“So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider” (KJV, Is. 52:15).
“So shall he sprinkle”
By the time the reader gets to Isaiah 52:15, he has already read of the Servant of God Who would come and die a brutal death (Is. 52:13-14). But here we see that the Servant’s death would bring about sprinkling. So what is at stake when God speaks of sprinkling?
The sprinkling of Isaiah 52:15 speaks of the Servant of God as a Priest. Scripture says, “And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with him” (Ex. 29:21). Herein we see the consecrating of the priest consisted of sprinkling blood and oil upon them and their garments.
But what was the effect of the sprinkling? The sprinkling brought atonement and thus holiness before the Lord, much like when the people of Israel wiped the blood on their doorposts during the tenth plague. The destroying angel saw the blood and passed over God’s people. So it is with the sprinkling of the blood that when Aaron and his sons were sprinkled, God saw the blood, not their sin.
The sprinkling of blood was a common practice in the Old Testament. The Old Testament usage must be brought to bear on Isaiah 52:15. Elsewhere, it is said, “And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the Lord, before the vail of the sanctuary” (Lev. 4:6). However, possibly the most essential reference to consider in the present moment came during the Day of Atonement.
The Day of Atonement happened once a year. On that day, the great high priest would take two goats, one for a sacrifice and the other to be sent into the wilderness. The great high priest would place his hands on the head of the live goat and transfer the people’s sins to the goat. The goat would then be sent away. Herein we see a picture of what is commonly referred to as expiation, the removal of sin. The goat would be sent into the wilderness, and the sin would be removed from the people and the camp.
The second goat would be killed as a sacrifice before the Lord. Scripture says, “Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat” (Lev. 16:15). The sprinkling of the blood was seen as symbolic of forgiveness, cleansing, the satisfaction of God’s wrath, and being made right with God.
Thus, when God tells us through the prophet Isaiah that His Servant would come and be brutally beaten, disfigured, and marred, then bring about sprinkling, it is clear that God spoke of His Servant’s blood, bringing cleansing and forgiveness.
But for whom would the cleansing come and atonement be made?
“many nations”
While the Jews were God’s chosen people, it would not be accurate to say that God only delighted in them and wanted the Jews to inherit salvation. Jesus was to be born into this world and would come into the world as a Jew. Thus, God set His seal upon the people of Israel and guided them throughout history to bring about the fulfillment of the promised Messiah. Isaiah tells us that the sprinkling of the Servant’s blood would be for many nations. In other words, the Servant would come and make atonement for the world.
God’s love for the nations can be seen throughout the Old and New Testaments. For example, when the people of Nineveh were engrossed in sin, God did not bring destruction upon them. Instead, He brought His prophet. Although Jonah did not want to go, God made him go.
The message of the prophet is threefold. First, the prophet preaches repentance. Second, the prophet preaches no repentance than wrath. Third, the prophet preaches comfort. This is not to say that all three aspects are always touched upon.
When Jonah went to preach to the people of Nineveh, he preached repentance. The people heeded the warning, and as a result, they did not incur the wrath of God. Instead, the Bible tells us that there was a massive revival, possibly the most significant revival of the Old Testament. The last verse of the book of Jonah tells us that more than 120,000 people were living in Nineveh. It is likely that the vast majority of the people turned to the Lord. Thus, God loves the nations and desires all people to repent.
“the kings shall shut their mouths at him”
But the wording changes its tone. The reader goes from the sprinkling of the nations to kings shutting their mouths. Psalm 2 can help us at this point. Psalm 2 is a prophetic Psalm that also speaks of the Lord’s Anointed/Servant. Scripture says, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us” (Ps. 2:2). The kings of the earth set themselves against Jesus. They did not believe Jesus was the promised Messiah.
Herod the Great sought to kill Jesus. The great high priest accused Jesus of a crime punishable by death. Pilate condemned Jesus to be crucified. Paul was killed for preaching Christ under the reign of Emperor Nero, as was Peter. The list could be expanded, but the point is clear the rulers of this age want nothing to do with Jesus.
“for that which had not been told them they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider”
Nevertheless, Jesus has been highly exalted and seated on the throne above all thrones. Jesus has been made the King of kings and Lord of lords. Therefore, despite someone’s desire to have nothing to do with Jesus, time will reveal that Jesus is King.
Paul desired to reach the lost. He declared himself to be the chief of sinners long after his conversion. He was a humble man who never lost sight of the grace of God in his life. As a result, God used Paul in many ways to accomplish His will.
In Romans 15:14-21 the reader is given a glimpse of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles. Remember that Isaiah 52:15 speaks of Jesus’ priestly office and the sprinkling of many nations. With that in mind, Paul tells us in Romans, “Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God. That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable being sanctified by the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 15:15-16). Thus, Paul would spread the message of the Gospel in the priestly service of God to many nations.
Finally, Paul tells us that he strove to spread the Gospel in parts of the world where Christ was not yet known. He concluded his portion of his ministry to the Gentiles by saying, “But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand” (Rom. 15:21). The kingdom of God has been growing like the mustard seed. May all the earth know and hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for the many blessings You have revealed to me through the work and person of Christ. Thank You for sending Your Son to the be the fulfillment of the Priestly role. He is the Great Sanctifier, and it is through His blood that I am cleansed. May he be honored, adored, and praised. In Jesus’ name, Amen.