Isaiah 53 is a sweet chapter that portrays Christ's dynamic redemption through His vicarious death and reproductive resurrection. Chapter fifty-four presents Christ's redemption in relation to His being the covenant for Israel's security. Christ's vicarious death and His reproductive resurrection are both crucial for the security of Israel.
Isaiah 53:1 concerns the revelation and report of Christ as the arm of Jehovah, the dynamic Redeemer. "Who has believed our report?/And to whom has the arm of Jehovah been revealed?" Here the word arm signifies the dynamic might of Christ in His divinity.
Verses 2 and 3 go on to speak regarding Christ's lowly birth and suffering in His humanity.
Verse 2 says, "He grew up like a tender plant before Him, / And like a root out of dry ground./He has no attracting form nor majesty that we should look upon Him,/Nor beautiful appearance that we should desire Him." In the Bible plants often typify humanity. For Christ to grow up like a tender plant before Jehovah means that Christ grew up before Him in His humanity. In His divinity Christ has always been perfect and complete, and thus there was no need for Him to grow in His divinity. His growth took place in His humanity. First He was a child, and then He grew into boyhood and eventually into manhood. Having become perfected and completed in His humanity, at the age of thirty He came forth to minister for God.
Christ grew up not only like a tender plant but also like a root out of dry ground. The words dry ground signify a difficult environment. For the Lord Jesus, this dry ground included the poor home of Joseph and Mary, the despised city of Nazareth, and the despised region of Galilee. Like a root out of dry ground, Christ grew up in the midst of hard circumstances.
Verse 2 also tells us that, in His humanity, Christ had no attracting form nor majesty; He did not have a beautiful appearance.