Looking to the Servant's Example--Isaiah 50:4-11

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,

I have been studying and memorizing the Servant Songs in the book of Isaiah. (Isaiah 42:1-7; Isaiah 49:1-6; Isaiah 50:1-11; and Isaiah 52:13-53:12)  The past few days I have been meditating and reading up on the third one...Isaiah 50:4-11. Here it is in its entirety:

  “ The Lord GOD has given Me
      The tongue of the learned,
      That I should know how to speak
      A word in season to him who is weary.
      He awakens Me morning by morning,
      He awakens My ear
      To hear as the learned.
       ⁵ The Lord GOD has opened My ear;
      And I was not rebellious,
      Nor did I turn away.
       ⁶ I gave My back to those who struck Me,
      And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
      I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
       ⁷ “ For the Lord GOD will help Me;
      Therefore I will not be disgraced;
      Therefore I have set My face like a flint,
      And I know that I will not be ashamed.
       ⁸ He is near who justifies Me;
      Who will contend with Me?
      Let us stand together.
      Who is My adversary?
      Let him come near Me.
       ⁹ Surely the Lord GOD will help Me;
      Who is he who will condemn Me?
      Indeed they will all grow old like a garment;
      The moth will eat them up.
       ¹⁰ “ Who among you fears the LORD?
      Who obeys the voice of His Servant?
      Who walks in darkness
      And has no light?
      Let him trust in the name of the LORD
      And rely upon his God.
       ¹¹ Look, all you who kindle a fire,
      Who encircle yourselves with sparks:
      Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled—
      This you shall have from My hand:
      You shall lie down in torment.

The Lord Jesus is such an example to us! This is something that He seems to be pressing into my heart in a new and deeper way lately.  I think when life gets hard we cling to Him more and search His word with greater fervor. The Bible tells us that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. I have been truly blessed in studying and memorizing the Servant songs  and I believe it has deepened my understanding of Scripture in every area maybe more than my studying of anything else in Scripture.


Jesus, the Servant, is speaking in these verses.  The title Lord GOD is used four times in this section.  This title emphasizes the Servant's complete submission to the Father in all aspects of His life.  On earth Jesus did not do or say anything outside His Father's will...His whole being...every aspect of His life.. was submitted to the Father.  (John 5:19 John 8:28) He spent time with Him morning by morning in prayer and meditation of the Scriptures. He sometimes spent all night in prayer (before He chose His 12 disciples)   What an example this is for us.  Jesus, the Son of God made a practice of time spent in prayer and fellowship with His Father in Heaven.  If Jesus needed to do this to discern the Father's will for the day that was before Him how much more do we need this precious time with our Father! I have regretted time spent in many areas of life but I have never once felt that I spent too much time in the Scriptures. 

Jesus not only spent time with His Father--He shared and encouraged those who were weary with the things He had learned from Him. He helped those in need.  He did the work His Father had given Him to do. I think of Ephesians 2:10 here. Jesus had a successful ministry but He never pointed to Himself. His life glorified His Father in Heaven.  He did whatever He did here on earth by faith  just as we do.  He did not use His divine powers.  He did all He did as a MAN.  We cannot take refuge in Him being God as the reason why He was able to do it. This fact is amazing to me...each time Jesus healed or spoke it was not Him it was the Spirit working through Him.  Philippians 2:5-11 says: ⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Jesus was totally set apart to do His Father's will just as we should be.

The next verse says that the Lord God had opened His ear and He was not rebellious nor did He turn away.   When a servant in Hebrew culture did not want to leave the service of His master but wanted to become a permanent willing slave of that household, an an awl was driven through his earlobe and a gold earring placed in the hole.  This told all He was bondservant...Jesus is telling us here that He came willingly to do His work here on earth.  Jesus was a slave by choice. Wow! Wow! Wow! I can never wrap my mind around that.  He took the form of one of His creatures, a Man, and came to earth for the purpose of suffering and dying for them.  Verse 6 tells us a little more of what He suffered.  It also shows us His mindset. He was determined to do His Father's will no matter the cost...He yielded His body to men who whipped Him, spat upon Him, plucked His beard, crowned Him with thorns and ultimately crucified Him. What an example for us...Make no mistake...each one of us are slaves to something. Romans 6 tells us that we either present ourselves to be slaves of sin leading to death or slaves of obedience leading to righteousness.  Again, Jesus, the Son of God, a slave by choice CHOOSING moment by moment to do His Father's will.  He made the same choices that we have to make...the daily moment by moment dying to self and living for God.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.(Col 3:3) who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (1Pe 2:24)

The next few verses tell us that He completely entrusted Himself into His Father's hands.  WHAT AN EXAMPLE FOR US! ( I know I am repeating that a lot...but hey..it is true and needs to be pointed out) And remember, because I find this so easy to forget, that He did it all by faith.  He walked in those works that His Father had prepared beforehand for Him as a human being never using His divine powers.  What fellowship He had with His Father.  As we keep reading we begin to see that all this that Jesus did and thought were done to show us the way.  It all can be applied to our lives and walk with Him...Scriptures can be found throughout the New Testament to show us that His word and deed matched.  Jesus is truly the way the truth and the life.  As I read and reread this passage I cannot help but see and be overwhelmed by the fact that Jesus right here in these verses is telling us how to handle a trial..  And He is not speaking here as God...even though...you know He is...He is speaking here to us as a human...telling us all this from His own personal experience.  No matter what you are facing today you can go to one of these Servant songs and  be reassured that Jesus understands. He can relate. Not only can He relate He wants us to know what to do and how to react to whatever we might be facing....Hebrews 4:14-16 says: "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Romans 8:34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Really what more could we ask for!  In fact, He probably learned and meditated on many of the very same Scriptures that we do as He went through His day. Look at what He tells us in these verses on how to go through the trials of life...spend time with the Father, encourage others in their weariness with the Word of God, comfort them in their distress, do not be rebellious...receive with meekness the implanted word, set your face like flint to endure knowing that your God WILL help...rely upon your God...you will not be disgraced or ashamed. Then He reminds us that our enemies will be grow old...the moths will eat them up.. He has gone before  and shown us the way.  JESUS LIVED OUT HIS OWN WORD...HE WAS THE WORD AND HIS WORD AND HIS DEED MATCHED...THAT IS THE DEFINITION OF TRUTH. AMAZING!

Sometimes in a trial we feel as if no one really understands our suffering.  There is ONE...and He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows the chastisement for our peace was upon Him. He endured all this for us...Hebrews 12:2 says it was for the joy that was set before Him...we are that joy...He is our joy, our strength and our salvation. He is our way, our truth, our life! Go to Him, trust in Him. Commit yourself to Him. He will not disappoint! Consider these verses now in a new light...Philippians 2:5-13 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

The last two verses of this third Servant song express the choice that we have.  Do we choose to trust in our Lord God as Jesus did and allow God to work in us and through us as we surrender our wills to Him  moment by moment? And remember even in obedience Jesus walked at times in darkness...just as we will...but HE trusted that God would bring Him to the light at the right time. Or do we  kindle our own fires in the dark times of our lives...relying  on our own understanding and arrogantly say we know better than God.  The end of one is life everlasting with Him...the end of the other is everlasting torment.

BEHOLD MY SERVANT...

Love
Mom