The opening words of today’s text are deeply moving; to think that Jehovah had to bruise His Son. The word “bruise” here means, “crush.” Though Christ’s sacrifice was a pleasant aroma to God, that is not the meaning of the verse here; rather, that it was God’s purpose, or the good pleasure of His will, that He “bruise Him” and “put Him to grief.” The word “grief” literally means “sickness,” and here it is used to describe the deep agonies of suffering that Messiah endured on the cross. Messiah’s “soul” is mentioned here; in fact, it is mentioned in the three closing verses of the chapter. Christ’s very life was offered as “an offering”; it is the trespass offering that is being referred to here.

The Holy Spirit, through Isaiah, now turns our attention toward Messiah’s resurrection—wondrous truth! He would be raised from the dead “according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:4), and Isaiah 53:10 is one of those Scriptures. He shall “see His seed,” those for whom His work was accomplished. On the resurrection morning, He gathered His scattered sheep for whom He died; He visited them and saw them, and so all who have believed in Him since that time. His work would not go unrequited or fruitless.

Messiah would “prolong His days.” We are not told here how long, but we know that He “continues forever” and “always lives” as the resurrected Man and our undying Priest (Heb. 7:24–25). God’s “pleasure,” or purpose, would prosper in His hand. “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand” (Jn. 3:35; cf. Jn. 13:3). How encouraging to know that all things in heaven and earth are in the hands of this resurrected One!