Introduction | Song 1, Part 1 | Song 1, Part 2 | Song 2, Part 1 | Song 2, Part 2 | Song 2, Part 3
The third Servant Song is the shortest of the four (Is 50.4-9) but is no less informative, giving us an intimate look at the mind of the Servant as he faces his accusers. The entire Song is in the first person; the Servant himself speaks throughout.
As we’ll see, this Song strengthens our conviction that the Servant is the Christ—an individual person, with a unique relationship with God, and with unusual abilities even as a man.
The six verses of the Song form three sections (it may be too strong to call them stanzas) of two verses each. In the first he describes God’s empowerment; in the second, his own response; and in the third, his confidence in God’s eventual deliverance.
God’s Empowerment
In this Song the Servant repeatedly refers to God as “the LORD God,” or “Yahweh Elohim” (Is 50.4, 5, 7, 9). This speaks of God as the personal, ever-present, promise-keeping one. He and the Servant have a close personal relationship.
This God has equipped the Servant in two particular ways. First, he has given him the ability to speak effectively—“the tongue of the learned” (Is 50.4). This recalls the statement in the Second Song that God “has made my mouth like a sharp sword” (Is 49.2). I note that Jesus’ hearers bore testimony to the power of his speech (e.g. Jn 7.46). Second, God has given him an ear to hear (Is 50.4b-5). In context this seems to refer to the Servant’s determination to obey what God tells him; he immediately says, “and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back” (Is 50.5b). This is in direct contrast to the nation of Israel, described in the previous chapters as ones whose ears were not open, and who would not hear (e.g. Is 48.8).
The Servant’s Trusting Obedience
Even though the Servant is empowered to “speak a word in season to him that is weary” (Is 50.4), he faces hostile opposition—“smiters” who beat his back, those who “pluck off the hair” from his cheeks, and those who spit in his face (Is 50.6). This recalls his surprising statement in the previous Song, lamenting the appearance of failure (Is 49.4) and God’s statement that he is “one whom the nation abhors” (Is 49.7). Again, it’s impossible not to think of Jesus’ trial by the Romans.
In the face of this abusive mistreatment, he is both passively accepting and actively enduring. He allows his tormentors to do what they want (Is 50.6), and he persists in endurance; he has “set [his] face like a flint” (Is 50.7) and will be neither “confounded” nor “ashamed,” because “the LORD God will help me.”
Confidence in Court
In the third section the scene changes from the torture chamber to the courtroom. As the Servant stands at the bar of judgment, he has an advocate who will gain his acquittal (Is 50.8); the Hebrew verb here speaks of a declaration of “not guilty,” a pronouncement of justification. The Servant repeats his earlier statement that “the LORD God will help me” but this time introduced with the intensifier “Behold!” As God had helped him through the torture session, he will help him now in the courtroom. In modern parlance, the Servant says, “Bring it!” His enemies, his adversaries, who wish to contend with him and condemn him, are comparatively insignificant; they will melt away and disappear (Is 50.9).
And so the picture of this Servant becomes ever more clear. He is not the nation of Israel, as he stands in contrast to them. He is uniquely empowered by God and obedient to his will. He endures torture with confident determination, complete trust in God. And God will demonstrate his guiltlessness and bring him through victorious.
Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash
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