Isaiah 42:1-7 - Homiletics

The servants of God, and the one true Servant.

It must be admitted By all that the expression "Servant of God" or "Servant of Jehovah," is used in Scripture in various senses. All who work out God's purposes, however unconsciously or even unwillingly, are called by the sacred writers "God's servants," in respect of the service, albeit unconscious or unwilling, which they render him. Thus Jeremiah calls Nebuchadnezzar "God's servant" ( Jeremiah 25:9 ; Jeremiah 27:6 , etc.), and Ezekiel speaks of the " wages " due to him because he and his army "served a good service" on God's behalf against Tyre ( Ezekiel 29:18 ). In quite a different sense, the Israelites generally are called God's servants, not as actually rendering him any service at all, but as bound by covenant to be his servants, engaged in his service by contract, however they might break the contract, reject his service, rebel against him, and choose for themselves "other lords" ( Isaiah 26:13 ). In a third sense, different from both of these, the faithful Israelites, those who earnestly endeavoured to serve God, are called his servants, partly as bound by covenant, like the unfaithful servants, but mainly as consciously and intentionally working for God, and doing him "true and laudable service." Such service, however, must always have been, at the best, imperfect, falling very far short of that entire fidelity and complete obedience which God requires and which man ought to render. Hence, when a servant is spoken of with whom no fault is found—a servant who never "fails" (verse 4), whom God holds always by the hand (verse 6), who is to give a law to the nations (verse 4), and to "bring forth judgment unto truth" (verse 3), in whom, moreover, "God's soul delighteth" (verse 1),—we may be sure that it is not faithful Israel that is intended. Of faithful Israel—even of the faithfullest in Israel, whether prophet, priest, or king—none of these things could be predicated. Isaiah would not speak of any prophet, least of all, of himself, in the terms wherewith he describes "the Servant of Jehovah" in this passage. No; One is proclaimed to us greater than the sons of men—the perfect model of a "servant of God," obedient in all things, unceasingly active in God's service, never fainting, never wearying. "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work," said Jesus ( John 5:17 ); "My meat is to do the will of my Father which sent me, and to finish his work" ( John 4:34 ); "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" ( Luke 2:49 ).