Isaiah 49:1-26

Isaiah: God controls the nations

God’s special servant

Isaiah Chapter s 49 to 57

Norman Hillyer

Chapter 49

In the Book of Isaiah, the meaning of ‘my (that is, the *Lord’s) special Servant’ varies. Sometimes, ‘my special Servant’ identifies a person, such as Eliakim (Isaiah 22:20) or David (Isaiah 37:35) or Isaiah himself (Isaiah 20:3). Most of the verses that include ‘my special Servant’ appear in the second part of the Book of Isaiah (about 20 times). About half of these verses identify the ‘Servant’ as ‘Israel’. Several verses (42:1, 42:6, 52:13, 53:11) refer the name to *Messiah. The *New Testament identifies *Messiah as Jesus. (Take care; sometimes a verse may include more than one of these meanings at the same time!)

• Verses 1-7 provide the second of the ‘Servant Songs’ (see my notes at the beginning of Chapter 42 and the notes on 42:1).

The work of God’s Servant

v1 Listen to me, you foreign nations. Listen, you people that live in distant places. Before I was born, the *Lord called (appointed) me to be his special Servant. He named me even before my birth. v2 He made my words about God’s judgement to be as sharp as a sword. He hid me under the shadow of his hand. He made me like a sharp arrow that is ready to use. v3 He said to me, ‘Israel, you are my special Servant. In you I will display my great *glory.’

v4 But I thought, ‘I have worn myself out in vain. I have used my strength for no profit, for nothing.’ But then I told myself that my actions were in the *Lord’s care. The result of my work for God is safe in his hands.