The Servant in the Book of Isaiah
Uploaded by bdogg on Apr 25, 2007
The Servant in the Book of Isaiah
The series of four songs found in Isaiah that are referred to as the servant songs present an interesting question. Who is the servant that these songs are talking about? The suffering servant could be Jesus the Messiah, the collective righteous persons of Israel, the individual righteous person of Israel, or Jeremiah, who is one of the prophets. Who the suffering servant is not of the utmost importance when discussing these songs, what is important is that the nature of the servant himself be discussed, what is he supposed to act like? God is depicting a definitive person that he trusts to bear the burden of the sins of the people. The servant is depicted in as having several distinct qualities.
In the first servant song of the book of Isaiah the servant can be seen as a gentle person. In the song it says, “He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street”(42:2). This particular picture is a prophecy of the quiet manner in which the servant would go about his ministry, shunning the attention of the crowds and not being interested in the fanfare of men. This makes sense if the servant is Jesus because there are many instances in which he has performed miracles and asked that the people not tell anyone of the gifts he has.
The servant in the second servant song can be seen as the fearless warrior prepared to do battle with any foe. In chapter 49 of Isaiah the servant is depicted as “And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me” (49:2). The servant is a weapon of God, not necessarily to be used in destruction, but to use his sharp sword of a mouth to help save the souls of the people of Israel. He is a strong warrior willing to fight for the righteousness of the people of Israel.
In the third servant song the servant can be seen as a true devotee to God because he is fearless, gentle, and has complete faith that God would not lead him astray. The servant himself contends, “Who among you fears the lord and obeys the voice of his servant, who...