No. 42. >> Chapter 49 comes back to the idea of a servant. What can we learn from this chapter? >>DR. DANIEL L. GARD: Well, let's take a look at just a few of the verses to begin with. And hopefully we'll come back to some in a few minutes. We'll just read the first three verses of this significant chapter, the Servant Song. Listen to me you islands. Hear this you distant nations. Before I was born, the Lord called me. From my birth he has made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. In the shadow of his hand he hid me. He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me: You are my servant, Israel. In whom I will display my splendor. It's a fascinating text. Where Isaiah speaks about -- speaks now not about the servant. But speaks the servant's own words. Now, traditionally in some English editions of the gospels, you may have seen these, you may even have one, where the words of Jesus are in red. And the rest of the text is printed in black ink. If one were to do so in the book of Isaiah, these words could be printed in red. That these are the words of the servant now speaking through his prophet Isaiah. In fact, these are the first words in the book that are represented as coming from the servant himself. And he speaks to islands and coastlands. In other words, people who are far off. For Isaiah and for the Gospel there is no limitation geographically to where this great Word is to be preached: The same servant who spoke to Isaiah would later command his disciples to take this Gospel to every living creature. That they were to go to all nations. And indeed, that continues to be a part of the mission of the church. To reach out to wherever human beings are found. And to serve God by serving those people in the message of the Gospel. Notice here, too, that the servant says that the Lord called him from the womb. From the body of my mother, he named me. Now, one of the controversies that has existed between what we might call conservative scholarship and liberal scholarship is the identity of the servant. For both Jewish or rabbinic interpreters and for liberal Christian interpreters, the servant here is not necessarily a person, a Messiah. But rather, all of these servant passages apply to Israel. That Israel is the servant. Now, interestingly here that is excluded simply by the servant's own words. That he came from the body of his mother. This refers, of course, to the incarnation itself. Jesus Christ was not just God. But also truly was man. Both God and man. Fully God. Fully man. And he received that human nature through Mary, his mother. Lutherans sometimes have a difficulty in honoring Mary. Largely because of fear of Roman Catholicism. I've often thought it remarkable that to my knowledge, there are only four Lutheran churches in our country that are named Saint Mary's. We'll name them after all sorts of obscure people and places and things much. But not after the one who bore the Savior of the world. I've often thought that if I were ever privileged to be a mission developer, that I would encourage that congregation to take the name of Saint Mary's Lutheran Church, to honor the one who according to Scripture all generations were to call blessed. But that aside, here it is clearly not a nation. But it is a person. One who is born of a human mother. One who is known by God even before that birth. Israel is never described as being born of a mother or coming from the womb. This is one attribute that is found only in that person, the Messiah. But then he goes on. He says: He made my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand, he has concealed me. He's made a select arrow. He has hidden me in his quiver. If you compare this to text like Revelation 1:16, Revelation 19:15, Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6:17 and other texts, we're reminded that the sharp sword is, in fact, the very Word of God itself. That this is a sword. And in fact, it certainly has operated that way in your life and mine, at least I hope and pray that it has. That the sword has come. And has at times created the pain that comes from the law. But also has brought the healing of the Gospel. The Messiah does not require weapons of iron. Instead, he uses his Word. And through that Word creates a kingdom. In the shadow of his hand, he has hidden me. It's evidence here that his words come from God. Because he doesn't speak of himself but what the Lord would say that he will speak. And that in that speaking, he becomes that which conquers. Not through the use of swords, not through the use of spears, not through the use of aircraft carriers and bombers. But through the all-encompassing power of his Word. And he said to me: You are my servant Israel. In whom I will show my glory. Now, that is in many ways an amazing statement. That in this one, this Messiah, is Israel. All Israel is now found in him. So often in the New Testament you find references to Jesus as fulfillment of everything of the Old Testament. Paul, for example, in Romans refers to the old Adam and the new Adam. The first Adam and the second one. In the first Adam death came into the world. In the second Adam comes life. So Jesus is also all that Israel was to be. When you think back about the history of Israel, going back before Isaiah's days, back to the calling of Abraham. Those of you who took the Genesis class with me may recall that, that there is a marked separation in Genesis between the earliest chapters and those chapters that now speak of the patriarchs. That out of all of the nations of the world, God called Abraham. And of Abraham's sons, he called one son. He called Isaac. And from Isaac's sons, he called Jacob. And from Jacob's sons, he called Judah. So that all through these generations there would be one who would come who would fulfill everything. In this way, we see that the Messiah, the servant, is, in fact, perfect Israel. He was all that Israel was to have been. He had all the attributes that Israel was to have had. Attributes of holiness and justice. Of righteousness and peace. All of those attributes belonged to this one, who is the new Israel. So we see in him the fulfillment of all that took place in the past and all that takes place now in the future. He is our fulfillment. When we look back at Jesus, we see all of the New Testament now come into focus in a person. This servant. This one who calls to every coastland. Who calls to every island. Calls to every place that you and I might live, where we might be. To speak to us as one to bears not the sword which brings death. But the sword which brings life.