Who is the Servant of the Lord in the Bible?

Here we read of "the servant of Jehovah." It has a twofold meaning. The redeemed remnant of Israel is spoken of as the servant of the Lord. This is what Israel will be in the future. But this title as used in the opening verses of chapter 42 refers to Christ.

Matthew's Gospel (12:20) tells us that this servant is the Lord Jesus Christ. Mark the different phases of His character and work while on earth and His future work when He appears again. The song of redemption glory will be sung only when He is manifested. Israel is seen as a people robbed and spoiled. None saith "Restore." This is their present condition.

Now this world has been the scene and platform of the perfect service of One who was the perfect Servant; the gospels, and especially that of Mark, record it. There we follow Him, and track His patient blessed footprints, passing through the earth a stranger, unnoticed and unknown; but, more than that, despised and rejected by Israel, whose Messiah He was, and scorned and hated by poor man whom He came to serve. If we look at Him as Jehovah's servant, how the heart bows down and adores Him: "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased; I will put my Spirit upon him; he shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets." (Matt. 12:18-19.) Oh, what unobtrusive lowliness and meek retirement thus mark Him!

In the sequence of these verses we go next to Mark's Gospel. "Behold my servant whom I uphold; mine elect in whom my soul delighteth". Mark's Gospel is the Servant Gospel. As I go through the pages of Mark's Gospel, I become entranced with the "immediate" activities of the blessed Son of God in the execution of the will of God. I see Him instant in His activities. I listen on occasion to the words that fall from His lips, and when I rise from Mark's Gospel after reaching the end of chapter 16, I am irresistibly drawn to the conclusion that if anybody was, in the language of Isaiah, "Jehovah's Servant", the Man of Mark's Gospel is He. We have in Mark's Gospel the bondman's form. The Christ of the Philippian epistle is the Christ of the Gospel of Mark.

In another way I find the Lord Jesus presented as a faithful servant: "Behold my servant whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." (Isa. 42:1.) And again, "Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; and said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified." (Isa. 49:1-3.) He is here brought before us as the servant of Jehovah, and so He constantly speaks of Himself: "I can of mine own self do nothing as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me;" and that is just the servant's place - the Lord Jesus Christ spoke as it were His Master's word.

It is fitting too that He should have this name of "servant." Israel was God's servant, but how unfaithful! Then this faithful One comes, who is indeed God's servant, "Mine elect in whom My soul delighteth." Through Him and by His grace the remnant is called out and they too are designated by that same title; while finally all the nation will be restored and rejoice, as once they did in disobedience, to be called the servants of the Lord.

As soon as the people had gone into captivity, the "sword" of government is handed over to the Gentile king, and the "times of the Gentiles" begin. "Thou, O king, art a king of kings, for the God of heaven has given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, has he given into thine hand, and has made thee ruler over them all." (Dan. 2:37-38.) Israel had been God's servant up to this (in this position, however faithless). See Isaiah 43:10 — "Ye are my … servant whom I have chosen." (See also Isa. 41:8; Isa. 42:19; Isa. 44:21.) The Gentile king now takes the place of the Lord's servant, though in another sense. (See Ezek. 29:18, 20; Jer. 25:9, etc.) During the times of the Gentiles, God assumes the title of the "God of heaven," as we see all through the Book of Daniel, which treats of these times. He had gone over Jordan into the land of Israel, as we saw, under the title of the "Lord of all the earth," and had exercised His government from the centre of Israel. The people having proved themselves worse than the heathen around, utterly untrue witnesses to the "Lord of all the earth," God removes His presence from amongst them, and bestows the government of the world into the hands of the Gentile king.

180 I will now take another character of prophecy referred to — the servant; shewing that Israel is taken up as the servant, and replaced by Christ, who will deliver the remnant as again servants of Jehovah, who had long, as we have seen, hidden His face. I take this the rather as Dr. Williams has referred to it. Isaiah 42 says, "My servant whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. A bruised reed shall he not break," &c. This we know is formally applied to Christ in the Gospels. In verse 19, and more distinctly and definitely in Isaiah 43:1-10, the servant is Israel. In Isaiah 49 this is again declared in express terms, "Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified." Then says one, If that be so, I have laboured in vain, and spent my strength for nought and in vain; and then goes on, "And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God shall be my strength." His judgment was with Jehovah, and His work with His God. Then comes the answer, "It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, and to be my salvation to the end of the earth." Yet afterwards Israel is brought back, and Zion is remembered and glorified, and kings her nursing fathers.

It is in Isa. 42 that Messiah is first presented by Isaiah as "My servant" after Israel had been so designated in the chapter before, with help soon to come by means of Cyrus through the judgment of Babylon and its idols. But a greater than Cyrus or Israel is here, however similar the terms employed. "Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect [in whom] my soul delighteth! I will put my Spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judgment to the nations. He shall not cry, nor lift up nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench; he shall bring forth judgment in truth. He shall not burn dimly nor be crushed, till he have set justice in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law." Beyond a doubt it is Messiah in His blessed abnegation or rather absence of self, such as no conqueror ever displayed, and of which He only was capable to perfection, but looking onward to the day when the nations shall submit to His law superseding every false god.

After this glance at Him, the prophet speaks of Israel as Jehovah's servant till the early verses of Isa. 49 where is begun a new section; and Messiah takes the place of Israel who had failed to the uttermost, not only in abject slavery to idols but in still baser rejection of Messiah. He is not only to deliver Israel but always the true Servant, though Israel be not gathered and the Jews to be again scattered. "And he said to me, Thou art my servant, Israel, in whom I will glorify myself. And I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and in vain; nevertheless my judgment is with Jehovah, and my work with my God." Hence it is said to Him, "It is a small thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I have even given thee for a light of the nations, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. Thus saith Jehovah the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers: kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall worship, because of Jehovah who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee" He is also given for a covenant of the people (Israel), to establish the land, restore the captives, and execute judgment on their foes.

Still more does Isa. 50 prepare the way for all that was afterward told of the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. For here we have His servant with the tongue and ear of the instructed, whatever it might cost. "The Lord Jehovah opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, I turned not away backward. I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheek to those that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. But the Lord Jehovah will help me: therefore I shall not be confounded; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifieth me: who will contend with me? Let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him draw near to me. Behold, the Lord Jehovah will help me: who is he that shall condemn me? Behold, they all shall grow old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. Who is among you that feareth Jehovah, that hearkeneth to the voice of His servant etc.?" This is succeeded by the triple call to hearken in Isa. 51 and to awake, awake, in 51, 52, closing with the announcement on the mountains of him that publisheth peace, good, and salvation, that saith to Zion, "Thy God reigneth … Jehovah comforteth his people, he redeemeth Jerusalem." Therefore were those that bear His vessels to depart, to go out, to touch nothing unclean; and this not with haste or flight, for Jehovah was both front and rear guard.

"Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgement in truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he have set judgement in the earth and the isles shall wait for his law" (Isa. 42:1-4). "And he said to me Thou art my servant; Israel, in whom I will be glorified. But I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and vanity: yet surely my judgement is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God. And now, says the LORD, that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob to him, and that Israel be gathered with him: (for I am honourable in the eyes of the LORD, and my God is become my strength:) yea, He says, It is too light a thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation to the ends of the earth. Thus says the LORD the Redeemer of Israel, [and] his Holy One, to him whom man despises, whom the nation abhors," etc. (Isa. 49:3-7).