“A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth.” – Isaiah 42: 3
“It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” – Isaiah 49: 6
“Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins…We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all.” – Isaiah 53:4-6
PROMISE OF SALVATION:
First Isaiah was an indictment of the idolatrous ways of Israel and Judah which culminated in exile. Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55) proclaims a message of salvation and restoration. Isaiah 40 rings in a promise of salvation: Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated (verses 1-2).” Isaiah is summoned to prepare Israel to return from exile to the amazement of the nations: “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all mankind shall see it together (Isaiah 40:3-5).”
MESSIANIC SALVATION:
Several significant strands are woven together to develop the theme of salvation and restoration. The first is the idea of messianic salvation coming through the hands of the meshiah, the anointed one. Only the kings, and later the priests, were anointed with oil in the ceremony of installation (1 Samuel 10:1). Much later, after the Old Testament, was the term applied to God’s mediators in the future salvation of Israel, for instance in the Dead Sea scrolls and the New Testament. In First Isaiah, the prophet relied upon the Israelite kings who ruled from Jerusalem for the fulfillment of divine promises. Even in their failure the prophet expected a new, still more glorious Son of David to lead the people into the final age: “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom (Isaiah 11: 1).” In Second Isaiah (Chapters 40-55), the Davidic dynasty has been swept away, the people have been sent into exile, and the divine promises have been returned to the people.
REDEEMER-GOD:
A second strand in the understanding and development of salvation is the title “redeemer.” This title came into usage in early biblical times and was used as the word for kinsperson of the same family or tribe. Leviticus 25 gives us a detailed explanation of implications of being a redeemer in the community. Second Isaiah turns this secular word into a sacred title for God. In redeeming Israel, God is living up to his role as Parent: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine… For I am the Lord, Your God, the Holy One of Israel, your savior (Isaiah 43: 1-3)” As redeemer, God is also spouse to Israel: “Fear not, you shall not be put to shame; you need not blush, for you shall not be disgraced. The shame of your youth you shall forget, the reproach of your widowhood no longer remember. For he who has become your husband is your Maker; his name is the Lord of hosts; your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, called God of all the earth (Isaiah 54: 4-5).” Applied to Jesus, the title reminds us that Jesus acted out of “obligation” for us, his kinsfolk. This obligation was freely undertaken.
THE SUFFERING SERVANT :
“Redeemer” brings Christians to another aspect of Second Isaiah’s theology, that of Suffering Servant which is the third strand. Several identifications have been proposed, e.g. historical Israel, ideal Israel, an Old Testament historical character before or during the lifetime of the prophet, the prophet himself. The revelation of the Servant is that salvation comes through suffering. Such a conception must have been in the future in the mind of the writer. The New Testament and Christian tradition have seen a fulfillment of these prophecies in Jesus Christ.
Second Isaiah’s hopes were repudiated by the people as perhaps too liberal in accepting foreigners into the ranks of God’s chosen people and in considering the Persian Cyrus a new Moses (Isaiah 44: 24- 45: 1-28). At this point of rebuff Second Isaiah composed the Suffering Servant songs and identified with Israel, depressed and humiliated in the land of exile. The Servant’s weakest moment became the best moment for Israel. As the Servant experienced rejection for reaching out to the nations, Israel glimpsed in the Servant her own call for a mission to the Gentiles (49:1-6).
By remaining bonded with sinful Israel, the Servant became the source of salvation for those who rejected him. They contemplate this silent servant in a song of thanksgiving: “Who would have believed what we have heard? ... It was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured. … He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins. Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed (53: 1, 4f).” This description of the suffering servant, modeled upon Moses (Deuteronomy 1:37; 34:5) and Jeremiah (12: 1-5; 15: 10-21), itself influenced the writing of Psalm 22, and so became the typical expression of innocent sufferers who contribute to redemption of a community that persecutes them.
JESUS, THE SUFFERING SERVANT:
Only in Jesus Christ are these sweeping prophecies fulfilled. The idea of saving the world through a humble, suffering servant rather than a glorious king is contrary to human thought. Religious Jews assumed that Israel would receive a political Messiah, a king who would deliver his people from their enemies and colonizers. Yet the Messiah’s strength would be shown in humility, suffering, and mercy.
Isaiah’s prophecies reveal the future Redeemer through four Servant-of-the-Lord oracles. In the first oracle he is described as God’s chosen one who is filled with God’s spirit. He will bring forth justice to the nations through mercy and compassion. “A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth (Isaiah 42: 3-4).” In the second oracle Isaiah speaks of a redeemer designated by God from conception for a special station in life. He is a suffering servant whose vocation will be not only the restoration of Israel, but also the conversion of the world. “It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth – (Isaiah 49:6).” In the third oracle the redeemer is portrayed as one who speaks words of consolation and inspiration to the weary. He does not refuse the divine vocation and as a result submits willingly to insults and beatings. “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting – (Isaiah 50: 6).” In the last oracle, Chapters 52: 13-53:12, Isaiah gives us an extraordinary description of the sinless Servant, who by his voluntary suffering atones for the sins of his people and saves them from just punishment at the hands of God.
In the New Testament, Jesus is servant in various ways: at his baptism, which identifies him with Israel in search of redemption (Mk 1:11; John 1:34); with suffering and disabled people (Mt 8:17); with people in their humility and sinfulness (Philippians 2:7). Jesus thus appears as redeemer by plunging his own life and goodness into the midst of Israel and the entire world, bearing the full brunt of sin and sorrow, and thus overcoming evil by his own divine goodness. This tradition of an innocent sufferer, of Israel at its prophetic best, sustained Jesus in his own rejection (Mt 8:17) and inspired the church in its understanding of a suffering Messiah (Phil 2: 6-11). Jesus identified with this tradition and brought the theology of redemption to a sublime perfection.
HELPFUL ATTITUDES FOR PRAYER:
· The first strand of salvation is the idea of messianic salvation coming through the hands of the meshiah, the anointed one. Only the kings, and later the priests, were the anointed ones. Much after the Old Testament was the term applied to God’s mediators in the future salvation of Israel, as in the Dead Sea scrolls and the New Testament.
· A second strand in the understanding of salvation is the title “redeemer.” This title came into usage in early biblical times and was used as the word for kinsperson of the same family or tribe. Second Isaiah turns this secular word into a sacred title for God. In redeeming Israel God is living up to his role as Parent and Husband.
· Applied to Jesus, the title “redeemer” reminds us that Jesus acted out of “obligation” for us, his kinsfolk. This obligation was freely undertaken.
· The revelation of the Suffering Servant, the third strand, is that salvation comes through suffering. In the mind of the writer, such a conception must have been in the future. The New Testament and Christian tradition have seen a fulfillment of these prophecies in Jesus Christ.
· This tradition of an innocent sufferer, of Israel at its prophetic best, sustained Jesus in his own rejection (Mt 8:17) and inspired the church in its understanding of a suffering Messiah (Phil 2: 6-11).
GUIDELINES FOR PRAYER:
- Be faithful to your time of prayer, and make it between 20 and 30 minutes daily.
- Begin every prayer session with an earnest prayer to the Holy Spirit such as: Come, Holy Spirit, and overshadow me with your gentle wisdom and power as I endeavor to sit at the feet of Jesus during this period of prayer. Purify my mind and heart as I seek to make the teachings of Jesus my priority in life, thinking, speaking and doing as He desires. You are the keeper of my soul, leading me into God’s heart. May I be docile and submissive to your wisdom and guidance. May my life be a pleasing offering in your sight. Amen.
- Take one passage a day suggested for prayer. During the week you might want to ponder the question, “What is the connection between loving others and suffering on their behalf?”
- Lastly, during your prayer make sure you also address God directly and listen for the Holy Spirit’s responses.
- You can end your prayer with the following: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I thank you for your gracious companionship. I praise you for being my Creator, Savior and Lord. May I take your blessings to my day, and may your presence envelop and permeate all my thoughts and actions. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
PASSAGES FOR PRAYER:
Isaiah 42: 1-7: The First Servant-of-the-Lord Oracle
Isaiah 43: 1-7: God as Redeemer and Restorer of His Kinsfolk
Isaiah 49: 1-7: The Second Servant-of-the-Lord Oracle
Isaiah 49: 14-21: Restoration of Zion
Isaiah 50: 4-9: Salvation through the Lord’s Servant – Third Oracle
Isaiah 52: 13- 53:12: Suffering and Triumph of the Lord’s Servant – Fourth Oracle
Isaiah 54: 1-10: Yahweh redeeming Israel, His Spouse
Psalm 22: The Suffering and Triumph of Jesus, Suffering Servant and Messiah
Philippians 2: 5-11: Jesus, the Suffering Servant
SPIRITUAL READING:
The Imitation of Christ:
Book II: Suggestions Drawing One to the Inner Life:
Chapter 11: Of the few who love Jesus’ Cross;
Chapter 12: Of the Royal Road of the Holy Cross
SCRIPTURAL READING:
Old Testament:
Leviticus 25: 23-55: Background Text to understanding Redeemer and Redemption
Jeremiah 12: 1-23: Jeremiah as Suffering Servant
Isaiah, Chapters 40-55
New Testament:
Matthew 16: 21-28: First Prophecy of Passion and Resurrection
Matthew 17: 22-23: Second Prophecy of the Passion
Matthew 20: 17-19: Third Prophecy of the Passion and Resurrection
JOURNALING:
- Journal for a few minutes daily about your experience with God in prayer and during the day.
- Your journal will help you with your sharing in spiritual direction
- Gradually patterns of insights, themes, consolations, and resistance to God’s promptings will emerge.
- Your journal will help you appreciate the Holy Spirit’s action in your being.
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