The Servant Songs

The greater context for the Servant Songs^[1] is chapters 40-55. Throughout this section, we see much language that is reminiscent of the Exodus. Just like the Exodus, God uses a Moses-like figure to lead his people out, fulfilling Deuteronomy 18.

Isaiah 42:1-7

Some only include verses 1-4 in the first Servant Song, but a closer look at the context sees the thought develop all the way to verse 7.

¹ Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.

Matthew applied this first of the Servant Songs to Jesus (Mt. 12:17-21).

God loves the Servant. God called Cyrus his “anointed” or “messiah” (Isa. 45:1), but he didn’t like him. After all, Cyrus was a bloodthirsty, evil king. And yet, God loves the Servant (“in whom My soul delights”). This is a Chosen One that God approves of (Mt. 3:17).

God gives the Servant his Spirit. In the OT, God’s Spirit is associated with his presence (Ps. 139:7) and power (Ps. 33:6). He occasionally gave it to leaders to direct them (Num. 11:16; 1 Sam. 16:13). This was mentioned of the messianic figure in Isaiah 11:2-4 and 61:1-3 (cf. Lk. 4:18-19). The combination of “Spirit” and “upon Him” is only found in Isaiah 11:2-4, which is clearly a messianic passage.^[2]

The Servant has a worldwide influence. Motyer^[3] understands “justice” (mišpāṭ) as referring to “divine truth.” The concept of justice could refer to God’s will being done on Earth (Mt. 6:10). Smith writes, “It appears that the proclamation of just laws and just decisions is in view in vv. 1 and 3 (as in 2:3-4), while the successful establishment of his administration of justice is assured in v. 4.”^[4] Oswalt writes, “It is well known that Heb. mišpāṭ connotes much more than judicial equity. In its broadest sense it involves societal order in which the concerns of all are addressed. A society in which there is no mišpāṭ is one in which the only rule is brute force used to aggrandize the few. Thus the divine mišpāṭ that the Servant will establish is nothing less than the salvation of God defined in its broadest sense.”^[5]

² He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street.

The Servant has a quiet and unassuming service. Even though he has a worldwide influence, he will be quiet (Mt. 12:19). This could be a figure of speech (called lilotes), which means that the author is telling us that the Servant will be quiet—not necessarily silent.[6]

³ A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

The Servant will be gentle. The concept of a “bruised reed” was used of the Egyptians being unable to harm anyone with their impotent army (Isa. 36:6). Likewise, the Servant will be non-violent.

⁴ He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.

The Servant will succeed in his mission. Lindsey writes, “‘Be discouraged’ is literally ‘be crushed, bruised’ and echoes the ‘bruised’ reed of verse 3.”[7] The Servant will persevere until he accomplishes his mission.

The Servant will have a worldwide influence. People outside of Israel on the distant islands will wait for this person’s teaching. The Hebrew word for “law” (tôratô) can be rendered as “teaching” or “instruction” (Isa. 1:10).^[8]

⁵ Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it.

God’s incredible power to create the universe is now “channeled for the support of his servant in the doing of his will.”^[9]

⁶ I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations.

God promises to hold the Servant by the hand and protect—almost like a father would with his child.

Moses transmitted the “covenant” to the people, but the Servant is himself the “covenant.”^[10] He “is the personification or embodiment of the covenant.”^[11]

⁷ To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.

The language of opening “blind eyes” is similar to Isaiah 35:5-6.

The language of freeing the “prisoners” is reminiscent of Isaiah 61, where we read, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners” (Isa. 61:1). Jesus cited this passage as referring to himself (Lk. 4:18-19).

Since these people were in all nations, “the best approach is to interpret these phrases as metaphors of God’s deliverance of people from the prison of spiritual darkness (blindness) and ignorance (9:2; 42:19-20; 43:8; 44:18-19) through the work of the servant.”^[12]

Isaiah 49:1-7

In context, Isaiah states that Babylon is going to suffer judgment from God (Isa. 46-47). Therefore, he writes, “Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!” (Isa. 48:20a). What hope is there for the nations of the Earth if even Babylon is destroyed?

God’s solution for the Jewish people is to bring his Servant to rescue them. Webb writes, “The problem of the spiritual state of the exiles, which is highlighted as acute in chapter 48, is answered by the reappearance of the Servant of the Lord, at first enigmatically in 48:16, and then plainly in chapter 49.”^[13]

¹ Listen to Me, O islands, and pay attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called Me from the womb; from the body of My mother He named Me.

The Servant demands people to listen to him. Earlier, God himself commanded people to “listen” to him (Isa. 41:1; 44:1; 48:1, 12, 14, 16).

The Servant will have a world-wide influence. He speaks to the “islands” and “peoples from afar.”

The Servant is the only person who ever speaks for God in a direct sense. While the OT prophets often said, “Thus saith the Lord…” the Servant stands in the place of Yahweh. Motyer writes, “To me is not used by any prophet other than Isaiah, and in Isaiah it is used only of the Lord (46:3, 12; 48:12; 51:1, 7; 55:2). How can the Servant address the world as only the Lord would address them (cf. 41:1)?”^[14]

The Servant mentions his human mother, but not his human father. This doesn’t predict the virgin birth (Mt. 1:18; Gal. 4:4), but it is consistent with it (cf. Gen. 3:15; Ps. 22; Mic. 5:3). Lindsey notes, “It is significant that there is no mention of Messiah’s human father in the Old Testament.”[15]

While Israel is also described as being brought forth from the “womb” (Isa. 44:2, 24; 46:3), this figure seems to be an individual. His origin is from the “womb” of his “mother.” This doesn’t sound like personification.

² He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; and He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver.

The Servant will be God’s secret weapon. Grogan writes, “Concealment in the quiver suggests, as does v.1 more literally, an eternal purpose manifest at the appropriate time (cf. 1 Peter 1:20).”^[16] Likewise, Smith writes, “Part of this hiddenness may relate simply to the fact that the divine plan for the Servant was largely hidden until just the right time.”^[17] There is a hidden component to the Servant’s ministry. God didn’t reveal that the Messiah would have two comings in the OT. He didn’t lie to us, but he merely concealed it (see “Why did Satan Crucify Jesus?”).

The Servant will speak for God. He will speak sharp words from his mouth (Ps. 59:3; Prov. 30:14), which could refer to God’s very own words (Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12; Rev. 1:16).

³ He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel, in Whom I will show My glory.”

The Servant will be a representative of Israel. As we read on through the Servant Songs, this becomes quite evident (see verses 5 and 6). The Servant is from the nation of Israel, and he represents the nation. Just as a newspaper headline might read, “America declares war on Canada…” It could also read, “The President declares war on Canada…” Originally, the name Israel was given to an individual, then later it was given to the nation. Here it is again used by an individual (For a complete defense of this, see Evidence Unseen: Exposing the Myth of Blind Faith, pp.77-81).

Smith^[18] argues that this text should be rendered in this way: “You are My Servant. Israel [in you] I will glorify Myself.” First, the Hebrew punctuation mark (called an athnach) appears after the word “Servant.” Thus, the word “Israel” is not in apposition to the word “Servant,” but rather, it begins a new clause. Second, this follows the same syntax as Hosea 14:4. Third, God already predicted that he would glorify himself in Israel. Earlier, Isaiah wrote, “The LORD has redeemed Jacob and in Israel He shows forth His glory” (Isa. 44:23). This would mean that the Servant would arise from Israel and minister in Israel, but he is not identical with the nation.

The Servant will reveal God’s glory. John writes, “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14; cf. Jn. 2:11).

⁴ But I said, “I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely the justice due to Me is with the Lord, and My reward with My God.”

The Servant’s work seemed to fail. And yet, when the dust settles, it is clear that he accomplished his mission and pleased God. In fact, as a result of his “failure,” God declares that his work will reach the world (vv.5-6).

⁵ And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and My God is My strength),

The Servant is separate from Israel. God uses the Servant to rescue Israel (“Jacob… Israel”).

The Servant is empowered by God. He states that God is honoring him, and God is his strength.

⁶ He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

The Servant will rescue Israel and the world. Isaiah states that he will reach the “nations” and “the end of the earth.”

The Servant is the “light” of the world. Elsewhere, God is the “light” (Ps. 27:1), God’s word is his “light” (Isa. 2:4-5; 42:16; 50:10; 51:4-5; Ps 119:105), and God’s salvation is the “light” (Ps. 37:6; Mic. 7:9).

The Servant IS God’s salvation. The Hebrew states that the Servant doesn’t just bring salvation, but rather, he himself is the salvation. Motyer writes, “The Hebrew resists the NIV’s that you may bring my salvation and requires ‘that you may be my salvation’, for in the parallelism of the verse, ‘that you should be my servant’ and ‘that you should be my salvation’ balance each other. The thought is not that the Servant is the agent in communicating salvation but that he is in his own person the salvation the world needs, and, in the same way, the world’s light. However such a vocation is to be fulfilled, it runs beyond that of a (mere) prophet—indeed it runs beyond that of a mere human. But Isaiah will tell his story in his own time.”^[19] Smith agrees that it is “actually preferable to view ‘my salvation’ as the object of the infinitive, thus creating a translation parallel to what is found in the previous line. This approach would make the Servant be ‘a light to the nations and to be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.’ This translation indicates that the Servant is not just a means of getting God’s salvation to the ends of the earth (45:20-24); somehow he himself will be God’s salvation.”^[20]

Luke applies this passage to Jesus (Lk. 2:32). Since Jesus continued his work through his Body (i.e. the Church), Paul and Barnabas apply this passage to themselves (Acts 13:46-47).

⁷ Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, to the despised One, to the One abhorred by the nation, to the Servant of rulers, “Kings will see and arise, princes will also bow down, because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”

The Servant will be accepted by the nations of the Gentiles but rejected by the nation of the Jews. He will be “despised and abhorred by the nation.” This presumably teaches that the nation of Israel will reject the Servant. Yet, the “kings” and “princes” of the Gentile nations will honor him. What other Jewish messianic figure could be so widely rejected by his fellow Jews, but so widely accepted by Gentiles? To put this another way, what are the odds that a messianic figure would arise in Israel, be largely rejected by the Jewish people, but would be accepted by the various cultures across the globe? Jesus of Nazareth is really the only figure who could fulfill this prophecy.

Isaiah 50:4-11

The earlier context (vv.1-3) speaks about the unbelief and failure of Israel. God’s Servant stands in total contrast to the nation. While the term “servant” is not used until verse 10, there are many literary connections between this passage and the other Servant Songs.

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.

The Servant helps the weary. In Isaiah 40:27-31, Yahweh helps Israel who is “weary.”

The Servant would wake up early to hear from God. Mark records, “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there” (Mk. 1:35).

The Servant is the perfect disciple of God. The author of Hebrews writes, “[Jesus] learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:8; cf. Jn. 17:7-8).

⁵ The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not disobedient nor did I turn back.

The Servant is obedient to God. Israel was disobedient (Isa. 1:2; 48:8), but the Servant was perfectly obedient. Israel wouldn’t listen to God (Isa. 48:16-18), but the Servant listens and “was not disobedient.”

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 suffers from his oppressors. He is beaten, insulted, and humiliated. The concept of having your beard plucked was a sign of being cursed and humiliated (Neh. 13:25), as were mocking and spitting (Deut. 25:9; Num. 12:14; Job 30:10). Jesus suffered humiliation from his captors (Mt. 26:67; 27:30; Mk. 15:19; Lk. 22:63).

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.

The Servant would be undeterred in his mission. Smith writes, “Abuse will result in an unbreakable commitment (as strong as flint) to continue trusting God. This is a picture of absolute stubborn resistance to giving up his responsibilities (Jer 5:3; Ezek 3:8), a resolute determination to carry out the will of God.”^[21] Luke writes, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Lk. 9:51 NRSV).

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.

The Servant is declared innocent by God. Even though the people reject him, the Servant knows that God has supported him (Jn. 8:46). The terms here are legal in nature, as though the Servant is being put on trial. Motyer writes, “Vindicates is a forensic term meaning ‘brings in a verdict of innocence’: He who vindicates me is ‘the one who accounts me righteous.’”^[22] The Servant wouldn’t see this justice until after his death (Isa. 52:13; 53:10-12).

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.

God gives a general call for the people to “obey” the Servant. They are told to come out of darkness and into the light. Instead of “lighting their own fires” (i.e. creating their own hope^[23]), they should turn to the light of God.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

For a verse by verse evaluation of this final Servant Song, see our earlier work Evidence Unseen: Exposing the Myth of Blind Faith, Chapter Five.

Further Reading

Lindsey, F. Duane. “The Call of the Servant in Isaiah 42:1-9.” Bibliotheca Sacra. January-March. 1982.

Lindsey, F. Duane. “The Commission of the Servant in Isaiah 49:1-13.” Bibliotheca Sacra. April-June. 1982.

Lindsey, F. Duane. “The Commitment of the Servant in Isaiah 50:4-11.” Bibliotheca Sacra. July-September. 1982.

Lindsey, F. Duane. “The Career of the Servant in Isaiah 52:13-53:12.” Bibliotheca Sacra. October-December. 1982.

Brown, Michael L. Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: Messianic Prophecy Objections. Volume Three. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2003.

Kaiser, Walter C. The Messiah in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub., 1995.

Newman, Robert C. The Evidence of Prophecy: Fulfilled Prediction as a Testimony to the Truth of Christianity. Hatfield, PA: Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, 1988.

Rydelnik, Michael. The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2010.

^[1] Duhm coined the term “Servants Songs.” But Grogan writes that this is a misnomer, because they were never sung. Despite this, the term stuck. Geoffrey W. Grogan, “Isaiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 254.

^[2] Geoffrey W. Grogan, “Isaiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 257.

^[3] J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 293.

^[4] Gary Smith, Isaiah 40-66, vol. 15B, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2009), 162.

^[5] John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998), 110.

[6] Lindsey, F. Duane. “The Call of the Servant in Isaiah 42:1-9.” Bibliotheca Sacra. January-March. 1982. 19.

[7] Lindsey, F. Duane. “The Call of the Servant in Isaiah 42:1-9.” Bibliotheca Sacra. January-March. 1982. 21.

^[8] J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 321.

^[9] Geoffrey W. Grogan, “Isaiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 255.

^[10] Geoffrey W. Grogan, “Isaiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 257.

^[11] Gary Smith, Isaiah 40-66, vol. 15B, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2009), 168.

^[12] Gary Smith, Isaiah 40-66, vol. 15B, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2009), 169.

^[13] Barry Webb, The Message of Isaiah: On Eagles’ Wings, ed. J. A. Motyer and Derek Tidball, The Bible Speaks Today (England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996), 192.

^[14] J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 383.

[15] Lindsey, F. Duane. “The Commission of the Servant in Isaiah 49:1-13.” Bibliotheca Sacra. April-June. 1982. 132.

^[16] Geoffrey W. Grogan, “Isaiah,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 6 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 285.

^[17] Gary Smith, Isaiah 40-66, vol. 15B, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2009), 343.

^[18] Gary Smith, Isaiah 40-66, vol. 15B, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2009), 345-346.

^[19] J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 388.

^[20] Gary Smith, Isaiah 40-66, vol. 15B, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2009), 349.

^[21] Gary Smith, Isaiah 40-66, vol. 15B, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2009), 383.

^[22] J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 400.

^[23] Gary Smith, Isaiah 40-66, vol. 15B, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2009), 386.