In their classic book I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, apologist Frank Turek and the late Norman Geisler share 3 reasons that the "Suffering Servant," featured prominently in the Book of Isaiah, (See chapters 42-53) cannot be Israel, as some Jews argue:1
1. Unlike Israel, the Servant is sinless (53:9). They write:
"To say that Israel is sinless is to contradict and negate virtually the entire Old Testament. The recurrent theme of the Old Testament is that Israel has sinned by breaking God's commandments and by chasing after other gods instead of the one true God. If Israel is sinless, then why did God give the Jews a sacrificial system? Why did they have a Day of Atonement? Why did they constantly need prophets to warn them to stop sinning and to come back to God?"2
2. Unlike Israel, the Suffering Servant is a lamb who submits without any resistance whatsoever (53:7). As Giesler and Turek explains, "History shows us that Israel certainly is not a lamb-she lies down for no one."3
3. Unlike Israel, the Suffering Servant dies as a substitutionary atonement for the sins of others (53:4-6, 8, 10-12). As the authors explain, "...Israel has not died, nor is she paying for the sins of others. No one is redeemed on account of what the nation of Israel does. Nations, and the individuals that comprise them, are punished for their own sins."4
These 3 reasons seem to demonstrate that the "Suffering Servant" found in the Book of Isaiah cannot be Israel.
Courage and Godspeed,
Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
Footnote:
1. Interestingly, they also argue that until 1040-1105 AD, "the traditional Jewish interpretation of the Servant passages was that they predicted the coming Messiah." (p. 333)
2. Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, p. 333.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid., p. 333-334.
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2. Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, p. 333.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid., p. 333-334.
Related Posts
Article: Is the Old Testament Reliable? by Chad A. Gross
Book Preview: Is God a Vindictive Bully? by Paul Copan
4 Archaeological Finds that Confirm the Exodus Account
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