Isaiah Overview: The Servant's Song
About This Episode
There are four songs in Isaiah attributed to God's Servant. Seth and David walk though each one and show how they anticipate the coming of Jesus and restoration of God's people.
The Servant in Isaiah: From Israel's Failure to Jesus' Fulfillment
Show Notes
The Story Seam and God's Promise of Comfort
David and Seth begin by discussing a significant transition point in the book of Isaiah, which they refer to as a "story seam" at chapter 40. They explain that chapters 38-39 conclude Hezekiah's life story and prophesy the coming Babylonian invasion, while chapter 40 jumps ahead about 100 years to address Israel in exile. This marks a dramatic shift in the narrative, comparable to moving from "Fellowship of the Ring" to "Two Towers" in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Chapter 40 opens with words of comfort: "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God." This message indicates that Israel's punishment is complete and their sins have been pardoned. David and Seth point out that the passage continues with the famous words later quoted by John the Baptist: "A voice cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord." This refers to God coming to rescue his people from Babylonian exile and restore them to their land and calling as his servants.
Isaiah presents two answers for how God will accomplish this rescue. The first is through Cyrus, king of Persia, whom Isaiah surprisingly calls God's "anointed one" or "Messiah" in chapter 45. David and Seth explain that Cyrus would defeat Babylon and allow Israel to return home, solving their external political problem. However, this wouldn't address their deeper spiritual problem of not trusting God, which was the root cause of their exile.
The Servant Songs and the Ideal Servant
David and Seth turn to the famous "Servant Songs" in Isaiah, beginning with chapter 42. These passages introduce a mysterious servant figure who will bring justice to the nations and fulfill the vision of Isaiah 2, where nations stream to Israel to learn God's ways and live in peace.
In Isaiah 42:1-4, this servant is described as one in whom God delights, who has God's Spirit upon him, and who will bring justice to the nations without breaking "a bruised reed" or quenching "a faintly burning wick." David and Seth note that this servant seems uniquely empowered by God's Spirit in a way no previous king or prophet had been described.
The servant theme develops in Isaiah 49:1-6, where the servant is called from the womb and made like a polished arrow. David and Seth highlight how this passage identifies the servant both as an individual and as "Israel," creating an interpretive tension. The servant's mission is to "bring Jacob back" and be "a light for the nations." However, the servant also experiences a sense of futility, saying "I have labored in vain."
This pattern continues in Isaiah 50:4-9, where the servant listens to God (unlike rebellious Israel) but faces suffering and disgrace. David and Seth explain that this suffering servant doesn't turn back but sets his face "like flint," knowing God will vindicate him. These descriptions foreshadow Jesus's experiences, and Paul later applies this passage to believers in Romans 8.
The Suffering Servant and Atonement
The discussion reaches its climax with Isaiah 52:13-53:12, the most famous servant song. David and Seth explain that this passage describes a servant whose appearance is "marred beyond human semblance" but who will "startle many nations" and cause kings to "shut their mouths." They wrestle with the paradox of how a suffering figure could lead nations to trust when typically, as with Sennacherib, a nation's suffering led others to mock their God.
David and Seth delve into Isaiah 53, where the purpose of the servant's suffering is finally revealed: "He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows... he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that brought us peace, and by his wounds we are healed." This language draws from Levitical concepts of atonement.
This passage could be read in multiple ways. On one level, it could describe corporate Israel suffering in exile to bring cleansing for future generations. However, David and Seth note that this interpretation creates a problematic cycle: if Israel must continually atone for its own sins through suffering, there's no permanent solution. Instead, they argue that the passage points to an "ultimate climactic servant" who will atone "not just for a generation, but for all time" and "not just for Israel, but for the whole world."
David and Seth highlight how New Testament authors repeatedly draw on Isaiah 52-53 to explain Jesus's death on the cross, making it one of the primary frameworks for understanding Christ's atonement.
The Spirit-Filled Community and New Creation
Despite the apparent conclusion in Isaiah 55 with its celebration of God's provision and restoration, David and Seth note that ten chapters remain in the book. These chapters address what's still missing: the redeemed community of God's people who will attract the nations.
In Isaiah 59, the people confess they still feel "blind" and "dead" despite the servant's work. God responds by promising a covenant where "my Spirit that is upon you and my words that I put in your mouth shall not depart." David and Seth explain that this leads directly to Isaiah 61, where someone declares, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor"—the very passage Jesus read at the beginning of his ministry in Luke 4.
The book concludes with visions of new heavens and new earth centered around Jerusalem with gates thrown open to the nations—imagery that reappears in Revelation 21-22. David and Seth explain that this represents the completion of God's "Edenic project," where the curse is reversed (even children playing with cobras) and the whole earth becomes God's garden.
David and Seth conclude by emphasizing two key observations: first, what makes this servant unique is that he is "Emmanuel" (God with us) with the Spirit upon him, and he gives that same Spirit to his people; second, this Spirit enables the community to fulfill its mission of attracting the nations to God. While imperfect, the church has begun this work through both spiritual transformation and social justice, pointing toward the day when Jesus returns to "finish the Edenic project" completely.
David: Yeah, yeah.
Seth: Like Israel's doing this thing and there's going to be a new servant, the ultimate servant, who will bring about the Isaiah 2 promise of restoring Israel to their calling, to be princes under God and restore peace to the world. But his ministry is going to look like Israel's ministry.
David: Yep.
Seth: He's going to do what Israel was supposed to do. Teach the law, bring about peace. But he's also going to be met with futility and hostility, just as Israel's servants have throughout the world.
Intro: Welcome to the Spoken Gospel podcast. Spoken Gospel is a ministry that's dedicated to speaking the gospel out of every corner of scripture. In Luke 24, Jesus told his disciples that every part of the Bible is about him. In each episode, hosts David and Seth work through a passage of scripture to see how it's all about Jesus and his good news. Let's jump in.
David: Well, welcome everyone, to the Spoken Gospel Podcast. Thank you so much for joining us. We are continuing our journey through the book of Isaiah, specifically tracing the theme of the servant through the book and seeing how it all fulfills in Jesus. Seth, where are we at? How you feeling? What's going on?
Seth: How I'm feeling is I feel like I had a lot of curry for lunch, so just a little. Little. Little spicy.
David: Little spicy.
Seth: Little. A little. A little tired.
David: But there was only one spice level.
Seth: Left for me to go up for.
David: You to go up on. You were right at the tippy top.
Seth: I did have a lot of.
David: I was on the opposite end of that spot.
Seth: That's what Erica is, too. But here, where we are in the book of Isaiah is we are at a story seam in the book of Isaiah. Okay, We've been tracing this theme of the servant. Israel is meant to be this nation of servants that do justice and spread peace throughout the world. And the nations of the world are supposed to look to Israel as this beacon of. Of hope and peace and justice. They all flock to it. However, yeah, both Ahaz and Hezekiah have failed to be the servants they were meant to be.
David: Ahaz, kind of outright Hezekiah was so close.
Seth: He was so close, maybe better than anybody, any human up to that point in time, but ultimately fails. And God promises at the end of Hezekiah's life that his failure is kind of uniquely catastrophic. Like, because of his failure to embody the servant hope of Israel, the nation of Israel will dissolve. The nation promised to Abraham will fall into exile. And his lineage, the lineage of David that God promised his forefather would last forever. All his sons will become eunuchs and the family line will end, man. Right.
David: Yeah. And I remember we were talking about Adam and Eve, too.
Seth: Yes.
David: And how this servant theme of being fruitful and multiplying, blessing the world started with him, and now it seems that he's. Him and his family are not going to be able to be fruitful and multiply to be a blessing to the world.
Seth: That's right.
David: So it seems like a death.
Seth: That's right.
David: Where will come resurrection.
Seth: Right. And so the question Isaiah 40 opens up with is, okay, if Israel will be exiled to Babylon, if the lineage of David is all castrated stumps.
David: Yeah.
Seth: How can God rescue? Will God rescue? Can God rescue? And how will he do it if he's going to do it? And the opening lines of this new section of the book are, comfort, comfort, my people, Israel.
David: Okay, before we get into comfort.
Seth: Yes.
David: You use this phrase that I'm curious about, that chapter 40 is a seam.
Seth: Yes.
David: What do we mean by that?
Seth: I mean, chapter 38 and 39 are seams. They are the end of Hezekiah's life. And they kind of like talk about his fall, and they prophesy or predict the coming Babylonian invasion and threat. And so that prophecy comes at the end of chapter 39. And at the beginning of chapter 40, the situation described is Israel in exile. So we've jumped ahead. The situation is like 100 years into the future.
David: Okay.
Seth: This little historical moment that ends with Hezekiah's lifetime ends.
David: Yep.
Seth: But there's a little hint at it about what to come. The death of the Davidic family and the death of Israel.
David: But the scene comes and it's kind of like a new book being stitched in or jumping ahead.
Seth: Yeah. Like the next stage of the story. So this is what God promised is going to happen.
David: So that. That was Fellowship of the Ring. And now we're into two towers.
Seth: Two towers. What God said came true. And so because in other prophets, like, they describe the fall of Israel, they describe the Babylonian invasion, Isaiah doesn't do any of that. He just assumes it happens.
David: Okay. Which is strange.
Seth: It is strange.
David: Yeah.
Seth: But he just assumes it happens. And then the question is, can God raise up a servant from this situation? Okay, is the. Is the project God began with humanity and Adam and continue through Abraham and Moses and the kings of Israel? Can it continue from this place?
David: All right, cool. So we open up the two towers.
Seth: That's right.
David: Chapter 40.
Seth: And he says, comfort, comfort, my people says, your God, speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her her warfare is ended. Her iniquity is pardoned, and she has received from the Lord double. For her sins, like her sins have been pardoned, her punishment's complete. It's now time for comfort. That kind of goes back all the way back to Isaiah 6. Like Israel needed to be cleansed.
David: Oh, right.
Seth: Before they could renew their calling as God's servant.
David: So is he saying, the cleansing has happened, Therefore take comfort, because now God's not going to deal with you according to your sins anymore.
Seth: That's right. Okay, a new thing is going to happen. A new servant's going to come. And then verse three, a verse that should sound very familiar to you. A voice cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, Every mountain and hill be made low, uneven ground made level, and rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Israel has gone into exile. Their sin has been purged. And then God says, make way for the way of the Lord. Make way for God to act in a new way in this new season. So, and the reason I say you probably have heard it before, this is what John the Baptist says about himself before Jesus arrives on the scene.
David: Right. So is this supposed to cue the listeners into the fact that God is sending a servant or a king or the Emmanuel or what? Is this the way of the Lord? Prepare the way for the Lord. So it's like, does that mean God is coming?
Seth: That's right. God is coming.
David: God is coming. So get the way ready.
Seth: Yes. God is coming to rescue his people out of Babylonian exile. He's coming to redeem them and return them to their land.
David: Oh, so the way of the Lord.
Seth: Yes.
David: Would be a path out of Babylon back into Israel.
Seth: Yes. To reclaim their title as God's servants once again. Okay, that's right.
David: And so what would it look like for the Lord to come to Israel in their exile?
Seth: Yes. So Isaiah gives two answers. They're kind of butted up against each other. Okay, so there's a historical answer. Isaiah gives two answers. In chapter 45, Isaiah says that he is an anointed, a man named Cyrus, that there is a messiah named Cyrus who will come and he will defeat Babylon and send Israel back home. So in a very geopolitical sense, Isaiah is prophesying a future on how God's people physically move from their place in Babylonian exile back home. This anointed one, this Messiah will come and send God's people back home. That's one way.
David: And that is a king of Babylon named Cyrus. A king of Persia, Persia named Cyrus.
Seth: Yes.
David: Who's going to prepare a way, allow God's people to go back home.
Seth: He'll defeat Babylon, like whatever's preventing them from going back now. He'll make it all clean.
David: Okay.
Seth: And send his people back.
David: Chapter 45, verse 1. This is what Yahweh says to his Messiah.
Seth: Yes. To Cyrus.
David: To Cyrus.
Seth: Yes.
David: Which is like, I think the first time I read that and in, you know, put in the actual Hebrew words, you know, like, that kind of threw me for a loop.
Seth: Yeah.
David: So I think a lot of people might be thrown for a loop. Like, the Messiah is Jesus. Yeah. So why is he calling Cyrus the Messiah?
Seth: So.
David: Right, like, right, right.
Seth: I mean, the simple answer is. So Messiah is, Means anointed one. Yeah, it means anointed.
David: What does anointed one mean?
Seth: It means somebody chosen by God and commissioned for a special purpose. Yeah.
David: And particularly like kingship, normally.
Seth: Kings. That's right, yeah. Priests and kings are generally the ones that are anointed for a particular task.
David: Okay.
Seth: And so, you know, if you go back all the way, David is anointed.
David: Yes.
Seth: One of the first kings of Israel. And so God has anointed Cyrus for this particular purpose, to restore Israel back to their homeland and to hopefully restore the calling as God's servants. To be a light to the nations and bring people, extend God's reign of justice and peace throughout the world.
David: Okay. So in a sense. Can I. Let me just try something here. Is Cyrus the first John the Baptist?
Seth: It is interesting. I've been wrestling with how to understand, like, make straight the paths of the Lord.
David: Right. Because that could be like an internal reform for the people.
Seth: Yes.
David: To get their hearts ready. That's how John uses it, in a sense.
Seth: That's right.
David: And so it could be that it could also be geopolitical. Open up a safe highway for Ezra and Zerubbabel and Nehemiah to travel back on.
Seth: Yeah. As with a lot of Isaiah's language, it seems to have multiple horizons to it and multiple ways to understand it. And it's like in a very real political sense and like just the movement of people sense. Cyrus seems to be some sort of fulfillment of this prophecy.
David: Yeah, definitely.
Seth: The political situation is one problem. But Isaiah has been talking about since the beginning a much more deeper and like, motivational problem within Israel's leadership. They don't trust God. And that problem also needs to be fixed within Israel because that's the cause of their exile in the first place.
David: An external political reform is needed and an internal spiritual reform is needed.
Seth: That's right.
David: Okay.
Seth: That's right. And so Cyrus solves this external problem. But in this same passage of scripture 40 to 55, we also start getting all these prophecies of a new and better servant. So when we talked about how Isaiah is this, this ideal servant for Israel, he confesses his sin, admits his guilt, is cleansed by God and sent out on mission Ahaz is this failed servant for Israel. He rejects God and he's destroyed. But Hezekiah is a faithful servant, at least for a time. And we're left wondering at the end, like, who can be the servant Israel needs?
David: Yeah.
Seth: And so it seems as if that problem is going to be solved by this servant figure. Does that make sense? That follow?
David: And is that servant Cyrus, he solves.
Seth: The political problem of Israel?
David: Is Isaiah doing that double thing here? Like, I haven't read it recently. So it's like, is he doing that thing where it's like, is that servant still talking about Cyrus? Or does he clearly say, okay, it's not Cyrus, Let me talk about somebody else?
Seth: He never says it, but he also never calls Cyrus a servant.
David: He calls me the Messiah. He calls him Messiah like, I feel like those.
Seth: Which is close.
David: Right?
Seth: But again, like, remember, servant, as we've talked about it, is one of God's special terms for his people and how they will extend his kingdom throughout the world. So, yes, Cyrus can be an anointed one to help Israel, but he can't be the servant in the way Adam or Abraham or Moses or the kings of Israel were meant to be.
David: And that's because he does not carry the blessing of God, the word of God, the Torah, the Abrahamic blessing, the Davidic blessing. He doesn't carry that, so he can't give it away.
Seth: That's right. That's right. Something like that. But it's also like the way that the prophecy about Cyrus is in chapter 45, and the first prophecy of a servant is in chapter 42, three chapters before it. So as you're reading through it, it's like, well, maybe.
David: Maybe this is.
Seth: Maybe that is one. But let's read this first servant, because we're hoping for this servant. This is 42, chapter 42. Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. I have put my spirit upon him. He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break in, a faintly burning wick he will not quench, he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice on the earth and the coastlands wait for his Torah, his law. So we have the failure of Hezekiah, the obliteration of Israel, the ending of the Davidic line, and the question, how is God going to restore Israel's servant calling? And it seems as if chapter 42 is the way that God's going to do that. God is going to provide a servant who is going to bring justice to the nations and bring the Torah of God to the whole world. And if you remember all the way back in Isaiah 2, when the nations stream to Israel and hear the law, they turn their swords into plowshares and.
David: There'S peace and justice, peace and justice in the land.
Seth: So this servant is the one through whom Isaiah 2 comes true.
David: Yes. And there's something really unique about him. I noticed God puts his spirit on him. Is that a theme throughout Isaiah? Is that unique? Is this unique in Isaiah?
Seth: It begins to get picked up in these servant songs.
David: What, I mean, what would Isaiah mean by spirit? What would his people be thinking? Because I'm thinking immediately, just like if I'm answering my own question, leading the witness.
Seth: Yes.
David: I'm thinking, well, if I'm supposed to think that this servant is Adam, okay, Adam had Ruach breathed into him the Spirit. The breath of God breathed into him in creation. And so he's. Is he. Is he kind of going like, I'm going to breathe into someone else new creation? Is that it? Is it just like they're going to have my animating life and they're going to be a living nephesh, living being? Or is it something else? Like, are we supposed to think the person of God, the Holy Spirit? I'm just curious here.
Seth: Yeah, it's a good question. It's not something I've necessarily thought about deeply, but no king in Isaiah has been described as somebody who has the spirit that is placed on him. And I don't even believe Isaiah is described that way within Isaiah's work. So while it probably could mean like there's this animating spirit within all of us, but the fact that it's. I put my spirit makes me think that there's something special, something Emmanuel, something Emmanuel about God. There's a unique way that God is with this servant.
David: Yeah.
Seth: That he hasn't been with others so far.
David: Super interesting.
Seth: And just so you know, like later on that same spirit will get poured out on all of Israel as well in the coming chapters.
David: But yes, okay, that makes a ton of sense.
Seth: Yes.
David: So it's like. Oh, let me, let me make one observation with that. And then I have another question.
Seth: Yes.
David: So that we talked, I think, last episode about that tension between chapter seven and chapter nine of Isaiah where you had this human son being born who's called Emmanuel.
Seth: Yes.
David: But then in chapter nine, it's a clearly more than human son who will be the king of Israel that they actually need.
Seth: Yes.
David: Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace.
Seth: That's right.
David: So we need God and we need an earthly king. And there seems to be this swirling of the two. Then here that kind of gets developed more. We have the servant who is probably going to be the king of Israel, has God himself in him. So it seems to be a future development of that.
Seth: Yeah, I think that's exactly right.
David: That's interesting.
Seth: And so, and I think too, he comes like really gently.
David: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Seth: He doesn't lift his voice in the street. He doesn't break a reed, he doesn't quench a wick. And remember how the Emmanuel prophecies, we didn't really talk about this, but they were all children.
David: Yeah.
Seth: The prophecies about the rest, the rescue of Israel were all put in the hands of children. Well, let me go back. Actually, there is one prophecy we didn't talk about. In the very first part of Isaiah, we have the prophecy of Emmanuel or the sign of Emmanuel, the sign of Maharshalal Hashbaz. We have the prophecy of a child and the government will rest on his shoulders and he'll be mighty God and Prince of peace. And then Isaiah 11, we have a prophecy about what will come out of that dried up and judged stump of Israel. After God judges Israel down to a smoldering stump, a shoot of life will come out of it. There's this prophecy about what will happen from that shoot of life. And it says this in verse two. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. And he shall not judge by what he sees or decide disputes by what he hears with his ears. But with righteousness he will judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. So we do have a prophecy all the way back in the early parts of Isaiah, where he's discussing the future redemption and restoration of Israel in terms that don't seem to match anything in Isaiah's current political life time or, like, lifespan. And it does seem to be. He's picking up on those themes here and saying, in the future, there will be this coming sun.
David: Who's spirit filled?
Seth: Who's spirit filled? Who will rescue God's people? And I remember Isaiah is writing 100 years before the events he's describing, right?
David: Yeah.
Seth: And so he's saying, hey, Babylon's going to come. But don't worry, even if Babylon comes, even as the king's lines wiped out, God can still rescue. How is he going to rescue? He's going to rescue through a servant. And so I think it makes sense. It's a little more vague, especially if he's still speaking to his audience during his lifetime. He's still speaking. He's like, how. How will the ultimate restoration of God's people happen? Will happen in terms we understand servants, spirits. But the horizon, so far away, it's not as specific as it was before. Does that make sense?
David: Yeah, definitely. And I think probably the. The English isn't helping us with this phrase. Here is my servant.
Seth: Behold my servant. Yeah.
David: Behold my servant. Let me tell you about my servant.
Seth: Yes.
David: Is probably a. A more helpful transition there. Anyway, so, okay, my questions are answered.
Seth: Yeah. Interestingly, the last time that word behold is used, if you just go back, it's used to describe idolatry. It's say, hey, look at how impotent the idols of the world are. Look at how little salvation they've affected for God's people. But behold my servant. So there is something that he's doing within the text itself. He's showing like, hey, look at how little idols have done for you. But look at how much my servant will do for you.
David: Yeah. Examine your idols. Examine the promised servant.
Seth: Yes.
David: Which one deserves your hope.
Seth: That's right.
David: Yeah, that makes sense. Okay, cool. So there's this promised servant coming to save the day. Cyrus is doing some kind of that servant work, but not all of it because he can't heal the inner spiritual brokenness that has led Israel to idolatry again and again. So how does the servant theme get developed then beyond that?
Seth: Yeah. The next time we hear about the servant is in Isaiah 49:1 6, and we get a development on what this servant will do and how he will restore God's people. Says, listen to me, O Coastlands, coastlands, were the same people that came to listen to his Torah in 46. And give attention, you people from afar. The Lord called me from the womb. Interesting. We're going back to the Emmanuel themes. From the body of my mother, he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand he hid me. He made me a polished arrow, and in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, you are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Isn't that interesting? He's now identifying Israel as the servant.
David: Yes.
Seth: Even at the same time, it seems to be an individual person. So look what the servant's doing here. The Lord's calling the servant from the womb. His mouth is speaking truth, like a polished arrow cutting to the heart of the matter. And he said to me, you are my servant. And then he says, israel, in whom I will be glorified. There's like this, like, expanding almost, but like. I just want to talk about that for a second.
David: Yeah, so what you're saying is there was. It seemed to have this individual kind of Adam was a servant, Abraham was a servant. But now you're saying that Israel as a whole, who was this kind of thing that needed to be cleansed and judged, has now kind of become this precious polished arrow, or I don't know if I'm past or future, but that shoots and gets to the heart of the matter. And as they do, they display the glory, the splendor of God to the world or something. I don't know.
Seth: We're so close. We're so close. But I think what's happening here is in the same way that Isaiah was a representative for what Israel should do, and how Ahaz was the king of a people, and how Hezekiah was the king of a people who supposed to lead his people in a certain way, the servants doing the same thing. The servant has been specially chosen by God, called from his mother's womb and to lead not only himself, but all his people to a certain task. He, as the servant, is called to create a nation of servants that come along with him. Does that make sense? Like his mission isn't to do it all himself. He's a king who is the ultimate servant, calling his people to serve alongside of him. Does that make sense?
David: That does make sense. That the ultimate servant of the Lord isn't a lone ranger, isn't one arrow.
Seth: That's right.
David: But he's the first fruits of arrows that fill a mighty quiver.
Seth: That's right.
David: Okay.
Seth: But in this mission to make a nation of servants, I have labored in Vain.
David: No matter who I gave you as a servant leader, it was never able to create a nation of servants.
Seth: Yes. And maybe this is still speaking future. It's like this servant that's coming that will attempt to create a nation of servants will labor in vain. I have spent my strength for nothing in vanity, yet surely my right is with the Lord and my recompense is with God. My justice will be with God.
David: It is interesting that he keeps talking about things in terms of birth language, isn't it? You know, the psalmist talks about children as arrows in your quiver.
Seth: Yes.
David: And so he talks about it that way, but he's like, oh, I've labored in vain. I've actually not been able to give birth to what I wanted to and then spent my strength as a euphemism for impregnating a woman. And like, I didn't. Didn't take.
Seth: Yeah, and look at the next verse. 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.
David: So here's something else that's interesting, is again, this seems to be like that need for a virgin again that we talked about.
Seth: Yes.
David: Where it's like, well, we weren't able to conceive of the servant we needed. So apart from the normal constraints of biology, God formed me.
Seth: Yes.
David: Almost, you know, alone, to be the servant that he needs.
Seth: That's interesting, isn't it? Fascinating. And then in verse six, he goes on, it's like. And he says, this is it too light a thing, that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved, the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Israel, I will make you as a light for the nations that my salvation may reach the end of the earth. So I just wanted to name here the idea that this servant will come, purify his people, gather a nation of servants to go out, is still the goal. We're still working for an Isaiah 2 type outcome where all the people of the earth will flock to God's people and learn justice and learn and peace. However, the development here is that as this servant undertakes this task, it will be attended with some level of vanity and futility. Did you see that? But I have labored in vain, Right. I've spent my strength for nothing. It's like I'm trying to give birth, but it won't be fully developed. And so I think what Isaiah is doing is he's going through these prophecies is he's introducing us to this, the servant, the eschatological servant, the messianic servant, Jesus. And he's saying he's going to restore us to the Adamic call. He's going to make Israel who it's meant to be, this light to the nations, but it's going to come about with a little bit of vanity. Not everyone's going to listen to him. The nation that's called to be servants is going to reject him. That's what he's saying. That's what he's saying, right?
David: Yep. So there's this rejection that comes with the servant, I'm guessing that's leading us somewhere.
Seth: Leading us somewhere. That's right.
David: So, yes, I think I follow. There's a servant. Like God's servant creating project hasn't ended, despite all the failure. Yes, he's going to keep trying and he's going to form a servant, but it is always tinged with this struggle, this vanity, this fruitlessness.
Seth: Yes.
David: Or maybe that the servant is going to rub up against something the wrong way or. Yeah. There's always contention.
Seth: There's always some sort of contention. And you notice, like in verse two, he's made my mouth like a sharp sword. He's going to come with a message like Isaiah, like Isaiah that's going to be resisted in some way.
David: What's this message like to the people of Israel at this time? Like, why is this helpful? What is he just.
Seth: Message of the servant.
David: Yeah. Is he just saying, like. Because it kind of sounds like he's talking about himself. Isaiah kind of sounds like he's talking about himself.
Seth: Yeah. What's really funny is that whenever the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 reads through these servant prophecies, his first assumption is that Isaiah is talking about himself.
David: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is he talking about himself or someone else?
Seth: That's right.
David: Yeah. It's like. It's what it sounds like.
Seth: Yeah.
David: And so it's like, I'm kind of like, where's the hope? What's the promise? If Isaiah was the servant who was doing fruitless, vain labor, which God told him he was going to do, then I guess this book doesn't offer me much. And I'm just as frustrated as the Ethiopian eunuch was.
Seth: Yeah.
David: You know what I mean?
Seth: Yeah, yeah.
David: So it has to be talking about someone else.
Seth: It has to be talking about someone else. Yeah, yeah. I mean, there's a whole bunch of scholarly debate about who the servant is and how Isaiah understands himself in relationship to the servant. And what's interesting is the servant is sometimes Israel. Sometimes Isaiah uses the word servant to describe himself. Sometimes he uses it to describe, like this future coming servant, right, who will write Israel and return them to their calling as God's princes on the earth. And sometimes they overlap with one another.
David: Right.
Seth: And I think that's all intended because we, you know, a couple episodes ago, we talked about, like, this biblical theme of servant. And there's a whole bunch of other people called servants, and many times of the prophets of God, like many times throughout the Bible, those who speak on God's behalf are called God's servants. And generally they're attended with some sort of rejection. Their message is not normally received well. So what's interesting is what he seems to be saying is like, hey, even in the depths of exile, with the Davidic line cut off and Israel in a hole in the Babylonian prison camp, there's going to be an ultimate servant who's going to come, kind of like the prophets of old, whose message will come and it'll be rejected for a time. He's giving Israel an expectation of what the Messianic return is going to look like.
David: I think I'm finally on your page. Let me say it this way. I think what's happening is from the beginning of Isaiah, his prophecy has been, look, God's going to have to cleanse and kind of kill the land. Yes, but there'll be this little smoldering stump left, and life will flourish out of it. Yeah, and he asked Ahaz to do the same thing. Hey, just chill. Wait. I know a series coming, it might mean some death, but life's on the other side. Hezekiah, just wait. I know they're at your footstep or at your doorstep. The Assyrians are coming. Just wait. And then God handles it. He's on his deathbed. Just pray. And he raises him out of it. And now there's all these servants have been going through this, right? And now Israel, as the corporate servant of God is, said that they're going into exile, they're going to experience a death. And what it seems like you're saying is Isaiah saying, yes, exactly. God's servants are always attended with death. And the way we prove to be his servant to the world and actually bring a blessing to the world is by remaining faithful through that death, through that contention with the world and its objectors, and we actually die, and then life comes out of it again. Yes, and that's going to happen corporately in an exile, but that's the way things are supposed to happen. And so much so that paradigmatically, when this eschatological servant comes, he will be attended with death, with rejection, with vanity. But that doesn't mean he's not the servant. In fact, that's how it's always been.
Seth: It's always been that way.
David: That's what's. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Seth: Israel's doing this thing, and there's going to be a new servant, the ultimate servant, who will bring about the Isaiah 2 promise of restoring Israel to their calling, to be princes under God and restore peace to the world. But his ministry is going to look like Israel's ministry. He's going to do what Israel was supposed to do, teach the law, bring about peace. But he's also going to be met with futility and hostility, just as Israel's servants have throughout the world.
David: Yeah, that makes sense. Okay.
Seth: That's right.
David: Cool. I'm tracking.
Seth: So you're exactly right to be tracking the idea of Israel's a corporate servant on top of this ideal servant that Isaiah seems to be describing. And we kind of get that in the next servant song. Isaiah 50, verse 4. Here's what Isaiah says in Isaiah 50, verse 4. The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. So we have that emphasis on that message again. Morning by morning he awakens me. He awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught and remember how God described Israel previously as people who had ears but could not hear. So now we have this ideal servant who has an ear that can hear God's teaching. The Lord has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious. I turned not backwards, and I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard. I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting, but the Lord God helps me, therefore I have not been disgraced. I've set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. Then he goes on. So what I wanted you to see here is that we have this servant coming up again who listens to God as Israel hasn't listened in the past. He's receptive to God in a way that Israel hasn't been in the past. And what that listening does, it drives him now not just to a message that will be confronted and met with hostility, but a message that's going to be led into suffering. It will lead him into his beard being pulled out.
David: Yeah.
Seth: Isn't that yeah. These are all things that happen to Jesus.
David: Yes. Right, right.
Seth: Yeah, yeah.
David: And to corporate Israel.
Seth: And to corporate Israel.
David: Yeah. In the exile.
Seth: That's right.
David: Yeah.
Seth: And. But the Lord God's going to help him. And then we have these really fun verses which Paul picks up on in Romans 8. He says, who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God helps me, who will declare me guilty. Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment. My adversaries will be eaten up. And so he's just. Anyway, I thought that was always fun that Paul is riffing on this servant song as the way that he talks about the experience of believers.
David: Right. We are disgraced, we are beaten, we are rejected. Just like Paul was.
Seth: Yes.
David: He's like. But I was told that that's the way God's servants are treated.
Seth: That's right.
David: So I'm not disgraced.
Seth: That's right. Okay. And this all leads us to the last serpent song. Okay, so. And this is the big one.
David: Oh, big one.
Seth: The big one. This is in Isaiah, chapter 52 and verse 13. So Isaiah has been consistently prophesying throughout this section, telling Israel not only what they should expect in the in and of themselves, but of what they should expect in the ideal servant who is to come, who will finally rescue them from their. Their sin and their separation from God. And here he goes. Behold, my servant shall act wisely. He shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you, his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance. And just like you've been saying, as many were astonished at you, Israel in exile. Right. His appearance will be so marred beyond human semblance and his form beyond that of the children of mankind, and so shall he. And there's like a translation word here. But he'll startle many nations. He'll shock nations with the depth of his disfigurement. And kings shall shut their mouths because of him. For that which has not been told, they will see in that which they have not heard, they understand. So the servant's going to come, and when he comes, he's going to, like Israel, not the same as Israel, but like Israel, suffer dramatically. And the first people who are going to respond and understand what they're seeing are the foreign nations of the world, the nations that are going to be streaming to Israel.
David: Right.
Seth: So it seems as if somehow in the suffering of this servant, the Isaiah 2 hope where the nations begin to stream to Israel and look to it for hope and peace, and understanding begins to come true. What Israel hasn't been able to see, Isaiah told them they weren't going to see. They weren't going to understand. The nations are now understanding.
David: Right.
Seth: Do you see it?
David: I see exactly what you're doing, but it does not make sense.
Seth: Why?
David: I don't understand why the disgrace of a nation or the disgrace of a person would cause the unbelieving pagans to disbelieve in fact or sorry. Would cause the unbelieving nations to start believing.
Seth: Yes.
David: Because in fact, you've shown me in Sennacherib.
Seth: Yes.
David: The exact opposite.
Seth: Yes.
David: The more Israel suffered, the more Assyria boasted that their God was better.
Seth: Right.
David: And. And so I'm just like, I'm struggling to see how a suffering nation or a suffering servant leads to the repentance of nations.
Seth: So historically, most Jewish scholars will see in the serpent songs only a description of Israel. And in the servant songs, this is always and only a description of Israel's plight among the world. And I think what you just said is probably a good reason to question how that could possibly be the only reading of what we're seeing. Because Isaiah is saying that, no, there's going to be a servant distinct from Israel through whose suffering the Gentiles begin to trust in the promises of God and come into the kingdom. And so Isaiah, for as much as those themes overlap, he also says there's something unique, a unique servant is coming who will cause the world to come to faith and believe and understand what's happening in Israel.
David: I think that helps a little.
Seth: Okay.
David: I think right now what I'm struggling with is why does suffering. Why does the suffering servant lead to any kind of good outcome?
Seth: Yes.
David: And the only category I have right now, yes, through Isaiah, is because it's obedience to God that he asked Isaiah to suffer the coal coming on his lips.
Seth: Right.
David: He asked Ahaz to suffer the incoming Assyrian invasion. He asked Hezekiah to suffer the night who, wondering if they were going to barge in. And now he's asking the servant to suffer because the nations will somehow come to repentance. And again, how. How did Ahaz know.
Seth: Yes.
David: How God was going to work it out. How did Hezekiah know how God was going to work it out? How do I know how God's going to work it out that a suffering servant actually makes the nations repent? I don't know. But the only logic I have internally in Isaiah right now is that it's because God said so. And so he's the God of history, and his prophet said it, and he's been proven trustworthy. So I should just trust it.
Seth: Yes. You're actually asking the exact right questions.
David: I feel like a maniac.
Seth: No, you know, these are the questions Isaiah is begging you to answer.
David: Okay.
Seth: We've been told that Israel will go into exile, but their servant will rise up and provide justice against evil in the world, bring Babylon to its needs and return Israel back home. And this servant will provide compassion to God's people. Yeah, but we're also told to suffer.
David: Yeah.
Seth: Why?
David: Right.
Seth: What is he doing?
David: Yeah.
Seth: What is the suffering accomplishing? Yes, and that's exactly what the next part of the song, one of the. One of the commentators I was reading, he kind of said that chapters 49 and on. Really, the Meat of the Servant songs don't talk so much about what the servant will do, but how he will do it.
David: Yeah.
Seth: And so he'll bring justice to the world and he'll restore God's people. But how is he going to do it? The answer is it is through suffering. But like, why, why and how? And this is where the next part of the servant song comes in chapter 53. Let's start in verse, verse 2. So the servant grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground. We're at that root language again, all the way back at the beginning. Beginning, he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows acquainted with grief, as one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised. We. We esteemed him not so again, just deepening the suffering of the servant. And then finally, in verse four, we get the answer to why the servant must suffer. But surely he has borne our griefs, he has carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. And upon him was a punishment that brought us peace. And by his wounds we are healed. So this is the big climax of Isaiah's servant theology. He's saying, the servant's going to come with a new message. It'll be the ideal Israel who will bring justice to the world. Invite the like. Invite the world to experience God's kingdom. And the way that he's going to do it is by suffering as a substitute or as like, in place of Israel, sins themselves like. And that's this is a big bomb to drop in the middle of it. But because it's a, it's a radical.
David: Development, I don't know, it only kind of feels like a big bomb when, when you're making it a singular future person. But it sounds kind of like exactly what he's been saying since chapters one and two. If I just take it as Israel, because Israel is going to be carted off in exile, judged, and then God says, great comfort, comfort. They've been dealt double with all their sins. So now therefore you guys are good to go. I'll bring you back in, I'll restore you. Well, why? Because they he corporate Israel was pierced for our transgressions. The punishment was doled out, therefore our chastisement was on them. And now we get to come out as a cleansed remnants back into the land. So it's like, oh yeah, that makes a ton of sense. Like upon them was our chastisement. The Babylonians and the Persians did that. Now we get to come back in and we get to have peace. We're healed. Yeah. Because by their wounds the judgment of God against Israel has been let out.
Seth: Yeah.
David: And now we, the new remnant, the shoot coming out of the smoldered stump, get to come back into the land, healed.
Seth: Yeah.
David: So it actually just feels like.
Seth: Yeah.
David: When you talk about it in terms of Israel the servant, it actually makes a ton of sense.
Seth: Yeah.
David: So why should I? Obviously I'm just, I'm just, I'm just burying my head in Isaiah.
Seth: Yes.
David: And like obviously I believe this is Jesus.
Seth: Right.
David: But I'm like, it actually helps me round out.
Seth: Yes.
David: Jesus as the suffering servant. If I bury my head a little bit more and think about this as a Jew.
Seth: Right.
David: And I'm like, this sounds like they would probably view this as a comfort because he's writing this to pre exilic people, maybe as a comfort to them. He's like, hey, I know you're going to go into exile, but you're kind of going in as a suffering servant and you're going to be wounded. But a future generation is going to be able to look back and say by their wounds we're healed.
Seth: I think you are right to recognize the parallels between Israel's corporate experience and the level of national revival that happened because of Israel's exile.
David: Yes.
Seth: Like the idolatry of the past is not a problem in Israel like it was before. However, after Israel's exile and after they come back into the land, the root problem of being unable to be God's servants in the world persists.
David: Yes.
Seth: Even after Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilt the temple, it kind of goes downhill pretty fast. They start working on the Sabbath again. They start, like, inviting people in to buy and sell and like, you know, things are not looking well by the end of the Sabbath. And if we just pick up at the Bible in the book of Matthew, the way that religious traditions developed in Israel abandoned the justice that God commanded of Israel in favor of, like, you know, of like, corrupt practices that Jesus, you know.
David: Yeah.
Seth: Critiques throughout.
David: Yeah, definitely. The problem is the big problem is still there.
Seth: Even if this has a near reference.
David: Right.
Seth: To the effects that the exile will have on Israel as a whole, it doesn't fundamentally change the problem that led them into the exile in the first place.
David: Right. It's this prophecy is acting like so many of the prophecies inside of Isaiah. Yeah. Well, Hezekiah was kind of Emmanuel, but not really.
Seth: But not really.
David: Cyrus was kind of the servant. Ah. But not fully. And now. Oh. Israel is kind of the suffering servant. And they kind of did redeem the next generation of Israel through their suffering. Kind of like the first 40 years in the wilderness redeemed the younger generation again. That's happening, but not perfectly.
Seth: Yes.
David: Because there's still this deep problem. We need a servant who will be God with us, who will obey as king, who will be the servant, be the Messiah and be the true suffering servant to do something that none of these other servants have been able to do.
Seth: Yes. And I think what's interesting, even in these prophecies, even if you took a corporate approach to it, it doesn't explain some of the sacrificial language used. Like, surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. These are words that are primarily found in the book of Leviticus.
David: Yeah.
Seth: That. To describe the way that sin is carried away from.
David: Yeah.
Seth: From God's people.
David: I could see them bearing the iniquity of God's people into Babylon, punished for it. Oh. Yep. They've been dealt double with their sins. I mean, I don't think we have to take that away.
Seth: No.
David: From corporate Israel in order for it to be finally realized in the Messiah.
Seth: That's all I'm trying to say here is like, there is something fundamental.
David: Yeah.
Seth: That is being communicated. It's like this isn't simply the historic wiping out of an idolatrous practice across generations. This is a dealing with a primary separation between God's people.
David: Yes.
Seth: And their king, between the princes and the kings.
David: Right. Well, imagine too, how Kind of double sided. This is. If it is just corporate Israel. So imagine that, that you've got. Okay, great. I'm carting off an entire nation to pay for the sins of this nation. But hey, a remnant will return.
Seth: Right.
David: Isaiah's son's name.
Seth: Yes, there it is. That's right.
David: But then the problem's not dealt with. They start sinning again. What's the solution? Kill the whole nation again.
Seth: Right.
David: Then they get to come back more idolatry. Kill the nation again is like what you can't ever do is fill up the quiver.
Seth: Yeah.
David: What you can't ever do is build a mountain that all nations stream to. Because it's not just one like individual arrow that God's trying to do. He's trying to build a nation that's holy.
Seth: That's right.
David: And if that nation just keeps sinning and then they have to atone for their own sins in order for the next generation to try to get out. It's a vicious cycle of death and we can't escape it. And so it's like if Israel is the solution, it could only be for one generation.
Seth: Right.
David: And then it's not good news again.
Seth: Right. We need. We need a servant, an ultimate climactic servant to be an ideal Israel, not just for a generation, but for all time.
David: Yes. And not only to atone for the sins of our past, but to fix the sins of our future, to change us.
Seth: And not just to atone for the sins of Israel, but the whole world.
David: Yeah.
Seth: Because the whole world is supposed to be a part of God's kingdom that expands and bring blessing to the world. So this is what the servant is coming to accomplish.
David: So cool. Yep.
Seth: And I mean, we do not have time. I have a whole document here of just every single time the New Testament authors pick up on Isaiah 52 and 53 to talk about what Jesus has done on the cross.
David: Yeah.
Seth: This is. This ends up functioning as one of the primary ways that the New Testament authors understand what Jesus did for humanity when he died on the cross.
David: Yeah.
Seth: Like his experience of suffering as like this representative taking away, experiencing our sin in our place is how the redemption of God is accomplished for his people.
David: Yeah.
Seth: And again, I have so many verses to talk about that.
David: Yeah. I think most Christians are quite familiar with. Yeah.
Seth: Yeah.
David: So what does it mean then? Let's just jump ahead. Okay. So you have Jesus. We already talked about him as this chosen servant, Emmanuel, God with us. And he. He fulfills the suffering servant. He comes to bring a new kingdom as the one who listens to God's voice.
Seth: Yes.
David: And he's bringing peace and equity and justice. But as Isaiah prophesied, he's met with contention and hostility and ultimately violence and death. So how does that violence and death if we just stay in Isaiah's world? Okay, how does the violence and death of Jesus that the servant is met with, how does that save a nation? Oh, how does that save people? So, like, if this is one of the controlling ways that New Testament authors want to talk about what Jesus's death accomplished, why are they tapping in to Isaiah 53 to talk about it?
Seth: Yes.
David: What is it doing? This is a bit like atonement theory. Right thing. But what's.
Seth: What's happening? So again, Israel is meant to be this nation of servants, of princes, under their king, God, who's expanding the borders of the kingdom of God, bringing the nations in, teaching the law, God extending peace and prosperity. But servant after servant has failed to trust God properly. Yeah, there's some been something internally wrong with every, even the best servant, like Hezekiah, that has made them unable to be the servants God has intended them to be. And so when the servant comes, he is solving this deep internal problem between the king and his princes in solving it permanently so that God's people can become who they're meant to be all the way back in the Garden of Eden and be on mission with God again. That's why this servant thing is so important, is because God's people have this, like, chronic problem that they cannot be his servants. And the servant, the servant, the messianic servant comes to make a nation of them.
David: Yep, that's helping.
Seth: That's. Yeah.
David: Another piece of the puzzle that that made me think of was, as we talked about, what is the servant? We're tracing that through the Bible. Like you had the servant Adam in the Garden of Eden, attending to it, managing it. And that's the language that's given to priests. They serve and work in the temple, which was like a mini Garden of Eden.
Seth: That's right.
David: And it's where presence with God could occur. And it's out of that place that the kingdom of God would grow and justice would be done.
Seth: Yeah.
David: And that's where sins were atoned for. And when the priests, the servants of the temple were given their garments, it was so that they could bear the sins of the people, is what.
Seth: Oh, yeah, yeah.
David: And by this you will bear the sins of the people. And so now you've got a new servant, king and priest, you know, like, trying to Build a temple on the high mountain of God where all nations could stream to him.
Seth: Yeah.
David: He's functioning as a high priest.
Seth: Yes.
David: Bearing the sins of the people, right?
Seth: Yeah. Yeah.
David: But in a way that's completely different because he's not bearing the sins of the people through atonement of a goat or.
Seth: But.
David: But by his own suffering, by. His wounds were healed.
Seth: That's right.
David: That's not. We're not healed by killing Aaron. Right. You know, like, so it's. It's like this huge escalation. I'm like, yeah, I'm. I'm just like, how. It's just such a crazy idea. But it's like, I think we have to go to like, you were trying to get us to kingdom.
Seth: Yes.
David: And I think there's also this priest thing, atonement through sacrifice. And that's what the servant did. And it's like this priest king role who atones for the sins of his people. And I think that means two things as well. At least that there's this. Israel had sins that must have been punished, and so they were sent into Babylon and they paid double for their sins so that a new remnant could come out.
Seth: Yeah.
David: So when Jesus is the new servant, he receives the punishment that our sins deserved so that we. A new remnant can come out. But also we need a cleansing.
Seth: Yes.
David: And. And so that's what, like, the blood is supposed to do. It's supposed to sprinkle life all over our death and change us. And Jesus does an internal cleansing through that. That it does the spirit that is upon him that we talked about, that the shoot of Jesse would have. And he does this cleansing work that no other priest could get to. He doesn't just sprinkle, doesn't put blood on our right earlobe and our right thumb and our right toe. He gets it right inside of our hearts. So it's like, okay, anyway, that's everything I'm thinking.
Seth: No, I mean, those are all the right. I mean, Isaiah. It feels like just a box of riddles. If you are a Jew living during the time of Hezekiah and haven't seen Babylon's invasion yet, and you're reading all these prophecies about a coming Babylon, a servant, Israel's redemption, a shoot from Jesse, an atonement by this individual servant who also sometimes is called corporate Israel. But sometimes as an individual, like you are, like, trying to track. I think we're doing the work Isaiah is calling us to meditate on.
David: Right.
Seth: And that Jesus gives us an ultimate unraveling to, like, these are the things that we're supposed to be meditating on. How will God restores people? It is through Jesus and before Jesus comes. It's really hard to see that in Isaiah.
David: Oh, yeah, definitely crazy. So that's where it climaxes.
Seth: Yes and no.
David: Yes and no.
Seth: Yes and no. So at the very end of the servant songs, we get chapter 55, which is just this beautiful song of praise. Come everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And he who has no money, come buy and eat. Come buy milk and wine without money and without price. It's just. It's just the celebration of all that God has provided for his people. And then at the very end of that chapter, in verse 12, he says, Israel, you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace. And the mountains and the hill before you shall break forth into singing. And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. And then you have this reversal of. Of the chaos of the wilderness. Instead of thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle. And it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. You have a real sense of conclusion here.
David: Yep. Garden of Eden is back. The servant did his job.
Seth: The servant did his job. Yep, that's right. But you have 10 more chapters left. And so you're like, wait, what's going on here? The servant has come. If he's redeeming Israel through his actions, if he's cleansing them, like, why are there 10 more chapters? I know why. Why?
David: You've trained me to know the answer to this question. Because the nations, right? We don't have the nations yet.
Seth: We don't have the nations yet. But we also don't have a description of the redeemed people of God.
David: We have a description of a redeemed place.
Seth: Of a redeemed place and the ideal Israel who's come and on Israel's behalf. But we don't have the nation. The nation of Israel.
David: Citizens.
Seth: The citizens alongside God.
David: Citizen servants.
Seth: The citizen servants. And we get an admission of this.
David: They're the ones that are going to be the ones that people flock to.
Seth: That's right.
David: Okay.
Seth: Yeah. Yeah. That's right. We get an admission of this fact in chapter 59, verse 10. It's like we grope for the wall like the blind. We grope like those who have no eyes. We stumble at noon as in the twilight among those in full vigor. We're like dead men. Like we had this real admission, like, okay, God, thank you so much that this servant's going to come. But there's this basic human inability that we still feel. We still feel blind and dead and unable to overcome this sin inside of us.
David: Eden might have come to earth, but we're outside of it.
Seth: That's right. And so verse 16. So the Lord saw all this and it displeased him that there was no one on earth to fulfill his will.
David: Oh.
Seth: He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no one to intercede. So then his own arm brought him salvation and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on his head. He puts on garments of vengeance. And he says this in verse 20. And a redeemer will come to Zion to those in Jacob who turn from their transgressions, declares the Lord, and as for me, this is my covenant with them, that my spirit that is upon you, my words that I put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth or out of the mouth of your offspring or your children's offspring, says the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore. So Israel, excited about the prospect of this servant who will save them, realizes that that doesn't fix the problem of their own internal sinfulness. They admit it to God and says, don't worry. My new covenant will send a spirit to be on your mouth.
David: There it is forever. Yeah.
Seth: And then in the next chapters, do you know what we get in chapters 60 and 61 and 62, after God says, I will save you and put my spirit on you.
David: Right.
Seth: Chapter 61. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. These are the first words of Jesus public ministry.
David: Yeah.
Seth: When he bursts on the scene in Luke 4 Matthew 3, he's reading with all this in the back of his mind, the servant motif fully on board, the inability of God's people to be the servants, that they need the hope of the promise of the Spirit. And he says, it's finally coming to pass in my ministry. Isaiah 60:1. Pretty cool.
David: Pretty bold.
Seth: Pretty bold. Jesus is like, I know what I'm saying.
David: I know who I am.
Seth: I know who I am. I'm doing what I. What I know I'm supposed to do. And then a little bit later, and this is kind of like the End of the book. And it's like, we just don't have time to talk about it. But basically, the servant says that he will be the one to bring about the new heavens and the new earth. And in that new heavens and new earth, guess who the central character is? It's Jerusalem. And all the gates of its city are torn down, and the nations of the world stream to it. And basically everything that you read in Revelation 21 and 22 all comes from the end of the book of Isaiah.
David: Yeah.
Seth: The redemption of God's servant people is finally accomplished when somebody comes and announces the year of the Lord's favor. Which is. Which is Jesus.
David: Wow.
Seth: And that's the end of the servant theme as it goes through the book of Isaiah.
David: Okay. Few observations.
Seth: Yes.
David: One, it was really good to have that. Like, well, what makes this servant so different? And then for us to really land that. It's because he is Emmanuel. Because the Spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon him. He is God with us.
Seth: Yes.
David: And then, well, how are we going to fit into this family? How are we going to fit into this new Eden? Well, he's going to make a new covenant with you, and he's going to put that same spirit on you. So you can be like him.
Seth: Yep.
David: And then you can be a prince, servant, citizen, doing your thing. And then the other. The other observation was the reason he gives us his spirit is so that we can be like him, but so that we can be in this nation, this remnant nation that he's building that actually does make the nations of the earth flock to Jesus.
Seth: Yes.
David: And you have this church of transformed people, and they make the world thirst for Jesus and want him. We've gotten to. We don't do it perfectly. I'm not saying that.
Seth: All right.
David: But we have gotten to see that over the last 2000 years.
Seth: That's right.
David: That spirit empowered people. Living like Jesus have changed the world.
Seth: Yeah.
David: Like, we have. We. Everything from, like, rescuing people out of sin and addiction and, you know, personal brokenness all the way to transforming how governments run, building hospitals and schools and orphanages and like.
Seth: Yes.
David: In many ways, inequity is coming to the earth.
Seth: In many ways, the church acts like an Isaiah 2. Yes. The nations of the world flock to it in hope of justice and to learn peace.
David: Yes.
Seth: Yeah. It's coming true.
David: Yeah, it's coming true. But then it will ultimately come true when the servant comes back.
Seth: Yes.
David: To bring his rule and reign to earth perfectly. And you have the new heavens and new earth here. And He. He finishes the Edenic project.
Seth: Yes.
David: That what Adam and Eve were supposed to do, be fruitful and multiply. Cover the earth with the Garden of Eden so that all might experience a paradise with God.
Seth: Yeah.
David: Jesus finishes. He's the Adam who finally comes back and makes the whole earth the Garden of Eden. And we get to live with him forever.
Seth: Yeah. One of the central metaphors for a central. One of the. My favorite metaphors for how Isaiah talks about the restoration of the world to the Edenic state it's supposed to be in the whole world is Eden. It's that the children will play with cobras.
David: Yeah.
Seth: Which is like, whoa, that's a weird man. But that was. One of the primary characteristics of the curse is that the children of Eve would be at war with the children of snakes.
David: Yep.
Seth: But in the new heavens, the new Earth, that curse is just obliterated. Snakes and kids are friends. In the new heavens, the new earth, there is no curse anymore.
David: My five year old will love that. He loves snakes and lizards and stuff.
Seth: When the servant's work is completed.
David: Yes. Oh, that's so good. Isaiah. Isaiah, man, we left a lot on the table.
Seth: So much on the table. I've never felt like there was more things we could have talked about.
David: Yep.
Seth: That in this particular.
David: But I feel like you've guided us well through this. So thank you for that. I mean this is why we have devotionals and introduction videos and all other bunch of other resources.
Seth: Right.
David: And so you guys can check those out as well as they become available. But until then, thank you very much for journeying with us through Isaiah. We're so grateful for all of you making this possible, listening along, encouraging us, praying for us, helping make all this real. We're just so grateful get to do it. So thank you, Seth, for helping. Thank you, Christine, for all your help and to all the team here at Spoken Gospel. And thank you to you for being in our corner. We will see you next time.
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