Isaiah Survey of the Old Testament: The Prophets Fall 2005

Deliverance from sin by the Suffering Servant (Chapters 50-59)

Overview of the Servant Songs

Isaiah mentions several times throughout chapters 40-55 a person known as the Lord's “Servant.” This servant is described in a series of four “Servant Songs”: [1]

The Servant Songs

Isaiah 42:1-9- The Call of the Servant

The Servant will receive the Spirit of the Lord (42:1). His ministry will not be one which receives a lot of attention (42:2). But His ministry will be to serve as a covenant between the Lord and the people (42:6) and to be a light unto the nations (42:6). In this Messiah will come a new thing (42:9) … a new covenant. He will open blind eyes and will set free the captives (42:7).

“In the first Servant song, Yahweh gives a distant, or long range, prophecy of His Servant who will bring salvation and establish a proper order on the whole earth” [2]

Isaiah 49:1-13- The Commission of the Servant

The Servant will have been called even before His birth (49:1, 5). He will be God's agent to demonstrate His glory (49:3). He will bring Israel back to the worship of the Lord (49:5). Furthermore, He will bring salvation not just to Israel, but will be a light to all the nations, that salvation might come to the ends of the earth (49:6). Although he will be despised, ultimately all the rulers of the world will bow down to Him (49:7).

“The message of the second song is that the rejected Servant will bring salvation to the Gentiles and ultimately will restore Israel to the land and to Yahweh.” [3]

Isaiah 50:4-11 - The Commitment of the Servant

The Servant did what God had asked Him to do (50:5). He withstood physical abuse from those rejected Him (50:6). Because the Servant has obediently gone through this suffering, God will vindicate Him and will bring judgment upon those who reject Him (50:11).

“The message of (the third song) is fairly clear: The righteous but rejected Servant of Yahweh indicates that Yahweh who discipled Him will also vindicate Him.” [4]

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 - The Career of the Servant

“The message of (the fourth song) thus materializes: Yahweh announces the exaltation of His servant because of His satisfactory substitutionary death for the sins of both His guilty people and the Gentiles.” [5]

Identity of the Servant

There are a number of different interpretations as to who Isaiah's suffering servant might be. The traditional Christian interpretation is that Isaiah is referring to the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. There are a number of evidences for this interpretation:

Jesus stated Isaiah 53 would be fulfilled through himself:

"For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, 'AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS'; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment." (Luke 22:37)

The apostolic teaching showed Isaiah 53 as fulfilled in Jesus:

Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?... The eunuch answered Philip and said, "Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. (Acts 8:30, 34-35)

The accomplishments of Jesus of Nazareth fulfill the picture of the servant of Yahweh.

The Agent of Salvation (Chapter 53)

The Separation & Redemption (Chapter 59)

Isaiah discusses the need for redemption in chapter 59, as he describes how sin has created a separation between God and us.

(Isaiah 59:2 NASB) "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear."

As it states in verse 1, the separation is not a result of God's inability. To the contrary, “God's hand is not so short that it can not save.” But our iniquities prevent a relationship with Him.

This is not pleasing to God. Therefore God had to take the initiative to bring salvation.

(Isaiah 59:16 NASB) "And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him; And His righteousness upheld Him."

What is the process by which his "arm" brings salvation? How is righteousness upheld? The answer came six chapters earlier in one of the most famous Messianic prophesies in the Old Testament.

The Servant's humble origins (vs. 1-3)

The Servant is described as lacking a handsome appearance and not having a stately form. The Servant is humble in his origins, not being from an upper class or esteemed position. Because of this, Israel does not recognize Him.

In light of God's hatred of the proud and lofty, this is an appropriate place to find the Messiah His servant comes from the very position that God promises to strengthen and uphold.

The Servant's substitutionary atonement (vs. 4-11)

The Servant was killed as a guilt offering for the atonement of sins. A guilt offering is a concept practiced regularly by the Jews. Yet in the Jewish religion, the offering is always an animal. Here Isaiah describes the sacrifice of a Man will take away the sins of the people.

(Isaiah 53:5 NASB) "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."

All of us have sinned. But our sin has fallen upon the suffering servant. He did this willingly, enduring our punishment in our place. As a result, He died and was buried. His death served as a guilt offering. It pleased God to offer up the Servant as a guilt offering, for in his suffering would come the salvation of all mankind.

The Servant's exaltation (vs. 12)

What humility it takes for this Servant to give up himself for the sake of so many other unworthy people. The servant willingly went, not speaking or giving a defense of himself. And as a result of this humility, God will:

(Isaiah 53:12 NASB) "... allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors."

This picture of Christ is reiterated in Philippians 2, where Paul describes how Christ humbled himself, dying on the cross. As a reward for this humility, Christ is seated now at the right hand of the Father.

This humility is a wonderful contrast to the arrogance of Satan, who attempted to lift himself up and to take the place of Almighty God himself.

Salvation comes through the humility of the Suffering Servant, and is accomplished only if I am willing to have this same humility before God.

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