The Servant of the LORD. Which one?

This chapter begins with the words of one who has been “called from the womb” by Yahweh to be His servant. And verse 3 seems to identify this servant as Israel:

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

But read a little further and this servant is tasked with bringing Israel back to Yahweh. How can a rebellious Israel bring themselves back?

“And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— he says: ‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Whoever this servant is, is too powerful to only give him the task of restoring Israel. That alone is “too light a thing.” Too easy. So Yahweh says to His servant: “I’m going to give you the job of bringing salvation to the whole world!”

Now, did Israel participate in bringing salvation to the world? Yes. Yes they did. It was through Israel that Jesus the Messiah came into the world. It was through Jewish Apostles that the Gospel was taken to the Gentiles. Paul literally quotes THIS passage from Isaiah and applies this interpretation:

“The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭13‬:‭44‬-‭47‬ ‭ESV‬‬

It was Christ in the Apostles bringing salvation to the ends of the earth. They weren’t doing it on their own. It is Jesus who is the light of the world.

So why does the LORD say at the beginning of Isaiah 49 that the servant is “Israel?”

The name Israel means prince of/with God, or power/rule as God. That description fits Jesus like a glove. But the stronger proof was sitting in plain sight right in verse 1 when the servant speaks:

“Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Israel was the name Yahweh gave to Jacob as a grown man after he wrestled all night with the Angel of Yahweh. Israel was not a name given to him from Rebecca’s womb.

Jesus, however, was named even before He was conceived.

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Notice there are TWO “he will be called” statements. The 2nd one identifies Him as the Prince of God- Israel.

I’m not saying that Isaiah 49 has no application to the nation of Israel. It does. But the One who is bringing Jacob back to Yahweh is clearly not Jacob. The lost sheep doesn’t bring itself home. It’s Jesus.

Another clue is verse 2 where the Servant says that Yahweh made His mouth “like a sharp sword.” That is imagery we can readily recognize. Revelation 19:11-16 shows the fiery-eyed Jesus on the famous heavenly white steed. And “from His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations…” (v15).

I think we should understand Isaiah 49:1-6 to be in red letters. If you go back and read them as if they were red letters, see how it hits you.

In verse 7 I can see a dual application to both the remnant of Israel, but primarily to Jesus. I’m sure that’s my New Testament lens giving me that perspective. If you were a Jewish reader in Isaiah’s day, with zero concept of Jesus, you probably would only see a glorious future restoration for Israel in this verse:

“This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, Says 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.’”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭7‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

And there IS a glorious restoration described in the verses following. Family inheritances are restored, slaves are freed, no one goes hungry, there is plenty for everyone, travel is easy, even the sun itself has to behave and the temperature is always ideal… sounds like paradise!

If you were in a caravan returning from Babylonian exile, hoping that these prophecies were going to be fulfilled, you would’ve been very disappointed. It wasn’t quite paradise. Perhaps that’s why Jerusalem begins to feel forgotten (v14).

But Zion is not forgotten.

“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭16‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

This is the word translated “inscribed”:

Makes me wonder if the nail-scars in the hands (or more likely what we call the wrist) of Jesus looks like this letter:

It’s the Hebrew letter Chet (khet) and it means “wall.”

After poking around on Google I found that the 10 Commandments are “numbered” with the first 10 Hebrew letters and are often depicted that way in art. Chet is the 8th letter, which is the commandment “Thou shalt not steal.” Interesting that one of the primary traits of Satan is theft.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”
‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬ ‭NASB2020‬‬

Why do people build walls around cities? To keep attackers from stealing, killing, and destroying.

🤔❓Where are we?

What do you mean? We’re in Isaiah 49.

🤔 No… Pretty sure we turned off of Highway 49 back at verse 16. I think you better do a U-turn before we end up in New Jerusalem.

Hey… that’s a good idea. The walls of New Jerusalem are worth a look.

😐 How about we wait til we get to Revelation 21 to do that? Or at least Ephesians 2?

Sigh… ok. Here’s a wide-spot in the road. Turning around… ↩️

Isaiah 49:19-26

At the end of this chapter, the desolate Israel is a lot like Naomi in the story of Ruth. She has been driven from her land by hardship, her family is all dead and she is penniless. So where have all these children come from?

They came from a Gentile bride who pledged herself to the God of Naomi’s people.

And just as the “mighty man” Boaz (Ruth 2:1) rescued and recovered all that was lost to Naomi, so the Lord will recover those taken captive by the Tyrant of this World.

“Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued? For thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued, for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭49‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I don’t think Naomi- pictured cherishing Obed as her own – is just a doting grandmother. Because, technically, Obed isn’t her grandchild. Her sons are dead. She states in Ruth 1:11-13 that having more children is not on the table for her. Yet the Lord in His mercy restores family for her and puts a baby in her lap. Look at what the neighbors say:

“Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.”
‭‭Ruth‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

In the same way, the LORD creates a family for the desolate widow Israel whose children have all perished. They come from the nations. From every rank of society (Boaz was wealthy, Ruth was from utter poverty).

But it’s not only the nation of Israel (Naomi) who has children restored. It’s also the Kinsman Redeemer. Boaz was older than Ruth but there is no mention of him having a prior wife or children. He needs children to inherit his property.

The writer of Hebrews quotes Isaiah 8:18 in a very interesting way. He puts the words of Isaiah into the mouth of Christ:

“For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.””
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I don’t think it is Israel before whom Kings and Queens are bowing in Isaiah 49:23. That honor belongs to the Kinsman Redeemer, the King of Kings.

He contends with the mighty Tyrant of this world and defeats him. He rescues. He redeems. He restores what was impossibly lost and appeared to be beyond restoration.

When God rescued the remnant of Israel from Babylon and restored them to their land, the world saw a miracle. It was but the shadow of the larger reality.

No wonder people call Isaiah “the 5th Gospel.”