Isaiah 49:1-6; The Servant

Introduction

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In 2001, there was a timeless classic movie released: Shrek. In one of the scenes of this movie, Shrek and his annoying sidekick, Donkey, are walking together. Shrek is trying to explain to Donkey why he does not have friends. As they are walking through some crops, Shrek says that ogres are like onions. Not because they stink, make you cry, or if you leave them out in the sun they turn brown and sprout little white hairs. Ogres are like onions because they both have layers.

Every good children’s movie has layers. A children’s movie can be enjoyed by the kids because of the funny animations and actions sequences. The adults can enjoy a good children’s movie because of the jokes that the children cannot yet understand. Its awesome to go back and rewatch movies that you grew up watching with your children. They get to experience the joy of watching these funny movies. You get to experience the joy of their enjoyment. And you also catch all the jokes that you never got as a kid.

Saints, God’s Word is like this in some regards. Jerome has been credited with the saying, “The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe , and deep enough for a theologian to swim in without ever touching the bottom.” God’s Word is comprehensible enough for a child to know Jesus Christ as their redeemer. As a grow in your understanding of God’s Word, you can show others the beauty and joy of it. You also never stop seeing new beauties of his Word.

Need

This passage, may be an unfamiliar passage for many of you. For some, this may be a very familiar text. For others, this text may be new, but it seemingly straightforward. My hope, is that we would see God’s Word with new eyes and a deeper understanding.

This morning, we need renewed view of God’s eternal plan of salvation. We need to see another part of the for the first time. Or, we need to see this part of the story that we may have forgotten or missed the first time.

Referent

Isaiah 49:1-6

Organization

The Servant (vs. 1-5)

The Assignment (vs. 4 & 6)

Sermon in a sentence:

Servanthood is a weighty calling.

The Servant (vs. 1-5)

There are 4 Servant Songs in Isaiah (42:1-7, 49:1-9, 50:4-11, and 53:13-53:12) God promises to use a servant to bring about the restoration of Israel and the new creation.

Chapter 48 is God speaking of reminder that the Lord will bring his people back from Babylonian exile. Then, in chapter 49, this different speaker begins to talk.

(vs. 1) There are multiple servants that could be in view.

The Prophet Isaiah - Isaiah 6 - The prophet says he will go for God.

The Nation Israel- Isaiah 44:1 “1 “But now hear, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen!” and Isaiah 44:21 “21 Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you; you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.”

The Emperor Cyrus- Isaiah 45:1 “1 Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed:”

(vs. 1-2) God called this person from the womb and named him.

This is similar to the prophet calling of Jeremiah and Jacob.

Jeremiah 1:1 “1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,”

Genesis 25- The Lord told Rebekah that she had two nations in her womb. From the womb, God told Rebekah that the older would serve the younger.

(vs. 2) The LORD prepared this messenger, this servant, to be a sword and arrow.

There is a lot of biblical imagery that I want to keep in our mind. We want to be careful. We don’t want to overemphasis connections in the Bible that are not intended by the author!

Arrows and Bow imagery are used in OT in numerous places.

Psalm 144:1 “1 Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;”

Psalm 144:5 “5 Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down! Touch the mountains so that they smoke!”

Genesis 9:14 “14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,”

The sword imagery is often used for many different things. But, I often think of the connection of the tongue and the use of a sword in the Scriptures.

Revelation 1:16 “16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.”

Revelation 19:15 “15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.”

(v. 4) Are for our benefit. Sometimes we say things about a situation that does not relate reality but a false perception.

God, the author of this text, is saying what others will say about this servant. Others will despise this servant and basically say his ministry, his voice, his service was vain.

Matthew 27:39–43 “39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ””

(v. 5) Up to this point, this servant has been described as Israel, and like the patriarchs, and the prophets. Here, it is now becoming more clear that this servant isn’t the nation of Israel. It is a person that takes all of these OT pictures, types, descriptions, and titles on himself.

I want to be very clear. Jesus Christ has taken all of the requirements of God’s righteousness upon himself. He has fulfilled, completed, accomplished everything necessary for our salvation. Do not try to use God’s commands as a way to earn your right standing before God.

At the same time, I do not want antinomianism. I want us to recognize that Jesus Christ has completed it all. Now, we are free to live in accordance with God’s will not our sin nature.

The Assignment (vs. 4 & 6)

(vs. 5-6) The servant is tasked with saving and gathering true believers to God.

Notice that first this servant will turn Israel back to God. They may have been the covenant people, but most of them did not truly know or love the LORD.

Salvation has always started in the home. God always started with Israel’s sin. Then he addressed the nations. Saints, I see this all the time. The hardest people to evangelize are “Christians”. If you are here today, do not be one of those “Christians”. Do not deceive yourself into thinking you are ok because: I was raised in church/my family was a Christian family/we believe in God/…

(v. 6) This servant will take the salvation of God to the ends of the world.

Conclusion

Isaiah 52:13–53:12 ESV

13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. 14 As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind— 15 so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand. 1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Application

The more times you read this story, you have become disinterested in its content. You already know the main actions scenes and the big plot twist at the end. Those boring dialogue scenes don’t matter. Just skip through it and find that really good part.

Saints, I don’t want us to come to God’s Word with disinterest or apathy. Likewise, I do not want us to look at our savior and what he did on Calvary and that empty tomb with boredom. I want us to continually remind ourselves of the weight of what our savior accomplished for us.

If you have not put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, today is the day. Stop caring the weight of your sin. Place at the foot of the cross.

If you have put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, come and eat. As you partake in the Lord’s Supper, feel the weight of your savior's love for you. Recognize that you have been joined with him in baptism and resurrection. As this deputized agent of the cross, we carry to a lesser degree the weight of being a servant of God. We are commissioned to bring this good news to the nations. Dear brothers and sisters, feel the weight of responsibility this week.

Stay at home mothers.

In the workplace. (A career path you didn’t want)

In evangelism.