We found Israel unresponsive to the second Servant Song:

 

ISA 49:14

But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me,

And the Lord has forgotten me."

 

ISA 50:2

“Why was there no man when I came?

When I called, why was there none to answer?”

 

Still, God reasoned with them and continued to hold up His covenant promises to them.

 

ISA 49:15

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,

And have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.”

 

God displays His unfathomable love and grace by then singing to them His third Servant Song (50:4-9), which, as the other three, speaks of our Lord Jesus who will suffer in weakness so as to overcome and conquer and save us.

 

ISA 50:4-9

The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,

That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.

He awakens Me morning by morning,

He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

5 The Lord God has opened My ear;

And I was not disobedient,

Nor did I turn back.

6 I gave My back to those who strike Me,

And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard;

I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.

7 For the Lord God helps Me,

Therefore, I am not disgraced;

Therefore, I have set My face like flint,

And I know that I shall not be ashamed.

8 He who vindicates Me is near;

Who will contend with Me?

Let us stand up to each other;

Who has a case against Me?

Let him draw near to Me.

9 Behold, the Lord God helps Me;

Who is he who condemns Me?

Behold, they will all wear out like a garment;

The moth will eat them.

 

Do you know the person this song is about?

The third Servant Song is autobiographical like the second, but unlike both its predecessors it contains no reference to the Servant. The attached comment (vv. 10-11) reveals who the speaker was.

The impact of this song is striking due to the fact that its first line does not indicate to us that it is about the Servant, but of whomever it is speaking there is a great difference between him and the people of whom we just read. In vs. 4 this person, whoever he is, actually listens to God and responds (tongue) to God’s call as a disciple. However, Israel’s record was unresponsiveness.

 

ISA 50:2

When I called, why was there none to answer?

 

They do not hear nor respond, but there is someone who does. Who is this mystery Israelite who listens to God and responds in obedience even when he suffers for it? We hear the rest of the song and still we are not told. Perhaps it is a test from God that we might see if we were able to determine His identity, and if we failed, God will reveal the answer in vv. 10-11.

 

The distinctive feature of this song is the Servants' suffering.

Up to this point, only 49:7 has shown the Servant as a sufferer. His sufferings are now elaborated in this song, and what else, the reason for them is revealed - His obedience.

 

ISA 50:5-6

And I was not disobedient,

Nor did I turn back.

6 I gave My back to those who strike Me,

And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard;

I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.

 

The great gulf fixed

The distinction between the Servant and His people is great. As we see throughout the Bible, everything that we should have done but didn’t, He did. He is the answer to a fallen world. We refused to listen, but He listened. We didn’t learn God’s will and rebelled, but He learned and obeyed.

 

ISA 50:1

Behold, you were sold for your iniquities,

 

ISA 50:5

And I was not disobedient,

 

We were unheading at the Lord’s call, but the Servant obeyed when it cost Him much.

 

ISA 50:2

When I called, why was there none to answer?

 

ISA 50:5-6

Nor did I turn back.

6 I gave My back to those who strike Me,

 

We were unconvinced when the Lord proclaimed His love, but the Servant ever listened.

 

ISA 49:14

But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me,

And the Lord has forgotten me."

 

ISA 50:4

He awakens Me morning by morning,

He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

 

When the Lord showed us His power we remained skeptical, but the Servant was confident in the Lord’s help and nearness.

 

ISA 49:22

Thus says the Lord God,

"Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations,

And set up My standard to the peoples;

 

ISA 50:7

For the Lord God helps Me,

 

ISA 50:8

He who vindicates Me is near;

 

ISA 50:9

Behold, the Lord God helps Me;

 

We suffered for iniquity, but the Servant suffered because He was obedient.

 

ISA 50:1

Behold, you were sold for your iniquities,

And for your transgressions your mother was sent away.

 

ISA 50:5

Nor did I turn back.

 

While we suffered for our offenses (vs. 1), the Servant knows that no charge against Him can be sustained.

 

ISA 50:8-9

He who vindicates Me is near;

Who will contend with Me?

Let us stand up to each other;

Who has a case against Me?

Let him draw near to Me.

9 Behold, the Lord God helps Me;

Who is he who condemns Me?

Behold, they will all wear out like a garment;

The moth will eat them.

 

There are no parallels between the Servant and the people. They are polar opposites. This we should know from much study. Man is a son of disobedience while Jesus is the Son of God. We are born in Adam and in Adam all die. In Jesus was life and that life was the light of the world. And blessed of all things, His light shined in the darkness and by faith we beheld it because the iniquities of us all fell upon Him (Servant Song #4).

 

The third Song has four sections.

The Song is divided into four sections, and each by the title “The Lord God” in the emphatic position at the beginning of the line (4a, 5a, 7a, 9a). All four sections reveal the Sovereign Lord (Adonai Yavah) acting on behalf of His Servant. The first two show how He prepared the Servant for His earthly ministry and the second two how He stands by His Servant through all the suffering and adversity that ministry would pour upon Him.

 

PSA 8:4-6

What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him?

And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him?

5 Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God,

And dost crown him with glory and majesty!

6 Thou dost make him to rule over the works of Thy hands;

Thou hast put all things under his feet,

 

Blessed be His name, 

Pastor Joe Sugrue