by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
As mentioned last week, the second of the 4 Isaiah Servant Songs where the Messiah is presented as the chosen Servant of the LORD is Isaiah 49:1-7 (or 1-13). Here are the first 7 verses of Isaiah 49 (from the ESV):
1Listen to me, O coastlands,
and give attention, you peoples from afar.
The Lord called me from the womb,
from the body of my mother he named my name.
2He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow;
in his quiver he hid me away.
3And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
4But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my right is with the Lord,
and my recompense with my God.”
5And now the Lord says,
he who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him;
and that Israel might be gathered to him—
for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength—
6he says:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
7Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation,
the servant of rulers:
“Kings shall see and arise;
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves;
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
Verse 1 calls to mind Jeremiah 1:4-5 where the LORD says that he knew the Prophet Jeremiah before he formed him in his mother’s womb. Verse 2 speaks of the servant’s mouth made as a sharp sword. This verse has parallels in Isaiah 11:4; as well as in Revelation 1:16; 2:12, 16; and 19:15, 21; also in Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12.
Verses 1-6 as a whole speak of the messianic servant of the Lord who will redeem not only the nation of Israel but the peoples of the world as well. One cannot help but see double meaning in the verses. For one, the LORD God announces to the peoples that Israel is his servant (v. 3) and yet, the previous and following verses speak of a servant distinct from Israel.
Verse 6 says that this Servant will not only bring back the נָצִיר (“natsir” meaning “preserved”) or perhaps, a “remnant” of Israel back to the LORD God, but also be made as “a light for the nations” so that God’s salvation may cover the entire globe. For the Jewish hearers/readers of Isaiah in the 8th century BC (with the Assyrian threat is in view), or even the 6th century BC (where the Babylonian exile is in view), the thought of Gentiles figuring prominently in God’s plan for redemption may have been amazing. Thus, biblical scholars call Isaiah 49:5-6 as the Gospel in the Old Testament (OT) complete with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to the nations. Note also that in the New Testament (NT), aside from Matthew 12:18, the Lord Jesus is referred to as a “servant” directly or indirectly, only in these passages: Acts 3:13, 3:26, 4:27 and 4:30. The servant title and terminology used undoubtedly hail from the Isaiah Servant Songs.
To continue, suddenly, in verse 7 comes a break. The theme of the servant of the LORD despised by his own nation is introduced, while the rest of the verse says that kings and princes of the Gentiles will instead honor this servant because he is chosen by the LORD to bring them salvation. The theme of a “suffering servant,” as one abhorred by Israel is further developed in the 3rd and 4th of the 4 Isaiah Servant Songs.
Verses 8-13 speak of the restoration of Israel; hence some scholars include these verses as part of the Servant Song. In verses 8-9, similar or exactly the same ideas found in Isaiah 42:5-9 (especially vv. 6-7) are also expressed. Below are the verses 6-7 of Isaiah 42 (from the ESV):
6“I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
7to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
These verses in Isaiah 42 speak about the Servant who will be as a covenant to the people; a light to the nations; who will free prisoners out of the dungeons in the same breath as Isaiah 49. Let us take a look at Isaiah 49:8-9 (from the ESV) to see the parallels and resonances:
8Thus says the Lord:
“In a time of favor I have answered you;
in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you and give you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages,
9saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’
to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’
Going back to Matthew 12:18-21 and its Isaiah 42 source, we see that there are parallels with the other Isaiah Servant Song; Isaiah 49 in this case. Matthew must have known this and the other Isaiah Servant Songs. The themes of redemption for Israel and salvation for the Gentiles/nations are clearly seen. A “suffering servant” is also now in view.
We will continue next week.
God bless us all.