Isaiah 49:3 - You Are My Servant, Israel

Isaiah 49:3 “And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.””

Introduction

We have looked the last couple of weeks at this 49th chapter of Isaiah.

So this morning, I would like to read only a single verse in the chapter: verse 3.

[READ ISAIAH 49:3 and Prayer]

Not too long ago, I was asked by someone whether I was one of those who believed in “Replacement Theology”.

This is the question of whether the church *replaces* the nation of Israel as the people of God; whether God is finished with the Jews.

Those who hold to this type of theology believe there is no promise left for the Jewish people in the Scriptures.

But they do have difficulty dealing with passages like Romans 11:25 and its context:

“Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”

Another way of seeing it is as a Dispensationalist: that God has decreed and determined a distinction in this world between the two, with separate promises to each during different *dispensations* of His plan.

This is a REALLY popular view that has its own problems agreeing with Scripture.

There has to be a great deal of nuance in their reading of Romans 11:17–18

“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.”

And an even greater problem with Ephesians 2:11–14

“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility”

Each of these makes the mistake of thinking that God accepts or rejects the Jews BECAUSE of their Jewishness.

The “Replacers” tend to think nothing of the Old Covenant is valid because we are new in Christ.

The Dispensationalists tend to think that people who are counted among the modern nation or people of Israel will be judged and approved on a different basis after some fictional “Secret Appearing”, or “Rapture” of the Gentile church.

And both, I think, are not Scriptural enough to follow.

It’s in that context I’d like to help us all to consider the words of God to His Messiah, His Servant, in our passage today:

Isaiah 49:3 “And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.””

In our prior weeks together, I’ve often reminded us all that the subject of all these Servant Songs, which begin in this chapter, IS the Messiah, the Christ, of God.

And this verse tells us the first words of this great section of the Father to His Christ, His Son.

YOU are My Servant Israel...

Have you ever seen a suspense movie, and at the end, right at the shocking reveal, you see clips of clues earlier in the movie that you missed?

The movie director helps you string them together in your head, and you know that was the point of the movie all along.

I remember the “I see dead people” movie from back in the 90’s.

And when the shocking twist came, you saw a couple of minutes of clips of things you noticed but didn’t recognize at the time.

This verse is that for me.

Israel is a Person

1. God isn’t talking to a nation here - He’s talking to His Son.

He isn’t using the Hebrew equivalent of “y’all” - He is speaking directly to His Servant, Jesus Christ.

YOU [singular] are My Servant Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

God isn’t saying to the nation: “Y’all will one day glorify Me”

He is saying to His Incarnate Son - YOU will glorify Me.

YOU are My Servant, Israel. YOU will glorify Me.

How many times do we see in the Scriptures that being a descendant of Abraham doesn’t make you one of God’s people?

Matthew 3:9 “And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”

Galatians 4:22–23 “For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.”

Romans 9:6–8 “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.”

And Romans 11:7 “Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,”

By identifying Jesus Christ, the Messiah of God, AS Israel - this changes everything.

And it helps us understand how to navigate the truth of the gospel between these whirlpools of Replacement-ism and Dispensationalism.

No one “replaces” Israel - Jesus Christ IS Israel, the true Israel.

And as a result of that, we find the next truth:

The Law of God Is for Jesus

2. The Law of God is ALL about Jesus.

Believers spend a lot of time in debate over the nuances of the Law for US.

But as children of Adam, whether we are descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob or not,

As children of Adam, the first message of the Law to all of us are the curses it contains.

It is the severe and unbending judge of our lives - our deeds and our intentions.

It slices through our pretense to goodness and displays the selfishness and pride at our core.

But as instructive as a study of God’s Law is in teaching us His nature and character, the Law doesn’t approve of any man.

Rather, it points to ONLY ONE MAN - the Man, Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:10–14 “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

Romans 3:20–22 “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”

When God declares “YOU are My Servant, Israel”, He is declaring His ACCEPTANCE of Jesus Christ on the basis of the Law He gave at Sinai.

He is Israel; He is the One who would obtain, by His own efforts, the BLESSINGS of the Law.

Our confession continues the excellent tradition of godly men in dividing the Law of God into three parts:

Moral

Ceremonial

And Civil.

The Moral part of the Law, summarized in the Ten Commandments and undergirding all the rest, is based in the very nature of God and, thus, in the Nature of Jesus Christ, His Son.

So Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the Moral Law.

The Ceremonial Law defines how we, sinful people, may come to God and be accepted.

In the days before Jesus Christ was born, this was portrayed through sacrifice and ritual.

And it is precise because it pointed to a single WAY to come to God.

After Jesus Christ BECAME THE sacrifice, we learn that all the Ceremonial Law prefigured Him.

It all POINTS to Jesus Christ.

To the point that even those elect who lived under the old covenant are still saved ONLY on the basis of faith in the Person and Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

HE is the Way, Truth, and Life.

The Civil Law is an outworking of the Moral Law, defining the terms to maintain the Jewish nation as a distinct people until the promised Messiah was born from among them.

Because salvation is from the Jews:

John 4:22–23 “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”

Jesus was telling this to the sinful Samaritan woman at the well.

So the purpose of the Civil Law is to preserve a people to whom God had promised a Messiah from among them.

There is simply no part of the Law of God that is not for Jesus Christ, the true Israel.

And Jesus glorifies God through it.

The Promises of God Are for Jesus

3. The promises of God are FOR Jesus.

I want to remind you again of a verse we read a few minutes ago:

Galatians 3:14 “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

What is the “blessing” Paul is talking about?

Genesis 22:18 “and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.””

Did the nation of Israel do that?

COULD the nation of Israel do that?

No.

In fact, a little later in Galatians, Paul makes that perfectly clear:

Galatians 3:16 “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.”

Note that the blessing in v. 14 [also singular] of Abraham does not come THROUGH Jesus Christ, but IN Him.

That blessing was for Him alone.

That blessing is only IN Him.

In Christ - blessing.

No Christ - no blessing.

Separated from Christ - no blessing.

Every promise of God to Israel, every promised blessing, is for Jesus Christ and IN Jesus Christ.

The seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15 to fix the fall - Jesus Christ.

The promised offspring of Abraham - Jesus Christ.

The priest like Melchizedek - Jesus Christ.

The lamb God would provide - Jesus Christ.

The ladder from heaven to earth - Jesus Christ.

The One whose sufferings would save our life (like Joseph) - Jesus Christ.

The Branch of Judah - Jesus Christ

The prophet greater than Moses - Jesus Christ

The Great High Priest of God - Jesus Christ

The Redeemer like Boaz - Jesus Christ

The promised heir of David - Jesus Christ

The Righteous Man of Psalm 1 - Jesus Christ

The Son who is to be kissed in Psalm 2 - Jesus Christ

The Good Shepherd in Psalm 23 - Jesus Christ

The King of Glory in Psalm 24 - Jesus Christ

The Wisdom of God in Proverbs - Jesus Christ

The Beloved of the Song of Songs - Jesus Christ

The promised Child in Isaiah - Jesus Christ

The One addressed in Isaiah’s vision in the temple - “Who will go for us...?” - Jesus Christ

The Suffering Servant - Jesus Christ

The Sign of Jonah [3 days in the belly of the earth] - Jesus Christ

Every page, every promise, all made to a single man in all of history - Jesus Christ.

But I can imagine some saying - “But what of God’s promises to US?”

They are all found, all accomplished and fulfilled IN CHRIST.

And thus for those who are in Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

God’s promises nowhere, at no time, will be fulfilled apart from Jesus Christ.

Why would He?

What could you possibly need APART from Jesus Christ?

Asking it another way, what do you need that He hasn’t promised to supply in Jesus Christ?

And if there is something God would not graciously supply in Christ, do you need it?

Or are you better off without it?

Mark 8:36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

Jesus Is Israel

4. Jesus IS Israel.

We have come full circle back to our verse for today:

Isaiah 49:3 “And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.””

It isn’t that Israel was replaced by the church;

It is that the children of Israel were not Israel.

To understand that, we need to return to where the name “Israel” was given.

You’l remember that it was not a name originally given to any child by his parents;

It was the name, you might even call it a title, given by God Himself to a man.

Genesis 32:24–32 “And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of…”

Just to review, here are a few facts about this man, Jacob, who was given the name Israel:

He was the second-born, grasping the heel of his elder twin Esau at birth.

Who bought the birthright that he was not entitled to.

Who stole the blessing that was not his.

Who wrangled with his father-in-law and ripped him off for decades.

And then when he was fleeing his father-in-law, going back home, he had this wrestling match.

In the middle of the night, an unknown man attacked him and wrestled with him.

They rolled around on the ground, neither seemingly able to gain an advantage on the other, all night until dawn.

Then the man touched Jacob’s hip and put it out of joint, and even then Jacob held on.

You can hear him screaming through gritted teeth: “I will not let you go unless you bless me!”

And it is then that God, in what I believe is a theophany, that is a pre-Incarnation appearing of the Son, He changed his name: to Israel.

Israel - it literally means “he who wrestled God” or better “He who strives successfully with God”

No longer Jacob, the supplanter - the pretender - the usurper;

It is now Israel - He who successfully wrestled God.

If you’re like me, there are some things in that story that bother you:

1. How did a man beat God in a wrestling match?

2. How is it a blessing to be called “He who strives successfully with God”?

The first seems easy to answer for any of the guys here who have wrestled with your kids or grandkids.

How did a man beat God?

Because God wanted him to win.

There wasn’t anything at stake here;

There was no wager on the outcome, no prize for the winner.

It was much more to build the strength of Jacob.

But when God talks of strength, He always means for it to be spelled F-A-I-T-H.

God wrestled this man to build his faith.

But He also wrestled him to change his name.

Jacob didn’t realize what the stakes were, but he knew there would be a blessing in it if he endured the fight and held on until morning.

And that was the prize - the blessing of God.

His grandfather, Abraham, had a blessing.

His father, Isaac, had the blessing repeated to him.

And even though he had stolen his brother’s blessing from his blind father, he knew that blessing would always have an asterisk:

“Jacob had the blessing, but he stole it from Esau.”

But now, in the dawning morning, he got his OWN blessing from God.

His name changed like his grandfather’s had:

Abram had become Abraham.

And now Jacob had become Israel.

And so God says through Isaiah to the Christ: “You are my servant Israel...”

We see the similarities in the two:

Not the sinful pieces, certainly. Jacob was sinful; Jesus was not.

But each were called from the womb:

Isaiah 49:1 “The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.”

Romans 9:10–13 “And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.””

Each was the conduit of the promise of God:

Jacob - the conduit leading to the Messiah.

Jesus - the conduit to God Himself.

But perhaps the greatest thing is that Jesus Christ, who is God’s Servant, Israel, successfully contended with God also.

Not just grappling on the ground, but standing between His people and God, taking the full brunt of God’s judgment on our sin.

Not rolling around in the dust, but being lifted into the air, hanging on a tree between heaven and earth to save His people.

No defense, no fighting back.

His arms spread and pinned, His body and spirit helpless against the terrible wrath of God poured out in full against my sin and yours.

He didn’t pin God in His match; God nailed our sins to the cross in Him.

Jacob wrestled with small stakes;

Jesus laid His whole life down.

He stood for His people, hiding us in Himself from the holy judgment of God.

There is no other person EVER who has done that.

There is no other person ever who COULD do that.

Jesus strove successfully with God so God is just and the justifier of those who have faith in Him.

God loves His people, and His holiness burns in wrath over sin.

So without someone to stand between us and God, we could never approach God.

We could never call out to Him.

Ephesians 2:14–16 “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.”

Jesus contended with God to reconcile His people to God by grace through faith.

And there is one other thing:

No one can wrestle with God and come away unmarred, unscarred.

Jacob, in his successful fight, had a hip put out of joint, and he walked with a permanent limp for the rest of his life.

Jesus, in His successful fight, was raised forever from the dead , but in His hands, feet, and side He still bears the scars of the cross.

So to sum up where we began, we don’t believe the church has replaced Israel, nor do we believe the church and Israel are eternally distinct.

Jesus Christ is the true Israel of God, and all His elect, whether Jew or Gentile, are His children.

Through Jesus Christ, all the elect of all time have been adopted by God by grace through faith,

All enabled by the single sacrifice on the cross of Calvary.

And all the elect from Adam through today rely on the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from our sin.