📊 Isaiah 53:6 | Thunderclap Chapter

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

If you missed yesterday’s email, you can read it here!

In today’s email…

• 🎵 The song found in Isaiah 53

• 🤔 Why we “tidy up” our sins..

• 📊 Trivia: Who quoted Isaiah the most?

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

All we like ____ have ____ _____;

we have turned—____ ____—to his own way;

and the ____ has laid on him

the ________ of us all.

Isaiah 53:6

CONTEXT 📕 

Let’s zoom in.

Isaiah 53:6 doesn’t sit in isolation. It’s the centerpiece of a song.

And that song sits in the middle of a section that just might be the most shocking and hope-filled portion of the entire Old Testament.

Chapters 49–55 introduce a mysterious figure known only as the Servant.

At first, he sounds like Israel. But then he starts doing what Israel failed to do: he’s faithful, obedient, Spirit-filled, and called to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 49:6).

He brings good news. He restores the broken. He suffers unjustly.

And then, Isaiah 53 hits like a thunderclap ⚡️

This Servant doesn’t just suffer generally. He suffers for the sake of others.

His pain has a purpose.

And that brings us to Isaiah 53:6.

Right in the middle of what scholars call the fourth Servant Song (Isaiah 52:13–53:12). This song is a poetic and prophetic masterpiece.

It flows in five stanzas:

1. The Shock (52:13–15): The Servant will be exalted — but first, disfigured beyond recognition.

2. The Rejection (53:1–3): People won’t recognize or respect him.

3. The Substitution (53:4–6): He suffers not for himself, but for us.

4. The Injustice (53:7–9): He’s condemned though he did no wrong.

5. The Reward (53:10–12): God vindicates him and gives him victory.

Our verse — “All we like sheep have gone astray…” — sits at the exact center of this structure.

It’s the turning point.

The moment when Isaiah names what’s wrong with us, and what God did about it.

❌ We went astray.

❌ We turned away.

And God laid the full weight of our sin on him.

This Servant bears the consequences of our rebellion. And in doing so, he becomes the means of our healing and redemption.

But there’s more.

Zoom out just a little, and you’ll notice something else: Isaiah 53 doesn’t just predict suffering. It points to resurrection.

(more on that Thursday)

For now, we know The Servant dies.

But he doesn’t stay dead.

Isaiah saw it. Jesus fulfilled it.

And we’re invited to receive it.

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

It’s hard for me to admit when I’m wrong.

Not just socially, but also spiritually.

I’d rather downplay my sin. Tidy it up. Maybe even compare myself to someone worse and say, “Well, at least I’m not them.”

But Isaiah pulls no punches.

We’ve ALL turned away. Every one of us.

And not by accident — by choice.

Jesus knew that. And still, He stepped in.

He didn’t wait for us to turn around. He bore the cost of our turning away.

So instead of hiding your sin, let it become the reason you worship.

Instead of proving yourself, praise the One who took your place.

And let that joy spill over in real ways:

• Write down the one “turning away” you keep repeating and confess it honestly to God.

• Talk to a trusted friend and share one thing Jesus has freed you from.

• Ask someone this week, “Can I share something that changed my life?”

Pray 🙏
Jesus, You took what I deserved and gave me what I never could earn. Thank You for carrying my sin, even the parts I still try to carry myself. Help me stop managing my guilt and start marveling at Your grace. Let joy replace my shame. And let my life reflect the beauty of Your sacrifice. Amen.

TRIVIA 📊 

ANSWER KEY ✅ 

All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6