You Are My Servant
Listen to me, O islands; pay attention, O distant peoples: The LORD called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword; He hid me in the shadow of His hand. He made me like a polished arrow; He hid me in His quiver. He said to me, “You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will display My glory.” But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength in futility and vanity; yet my vindication is with the LORD, and my reward is with my God.”
And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, that Israel might be gathered to Him—for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and My God is my strength—He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel.
I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.” Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see You and rise, and princes will bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.”
This is what the LORD says: “In the time of favor I will answer You, and in the day of salvation I will help You; I will keep You and appoint You to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to apportion its desolate inheritances, to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’
They will feed along the pathways, and find pasture on every barren hill. They will not hunger or thirst, nor will the scorching heat or sun beat down on them. For He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. I will turn all My mountains into roads, and My highways will be raised up. Behold, they will come from far away, from the north and from the west, and from the land of Aswan.”
This chapter is another one of those prophecies in Isaiah that can have a dual meaning. The first part of the prophecy appears to refer to Isaiah; however, we rapidly realize that much of this prophecy must refer to the coming Messiah. Let’s examine this in depth.
- “And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, that Israel might be gathered to Him—for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and My God is my strength…” Both Isaiah and the Messiah are chosen from the womb. When God brought Isaiah’s parents together, He was already creating the genetic codes that would cause Isaiah to become one of the greatest prophets of all time. When God chose the Virgin Mary, He sent His Holy Spirit to create Jesus in Mary’s womb.
- “I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.” Both Isaiah and Jesus have become lights for the nations, Isaiah as the prophet foretelling the coming of Jesus. The preaching of the Gospel has brought hope and healing to untold numbers of people.
- “This is what the LORD says: “In the time of favor I will answer You, and in the day of salvation I will help You; I will keep You and appoint You to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to apportion its desolate inheritances, to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ Isaiah urged the Israelites to return to the Lord, so that the land would be restored. Jesus, the Messiah, brings restoration, hope, deliverance, and healing to all who will believe on Him. All of us who are believers have actually been kept and appointed to do these very same things. Belief in Jesus Christ does not mean that you make a decision and then ride around on a silken pillow; true believers have a duty and a calling to follow their Master and do the same things that He did.
- “I will keep You and appoint You to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to apportion its desolate inheritances, to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ They will feed along the pathways, and find pasture on every barren hill. They will not hunger or thirst, nor will the scorching heat or sun beat down on them. For He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. I will turn all My mountains into roads, and My highways will be raised up. Behold, they will come from far away, from the north and from the west, and from the land of Aswan.” When the time came for the Israelites to return from Babylon, God protected Ezra and Nehemiah as they brought large groups of people loaded with treasure back to Jerusalem. Later on, God delivered many Jews as they fled war – torn Europe at the end of World War II to settle in Israel.
God has ways of sheltering and protecting those whom He loves. When the Communists took over China, many missionaries found themselves claiming these verses as they made their escape. Some failed to escape but went into prison camps where they became shining lights to all those around them.
APPLICATION: “to say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ Chuck Colson was a prominent lawyer and politician under the Nixon regime in America but he went to prison for his malfeasance. While in prison, Colson began reading the works of C.S. Lewis and other strong Christian writers and realized that he had failed spiritually. Once Colson repented and became a Christian, he began witnessing to his fellow prisoners. From that point onward, Colson never looked back. Once free, Colson founded Prison Fellowship, a group that has come to minister to prisoners around the world.
Brother Andrew was a Dutch mercenary when he became a Christian. Andrew began smuggling Bibles into closed parts of Europe and Asia. Eventually, large numbers of people joined him in risking their lives so that believers could have their own copies of the Bible. Many miracles of protection accompanied these people; however, some of them were caught and imprisoned or punished in other ways.
Several years ago, we participated in training for Community Health Evangelism. In our training group were several men from South Korea, including an upper – level Sony executive. These men were planning for the day when the two Koreas might be reunited; however, they were also praying about infiltrating North Korea. At that time, believers in North Korea were being run over by bull dozers and murdered in other gruesome ways, all in an effort by the North Korean government to suppress the Gospel. We were humbled to realize that our friends were preparing to risk their lives for the salvation of the North Koreans.
Today there are many parts of the world where people remain enslaved to drugs or to hate-filled political regimes. These people need the hope that only the Gospel can give. As we go through our days, may we remember that we might be the only Gospel those around us ever read. May our lives reflect the light and the glorious hope of Jesus’ death and resurrection and the promise of eternal life!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, thank You that Jesus has come as Messiah and that because of His death and resurrection, we have the promise of eternal life. Help us to be hope – bearers to all those around us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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