For by His words and actions there would come
Deliverance and salvation for all
Who put their trust in Him, He is the Lamb
Of God who would upon the cross take all
The sin of Adam, who in Eden fair
Did taste forbidden fruit, with Eve did share
To their eternal shame and deception
Lost their pure innocence, whereby the Lamb
Of God, in wilderness forlorn and dark
Did outwit Satan, that serpent who now
Defeated, crawls upon his belly ‘til
He overthrown shall be eternally,
And outcast into darkness, never more
Be seen or heard of, such will be his lot.
The yoke of darkness and of death shall be
In pieces shattered as stones laid upon
The ground, in dust embedded or strewn by
The feet of those who walk upon the road
Now lit by light which at its dawn did bring
A harvest of rejoicing in the hearts
Of human souls now freed from heavy yoke
Which until then had been weighed down and set
With rod and bar from their oppressors hands.[i]
Into a fire unquenchable shall be
Cast all the elements of war and hate,
For that same child of virgin born shall reign
In governance which on His shoulders rests,
And unto Him shall royal titles state
Eternal kingship, at Yahweh’s right hand
Limitless Wonder, wisdom’s Counsellor,
Mighty God and Father Everlasting,
The Prince of Peace[ii] whose governance shall know
No end, He who on David’s throne shall reign
And over his kingdom established will
Justice and righteousness be upheld for
All time and beyond the limits of that state
For zealous is Yahweh Almighty to
Accomplish this, His kingdom without end.[iii]
For it was prophesied that unto Him,
That from the stump of Jesse there would come
A Branch from his roots that will bear much fruit.[iv]
From Root of Jesse shall all peoples come
And rally to Him, finding perfect rest
Which for them shall be glorious and bright.[v]
Death shall be swallowed up for evermore
And He, Sovereign Yahweh, shall wipe away
The tears from all faces and far remove
From heavy hearts his people’s raw disgrace.[vi]
Listen to me: Yahweh has spoken thus.
In Zion has He laid a cornerstone
A stone that has been tested and found true.
This precious stone is a foundation sure
For human hearts to put their faith and trust
And never be downhearted or dismayed,[vii]
For this foundation is the Lamb of God
The One who three days past was put to death
Upon a cross of shame to bear the sin
Of Adam’s disobedience and break
The yoke of that same sin and break its power
And that of death by rising from the grave
And beat down Satan, now forever crushed
By Him whose feet are beautiful who brings
Good news to those with willing hearts to hear.
This is the servant who Yahweh upholds
His Chosen One in whom He takes delight
Upon Him does the Holy Spirit rest
And in His heart forever dwells within
Even before time that governs the earth,
Before creation of the earth itself,
HE IS, whereby the Spirit of Yahweh
Is constantly indwelling. He will bring
True justice to all nations, he will not
Have need to raise His voice or cry aloud
Within the streets wherein his holy feet
Do tread, for they do follow in the path
Of righteousness which speaks its own language
Of mercy, peace and justice. He will not
A bruised reed break but instead make it whole
And upright once more as will creation
Tarnished and broken be restored again
For all time and beyond. The smouldering wick,
Which once beheld a flame so glorious
And bright will be restored to glories past,
For He, unlike mere mortals who discount
Such damaged things as worthless, sees beyond
The pain and misery of broken lives
And understands and recognises why
They in their fallen state do helpless stand.
He stoops low to raise up, restore and heal,
Giving back to them their true value which
For His true glory they were created.
His faithfulness will bring forth justice to
The earth, which by His hand is established
And which no human frailty can divert
By faltering or ill discouragement.
And scattered nations, far flung, apostate,
And lost will be called back to hope in Him[viii]
Who has established justice which cannot
Be swayed by evil, for that parlous state
Will be forever outcast in the sight
Of Him who is the servant of Yahweh
Whose kingdom will bring righteousness and peace
To all the nations scattered on the earth.
To Gentile nations He will be their light
And their salvation.[ix] Yahweh has decreed
Again through Isaiah, His holy seer
And prophet, how the holy Lamb of God
Must suffer for the sins of humankind.
Take heed and listen that you may believe
And hold the truth forever in your hearts.”
The two companions, captivated by
The truths which came from Jesus, Lamb of God
Did find themselves unable to reply
And still unable to recognise Him
Who for their souls had undergone the pain
And agony of Calvary, remained
Transfixed by wonder, and yet still confused
Listened again to what the Lamb of God
Would say about himself according to
The prophet’s words as given by Yahweh
For their salvation and of all the earth.
And so the Lamb of God continued thus:
“Yet for this righteousness and salvation
To be offered to all, much suffering
Had to be undergone at human hands,
The Lamb of God, in bearing human sin
Became as sin, its twisted form and shape,
A dread abomination of all that
Had once been created at Yahweh’s hand
And that of His Son, in the Spirit’s power,
He did become, who suffered on the cross,
Disfigured, twisted out of shape, deformed
And racked in pain unbearable, bespoiled.
All human likeness veiled, a bleeding wreck
Of human carcass barely living while
Those who looked on with thinly veiled disgust
At what they saw, murmured and wagged their heads
Turning away from that appalling sight[x]
Which for their souls was a guilt offering
For human sin, this was His destiny.
From lowly birth and humble beginnings
Devoid of beauty and of majesty
Nor was there anything of attraction
Within his being in those early days,
Nothing that would make him desirable
In His appearance, hidden was His life
In Yahweh God, for not from human seed
Was His conception but at Yahweh’s hand,
Unlike His kindred who came after him.
He was the victim who would pay the price
To bring salvation to the human race
Despised was he, rejected by His own,
Who would but turn away than look at him.
His heart was filled with sorrow, mental pain
And cruelty, the suffering servant He
Deemed unworthy of human importance
The lowest of the low, of no esteem.
He took upon Himself human sorrows
And our infirmities, and considered
Stricken, afflicted, smitten at the hand
Of Yahweh, pierced was He by flagrum cruel,
By nails driven into His hands and feet,
By spear thrust into His side to ensure
And end to any thought of lingering life.
Crushed was he for human iniquity
Taking upon Himself the punishment
To bring peace to the human race, a price
Which undeserved he bore, and by the stripes
Inflicted on him at the scourging post
Have brought true healing to the damage which
Sin had inflicted to all human souls,
Righting the wrongs of past mistakes and for
The present and the future so as to
Present unto the throne of Yahweh God
Creation now restored and perfected
For until now all humankind had gone
Astray, choosing to follow their own paths
Wanting to control their own destinies
And victims of the dreadful sin of pride
Thinking themselves as greater than the One
Who in His image they were created.
Yet on the suffering Servant there was laid
The weight of their wanton iniquity
To bring them back to righteousness and peace.
Silent remained he, even in the face
Of harsh oppression and affliction sore
As a lamb to slaughter is led away
As a sheep standing before its shearers
Is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
Oppression and judgement heard not his voice
As they, his captors, led him away to
His trial and condemnation, pain and death.
Of his descendants, who can speak of them?
For he was cut off, forcibly removed
From the land of the living, and stricken
Taking upon himself the transgressions
Of the people, the ones he came to serve
And give his life as ransom for their sins.
Buried was he in a new tomb assigned
For the wicked, and with the rich in death.
He was a man of peace, not violence
Truth only came from his mouth, not deceit
Yet by the will of Yahweh was he crushed
And caused to suffer, a guilt offering
Was what Yahweh did cause His life to be.
Yet even though Yahweh had willed this so,
He shall see all those who come after Him.
Prolonged will be His days and in His hand
The will of Yahweh God will prospered be.
After His suffering, as was foretold,
Great will be His reward for He will see
The light of life and will be satisfied,
By His knowledge of human suffering
And of their sinfulness, in union
With them will he be justification
For many, bearing their iniquities.
His share will be allotted with the great
All promises divine fulfilled in Him
The spoils of His reward divided with
The strong, the numerous because he poured
Out His own life unto the point of death
And numbered was he with the transgressors
The sinfulness of many he has borne
And for the transgressors did intercede.[xi]
He is my witness to all the peoples
Their leader and commander, to dispense
Justice and intervention for Yahweh.[xii]
Salvation by His holy arm was given
And his own righteousness was His keeper,[xiii]
For it had displeased Yahweh that there was
No justice for the peoples who were trapped
And held captive in the long night of sin.
And from their prison He will give freedom
He will dispel the darkness from their lives,
The poor will hear good news, and broken hearts
Will be bound up for Yahweh God has poured
His Spirit upon me to do these things,[xiv]
For Yahweh has proclaimed to all the earth,
To Zion’s Daughter: ‘See, your Saviour comes!
See, His reward is with Him, recompense
That is his own now accompanies Him.’[xv]
He comes from Edom, from Bozrah but with
His garments stained in blood, in crimson hue.
Yet He is robed in splendour, He who strides
In power, in the greatness of His strength,
For He has fought and conquered all his foes
In warfare in the spiritual realms,
As treading down the winepress in Bozrah
He made his foes a footstool for his feet.[xvi]
My brothers, much of what I have disclosed
To you along this path was spoken by
The prophet Isaiah, yet others too
Did speak of the Messiah, who would bring
Salvation to the peoples of this world.
More have I yet to say, is it too much
For you
to hear, or shall I speak some more?”
[i] Isa 9:2
[ii] Isa 9:6
[iii] Isa 9:7
[iv] Isa 11:1
[v] Isa 11:10
[vi] Isa 25:8
[vii] Isa 26:18
[viii] Isa 42:1-4
[ix] Isa 49:6
[x] Isa 52:14
[xi] Isa 53
[xii] Isa 55:4
[xiii] Isa 59:16
[xiv] Isa 61:1
[xv] Isa 62;11
[xvi] Isa 63:1
Dominus-Iesus-est 