The Servant Of The Lord
THE SERVANT OF THE LORD
In the same way that a child motif runs through the early chapters of Israel, so also there is a “servant motif” that runs through the latter part of the book. Of all the ways in which the Messiah is presented, this is the most striking. We would expect the God of the universe to appear as a king, a conqueror, a wise teacher, but a servant?
1. The Voice in the Wilderness.
3 A voice is calling,
“Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5). When we first read these words, we might have a tendency to try to take them literally. We might imagine mountain-moving bulldozers that raise valleys and level mountains and pave highways. To do so would be to try to impose a 21st century interpretation on an ancient writing. It would be missing the entire point. The Scriptures themselves explain to us the meaning of this passage when it is quoted in the New Testament. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way; 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.'” (Mark 1:2-3).
Mark says that this is “written in Isaiah, the prophet” (Mark 1:2). Actually, the quote is taken from two separate passages of the Old Testament.
“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me,,,” (Malachi 3:1 a). A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:3).
Mark tells us that both of these passages have reference to the same thing. They both point to John the Baptist who was the messenger and the voice calling for the way to be prepared in the wilderness.
3 A voice is calling,
“Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5).
John was the voice calling in the wilderness who came to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord's Messiah. He built a highway upon which the ministry of Jesus entered history. John prepared the way. But notice for whom it was that he prepared the way. It is seen in Isaiah 40:5. He prepared the way for the glory of Yahweh.
Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5).
I cannot read these words without thinking of the incident of Moses in the wilderness. Moses had seen some great things. He had seen the plagues of Egypt. He had seen the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of the armies of Pharaoh. He had seen the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. He had seen the Lord's daily provision of the manna in the wilderness. Was there anything more for which a man could ask? Only one thing remained. Moses asked that he might be permitted to see the glory of God. Moses asks, “Show me your glory!” And the Lord replies, “You cannot do that and live; but I will permit you to catch a glimpse of My afterglow.” The Lord places Moses into a cleft in the rock and covers it and then His goodness passes by and Moses is allowed to see the afterglow of God's glory. But here is a promise that the glory of the LORD will be revealed. That for which Moses could only long is given to men. How can such a thing be? And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14). In the person of Jesus men were able to see the glory of the Lord. On the night of Jesus' arrest, his disciples asked Him about this.
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:8-9).
2. The Servant as the Embodiment of Israel: In Isaiah 41:8-9, the Lord describes Israel as the servant of the Lord.
8 But you, Israel, My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
Descendant of Abraham My friend,
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its remotest parts,
And said to you,
'You are My servant,
I have chosen you and not rejected you. (Isaiah 41:8-9).
However, as we continue reading the prophecies of Isaiah, we come to the power where the servant is pictured, not as the entire nation, but as being embodied in a single individual. This faithful servant is contrasted to Israel, the unfaithful servant.
1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry out or raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break,
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not be disheartened or crushed,
Until He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."
5 Thus says God the LORD,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk in it,
6 “I am the LORD,
I have called you in righteousness,
I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you,
And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon,
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” (Isaiah 42:1-7).
Like Israel of old, this Servant of the Lord is described as the chosen of Yahweh. But whereas Israel has acted unjustly, this servant will bring justice to the nations (Isaiah 42:1). Moreover, he does not accomplish this by force of arms or even by raising His voice. To the contrary, He is so gentle that His coming will not extinguish the faintest flicker of the dimly burning wick. His ministry is not only to bring justice, but also to open the eyes of the blind and to release those who have been in bondage. He is a liberator and He is also just and righteous.
3. The Suffering Servant.
13 Behold, My servant will prosper,
He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted.
14 Just as many were astonished at you, My people,
So His appearance was marred more than any man,
And His form more than the sons of men.
15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations,
Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him;
For what had not been told them they will see,
And what they had not heard they will understand. (Isaiah 52:13-15). From this passage to the end of Isaiah 53:1-12 is set forth in the form of a chiasm. It is a parallel that begins and ends of the same note. The important point of this parallel is see in that which is at the pivotal point.
Exaltation; Isaiah 52:13-15||Exaltation; Isaiah 53:10-12|
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|Rejection; Isaiah 53:1-3||Rejection; Isaiah 53:7-9||
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|Suffering; Isaiah 53:4-6||
Notice that the aspect of suffering is the central and pivotal point of the passage. But before we read of the suffering of the Servant, we are first guaranteed of the exaltation of the Servant. He will prosper. This is the same message as is found in the book of Revelation. Jesus Wins! In Isaiah 52:14 we saw that many were astonished. Now in Isaiah 52:15 we see that many nations are sprinkled. The point is that the Messiah not only worked in a surprising manner, but that He also produced some surprising results. His coming would result in the salvation of the nations and even kings would recognize His authority.
1 Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? (Isaiah 53:1).
Isaiah 53:1 is a rhetorical question. After all, this is a message that everyone ought to have believed. But the truth of the matter is that many have not believed the report of the prophet. Why not? It is because of what we read in Isaiah 53:2 :
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face,
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. (Isaiah 53:2-3).
Jesus was not the stereotype of a heroic figure. He didn't come across as a conquering king or a majestic ruler. He grew up as a simple carpenter. There was nothing about His appearing that would attract the natural man.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-6). In these verses we go back and forth between the truth about the work of Jesus versus what people thought about Jesus. It is a contrast between reality versus delusion.
Isaiah 53:4|Reality|Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried;|
|Delusion|Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.|
Isaiah 53:5|Reality|But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.|
Isaiah 53:6|Delusion|All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way;|
|Reality|But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.|
Unbelieving Israel looked at Jesus on the cross and said, “He got what He deserved.” The truth is that He got what WE deserved. The death of Christ was substitutionary in nature. He died in our place. This was graphically illustrated in the case of Barabbas. This man was a thief and a robber. He had been caught and tried for his crimes and sentenced to death. Seeking to pacify a hostile crowd, Pontius Pilate released Barabbas and crucified Jesus. The one who deserved to die was given life and the One who had done no wrong was sent to the cross. It was a cross that was meant for Barabbas Isaiah 53:6 widens the scope of the cross to show how it extends itself to all.
All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. (Isaiah 53:6). This is the same concept that Paul presents in Romans 5:12-18. It is the concept that all were under sin and that all sins were subsequently atoned.
Sheep are not known for their organizational skills. Left to themselves, they will wander and they will keep on wandering. We are like that. Left to ourselves, our tendency is to wander away from God. This is why we need a Savior. In verses 4-8 we see a contrast between our need over against the Servant's divine remedy for that need.
Israel's Need|The Servant's Remedy|
Our griefs (Isaiah 53:4).|He Himself bore (Isaiah 53:4).|
Our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4).|He carried (Isaiah 53:4).|
For our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5).|He was pierced (Isaiah 53:5).|
For our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5).|He was crushed (Isaiah 53:4).|
For our well-being (Isaiah 53:5).|The chastening... fell upon Him (Isaiah 53:5)|
In need of healing (Isaiah 53:5).|By His scourging (Isaiah 53:5).|
All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way (Isaiah 53:6).|The LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (Isaiah 53:6).|
For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due (Isaiah 53:8).|He was cut off out of the land of the living (Isaiah 53:8).| The innocent was punished in place of the guilty. The guilty as permitted to go free.