Isaiah 49:1-7

The Servant’s Mission

Listen to me, O coastlands,
   pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
   while I was in my mother’s womb 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,
   in his quiver he hid me away. 
And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,
   Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ 
But I said, ‘I have labored in vain,
   I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
   and my reward with my God.’ 

And now the Lord says,
   who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
   and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
   and my God has become my strength— 
he says,
‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
   to raise up the tribes of Jacob
   and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
   that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’ 

Thus says the Lord,
   the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
   the slave of rulers,
‘Kings shall see and stand up,
   princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
   the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’ 

This is the second “servant song” in Isaiah and unlike the first this begins with the servant themselves speaking. The servant speaks as Israel with a mission both to Israel and to the nations. With echoes of language used in the psalms (Psalm 139:13), the servant has been called whilst still in their mother’s womb by a creator God who was involved in their development right from the first moments. Not only was this a creative process, but their God-given task was determined from the outset.

Unlike the previous servant song which described a quiet approach that did not need a voice to be raised, the servant here is much bolder and uses images of battle, with a “mouth like a sharp sword” and describes themselves as a “polished arrow”. This is a servant who is equipped and ready to tell it like it is and get to the heart of the matter. They will ensure that people near and far hear the message he is given to bring.

The servant recognizes the difficulties they face and the need to remain faithful, despite the evidence that their work has so far been in vain, which has left them disheartened and worn out. However, rather than reducing expectations, God’s confidence in the servant remains steadfast and the mission given to the servant is significantly expanded. Where once the task was to begin by restoring Israel following the traumatic period of exile it is now widened to being not just an example or “light to the nations”, but to reach peoples from far away and bring salvation to the whole earth.

As we journey through Holy Week, walking towards the cross alongside Jesus, it can feel as if all is lost, as if the mission has failed. This may particularly be the case for those struggling at this time, trying to cope with the serious impact that the viral infection Covid-19 is having on the lives of so many around the world. And yet, even though we may feel that we have “labored in vain”, if we, alongside the servant, remain faithful to the task we have been given and regain our strength from God, we can play our part in being a light to the nations.

Blessings as we pray that we too might be servants as we follow in the footsteps of our Servant Lord Jesus.

 To Ponder:

• Think about an activity you have been involved in or know about that didn’t seem to be successful at the time. What gave you or those involved the energy to persevere?
• Consider the impact Covid-19 is having on your family, your community, this country and the world. Pray for those who may feel that they have “spent their strength” that they might know the presence of God.