The second Servant Song is found in Isaiah 49:1–6. This song is explicitly addressed to the nations of the world, reinforcing the point that Yahweh is sovereign over the nations. He declares: “Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations” (v. 1 NIV). The Servant’s mouth has been made “like a sharpened sword” (v. 2 NIV). Through
him, Yahweh will display his glory or splendor (v. 3). Throughout the song, the Servant is the speaker, but he only tells the reader what Yahweh has declared. The declaration falls into two separate sections that vividly highlight the particularistic and universalistic strands that are embodied in God’s mission through his Servant. Verse 5 focuses on the particularistic mission of the Servant to Israel. He is being sent by Yahweh to “bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself” (NIV). The theme of gathering is central to the Abrahamic covenant, in contrast to the scattering of the nations who stand in opposition to God’s sovereignty. Then, in verse 6, as with the first Servant Song, there is a widening of the mission to include the salvation and gathering of the nations of the world:
he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles [to the nations],
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (NIV)
This passage gives a remarkable glimpse into the mission of God. Without diminishing God’s mission to Israel, there is an even greater mission that encompasses all the nations. Thus, despite the setbacks regarding Israel (rebellion, exile, and judgment), the original promise that God made to Abraham to bless the nations is still in full view. The unique contribution of Isaiah is the insight that this blessing will be revealed in and through the Servant of Yahweh.
The text begins with an important imperative whereby God addresses, through his Servant, not just his covenantal people, but the distant islands and all the nations of the world: “Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations” (v. 1 NIV). God is addressing the whole world. Earlier in this great prophecy of Isaiah (chap. 45), Yahweh has already addressed Cyrus, as a reminder that he holds all authority over all the kingdoms of the world. The powerful and arrogant and, frankly, even the fleeting but temporarily powerful kingdom of Babylon must submit to the eternal verities of the kingdom of God. But our text makes it clear that it is not just Babylon that must submit to the eternal plan of God, but all the nations of the world.
The latter part of verses 1 and 2 in our text makes it clear that the voice and manifestation of this authority will not just be through the nation of Israel, but through Yahweh’s Servant whom all the nations, even rebellious and exiled Israel, must heed: the Servant of the Lord. His mouth will be like a sharpened sword, implying that he will bring decisive judgment against all who seek to usurp his dominion and his authority and his plans. But it is not the sword of Cyrus which is found here. It is not the sword of the powerful nations of the world. It is the sword of the Word. The Servant of Yahweh will come into the world bearing God’s Word, not merely to bring Israel back from its exile and to restore Israel to her earthly promised inheritance—that is too small. Indeed, the greatest exile Israel faced is the exile that is faced by all nations and all peoples, and that is spiritual captivity: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the [nations], that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (49:6 NIV).
The grammatical structure of the text suggests that the Servant of Yahweh is not meant to bring salvation to the ends of the earth, but actually to be “my [Yahweh’s] salvation . . . to the ends of the earth.” Jesus is more than just the messenger, the herald of this Word. He is the very embodiment of God’s salvation for the world. (Paul picks up on this in Galatians 3:16 [NIV] when he says that the Abrahamic promise was to your “seed,” not your “seeds”—seed meaning one, not through the instrumentality of the nation, but through the redemption wrought by the Son.) It is not just a message we proclaim, it is the person of Jesus—he is the embodiment of the kingdom.It is not just a message we proclaim, it is the person of Jesus—he is the embodiment of the kingdom. It is this good news that is breaking into the world!
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This is an excerpt from The Life of Servanthood: Discipleship in the Pattern of Jesus by Timothy C. Tennent.
In The Life of Servanthood, Timothy C. Tennent gets to the root of what it means to be a servant by laying a foundation through a distinctly Christian voice and vision. Tennent works through the seemingly paradoxical nature of how Christ’s service brings about justice and salvation to the world. Jesus also provides a model which invites God’s people to imitate him, and therefore embody what redemption looks like for the world. With a theological expertise borne out of experience spanning more than thirty years, Tennent teaches readers what makes Christian servanthood unique and why its power endures as a counter-cultural force.
Perfect for:
- Sunday school studies
- Weeknight groups
- Individual study
- Pastor’s library