Day 1 - Lord's Day - Sunday | Daily Devotions | The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2025-2026 |

 September 28

Lesson 4 (KJV)

The Servant’s Suffering

Devotional Reading: Matthew 12:14–21

Background Scripture: Isaiah 52:13–53:12

Isaiah 53:1–7

1 Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Key Text

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.—Isaiah 53:6

Judah, from Isaiah to the Exile

Unit 1: Isaiah and the Renewal of the Temple

Lessons 1–4

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

1. Identify the suffering servant.

2. Relate the servant’s suffering to the concept of substitutionary atonement.

3. Write a prayer of gratitude for what the servant’s suffering accomplished.

Lesson Outline

Introduction

A. Three Discouraging Words

B. Lesson Context

I. Servant’s Appearance (Isaiah 53:1–3)

A. Reported and Revealed (v. 1)

B. Humble and Unattractive (v. 2)

C. Despised and Rejected (v. 3)

II. Servant’s Suffering (Isaiah 53:4–7)

A. Stricken by God (v. 4)

B. Punished for Us (vv. 5–6)

A Great Reversal

Jesus Died for Me

C. Silent by Choice (v. 7)

Conclusion

A. Three Encouraging Words

B. Prayer

C. Thought to Remember

How to Say It

Assyria	Uh-sear-ee-uh.
Babylon	Bab-uh-lon.
chastisement	chas-tize-munt or chas-tize-munt.
Corinthians	Ko-rin-thee-unz (th as in thin).
Ezekiel	Ee-zeek-ee-ul or Ee-zeek-yul.
Hezekiah	Hez-ih-kye-uh.
iniquities	in-ik-wu-teez.
Isaiah	Eye-zay-uh.
Leviticus	Leh-vit-ih-kus.
Nathanael	Nuh-than-yull (th as in thin).
Nazareth	Naz-uh-reth.

 

What Do You Think? What are common barriers that prevent people from believing and accepting the message of Christ? Digging Deeper How can you help people address those barriers while trusting in the Holy Spirit’s power to soften hearts?

 

What Do You Think? What are some ways we do not esteem Christ as we should? Digging Deeper How do the directives in John 14:15 and 1 John 4:20 help us correct this problem?

What Do You Think? What griefs and sorrows do you need to turn over to Christ today? Digging Deeper In what ways can you carry the griefs of other believers so that you love others just as Christ has loved us (John 13:34)?

What Do You Think? What is the significance of the New Testament connecting Christ’s work with our being “healed”? Digging Deeper What other phrases does the New Testament use to describe Christ’s work on the cross?

 

What Do You Think? In what ways does Jesus’ powerful silence still speak to you today? Digging Deeper In what ways is Jesus’ silence a model for your actions?

Conclusion

A. Three Encouraging Words

The Introduction called attention to the words to be continued as three discouraging words. In the sense of salvation history, the continuity of the Old Testament has been superseded by the fulfillment of the New Testament (Matthew 26:54 56; Luke 24:44; etc.).

As we consider Isaiah’s ministry to King Hezekiah (as seen in lesson 1) and compare it with the content in Isaiah 53, we see the twofold nature of a prophet’s ministry. One may be called forthtelling, in which the prophet proclaimed God’s message to those of his own surroundings. The other may be labeled as foretelling, in which the prophet looked forward in time to declare God’s plan for the future. This plan, which included the ministry of the suffering servant, had a profound impact not only on the original audience but also on the entire world. In each role, God’s prophet was “moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21).

It is instructive at this point to call attention to a New Testament passage cited in lesson 1: John 12:41. In that passage, the apostle John describes Isaiah as one who “saw [Jesus’] glory, and spake of him.” In that lesson, the focus was on the glory that Isaiah saw by means of his vision of the Lord “high and lifted up” in His heavenly temple (Isaiah 6:1). In Isaiah 53, Isaiah also foresaw Jesus’ glory, but in a completely different way. This was the glory seen when Jesus was high and lifted up on the cross (John 12:32-33).

This is the glory of both God’s love and His holiness (Romans 3:21–26), demonstrated in an act that was looked upon with disdain and disgust by the people of Jesus’ day. It was, as the apostle Paul put it, one of “the foolish things of the world” that God used to “confound” the wise and the mighty (1 Corinthians 1:27).

Some commentators have proposed that the cross reveals glory to God in the lowest. That is the glory of Jesus that Isaiah saw in our passage today. And as a result of the servant’s suffering, death, and resurrection, we worship Him in the highest (Ephesians 1:18–23).

B. Prayer

Father, after reading today’s passage, saying “thank You” hardly seems adequate. And it isn’t. We ask for Your help in offering ourselves in grateful service as ambassadors for Jesus, wherever we are and whenever You choose. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

C. Thought to Remember

Jesus is the servant we serve.

Involvement Learning

Enhance your lesson with KJV Bible Student (from your curriculum supplier) and the reproducible activity page (at www.standardlesson.com or in the back of the KJV Standard Lesson Commentary Deluxe Edition).

 Doug Redford, Nicole Howe, and Connie Chandler, Editorial, “The Servant’s Suffering,” in The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2025–2026, ed. Taylor Z. Stamps et al., vol. 73, The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary (Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2025), 39–40.