The Songs of the Servant

 

 By: Frank Tunstall, D. Min.

In four passages commonly called the Servant Songs, the prophet Isaiah foretold that Messiah would come to serve the redemptive plan of His Father. The four songs sat on the shelf of prophetic history for about eight centuries before Jesus began His ministry. Since then, they have become so very important because the character of Messiah and the Servant Songs match with 100% accuracy.

  1. The Tenderness of the Servant (Isa. 42:1–4)

Jesus was a kindhearted servant, the chosen and the delight of His Father. Isaiah foretold this very gentle servant would not raise His voice in the streets, break a bruised reed, or snuff out a smoldering wick (Matt. 12:20; 20:28); nor would He be discouraged or falter until He finished the job of establishing justice on the earth, including the remote islands of the seas. Jesus Christ is not in the business of breaking off bruised reeds; instead, He wants to bring them back to life, and bring people who are like smoldering wicks back to the full flame and life-motivating vision.

The light in the life of Simon Peter in Pilate’s judgment hall was smoldering with only a flicker when Peter denied three times even knowing the Lord (Matt. 26:34; Mark 14:30–31). Jesus could have easily snuffed out Peter’s faith that dark night. But His goal was to soften the very hardened wick Peter had become, bringing it back to full flame—and He succeeded. Peter was such a bruised reed in those moments that the song went out of his life and he knew It; he went out and “wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62). But sweet, indeed, was the “music” that came from the Apostle to the Jews in his sermon on the day of Pentecost (Luke 22:31–34; 54–62; Acts 2:14–41; Gal. 2:8).

  1. The Call of the Servant (Isa. 49:1–7)

God, from eternity, gave Jesus a servant’s commission. He was the sharpened sword in His Father’s hand and the very special polished arrow in His quiver. Messiah’s job description was to call Israel back to God. But calling Israel alone was much-to-small an assignment for Messiah. Instead, He would also be a “light for the Gentiles,” successfully bringing “salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isa. 49:6). In achieving so grand an objective, Messiah’s ministry displayed the Father’s splendor.

  1. The Obedience of the Servant (Isa. 50:4–9)

Isaiah portrayed the submission of the Servant, recording Jesus’ testimony in advance: “I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back” (Isa. 50:5). The prophet actually described the Messiah in the sharp terms of the self-emptying (kenosis) principle that the Incarnation revealed centuries later (John 5:19–36; Ps. 16:7–8; Acts 2:25). In fact, Isaiah put this declaration in Jesus’ mouth:

“The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back” (Isa. 50:4-5).

In the context of describing Messiah’s obedience, Isaiah used Jesus’ suffering to model the extent of the Lord’s faithfulness: “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting” (Isa. 50:6; see Mark 14:65). Isaiah even penned the Lord’s testimony as He made His last journey to Jerusalem: “I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame” (Isa. 50:7). This phrase, “put to shame” is best interpreted by adding the word, permanent – “put to permanent shame.” Jesus did drink the bitter cup of shame to its dregs, but then walked out of His tomb on the third day, never to taste shame again. Some seven centuries after Isaiah’s prophecy, Jesus vindicated all of Isaiah’s predictions.

  1. The Suffering of the Servant (Isa. 52:13–53:12)

As the Father’s loyal servant, the Messiah was willing to pay the ultimate price for man’s salvation. For example, Isaiah anticipated the high cost of redemption just in the disfigurement of Messiah’s face and body, and wrote about it in the past tense, as if it had already happened. He was “marred beyond human likeness.” Jesus was also “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering” (52:14; 53:3).

Isaiah’s prophecy was accurate. In Isaiah 53, the prophet wrote that Messiah submitted to His Father to the point of being “pierced for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities” (v. 5). He carried our punishment and healed our wounds (v. 4). The Father chose to give His Son rather than give up on humankind. Hence, God made this abused and suffering servant, who served all the way to His shameful death, the ultimate guilt offering (v. 10), taking on Himself all our guilt. By His death, Jesus achieved His goal and satisfied the requirements of His Father for the justification of all who call on God for salvation (v. 11). Indeed, the opposite demands of justice and mercy met in harmonious embrace in Messiah’s outstretched arms on Golgotha’s tree (Rom. 3:26). At Calvary, both rested their cases in the heavenly courts and were satisfied (Isa. 53:11).

The Lord’s objective, to bring the love of God to the earth, was a most challenging concept to the Hebrew mindset. The Jewish people just did not grasp that their King would come to them “gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt the foal of a donkey” (Matt. 21:5; Zech. 9:9). This difficulty also shows how far Abraham’s seed had drifted from the servant heart of God, as mirrored in the Golden Rule (Matt. 7:12).

The Ultimate Portrait of the Servant

Jesus in His ministry demonstrated He would serve the needs of a Roman centurion as quickly as He would a son of Abraham (Matt. 8:5–13). The apostle Paul later perceived that in Jesus’ great mind, a centurion with a heart to believe God was a son of Abraham (Gal. 3:29).

Jesus taught His followers the best way to win people to God is to serve their deepest needs selflessly, even when they do not know what their needs are. “Whoever will be great among you,” Jesus said, “let him be your minister; and whoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:26–28, kjv). In fact, a requirement for a believer to be able to say truthfully, “I belong to my lover,” is to make a free and loving choice to adopt the Servant-Messiah’s attitude and lifestyle (Song of Sol. 7:10; Phil. 2:5). Doing so is also the best possible way to work out one’s own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12–13).

On Golgotha, implicit trust had its finest hour. The Cross, therefore, is the ultimate portrait of Jesus as the servant to His Father’s plan. Could there be a greater example of a loving, servant-like attitude? No man before or since has demonstrated loyalty on that scale. This is all-the-more-true when one comprehends Jesus could have reached for the independent display of His omnipotence and, with a word, sent His enemies into hell (Matt. 26:53; Luke 8:31–32; Rev. 20:1–3). But He did not do It; instead, He died to save Jews, Greek, Romans, and all pagans – whosoever will.

Related posts

SO

Dear Readers,  A lifetime friend asked me to add some remarks and comment about...

JESUS: “MY TIME”

By: Frank Tunstall, D. Min. This lesson can be effective for high school and...

PASSING THE TORCH

By: Frank Tunstall, D. Min. “If you love me, you will obey what I...

A Hated Messiah?

By: Frank Tunstall, D. Min. The name, Jesus Christ, means Savior-Messiah. As Jesus neared...

UNEXPECTED JOY

  By: Frank Tunstall and Phil Larson Join us as we pray and study...

“CRAVING TO UNDERSTAND”

By: Frank Tunstall The prophets:  “yearning to understand Messiah’s suffering and glory” (1 Peter...

“But if Not”

By: Frank Tunstall, D. Min. All children of God sooner or later will need...

THE PRECIOUS RING

By: Frank G. Tunstall We all have our treasures that we hold to strongly....

Beth Moore: God Uses Your Mistakes for Good

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/january-web-only/beth-moore-god-uses-your-mistakes-for-good.html By: Beth Moore Years ago, when the number of attendees at Living Proof...

THE CROSS IS OUR STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

 ChristianityToday.com/ct/2019/November/cross-is-our-stairway-to-heaven.html Our salvation comes not from someone on our level, but from someone infinitely...

HOW BILLY GRAHAM LEARNED THE ART OF PREACHING

https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2019/august-web-exclusives/billy-graham-learned-art-of-preaching.html? The late evangelist called himself the “champion rambler.” By: Grant Wacker  When I...

BIVOCATIONAL AND COVOCATIONAL MINISTRY

  www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2019/spring/no-easy-calling.html? Three honest stories about its rewards and challenges. BY: LINDA W. PERKINS...

SEXUAL ABUSE AND THE CLERGY

 www.snapnetwork.org/abuse of faith_feb19 Debbie Vasquez at 14 By:  SNAP  Survivors Network of those Abused...

YOUR PLAN B IS STILL GOD’S PLAN

christianitytoday.com/women/2019/january/church-planting-your-plan-b-is-still-gods-plan.html  By: Sandra Peoples In 2015, my husband and I moved from rural Pennsylvania...

THE MAGNIFICAT

By Frank Tunstall The Holy Spirit overshadowed the Virgin Mary in the miraculous and...

A CAROL FOR THE DESPAIRING

www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/december/longfellow-carol-for-despairing-i-heard-bells.html Penned during the Civil War, Longfellow’s ‘I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day’...

?? A DIGITAL CHURCH IN THE DIGITAL AGE ??

 https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2018/fall-state-of-church-ministry/embodied-church-in-digital-age.html Should we cheer or moan when online churches perform virtual baptisms? By: Kara...

WHERE HAVE ALL THE CHURCH PLANTERS GONE?

christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2018/august/where-have-all-church-planters-gone.                  What’s the greatest hindrance to effective church planting? BY: Jeff Christopherson You...

SINGLES: A VITAL PART OF OUR CHURCHES

www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2018/july/singles-vital-part-of-our-churches Singles make up half of our churches, so we best learn to treat...

HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTION

BY: FRANK TUNSTALL, D. MIN. Three outstanding facts stand out regarding Peter’s bold preaching...

3 COMMON REASONS FOR MINISTRY BURNOUT

www.startchurch.com/blog/view/name/how-to-prevent-ministry-burnout? By: Raul Rivera Burnout reason #1: Critical Church Members Oftentimes, one of the...

JESUS’ GLORIFIED BODY

 By Frank G. Tunstall  Cleopas and his unnamed friend had Jesus’ undivided attention on...

“JESUS WEPT!”

 By Frank G. Tunstall When Mary walked up to Jesus on the outskirts of...

5 TOP PRIORITIES FOR INCREASING YOUR CHURCH

 sermoncentral.com/pastors-preaching-articles/charles-arn-5-top-priorities-for-increasing-your-church This article is a classic on church growth. It was first released in 2010...

OFFENDED BY JESUS?

By: Frank G. Tunstall  Luke records a story about Jesus paying a visit to...

ICEBERG COLD REJECTION

  By: Frank G. Tunstall  Jesus the Prophet deserved the highest adoration, but the...

BLAME US FOR GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

https://townhall.com/columnists/calthomas/2018/01/23/blame-us-for-government-shutdown-n2438025     By: Cal Thomas If we don’t like what is happening in...

THE SURPRISING REASON YOU ARE WHERE YOU ARE

https://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-mission/the-surprising-reason-you-are-where-you-are-8093 By: Ron Hutchcraft Some years ago, we took a delegation of teenagers to...

WHAT YOUR PASTOR REALLY WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS

ChristianityToday.com/pastors/2017/november-web-exclusives/what-your-pastor-really-wants-for-christmas.html?utm_source BY:The editors of CTPastors.com This Christmas, forego the wooden praying hands, the cross-stitched...

CAN THERE BE ONE RIGHT RELIGION?

http://seanmcdowell.org/blog/can-there-be-one-right-religion; Posted November 14, 2017   By: Sean McDowell Recently I was in a...

THE ONE GROUP YOU MIGHT FORGET THIS CHRISTMAS

http://blog.thrivingpastor.com/the-one-group-you-might-forget-this-christmas-2/?refcd=574803&utm_campaign=Thriving+Pastor By John McGee  Nov. 27, 2017 The holiday season is upon us. As...

HEALING HEALERS

By Phil Larson, as told to Frank Tunstall The world’s largest casino is located...

FAITH IS NOT BLIND!

BY: FRANK TUNSTALL Some critics’ claim Christians believe on blind faith, defined as belief...

HOW WE GOT OUR BIBLE: CHRISTIAN HISTORY TIMELINE

 http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-43/how-we-got-our-bible-christian-history-timeline.html Have you ever wondered how the Bible has developed through the centuries, so...

IRS TAXES PASTOR FOR SALARY HE NEVER RECEIVED

www.utm_source=internal&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=blog&utm_content=irs_taxes_pastor_for_salary_he_never_received_2017_10_05 By: Raul Rivera This time of year we get an abundance of phone...

WHAT THE CARPENTER SEES IN YOU

https://hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-most-important-relationship/what-the-carpenter-sees-in-you-7979  By Ron Hutchcraft  Hutchcraft.Com Many years ago we were shopping for a place...

WHEN A PRIVATE APOLOGY IS NOT ENOUGH

sermoncentral.com/pastors-preaching-articles/joe-mckeever-when-a-private-apology-is-not-enough   This article is certainly thought provoking. I think he is saying something...

REMEMBER THIS WHEN YOU’RE TIRED OF PEOPLE

thrivingpastor.com/remember-this-when-youre-tired-of-people-2/?refcd=518301&utm_campaign=Remember+This+When+You’re+Tired+of+People   By: John McGee  July 10, 2017 / Focus on the Family Have...

HOW TO LAST IN MINISTRY

Pastor Rick’s Ministry Toolbox <info=pastors.com@mail143.wdc02.mcdlv.net By: Rick Warren Ministry is a marathon: it’s not...

THE SUCCESS AFFAIR

christianitytoday.com/pastors/2017/june-web-exclusives/success-affair.html?utm_source=leadership-tml&utm_medium=Newsletter Why do so many adulterous relationships begin when ministry is going well? By:...

THE MANY BENEFITS OF GRATITUDE

http://blog.thrivingpastor.com/the-many-benefits-of-gratitude/?refcd=504701&utm_campaign=The+Many+Benefits+of+Gratitude This well written article is excellent for focusing us on the grace of...

THE SOBBING SAVIOR

By: Frank G. Tunstall I thought about it hundreds of times over the years,...

HOSANNA

By: Frank G. Tunstall “The next day the great crowd that had come for...

“PRAY FIRST!”

Dr. Ron White serves as president of Emmanuel College. He assumed that role October...

COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS

sermoncentral.com/pastors-preaching-articles/lance-witt-courageous-conversations–part-2 By: Lance Witt Courageous conversations is a battle of prepositions.  Half of the...

ONE QUESTION YOU MUST NEVER ASK IN MINISTRY

classic.sermoncentral.com/pastors-preaching-articles/joe-mckeever-one-question-you-must-never-ask-in-ministry-2697.asp? “Sow your seed in the morning, and do not be idle in the...

I WENT TO HELL IN A DREAM

  charismamag.com/spirit/supernatural/28155-revivalist-i-went-to-hell-in-a-dream During this night of terror more than 25 years ago, I fell...

FRANKLIN GRAHAM SPEAKS OUT ABOUT ELECTION

theblaze.com/stories/2016/10/16/franklin-graham-sounds-off-about-the-evangelical-response-to-trumps-latest-scandals By: Franklin Graham   October 16, 2016 A lot of people are slamming evangelicals...

DANCING ON THE EDGE

Released by Focus on the Family, June 6, 2016 http://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/divorce-and-infidelity/affairs-and-adultery/dancing-on-the-edge By: A pastor who’s...

“IT IS FINISHED!”

 By Frank G. Tunstall The ancient Greeks boasted about being able to say much...

The Day I Hit the Wall

By: Gordon McDonald Marathon runners speak of “hitting the wall,” a moment in a...

HONORING MARRIAGE

Posted by Focus on the Family, December 7, 2015 by Kevin Conklin I once...

RETHINKING DREAMS

By: Frank G. Tunstall  John 1:43 “The next day Jesus decided to leave for...

Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.




Top