SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS, AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS, Part 2

SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS, AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS

BY AL STONER

PART 2

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” (Isa. 53:4).  Out of his own anguish of heart Job declared to his three friends, “I would strengthen you with my mouth, and THE MOVING OF MY LIPS SHOULD ASSUAGE YOUR GRIEF” (Job 16:5).  Both grief and griefs involve the understanding being obscured, and particularly from the perspective of eternity.  Grief takes place in the mind and in the heart of men. For the godly grief can be nurtured and assuaged by a proper understanding of God and His purpose in Christ Jesus. 

 

GRIEF CAN BE ASSUAGED (made more bearable) by the moving of lips that possess knowledge and understanding of God’s ways and purpose in Christ.  Think of the Savior Himself, how that the moving of His lips has been as been the source of everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.  When the Lord Jesus Christ was praying in the garden of Gethsemane, an angelic messenger appeared “strengthening Him” (Lk. 22:43), and the moving of his lips assuaged the grief of the Savior, no doubt, bringing to His mind and heart anew the blessed prospect of “the joy that was set before Him” (Heb. 12:2). 

David cried, “Mine eye is consumed because of grief” (Ps. 6:5; 31:9).  Grief often produces tears and affects spiritual vision.  The example of Jacob’s grief.  “. . . Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: ALL THESE THINGS ARE AGAINST ME” (Gen. 42:36).  The example of Christ. “And said unto Me, Thou art My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Then I said, I HAVE LABOURED IN VAIN, I HAVE SPENT MY STRENGTH FOR NOUGHT, AND IN VAIN: yet surely My judgment is with the LORD , and My work with my God” (Isa. 49:3-4).  

Griefs (plural). “Griefs” is not frequently used as a plural word.  Normally, grief is something that is endured by men one at a time, or possibly two at a time.  But manifold and diverse were the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ when He bore our sins in His own body on the tree.  GRIEFS would be the best word to describe the pain and anguish that our sins inflicted upon Him.  He was oppressed and afflicted (Isa. 53:7), He was being watched [as it were for entertainment] (Mt. 27:36), He was despised and rejected of men (Isa. 53:3), He was forsaken of His God (Ps. 22:1), He was forsaken by His disciples (Mt. 26:56), He was mocked (Lk. 22:63), He was spitted upon (Lk. 18:32), He was scourged by Pilate (Mt. 27:26; Mk. 15:15; Jn. 19:1), He was betrayed by Judas (Mt. 10:4), He was crucified (Mt. 27:38), He was chastised by His Father for our sakes (Isa. 53:5), He was smitten of God (Isa. 53:4).  All of these things had the effect of causing innumerable griefs to the Holy Son of God (Lk. 1:35). 

God Causing Grief in Chastening. “For the Lord will not cast off for ever: but THOUGH HE CAUSE GRIEF, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies” (Lam. 3:31-32).  

The Prophet Jeremiah here is speaking of grief that is for the purpose of correction and healing.  It is grief that is that proceeds from the wellspring of God’s compassion and mercy.  It is grief imparted because imparted out of necessity.  “. . . He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence” (Eph. 1:8).  The ravages yet remaining in our old man from the entrance of sin into the world oftentimes make it necessary for God’s dealings to be severe.  Sin, iniquity, and transgression are of such a grievous nature to, yea, such a flagrant disregard for the God, who so loved the world, that He is left with no other recourse but to deal with severity.  But for those who are in Christ, it is translates to grief that is unto correction and perfection.

When the Lord God laid upon Jesus the iniquity of us all, this was a causing of grief like none other.  This was grief that only Christ, as “our Passover” (I Cor. 5:7) and “our Lord” (Heb. 7:14), was able to bear and recover from to the glory (Phil. 2:11) and satisfaction (Isa. 53:11) of God the Father.  We’re speaking here of griefs that only a Member of the Godhead could bear.  And these were sorrows that only God, in the Person of His Son, could carry away.  “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (II Cor. 5:19). 

With the Lord Jesus Christ there was no need for correction. With Him there was need for perfecting, but it was perfecting, not in His essential Person and Character, but rather perfecting unto His ability and capacity to be a “merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God” (Heb. 2:17).  

Bearing and Carrying.  Both were unto the satisfaction of the Divine righteousness and justice.  It was essential not only that the sins, iniquities, griefs and sorrows be borne, but that they also be carried away forever from God’s Presence.  This could either be accomplished by laying the sins upon the sinners, and casting them away from His Presence forever, or by God devising means (II Sam. 14:14) that His Banished (Christ, and all who are in Him, Christ, and all who have believed on Him) be not expelled from Him. 

Bearing (speaks of endurance) Griefs, and Carrying (speaks of duration) Sorrows.  That which sin most certainly causes, produces, and eventuates in (namely, griefs and sorrows), is here, in a figure, substituted for the sin itself (the effect for the cause).  Iniquity, trespasses, offenses, transgressions, and sin are all words that speak of violations of, and contrariness to, the good and perfect will of God.  They are things which grieve “Him at His heart” (Gen. 6:6), and ultimately they stir Him up to jealousy and wrath.   He is “of purer eyes to behold” such things, and things which He cannot look upon (Hab. 1:13). 

From this perspective sin, iniquity, and transgression, as well as griefs and sorrows, are in some respects very similar.  Christ bore our griefs, and carried our sorrows (Isa. 53:4), when He “His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (I Pet. 2:24).  Sins and iniquities are things that are readily apparent to God [they grievously affect Him, they anger Him], whereas griefs and sorrows are things which are the more readily apparent to men.  Men, in their fallen condition, must be instructed about the grievous nature of sin and transgression, because of its effect upon the One who made them and, to this day, sustains them. --Editor

SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS, AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS

SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS, AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS

By Al Stoner

Part 1

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” (Isa. 53:4).

  Other Translations.  (AMP) “Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment]”, (BBE) “But it was our pain he took, and our diseases were put on him”, (CEV) “He suffered and endured great pain for us”, (CJB) “In fact, it was our diseases he bore, our pains from which he suffered;”, (GNB) “But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne”, (GW) “He certainly has taken upon himself our suffering and carried our sorrows”.

 

Surely. (ACV, AKJV, AMP, ASV, CLV, Darby, IAV, JPS, KJV, LITV, MKJV, NASB, RSV, RV, YLT) “Surely”, (CJB) “In fact”, (ERV) “The fact is”, (GW) “certainly”, (MSTC) “so despisable . . . truly”, (RSV).  Almost all of the translations begin with this affirmation of assuredness.  Though Isaiah prophesied some 700 years before the sufferings of Christ, yet he spoke as an eyewitness with understanding speaks.  In the times of the kings and holy Prophets, those who prophesied were called “seers” (II Kgs. 17:13; II Chr. 33:18-19; Isa. 30:10).  They spoke that which God had given them to see, and oftentimes it is evident that they were greatly affected by what they saw. 

Such is the case with Isaiah in the passage before us.  Isaiah was not merely conveying information, nor merely recording facts.  His was certainly a faithful representation of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ, but it was much more than this.   His words reflect a solemn awareness of what was transpiring when the Savior laid down His life a ransom for many.  Even more specifically, what he was given to see imparted to him an overwhelming persuasion that SURELY THIS MAN WAS BEARING OUR GRIEFS AND CARRYING OUR SORROW.  The Prophet was given to see God’s holy and righteous Servant, the Lord Jesus Christ.  He was made to bear sufferings that were incomprehensible.  He also beheld the sinners and transgressors that were all about Him, and they were not suffering.  And as Isaiah considered these things, he was brought to the breathtaking conclusion that surely this holy and righteous One was bearing our griefs and carrying our sorrows.    Most assuredly this was the case for it is evident that Christ had none of His own to bear.  And because of the righteousness and greatness of this Man, He was prepared of God to be the “Fit Man” (Lev. 16:21) to take away the sin of the world.

The Crucifixion Scene as Recorded in Mark’s Gospel. We include here a portion of Mark’s gospel that contains the record of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.  Our purpose here is to show that, though the gospel writers were given see and record much of the specific details of the crucifixion, yet Isaiah was given to see the implications of those sufferings: what they were accomplishing, and how God regarded them.  “And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.”

 “And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him. And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said, Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down. And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.  And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; (Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem” (Mk. 15:12-41).

The Message of the Gospel.  The proclamation of the gospel involves effectually bringing before the minds and hearts of men THE SUFFERINGS OF THE CHRIST, AND THE GLORY which has followed; the announcement and significance of both the sufferings and the Sufferer, and of the glory that has followed.   It is a declaration of Christ, the Righteous One, suffering in the behalf of the ones who were guilty and worthy of suffering.  Whenever the gospel is preached believing men and women are effectually brought to consider anew these solemn realities, which have become unto the believing ones “the power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16).  With the Ethiopian eunuch they are again brought face to face with the earnest consideration “of whom speaketh the Prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?” (Acts 8:34).  Faith concludes once again that it was “the other Man”, even “the Man Christ Jesus” (I Tim. 2:5), who suffered, yea, who suffered in our stead.

Grief. Let us consider here the word grief as it is used in Scripture with the intent of clarifying to our hearts the grief that the Savior bore in our behalf.  The two Hittite wives that Esau took were “A GRIEF OF MIND to Isaac and Rebekah” (Gen. 26:35).  The things which cause grief to men are oftentimes an index to their character and person. They often point to a purpose and cause which, for the time at least, has been lost or aborted. Such was the case with Isaac and Rebekah.  Esau taking wives from the Hittite nation, and later from the Hivites (Gen. 36:2), became a grievous wound in the hearts of Isaac and Rebekah, because these were nations that would be dispossessed according to the promise spoken by God to Abraham (Gen. 15:18-21).  Only eternity would be able to deliver from this grief.

Job lamented to his three comforters, “Oh that my grief were THROUGHLY WEIGHED” (Job 6:2).  From the perspective of eternity Job’s afflictions were “light afflictions”, as expressed by Paul, and amounted to “heaviness through manifold temptations” in the diction of Peter.  The weighing of Job’s grief has been a comfort and consolation to many this this present world.  But THE WEIGHING OF JESUS’ GRIEFS that He bore is the wellspring of justification and acceptance before the Holy One, and shall be a source of comfort and consolation to redeemed personalities throughout the ages to come.  Who can thoroughly weigh the griefs that He bore in our behalf?