Isaiah 49:1-6
Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name.
He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.
Yet what is due me is in the LORD’s hand,
and my reward is with my God.”
And now the LORD says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength- he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Isaiah 50:4-9
The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.
I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me. Who is he that will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.
We continue on the pathway of unraveling a mystery. A mystery yields to clues and the words of an eyewitness. We are looking into a subject that puzzled the Jews in the past as they plumbed the depths of their Scriptures (the Old Testament). They were stymied in the identification of the Suffering Servant spoken of by both Isaiah and King David. For them, then and now, this mystery remains unsolved. To us, it should rightly speak of the Christology contained within these passages. The nature and identification of the long awaited Messiah rests on the understanding of these passages. To understand the Messiah, one must also deal with the Suffering Servant. Most everyone, layman and scholar, before the day of Jesus, felt that they understood the role of the Messiah. He was to be a political and militaristic leader. No one understood the suffering Servant’s identity and grand purpose.
Monday night is family night at our home. All four sons and their children and wives are invited guests for a meal. The crowd is rarely 5 and may swell into the high teens. Grandchildren frequently bring guests. The grandsons and their guests quickly go downstairs or outside depending upon the season and the weather. If they make a racket, things are okay. If they become quiet, a check is prudent. A few months ago a sudden silence was followed by “Dad.” The corresponding son and I went to investigate. The sink in the downstairs bathroom was sprung from the wall and water was escaping into the room. The water was cut off. One son made a quick trip to Lowe’s and the broken connections were restored and life resumed as usual. Blame was never placed. No snitch appeared to rat on a brother or cousin. I suspect someone did a pushup on the sink (after all they are boys). The mystery remains and should do so. It is past history that requires no specific inquiry.
Not so with the Suffering Servant. The understanding of His role and purpose is critical to understanding the God that loves us who is willing to orchestrate the death of His Son to save us from sin, Satan, and self.
This world inhabited by fallen men and women has changed little over the centuries. Our relationships are greatly influenced by pride and prejudice. The Jews as God’s chosen people declared the gentiles to be fuel for the fires of hell. The gentiles expressed similar sentiments against the Jews. It is this prevailing attitude that makes the charge to the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 49:6 so revolutionary. (He says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”) Simply, salvation is not to be limited to the Jews who are obvious descendants of Abraham but to those who accept God as Abraham did. (Genesis 15:6_ Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.) Faith in the character of God is what makes you righteous rather than your designation in society.
Being on the same page is essential in any discussion. Definitions are necessary so that we understand critical points. To grasp our hold on salvation it is necessary to reflect on the righteousness that Abraham claimed by faith and the same righteousness that we all seek. This faith is not in God’s existence for only the fool says there is no God. This faith is in God’s character, the superlatives that are in God’s person. This faith is never earned but always gifted by God to believe in Jesus, His son, and the Father that sent Him. With this claimed gift of faith, God declares that the believer is righteous. This righteousness deals with salvation and makes one in fellowship with God. There is a separate righteousness that deals with morality and embraces the process of sanctification and makes one to resemble Jesus in His character. The former righteousness is truly concerned with fellowship and causes rebirth. The latter is induced by the guardianship of the Holy Spirit.
The instruction for the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 50:4-9 informs that this servant will speak only what is God inspired and directed. As the result of the help of the Sovereign Lord, He will go willingly to suffer at the hands of men. His accusers will disappear in death, as do all men. He will suffer because it is a fulfillment of God’s will. It is a desperate price to pay to make man worthy of righteousness in the sight of God the Father.
What should we conclude to this point? It is the Suffering Servant who completes the Old Covenant. He in sinless fashion spends His life for others. His shed blood provides payment for all of the faith descendants of Abraham who have sinned, are sinning or will sin. He provides the means for establishing a new Covenant that can erase all records of the believer’s sin and result in righteousness with God.
The ancient Jewish scholars could not see through his mystery. Perhaps their vision of God was not great enough. We have no access to such an excuse. The Biblical record is clear. Jesus of Nazareth is both Messiah and Suffering Servant.
