The Servant of the Lord

Isaiah 42-43

            Yesterday, in chapter 41, Israel was identified as the Lord’s servant. Today, in the first so-called “Servant Song,” that identification is explored more deeply. Israel’s vocation is to be the Spirit-empowered instrument of God’s justice, his right ordering for the world. They are to manifest the Lord’s gentleness and be a light for the nations. They will do this by bearing the One who will crush the head of the ancient serpent.

            A few hints, though, that Israel is not truly the Lord’s servant. First, in 42:6, the language seems to be addressed to an individual, because this servant has a vocation toward Israel, too, namely “to be a covenant for the people.” Later in the chapter, Israel is addressed—as she is several times in this section—as those who are deaf and blind (consider Isaiah’s charge at his commissioning in chapter 6). Who is this individual? Maybe the prophet; maybe the Davidic king (Hezekiah, during whose reign Isaiah ministered, is as godly a king as Israel had since the days of David.) Of course, Christian reflection sees the ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, about whom 42:2-3 are explicitly quoted in Matthew 11.

            Two other elements are woven through these prophecies: a promise of restoration. Check out 43:1-2, in which a way is cleared in the wilderness. In one sense, this promise was fulfilled in 538 BC, when Israel began to return from Babylon. In a broader sense, it is fulfilled in the work of Christ. It is applied to us in our Baptism. (Not every reference to water is automatically about Baptism, but those who are aware of how they were brought into Christ will often hear echoes of it, as, for instance, when the promise that we will pass through the waters is heard.) In a final sense, we are still waiting for the final restoration.

            The second theme woven throughout is judgment on idolatry. More on that tomorrow