So he will sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand. (NIV)
Isaiah 52:15
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 52:13-15 and 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12
We continue with verse 15 which is a continuation of the theme from verse 13 – Jesus will be highly exalted. Just as there were many who were astonished at his appearance when he was crucified, many will be equally astonished when he comes back as the King of Kings.
Isaiah uses beautiful poetic language is this verse: “So he will sprinkle many nations.” The Hebrew word for “sprinkle” is nāzâ which occurs 24 times in the Old Testament. Most translations will offer a footnote to this verse that gives an alternate translation. The NIV footnote says “so will many nations be amazed at him.” Other translations offer the word “startle” in its place or in their footnote. There is even a less common third translation of this word as “scatter.”
These footnotes exist in most translations because there is wide disagreement on what this word nāzâ means. Many think the word in fact means “sprinkle” which would refer to Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of the nations. Sprinkling blood on the altar was part the prescription for a sin offering:
“And he shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer that which is for the sin offering first, and wring off its head from its neck, but shall not divide it completely. Then he shall sprinkle (nāzâ) some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, and the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering” (Lev 5:8-9, NKJV).
Sprinkling of blood was also used to confirm an agreement. Moses sprinkled the Israelites to confirm their covenant with God after he was given the law:
“And Moses took the blood, sprinkled (nāzâ) it on the people, and said, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words’” (Ex 24:8).
So it is entirely possible that the correct translation of nāzâ is “sprinkle” but the only issue is that in Isaiah 52:15 it says that the Messiah will “sprinkle many nations.” Sprinkling is not typically used with nations but rather individuals. Peter wrote:
“To God’s elect … who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance” (1 Peter 1:1-2).
Sprinkling of the nations would indicate that they will be forgiven which is true if we are talking about it in the sense that people of all nations will be offered forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. But the shrinking of the nations is just the first half of the sentence. The sentence continues with “and kings will shut their mouths because of him.” In this context, it seems that we are witnessing the return of Christ and he will not be sprinkling anything at that time. He will be returning in power to reign as King so “startle” does seem to me to be a better translation for nāzâ.
When Jesus returns the second time, the whole world will be “startled” or shocked when they see him. The first time he came, he astonished the few people who saw him crucified. The next time, he will shock the world:
“‘Look, he is coming with the clouds,’
and ‘every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him’;
and all peoples on earth ‘will mourn because of him.’
So shall it be! Amen” (Rev 1:7).
Paul wrote about this day in his second letter to the Thessalonians:
“This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you” (2 Thes 1:7-10).
All those who have believed will be marveled by the return of Jesus. All those who have not believed will be shocked to see him because he will be coming for their “everlasting destruction.” In light of the fact that Jesus will return for those of us who believe in him, Paul said that he prays specific things for us:
“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thes 1:11-12).
Paul prays that we would be worthy of Jesus’ calling by making every one of our desires be for goodness and all of our deeds prompted by faith. If we desire only goodness and do only things that God would have us do, Jesus will be glorified in us and in turn, we will receive his glory. We have our mission today!
Christ in the Old Testament 
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