Isa. 52:13-53:12, Servant Song #4

Servant Song #4, Isa. 52:13-53:12

We now come to the last, and probably the best known of the Servant Songs.  I say “best known.”  But many don’t realize the song actually begins with the stanza at the end of Isa. 52.  The Song begins, “Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently” (52:13).  And we often refer to this as “the Song of the Suffering Servant.”  But I hope you realize we have already seen in the previous songs it was the will of the LORD that the Servant would suffer.  Let’s take a quick journey through the 5 stanzas of this powerful Song.

·       52:13-15: The Servant is humble and yet effective. The Song begins with the end: the Massiah will be exalted.  But then it quickly moves to His humiliation.  These songs center primarily on the Incarnation, that descent of the Son of God from being “in the form of God” to taking on the “form of a bond servant.”  He will win the day, shutting the mouths of the arrogant kings (Ps. 2:1-3), not by His appearance as a man but by His

·       53:1-3: The Servant is called “the Man of Sorrows.”  But the gist of this stanza is that in all His sorrows, added to them will be His rejection by the ones He came to save.  Notice how Isaiah the prophet identifies with the nation (“our,” “we”).

·       53:4-6: The point of the Man of Sorrows is not simply to suffer.  All of His suffering is not for Himself but for “us.”  Again, the prophet identifies himself with Israel through possessive and collective pronouns.  This stanza has a strong description of our sinfulness.  We don’t fully appreciate what Christ has done for us unless we recognize our sinfulness.

·       53:7-9: He was oppressed, yet He will be honored.  I see the righteousness of Christ in this stanza.  In v7 His silence before those who put Him to death is evidence that He was committed to the will of His Father.  Verse 8 presents us with the mystery: because He took our sin on Himself He has died.  That seems to be the end of any thoughts about His glory and exaltation.  And yet, the crucified Man had a rich man’s burial because the sin He bore was ours until He graciously took it upon Himself. 

·       53:10-12: Two things in v10 are critical.  First, all this was and is God’s plan. The Servant, the LORD’s Servant, is the Man of Sorrows because it was the Father’s will.  And second, that “will” was to make an offering for sin.  Because God so loved the world He sent the Servant to suffer and die.  His being counted with the sinners is at first incriminating (the Father forsakes Him), but then receives a reward.  Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed (Ps. 85:10).

Isa. 50:1-11; Luke 9:51-56; Rom. 8:32-34, Servant Song #3

Servant Song #3, Isa. 50:1-11

This song is a little different than the others in that the term “Servant” does not appear.  Yet, it is clear that the LORD is speaking to His Servant (the personal Messiah and not the nation Israel).  Further, I normally consider vs.4-9 as the “Servant Song” because that is where the LORD is speaking to His Servant, making this the shortest of the songs.  In 50:1-3 the LORD speaks to the nation in a way that shows the hopelessness of Israel.  Israel’s predicament is seen in her iniquities and transgressions (v1) and in the fact that the LORD could find no one in the nation with which He could redeem her (v2).  But in spite of these obstacles, the LORD proclaims His own ability (v3) which then brings about the Song.

In v4-6 the Servant speaks of His obedience to the Lord GOD (Adonai YAHWEH or Jehovah).  His obedience is set in the body His Father has given Him.  His body has a tongue that can speak the appropriate truth at the appropriate time.  His body has an ear that Adonai Jehovah has opened.  The Servant has heard and learned because He was not rebellious, even when His enemies persecuted Him (v4b-6).  The persecution, quite obviously, was fulfilled in His passion (Mt. 16:67; 27:26).

The obedience of the Servant through the trials is because He trusts in Adonai Jehovah to help Him.  Even though the Servant was shamed and mocked, still He knew He would not be disgraced.  For that reason, He was not only obedient but He was “stubbornly” obedient: I have set My face like a flint (v7; cf. Luke 9:51-53).  Flint is quartz that is essentially black in color.  It was used to start a fire by striking it with steel.  So, Jesus let His face toward the steel of the cross and did not turn away when He was struck.  If you read the entire context of Luke 9 you see that as soon as He set His face for Jerusalem the formally friendly Samaritans (Jn. 4:39-42) now wanted nothing to do with Him.  James and John thought the appropriate response would be to call down fire from heaven on these ungrateful people.  Jesus just continued on to the next village.

I agree with those who believe that Paul, in Rom. 8:32-34, had in mind Isa. 50:8. The best promises we have (perhaps the only promises we have; cf. Eph. 1:3) are those that the LORD first fulfilled in Christ.  Jesus trusted His Father to vindicate Him before His enemies.  He knew no one could condemn Him, not that they wouldn’t try but they could never succeed.  That is why Jesus could be silent when false charges were filed against Him before Caiaphas.  So it is with us.  God has justified us by faith, declaring us righteous in Christ.  Therefore, NO ONE can file a charge that will stick.  And then, if that were not enough, because Christ has died for us, making the “justification” legal and moral, NO ONE can condemn those who have believe in Christ.  Hallelujah for the LORD and His Servant Messiah!!!

Rom. 11:11-15; 2 Cor. 6:1-2, God’s Acceptable Time

We need to conclude Song #2 as there are additional truths to be noted.  For example, note in 49:7 that the nation (singular, thus Israel) despised and abhorred the Redeemer while kings and princes (plural, thus the nations) will worship Him.  This rejection by Israel that resulted in the great opportunity for the nations to receive the gospel is the subject of today’s passage from Romans.  I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles (11:11).  The LORD promised Abraham that through him all the nations would be blessed (Gen. 12:3); but Abraham had no idea how that would play out.  Isaiah spoke of it in this Song and then the Apostle Paul explained it in detail.

In 49:8-12 there is a description of what the Messiah Servant’s reward will be.  He will rule in His Kingdom where all will prosper and rejoice.   In terms of the future picture, perhaps the key words are that the LORD will bring this about “in an acceptable time.”  The struggle that the Messiah mentioned in v4, about laboring in vain, will be a part of the story but not the end of the story.  And the end with it’s successes will come at an acceptable time, a time of the LORD’s choosing. 

I am reminded of Acts 1:7, when Jesus disciples asked Him if He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel at that time.  The answer was: It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. It was an acceptable time for Jesus when He came to earth for His first advent.  As Paul said, But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Gal. 4:4-5).  “Fullness of the time” simple means it was the time for all to be fulfilled concerning Messiah that had been prophesied. 

But Paul also said, in Eph. 1:10, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He would gather together all things in Christ.  The part about Israel rejecting and abhorring the Servant is still in operation.  But the time will come when the Servant has received His reward for His ministry.  Until that time, the Lord Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the acceptable time (Psalm 110).

You might remember that Paul said something about the “acceptable time” in 2 Cor. 6:1-2.  He quoted from Isa. 49:8 and then added, for the Corinthians, these words: Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.  From verse 1 he was saying that now is the time to receive God’s grace for salvation.  And it is still that time today. 

Isa. 49:1-13, Servant Song #2

Servant Song #2, Isa. 49:1-13

This second song is packed with insight concerning the Servant (Messiah): His nature, His ministry and His reward.  First, the Servant is speaking at the beginning of the Song and note that He is addressing the “coastlands (49:1a),” which we have noted is a reference to the Gentiles.  What does He say to the peoples?  He tells them of their wonderful Savior (v1b-2).  He was called while in the womb and the LORD has made Him to be an effective weapon. 

This brings to mind a couple of NT passages.  First is Luke 1:31-33, when Gabriel told Mary about the Child she was going to bear.  Second is Heb. 10:5-10 which is built on a prophecy in Ps. 40:6-8.  Again, Jesus the Messiah is speaking and says “sacrifices and offerings You did not desire but a body you have prepared for Me.”  Jesus did not come to take over the priestly duties in the temple of Jerusalem.  Instead, His Father had another plan, and He provided the body that Jesus would need to accomplish that plan.  Jesus “became” flesh, coming in the likeness of man. 

The next two verses are profound.  It seems that the LORD now is speaking to the Messiah, and says ‘You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.’  You have two possibilities here.  Some might think the LORD is not talking to Messiah but to Israel.  In Isaiah the nation of Israel is also referred to as God’s servant.  But it is consistent with Scripture that the LORD is still speaking to Messiah (that fits the flow of the passage) and that the LORD is calling Messiah “Israel.” 

As I said, this is consistent with Scripture.  There is a strong identification between Israel and the Messiah.  An example of this is in Matt. 2:15 where we read, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”  Clearly in Matthew this refers to Jesus coming out of Egypt with Mary and Joseph when they had fled from Herod.  But these words are actually a quote from Hosea 11:1 where God’s “son” is Israel.  In Exodus 4:22-23 the LORD told Moses to tell Pharaoh that Israel was His “firstborn son,” and that he was to let them go from Egypt.  The Messiah is the LORD’s Servant that Israel failed to be. 

As evidence of this, look at the Messiah’s response 49:4.  In essence He says, “If Israel is my reward then I have labored in vain.  Nevertheless, I will trust the LORD for My reward.”  And immediately the LORD assures Messiah in 49:5 that His mission will be, To bring Jacob back to Him, So that Israel is gathered to Him.  And then, in 49:6, the LORD adds to the reward of His Servant: not only will He rule over Jacob; He will also bring salvation to the nations. 

If, like me, you are a Gentile, these words should bring joy to your heart.  If, unlike me, you are Jewish, these words should also bring joy to your heart.  Your being set aside by the LORD (Rom. 11:25-27) is not the end of the story.  Even today, to all, the good news of the gospel of Jesus is offered.  Through the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus there is forgiveness for sin and the promise of eternal life.