Isaiah Chapter 50

GOD’S SERVANT, JESUS, IS ISRAEL’S HOPE

 

A buzz word in the church over the last fifteen or twenty years has been the term “servant-leader.”  When you think of the word “servant,” what comes to mind? Probably someone who is lowly in society, who follows orders, and who is rather nondescript. On the other hand when you think of the term “leader,” you probably envision someone who gives directions to others, who is articulate, someone that everyone else pays attention to. So how can those two terms, which seem so opposite, come together into a single concept?

As you are probably aware, the term came about from looking at the example of Jesus. He is certainly a leader, yet when He was on earth He often took the role of a servant. Recall how He washed the feet of His disciples? As we look at chapters 50 and 51 of Isaiah we will see a similar blend of the Messiah, or Christ, also being a servant to His people.

Here we have Jesus speaking to the Jews before the Exile and 700 years before His birth, telling them exactly what will happen when He comes. Just think about it. How could they have rejected Him when they knew these details from their own Scripture?

Let’s begin by reading:

Isaiah 50:1-3 NAS:
1 Thus says the Lord, “Where is the certificate of divorce By which I have sent your mother away? Or to whom of My creditors did I sell you? Behold, you were sold for your iniquities, And for your transgressions your mother was sent away.
2 “Why was there no man when I came? When I called, why was there none to answer? Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, I dry up the sea with My rebuke, I make the rivers a wilderness; Their fish stink for lack of water And die of thirst.
3 “I clothe the heavens with blackness And make sackcloth their covering.”

In these verses God is seen as a constant lover. The image of Israel as the wife of Jehovah (God) is found often in the prophets.[fn] Israel was “married” to Jehovah when they accepted the covenant at Sinai (Exodus 19–20), but they violated that covenant by playing the harlot and worshiping idols.But God did not forsake His people even though they had been unfaithful to Him.

The Mosaic permission for divorce is found in Deuteronomy 24:1–4 (also see Matthew 19:1–12). The “certificate of divorce” declared that the former marriage was broken and that the woman was free to remarry. But it also prevented the woman from returning to her former husband. God had indeed divorced the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and allowed it to be assimilated by the Assyrians (Jeremiah 3:8), so she could not return. But He had not “divorced” the Southern Kingdom (Judah); He had only permitted His unfaithful wife to suffer chastening at the hands of Babylon. He would forgive her and receive her back again.

The second picture in this paragraph is that of a poor family selling their children into servitude.[fn] God had not sold His people; by their sins, they had sold themselves. God had called to them many times and tried to turn them back from their wicked ways, but they had refused to listen. Judah did not go into exile because of God’s weakness, but because of their own sinfulness.

How could the people say they were forgotten and forsaken, when the Lord is a compassionate mother, a courageous warrior, and a constant lover? He is faithful to His Word even when we are unfaithful (2 Timothy 2:11–13). He is faithful to punish when we rebel (Hebrews 12:1–11), but He is also faithful to forgive when we repent and confess (1 John 1:9).

The Servant’s message to the Gentiles was one of hope and blessing. He would deal with His people so that they, in turn, could bring God’s blessing to the Gentiles.[fn] All of the apostles were Jews. Christ was a Jew. All the early converts to Christianity were Jews, and Paul was a Jew. Paul was called to be the apostle to the Gentiles and carried the message to various parts of the Roman Empire. Salvation for the Gentiles came through the Jews.

Isaiah 50:4-11 NAS:
4 The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples[fn], That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5 The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back.
6 I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.
7 For the Lord God helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me.
9 Behold, the Lord God helps Me; Who is he who condemns Me? Behold, they will all wear out like a garment; The moth will eat them.
10 Who is among you that fears the Lord, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with firebrands, Walk in the light of your fire And among the brands you have set ablaze. This you will have from My hand: You will lie down in torment.

There are four passages in Isaiah that are referred to as “Servant Songs.” We’ve already seen two of them and we will get to the fourth one shortly. Let us look now at the third one. In the first two Servant Songs in Isaiah 42:1-7 and Isaiah 49:1-7, we saw hints of opposition to the Messiah’s ministry. But in this third Song the suffering of Jesus Christ, the Servant, is vividly described. When we get to the fourth Song in Isaiah 52:13—53:12, we will be told not only how Jesus suffered, but why His suffering is necessary.

Note that four times in this passage (verses 4, 5, 7, and 9) the Servant uses the name “Lord God.” The Hebrew words, “Jehovah Adonai,” can be translated “Sovereign Lord,”  and you will find this title nowhere else in the “Servant Songs.”  According to Robert B. Girdlestone, the name “Jehovah Adonaia” means that “God is the owner of each member of the human family, and that He consequently claims the unrestricted obedience of all.”[fn]So the emphasis here is on the Servant’s submission to the Lord God in every area of His life and service.  If our Lord Jesus was so surrendered and submitted to His heavenly Father, so we also should submit to and obey Him in every thing.

In verses 4-9 the Servant, Jesus, is speaking for He addresses God as the Sovereign Lord in verses 4, 5, 7, and 9. As the Lord God taught the Servant daily how to comfort the weary, the Servant did not rebel against that instruction. In fact He was even willing to give His body up to torture and death to those who persecuted Him. Jesus, before He was crucified, was beaten, mocked, and spit on.[fn] In extremely difficult circumstances, certainly more difficult than what Isaiah’s original readers were facing, the Servant was obedient and submissive (1 Peter 2:22-23).[fn] We are expected to have the same kind of obedience as the Servant, Jesus. Let us examine these verses a little more carefully.

Isaiah 50:4 NAS:
4 The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

In verse 4 we see that Jesus’ mind was submitted to the Lord God so that He could learn His Word and His will. Everything Jesus said and did was taught to Him by His Father.[fn] He prayed to His Father for guidance (John 11:42; Mark 1:35) and meditated on the Old Testament Scriptures. What God taught the Servant, the Servant shared with those who needed encouragement and help.

Are you feeling weary? Then go every day to Christ so that He may strengthen and comfort you. Christ had a daily “quiet time” with His Father (Mark 1:35). We also need a daily “quiet time” with Him. The Servant sets a good example here, morning by morning. We should take note of Jesus’ perfect example and change our lives accordingly.

Isaiah 50:5,6 NAS:
5 The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back.
6 I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.

The Servant’s (Jesus) will was also submitted to the Lord God. An “opened ear” (verse 5) is one that hears and obeys the voice of the master. Jesus is the true Israel, the completely obedient Servant. The people to whom Isaiah ministered were neither willing nor obedient (Isaiah 1:19), but the Servant Jesus gladly obeyed the will of the Lord God. This was not easy. Jesus must have struggled to remain obedient as He was subjected to excessively cruel treatment, for it meant yielding His body to wicked men who mocked Him, whipped Him, spat on Him, and then nailed Him to a cross.[fn] Unlike the nation Israel, the Servant Jesus would present to God perfect obedience and willingness to endure humiliation and persecution for the Father’s sake. During His Good Friday sufferings Jesus was sustained by His consciousness of being in the will of God and therefore in the right, as against all the slanders and assaults of His enemies.

Do we follow in the footsteps of our Servant Leader, Jesus? When we feel battered and beaten by the world and criticized for living out our faith, do we take it with grace and recognize we are in the will of God? Or do we try to blend in with the crowd and downplay our testimony so we won’t be shunned or ridiculed?

Isaiah 50:7-9 NAS:
7 For the Lord God helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me.
9 Behold, the Lord God helps Me; Who is he who condemns Me? Behold, they will all wear out like a garment; The moth will eat them.

This is why Christ could get through such horrible treatment and it is why we can endure our trials and persecutions. The Lord God is our Help. Jesus was confident that the Father would bring Him victoriously through crucifixion and burial, and that His opponents would be subject to divine judgment, which they were when the capture of Jerusalem by Titus occurred in A.D. 70.

The Servant did all of this by faith in the Lord God. He was determined to do God’s will even if it meant going to a cross, for He knew that the Lord God would help Him.[fn] The Servant was falsely accused, but He knew that God would vindicate Him and eventually put His enemies to shame. Keep in mind that when Jesus was ministering here on earth, He had to live by faith even as we must today. He didn’t use His divine powers selfishly for Himself but trusted God and depended on the power of the Spirit. The Servant was aware that those who falsely accused Him would eventually face Him as their Judge and would come to nothing. Like moth-eaten garments, they will perish.[fn]

Isaiah 50:10 NAS:
10 Who is among you that fears the Lord, That obeys the voice of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

Life is not easy. And contrary to what some popular speakers say, becoming a Christian does not guarantee a life of sunshine and roses. God allows trials into our lives so that we may grow and develop. Walking through dark times presents a challenge to even the most faithful. Arthur Pink, a Bible teacher of a previous generation, had this to say:

“There are seasons in the lives of all when it is not easy, not even for Christians, to believe that God is faithful. Our faith is sorely tried, our eyes dimmed with tears, and we can no longer trace the outworking of His love.

“We find it difficult, yes, impossible . . . . to harmonize His frowning providence with His gracious promises. Ah, faltering soul, seek grace to heed Isaiah 50:10, "Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon his God.

“When you are tempted to doubt the faithfulness of God, cry out, ‘Get thee hence, Satan.’ Though you cannot now harmonize God’s mysterious dealings with the avowals of His love, wait on Him for more light. In His own good time He will make it plain to you.”[fn]

Isaiah 50:11 NAS:
11 Behold, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with firebrands, Walk in the light of your fire And among the brands you have set ablaze. This you will have from My hand: You will lie down in torment.

Verses 10–11 are addressed especially to the Jewish remnant that will return from the exile in Babylon, but they also have an application to God’s people today, and in the end times as well. God’s faithful were uncertain as to what He was doing, but He assured them that their faith would not go unrewarded. But those unfaithful ones who try to eliminate the darkness by lighting their own fires, that is by following their own ideas, will end up in sorrow and suffering. In obedience to the Lord, you may find yourself in the darkness, such as the believers living in the difficult times when Jesus was crucified, but do not panic, for God will bring you the light you need just at the right time.[fn]

Salvation would come to sinners only through faith, through trusting in the God of grace.[fn]

Isaiah made an urgent appeal to the Servant’s followers, those who fear the Lord and obey His Word, but who are in the dark. They are to walk by faith, trusting in the Lord. If they insist on walking by their own light they will suffer the fate of those who reject Him. They will lie down in torment.[fn] This warning was directed to those living in Isaiah’s day. But all who refuse to trust the Lord will suffer the same eternal damnation.[fn]

What a Servant we’ve seen in this chapter! What an example for us as we “fix our eyes on Jesus, The Author and Finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2, NKJ).

 

Isaiah

John

Romans

1 Peter


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