What unspeakable beauty is seen in the omnipotent Servant’s humility
I still remember the first time that I heard someone say that the Lord Jesus Christ is the theme of all the Scriptures. I vividly recall contemplating that statement and wondering if it were really true. For some time I had known that much of the New Testament was about Christ, and I knew that on some level He had been predicted to come for years before His appearance, but it seemed a bit of a stretch to say that all the Word of God was about Him. What about Moses, Joseph, Abraham, and David? They seemed to take up considerable portions of God’s Word as well.
Well, since that time it has been a tremendous pleasure to prove myself wrong and to personally see the theme of the Lord Jesus in “all the Scriptures.” Isaiah 50:4-9 is no exception to that theme. The glories of our Saviour shine brilliantly from this short portion of His Book.
These verses are from the third of the servant songs of Isaiah. One significant feature of this song is the use of the title “Lord God” (vv.4, 5, 7, 9). This is the translation of Jehovah Adonai which carries the meaning of Sovereign Lord. This name implies that “God is the owner of each member of the human family and that He consequently claims the unrestricted obedience of all.”1 The Servant of Jehovah showed this unrestricted obedience and thus displayed, for all of us, the life that our God requires. These verses divide naturally into the following three sections which all point to the Servant’s flawless nature:
• v. 4 – The mind of Jehovah’s Servant
• vv. 5-6 – The will of Jehovah’s Servant
• vv. 7-9 – The faith of Jehovah’s Servant
The mind of Jehovah’s Servant (v.4)
This Servant had the tongue of the learned. His mind had been filled with the things of the Father and He perfectly delivered them to this world. He knew how to speak. He spoke all the right things at all the right times (“in season”). Professional officers were sent to take the Lord Jesus prisoner, and they returned empty-handed because “never man spake like this Man” (Jn. 7:46). They were so amazed by what they heard that they couldn’t arrest Him. However, it is not enough just to know everything. All of us have known people who are “know-it-alls.” They tend not to be comforting. And we often find it hard not to speak up when we know something. But notice here that it is highly commendable that the Lord Jesus not only knew what to say, but spoke those words in just the right season and in just the right way so as to benefit those who were weary. There is much to admire and emulate in this one characteristic of our Lord.
Christ not only had the tongue of the learned but the ear of the learned as well. He was awakened morning by morning, which indicates a continual intimacy. He did and said only what the Father told Him (Jn. 5:19, 30; 6:38; 8:28). His was a life of complete devotion to the Father! We can be so quick to pat ourselves on the back for lives with a good percentage of devotion. But what a standard the Servant of Jehovah sets for us! He must increase and we must decrease to the point where all that can be seen in us is Him. And what an example of spending time alone with the Lord! If we are to copy Christ, then we will allow ourselves to be awakened to hear as we sit quietly at Jehovah’s feet. Perhaps having done that, we will speak more of what our Father would have us speak.
The will of Jehovah’s Servant (vv. 5-6)
The admirable Christ has a will that was and is perfectly subject to the Father’s. The Father is a loving authority, and the Son is an obedient Servant. Notice verse 5, “I was not rebellious.” He heard and accepted the will of His heavenly Father and proved His obedience beyond question when He acted out the dialogue of verse 6, “I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” It is an insult to spit in another’s presence. It is more of an insult to spit in their direction. It is still more so to spit on them. But the worst is to spit on their face! What unspeakable beauty is seen in the omnipotent Servant’s humility when He does not turn away from such treatment but willingly endures to the end to please His Father and accomplish God’s will!
No follower of Christ will ever be able to fully understand the depths of woe that the Lord Jesus went through on our behalf. Because of His grace we will never feel what He felt, never experience the wrath of God, never stand and give an account to the holy One for our sin. He suffered for us. The shame, the pain, and the sorrow were all rightfully ours. But He endured them so we would never endure a day of that wrath. Instead, intimacy with a loving and holy God is ours to look forward to. What grateful hearts ought we to have!
Praise the Saviour, ye who know Him;
Who can tell how much we owe Him?
Gladly let us render to Him
All we are and have.
The faith of Jehovah’s Servant (vv.7-9)
The life of faith that the Servant would lead is repeatedly stressed in this last section.
v. 7 – the Lord God will help Me… I know that I will not be ashamed.
v. 8 – He is near…who will contend with Me? Who is My adversary?
v. 9 – the Lord God will help Me… who will condemn Me?
Notice Christ’s example: “Who, when He was reviled did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Pet. 2:23). The word “committed” means “to hand over to someone to keep, use, take care of, or manage.” When the Lord Jesus suffered the agony we deserved, He responded in total, faithful dependence on the Father. We are told to do the same. “Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him” (1 Pet. 4:19). Do we, day by day, hand our lives over to our heavenly Father to keep, use, take care of, and manage? We must, if we are to follow the example of the Servant of Jehovah! This is the abundant life which the Lord Jesus came to give. To have eternal life is to know Him (Jn. 17:3). Heaven is to behold Him. True life is that which enjoys intimacy with God. The life of faith is the life of Christ. We are blessed in Him; let us now “walk, just as He walked” (1 Jn. 2:6).
The mind, will, and faith of Jehovah’s Servant are both a great challenge and a great beauty to us. If we are to hear the words “well done, thou good and faithful servant,” then we must copy Him. There is no doubt that as we follow the example of the Servant of Jehovah, our God will be greatly glorified and greatly pleased! Praise God for His Servant and praise God for the grace that makes us like Him!
God’s indwelling Spirit delights to show us Christ and then provides the grace to change us to be like Him.
Endnote
1 Robert Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1951), p.34.