Christ Exalted

Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. 

Isaiah 53:12 

The death of Christ was not the end of Him. Having accomplished His perfect obedience to the law of God during His life, He paid the penalty which the law requires for sin by His death. This was a substitutionary sacrifice. As our text puts it, ‘He bore the sin of many.’ His death, and His continuing under the power of it for a while, was the end of His humiliation. His resurrection began His exaltation. This exaltation involves God subduing all Christ’s enemies under His feet. Our text describes this by saying, ‘Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong.’ David spoke of this when he said, ‘The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies’ Paul speaks to the same subject when he says, ‘For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.’ The language of our text is the language of conquest. Christ is coming again as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The scenes in Revelation depict Him sitting upon the Throne of Heaven. Isaiah describes His sorrows, sufferings, and sacrifice, but he ends with trumpet peals of victory. As the old hymn puts it, ‘Jesus shall reign where ‘ere the sun doth his successive journeys run.’ Christ, not man is King. 

High King of Heaven, 
we rejoice that You are
subduing all Your enemies under Your feet. 
We praise You that the last enemy that You shall destroy is death.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning