Servant Songs

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off Gentile world is still dominant in the prophet’s mind. The LXX. Version, given in Matthew 12:21, ‘In His name shall the Gentiles hope, is a paraphrase rather than a translation. The words

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6Joseph Benson. “Commentary on Isaiah 42:4.” Joseph Benson’s Commentary. “www.studylight.org/commentaries rbc/isaiah-42.html." (accessed June 30, 2016).

7Norman Hillyer. “Isaiah: God Controls the Nations.” http://churchlibrary.net/gsdl/collect/churchlib/index/assoc/ HASHe954.dr/Commentary Isaiah Easy English. (accessed June 30, 2016).

8Matthew Henry. “Isaiah 42 Commentary–Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Complete). http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/Isaiah/42.html. (accessed June 30, 2016.

described the ‘earnest expectation, the unconscious longing of the heathen for One who shall be a true teacher (Romans 8:22).9

In verse 5 of this chapter, God reminds the people of his might and credentials. “He is the

creator of heaven and earth and everything that comes from the earth. He is the one that gives life to the people of earth and that puts spirit within them. It should be noted that God's creators-hip is not simply an issue of our faith in Genesis - it is the basis upon which God establishes His relationship to mankind. It should also be noted that this is a Gentile basis. When relating to the Jews God describes Himself as the God of their fathers or the one that brought them out of the land of Egypt. Here He is establishing Himself as the founder of the whole of mankind.”10

In Isaiah 42:1, we read the servant will bring justice to the nations, but later on in verses 6-7, it says, “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness” (NIV). In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as the light of the world, and here we read that the Gentiles are part of God’s plan. “The Gentiles did not have the knowledge of God or the Scriptures; therefore, they were considered to be blind, bound, and in darkness. Jesus came to set these people free, ‘The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because He hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.’ (Isaiah

61:1). This was the very passage that Jesus used to introduce His ministry (Luke 4:18).”11

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9Charles Ellicott. Ellicott’s Bible Commentary: Volume II. (Delmarva Publications, 2015), 33-34.

10David Bayliss "Is 42:.The Servant." Bible Exposition. last modified 06/27/2016.

http://www.dabhand.org/Essays/OT569_c42_introducing_the_servant.htm. (accessed June 29, 2016).

11Gary J. Hall. ””The Servant Passages of Isaiah.” http://www.lwbc.co.uk/servant_passages.htm. (accessed June 30,

2016).

Therefore, just as He stated his credentials in the earlier verses, God also establishes the credentials of the Servant: “He is the chosen of God and the partner of God. We also see that he has a relationship to the Jew and also to the Gentile. To the Jewish race He was being given as part of a covenant; for the Gentiles He was to be a light.”12 Hodgkin adds, “The blessings, which are to extend to all nations through God’s chosen people Israel, point forward to ‘the time of their receiving again,’ as Paul shows us in Romans 22, where he quotes from this book (Isa 66:22).’”13

The 3 other Servant’s Songs add more to the description of the Servant of the Lord, speaking of the Messiah’s work on earth, his obedience as contrasted with Israel’s sin, suffering, and finally his triumph. Therefore, the first Servant Song laid the groundwork and is important to understanding the other 3 poems about the Messiah that appear later in Isaiah.

In conclusion, the Servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ, was sent from God as his trusted emissary. God chose him for his mission, sent the Holy Spirit to dwell with him, and had faith that he would successfully complete his mission. Where there was spiritual darkness, Jesus brought light. “It [covenant] is God’s promise to mankind…the Servant is seen as God’s covenant person. He comes not only to fulfill God’s covenant promise to David but also to institute the new covenant, which would come through his death.”14

How can I apply Isaiah 42:1-7, the first Servant’s Song, today? First, these verses, along with the other Servant’s Songs, provide more confirmation that Jesus Christ is indeed my Saviour. What was described and prophesied in Isaiah came to pass in the gospels. Second, God

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12Bayliss, http://www.dabhand.org/Essays/OT569_c42_introducing_the_servant.htm. (accessed June 29, 2016).

13A.M. Hodgkin, Christ in All the Scriptures. (Westwood, New Jersey: Barbour and Company, Inc., 1989), 191.

14Hacking, 119.

is in complete control; he was in control in the very beginning and remains in control today. His timing is perfect, and I need to trust in Him completely with my life and stop struggling to be in control instead of relying on Him. Third, is the following: The double cure–it is not enough to be saved from the wrath of sin, but we must also be set free from the penalty of sin. Jesus placed the wrath of sin and the penalty of sin all on the cross. The redemptive work of Christ makes me redeemed. Through Christ we have freedom that is complete in Him through His life and His work on the cross. We are in Christ; we are free indeed (John 8:36). We are free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2), free from the enslaving weight of sin (Galatians 5:1), free from the bondage of corruption (Romans 8:21), and free from eternal condemnation (Romans 8:1). The Servant’s song sings praise to the one who set us free, and we can rest in the assurance that the Servant’s mission has been fulfilled.