Although when we read the verse it may not read easily with us, and although we are given in the margin of the New International Version of the Bible some variant readings, I believe the meaning is clear and is basically the same which ever reading we feel is the one to prefer. The verse conveys to us the great achievement the Servant gained by his work of atonement, and speaks of the Servant’s satisfaction with that wonderful and great work. Because of this, the whole verse is full of comfort and strength for the Christian whose whole trust is in Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

The verse commences with the word ‘after’, and this is surely a reference to the time after the death of Christ, encompassing Christ’s resurrection, ascension and glorification. We are led to behold the Saviour looking back at his life and his death, and viewing all that was involved, seeing what he had done, and God the Father’s reaction to it shown in the fact Jesus was raised from the dead, and then being pleased with the result.

The suffering of his soul which is attributed to the Servant of the Lord here must refer to the suffering he endured as he bore the guilt and the punishment for our sins on the cross. This suffering is epitomized in the cry of dereliction on the cross when Jesus cried out in terrible soul anguish "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me". The words ‘the suffering of his soul’ points to the vicarious suffering of the Saviour. It speaks of the anguish the Saviour went through particularly when he was made sin for us, though sinless, and then punished for that sin not his own to the furthest and most terrible extent on the cross. By these words we can do nothing else but recall the passion history in the Gospels, and be reminded of Jesus hanging on the cross, and being forsaken by God and so suffering the eternal pains of hell on our behalf. It was not so much the suffering in body that is the important thing about the atonement Jesus made for sin that we are reminded of here, although this was terribly severe and ghastly to behold, but rather his suffering of soul where God cast Jesus into outer darkness, and denied and forsook his only begotten Son. This was the total experience of hell which is the wages of sin.

The verse goes on to speak of the Servant viewing all this suffering, and seeing the light of life. This surely means, in the light of the fact God had raised him from the dead, as a testimony to the fact that Jesus had fully paid the punishment for the sin of the world, that Jesus sees that he has won light and eternal life for everyone who believes in him. God, seeing, appreciating and acknowledging the completeness of that work of atonement Jesus made in his life and death; and seeing that it was a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world; raised Jesus from the dead as a testimony that Jesus had made a complete satisfaction for the sin of the world; so the Servant looks back on all this and sees that light and life is now available through what he has done.

As Jesus beholds the greatness and completeness of what he has done, this verse tells us that the Saviour was satisfies. The footnote in the NIV translation of the Bible tells us that the Masoretic Text of this passage makes this understanding of the verse perfectly plain. In the margin this first paragraph of verse 11 at the end reads "He will see the result of the suffering of his soul and be satisfied.

The verse gives us the wonderful testimony of Jesus that he was satisfied with the work he had done in dying for the sins of the world, seeing it as a complete achieving of the work of paying the price of sin which God the Father had given him to do. Jesus declares that he is satisfied with his work done in his suffering and death, and so we may understand that salvation is full and complete, and meets our human need to the very uttermost, gaining for us complete victory over sin and death. This is the great achievement of Jesus. It is something that no one and nothing else could have done. It is our life and hope of heaven.

This verse goes on to tell us that by this knowledge, this knowledge that he has made a complete sacrifice, oblation and satisfaction for the sine of the world, the Servant will justify many.

Here is the whole wonderful teaching of justification by faith. Being justified is a wonderful blessing. It is all we sinners need. Being justified means that God, as the judge of all the earth, declares us justified in his sight, and that he sees no sin against us. The Bible puts it in another way when it tells us that we are credited by God with perfect righteousness that meets all the demands of his law and holiness.

Our verse tells us that the Servant justifies us. The meaning here is that he makes it possible and just for God to declare you and me, who have sinned grievously against him, righteous in his sight. Notice that the Suffering Servant of God is called ‘my righteous Servant’. This is God speaking concerning Christ. Christ was righteous before he became a human being, and while he lived on earth he remained righteous, and positively lived righteousness. Jesus never sinned. However this statement where Jesus is called ‘my righteous servant’ has a further, deeper and more profound meaning than just this. It is all this concerning the righteousness of Jesus, and that righteousness is a necessary part of the whole; however when we read here of the Servant being called righteous by God, it is considering Jesus in his role as the second Adam, and the federal head of the redeemed and new human race.

As the second Adam and the federal head and representative of all who believe on him, Jesus was living and dying in our place and for us. Jesus was doing what is our essential duty to do - which is to live a completely sinless life; also taking what in justice we deserve for our sins, and taking it completely and fully. So Jesus bore our sins - the punishment for our sins - in his body on the cross. In other words Jesus was working a righteousness which meets all the demands of God’s law upon human beings, both in what we have a duty to do, and also what we in justice deserve for failing in our duty. Jesus is the righteous Servant in this sense. He stood in our place. He acted in our place before the justice of God. He worked a righteous - which is called in the Bible ‘the righteousness of God’, - and he worked it in our place and for us.

Jesus can justify many because of this righteousness he worked. This righteousness is credited to all whole believe in Jesus as their Saviour, Lord and God. This righteousness covers all our sins, and hides them eternally from view. This righteousness is often called in the Bible a garment of righteousness. It covers us from head to foot. No part of us is left uncovered by this perfect righteousness. So when we stand before the judge of all the earth to account for our life, God sees only this perfect righteousness, and so pronounces us perfectly just in his sight.

Notice what is said in our text. It says ‘my righteous Servant will justify many’. This justification before God, procured by Jesus at so great a cost, is not a universal blanket that covers everyone. No! Jesus will justify many. As we look at the whole Bible testimony we see that this many refers to those who believe in Jesus and trust themselves to him and to what he has done for them. Only those who believe are not condemned (John 3:18). If we don’t believe then we remain in the condition we were born into this world. We remain condemned by God.

However the invitation to receive this perfect righteousness provided by the Servant is open to all. The declaration of God in the Bible is full of grace and mercy, and excludes no one. Whosoever believes has eternal life immediately. The righteousness of God to cover us is available for all whoever we are. The number of our sins is no barrier. We can be the worst sinner of all, but the offer of the light of life - this perfect righteousness provided by Jesus - is still offered freely, if only we will reach out in faith and received the gift of it that is offered.

The last sentence of the verse before us says "and he will bear their iniquity". What does this mean in the context. Jesus has already born our iniquity on the cross. He took our sin upon himself and gave his life a ransom for us. So what does this sentence mean here.

It can mean only one thing. It is that he pronounces forgiveness for all our sins on the ground of, and because of, his atoning for all our sin, and dying in our place on the cross.

This is the wonderful outcome of placing our trust and confidence in Jesus as we approach God, the judge of all the earth. We have complete and free forgiveness of all our sins. As Jesus was dying for us and the suffering of his soul took place many hundreds of years before we were born, his dying was for all our sins God knew we would commit. Thus Jesus was bearing the punishment for all our sins when he died for us on the cross, not just the ones before we believed on Jesus. Included in this forgiveness - this bearing of our iniquities by Jesus - are the sins which we will commit in the future and up to the day we die. All have been atoned for by Jesus, and so all are included in the forgiveness we are given when we believe.

This gives the application of the achievement of Jesus in atoning for our sin and eternal permanence. God can’t punish for sin twice. Jesus has taken our punishment for us, and so we are eternal free. We are given eternal life. Nor can this forgiveness be lost by sinning in the future. It can’t be lost for two reasons. Firstly because Jesus has already paid the price of the sins of our future. Secondly because our forgiveness is based on the perfect work of Jesus. This work is outside of us and permanent and perfect. It can’t be altered or effected by our failure.

What a tremendous achievement Jesus made in atoning for the sin of the world. It achieves the impossible, which is to obtain forgiveness and justification before God for the ungodly and for sinners. Further it achieves this in such a way that it is a permanent and eternal salvation. Because it has been worked and provided by Jesus it is an achievement which lasts for ever. Let us never doubt our eternal security in Christ, and let us show how much we appreciate the infinite love of God towards us in the perfect salvation by living our lives to please Jesus and serve him faithfully.