Speaking of the Messiah, Isaiah calls Him by a Hebrew word that can be translated as “servant” or “youth.” Such ambiguity may seem strange, but it has a meaning of its own. Ancient Israel did not know the mass slaveholding that...
Speaking of the Messiah, Isaiah calls Him by a Hebrew word that can be translated as “servant” or “youth.” Such ambiguity may seem strange, but it has a meaning of its own. Ancient Israel did not know the mass slaveholding that was widespread, for example, in ancient Egypt or in the Greco-Roman world. It knew only patriarchal slavery, in which a slave differed little from a member of the household. In some cases he could even inherit from the master of the house.
The chief distinction of a slave was his complete lack of rights in matters concerning the life of the household to which he belonged. Household slaves took no part in family councils, and when decisions were made, including those that concerned them, their voices were not heard. In this respect they resembled youths, adolescents who were already old enough to take part in household life and work but were not yet considered adults and therefore did not participate in decision-making.
Why, then, does the prophet call the Messiah a servant? It is known that Jesus was never a slave. The language is evidently a kind of allegory. What lies behind it? In the days of Isaiah of Babylon, to whom the prophecy of the Messiah-Servant belongs, another image of the Messiah was popular, one that went back to the preaching of another Isaiah—Isaiah of Jerusalem, who had lived almost two hundred years earlier. It was the image of the Messiah-King, the righteous Ruler who would reign in Jerusalem and turn Judah into the Kingdom of God. The image of the Messiah-Servant is directly opposed to it.
This does not mean, of course, that Isaiah of Babylon rejects the Kingdom of God, a concept so central to the messianic tradition. He merely wants to shift the emphasis somewhat, helping his hearers understand that the Messiah is not a king in the earthly sense in which most believers understood that word both in his own day and much later. From the viewpoint of this world the Messiah is nobody: He is a servant, not a king. Yet this does not make Him any less the Messiah. He does not depend on earthly kingdoms or earthly power, and His messiahship is not defined by the position He holds in this world. His Kingdom, too, is unlike the kingdoms of this world: in our world a slave cannot be a king! Thus Isaiah of Babylon leads his hearers toward an understanding of who the Messiah truly is and what His ministry is. Of course, far from everyone understood what the prophet was saying; the events of the Gospel make that perfectly clear. But the word was spoken, and those who wished to hear did hear.
42 The person and office of Christ appointed by the Father, Isa 42:1-9.
A new song to God for his gospel, among the Gentiles, Isa 42:10-16.
The idolatry of the Heathen, and obstinacy of the Jews, Isa 42:17-25.
42:6 Called thee - To declare my righteousness, or faithfulness.With - hold - Will give thee counsel and strength for the work. Give thee - To be the mediator in whom my covenant of grace is confirmed with mankind. The people - Of all people, not only of Jews but Gentiles. A light - To enlighten them with true and saving knowledge.