.

What we do understand clearly from this text is that God’s plan is clearly outlined in history.

What we know  is that God’s blessing would be upon Shem – but only, because this was the one through whom the promised Messiah (the Lamb that would take away the sin of  the world)  would be given. In this  Shem was singularly privileged – but (note!) the glory goes to the blessed God of Shem! Shem himself, was subject to sin as were his brothers. 

What we know is that the whole world needs a Saviour. 

What we know is that this Saviour has come.

And all the nations must bow before Him. 

He alone will present us  perfectly before the presence of God’s glory. 

That is the true future of the human race.  

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[1]  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Want_of_a_Nail  The earliest reference to the full proverb may refer to the death of Richard III of England at the Battle of Bosworth Field. This short variation of the proverb (shown to the right), was published in "Fifty Famous People" by James Baldwin. The story associated with the proverb, describing the unhorsing of King Richard during battle, would place the proverb's origin after the Battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485. However, historically Richard's horse was merely mired in the mud. In the story, the proverb and its reference to losing a horse is directly linked to King Richard famously shouting "A Horse! A Horse! My Kingdom for a Horse!", as depicted in Act V, Scene 4 from the Shakespeare play Richard III, which was written circa 1591

[2] See Deuteronomy 28  for a  further example

[3]  Philip Eveson :The Book of Genesis  simply explained,  p. 202  ( Evangelical Press)

[4] A.W. Pink :Gleanings from Genesis, p. 

[5] D.G. Barnhouse : Genesis , p. 66