Charles Spurgeon Commentary Isaiah 53:11

"He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities." — Isaiah 53:11 (ASV)

Shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

There is no meaning at all in this chapter if it does not teach that Christ did take upon himself the sin of his people, and did suffer in their position, place, and stead. Let whoever will object to this doctrine, it is the gospel, the very heart and marrow of it; and there is nothing that can make a heavy heart glad until it sees sin removed by the death of Christ: He shall bear their iniquities.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:

His death-pangs were birth-pangs: "the travail of his soul." He sees the multitude that shall be born through his death, and he is content.

By his knowledge –

Or, "by the knowledge of him,".

By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;

That is, by their knowledge of him, by their trusting him, many shall be justified, and saved.

For he shall bear their iniquities.

We are told that the doctrine of substitution is a theory by which we explain the fact of Christ's death, but that it is only a theory. It is not so, for it is of the very essence of the fact. It is by no means our explanation; it is God's own declaration: He shall bear their iniquities.

By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;

By their knowledge of him, by their so knowing him as to trust him, they will find justification; and "many" will find it.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:

This is a clear proof that he shall live, and he shall triumph. All his griefs shall come to an end; and even the death-pangs of his soul shall be the travail by which multitudes shall be born unto him, so that his infinite heart shall be satisfied.

By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;

Dear hearer, will he justify you? Do you know him? If you know him so as to trust him, he has justified you; you are a justified man tonight. Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:

Christ did not die by chance, as some seem to think. A sure and glorious result must come from "the travail of his soul." Such precious blood as his could not fall to the ground uncertainly.

Whatever the design of his cross was, it shall be accomplished. I could imagine failures in creation, if it so pleased God; but never in redemption.

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.

That is the way he justifies them—takes their iniquities upon himself; and since a thing cannot be in two places at one time, when Christ takes our iniquities, they are gone, and we are just in the sight of God. He takes the burden, and we are unloaded, blessed be his name! He shall bear their iniquities.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied:

His death-pangs were our birth-pangs; and Christ shall see that which is born of his soul-anguish, and shall be satisfied.

By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

That is the top and bottom of it all: He shall bear their iniquities. The red line of substitution runs through the whole chapter.

For he shall bear their iniquities.

They kick against this doctrine nowadays. They cannot bear it; yet it is the very marrow of the gospel, Christ bearing sin that was not his own, that we might be covered with a righteousness which is not our own, but comes from him. Paul, by the Spirit, put this great truth thus, 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.

For he shall bear their iniquities.

How very express this is, – that Christ does not merely bear the punishment of his people, but their iniquities, too! There is a literal substitution of Christ in the place of his people, and a most distinct imputation of their sin to him, and of his righteousness to them.