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Behold,
My Servant!, 52:13
This phrase occurs only twice within the Bible.
The first is in Isa 42:1 where it introduces the other Servant. The second
is here where it introduces this Servant. (Matt 12:18 quotes Isa 42:1.)
This restriction to two occurrences shows unique application; it is not
an expression used universally for various Servants.
The two occurrences of the phrase show that
the Servant passages do not refer to one individual. They are introduced
separately. The revelations distinguish between the two.
Yahweh is asking the reader to carefully consider
these Servants. They are instruments in the unfolding of his destiny program.
These are human Servants, not divine Servants.
The term "servant" occurs approximately four hundred times in the Old Testament.
It occurs approximately eighty times in the New. It is universally applied
to human mortals who serve some higher authority. Moses was a notable Servant
of Yahweh, Exod 14:31 and Num 12:7. Elijah, II Ki 10:10, David, II Ki 19:34,
and Job, Job 1:8, were all servants of Yahweh. Although divine beings in
Rev 19:10 and 22:9 identified themselves as "fellow servants" the term
is never applied to high administrative personalities of the heavenly realms.
Jesus, as a divine being--the Creator, Yahweh--is
not a human servant. The word "servant" is not used in the forecasts of
Jesus, Ps 22, Zech 9:9 and 11:12. Neither do the prophecies on Melchizedek
use the word "servant," Ps 2, Ps 72, Ps 110, Isa 9:6-7, Isa 11, and so
on. The words used for Melchizedek are "anointed," "Lord," "child," or
"son." The word "servant" marks the prophetic difference between divine
personalities of high administrative authority and subservient personalities,
human or celestial.
Although the word "servant" was applied to
Jesus by the apostles, they did so out of their view of supposed assignment
by the Isaiah prophecies, and from Jewish tradition. See Acts 3:14 and
4:27, and Paul's modified use in Romans 15:8.
Shall
Deal Prudently, 52:13
RSV has "shall prosper." Other translations
have "wisely." The Hebrew word means one who acts carefully. Paul, in all
his work, from his letters, to specific episodes, demonstrated diplomacy
and tact. His address to the Athenians, Acts 17:22-41, his leaning over
backwards to accommodate the Corinthians in their Charismatic fervor, I
Cor 12-14, his conduct in his visits with the apostles, Acts 21:17f and
Galatians 2:1-10, and his defense before kings, Acts 23-26--all display
his prudent dealings with others. His letters, with their prudent logic,
have fascinated the generations.
(It is instructive to note his condemnation
of Peter, a display of Paul's righteous indignation in face-to-face confrontation
with insincerity, Gal 2:11-21.)
Jesus certainly used great care in his conduct,
that his mission not be jeopardized. Not until his final days, when he
drove the money changers from the Temple, and brought face-to-face condemnation
of the scribes and Pharisees, did he throw aside such cautions. The ascription
to Jesus is appropriate, but Paul easily fits the description.
Shall
Sprinkle Many Nations, 52:15
RSV has "startle" but this is not supported
by the Hebrew. Brown, Driver and Briggs, in their monumental Hebrew
and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, show support for "sprinkle"
in Hebrew literature and note that "startle" is highly dubious. They cite
only this Isaiah passage and then in the form of "spring" or "leap." "Startle"
is further derived from "to leap in joyful surprise" at the news of Jesus.
This extrapolation of presumed meaning from dubious translation is an excellent
illustration how translators will distort text to meet their a priori
assumptions of the intent of the writer. The idea of "startle" or "astonish"
may also be influenced by the disfigurement described in the preceding
verse.
"Sprinkle" denotes the result of the activity
of this Servant, not the impression left from his physical appearance,
nor that the nations would leap in joyful surprise at the good news of
Jesus. We can easily recognize the results of Paul's labors; the western
nations converted almost exclusively as the result of his work. While other
individuals labored to take the news of Jesus to the pagan countries of
Europe, Paul was the bright theologian who built the foundations of intellectual
understanding, so important to the Greek and Roman world. He opened the
religious doors which led to the massive conversion of those people. His
letters to the Ephesians, Colossians, and Galatians in Asia Minor, and
those to the Corinthians and Thessalonians in Greece helped to create that
theological foundation. Although he apparently never worked directly in
Rome, except for personal visits during his household arrest, his letter
to the Romans shows how he provided theological justification for the new
Christian teachings, although that church was founded on the work of others.
Of all his letters, the one to the Romans is the most tightly reasoned
and most broadly applied to theological issues. He offers many quotations
from the Old Testament, surely an indication of a strong Jewish population,
but he also directly addresses the Gentiles, Rom 15.
The value of Paul's letters to Christian belief,
understanding, and theology, may be seen in their survival under intense
scrutiny, and their irreplaceable service for the past two thousand years.
Paul does not hesitate to describe his commission
from God to the nations, Rom 15:15f.
He directly quotes Isa 52:15 in application
to himself, Rom 15:21.
How many pagan people conceived the things
which Paul taught? From his address before the Athenians about pagan gods,
to his exhortations to the Corinthians, to his work among the Galatians,
the pagan world never heard such teaching.
He hoped to go on to Spain, Rom 15:24, 28,
but we have no evidence he did. He truly developed the theological foundations
of Christian doctrine and belief. Although not without contest in early
Christian times, Paul's work was the mortar that melded the body of Christian
believers into one church throughout Europe. He did, indeed, sprinkle many
nations. |
Kings
Shall Shut Their Mouths, 52:15
In his defense before Felix Paul openly explained
his teaching, holding Felix fascinated. Felix may intentionally have held
Paul prisoner for two years to converse with him often during that period,
Acts 24:24-27. In his defense before Festus and Agrippa he described his
experience on the road to Damascus, Acts 26:2-23. At last, unable to withhold
his fear and surprise, Festus exclaimed, "Paul, you are mad. Your great
learning is turning you mad." Those rulers and kings heard things they
had never heard before.
The historic record does not describe other
kings and rulers who may also have heard directly from Paul. Nor do we
know how many kings and rulers shut their mouths at his teachings after
his death. We do know the pervasive influence he had on the western nations.
A Young
Plant, 53:2
"He grew up before him like a young plant."
Paul was young at the time of his persecution
of the new sect. When Stephen was condemned, Paul was the agent for the
Sanhedrin. In preparation for the stoning the men laid their garments at
the feet of a young man named Saul. Saul consented to his death, Acts 7:58-60.
Saul then went in pursuit of many others, still as a young man, but his
visitation by Jesus on the road to Damascus cut short all such plans and
efforts.
This youthfulness also distinguishes Paul from
the first Servant who is described in older years.
The
Arm of Yahweh, 53:1
"Who believed what we heard? To whom has
the arm of Yahweh been revealed?"
In ancient times the word "arm" was used to
denote the power and might of a ruler. "The arm of Yahweh" means
the strength and power of Yahweh.
Ps 77:15 -- Thou didst with thy arm redeem
thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
Ps 89:13 -- Thou hast a mighty arm; strong
is thy hand, high thy right hand.
Isa 40:10 -- Behold, the Lord GOD comes with
might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his
recompense before him.
Indeed, to whom were the might and power of
Jesus revealed? Of all human servants, who was favored with a special visit
in celestial majesty and heavenly glory?
When we consider the nature and character of
Paul we are struck by his devoted service to God, both before that momentous
visit on the road to Damascus, and after.
Acts 22:3 -- I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in
Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated
according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous
for God as you all are this day. It was Paul's nature to be zealous for God.
That was his character. And it was because of his character that he could
be such a great Servant for Jesus.
But something happened. He turned from a devoted
Jew to a more devoted Servant. The visit of Jesus created a profound alteration
in his attitude.
And when the blood of Stephen thy witness
was shed, I also was standing by and approving, and keeping the garments
of those who killed him.
The nobility and stalwart courage of Stephen
was the psychological event that turned Paul. Here was a man who espoused
a new and strange belief; a belief that a divine Son of God had lived on
earth in human form, was born as a babe of the world, had lived as a man,
and had died on a cross that he might save the people of this world.
Stephen was not some ignoble fanatic, some
ignorant drifter, clinging to delusion. He was an educated man, articulate,
and powerful in his belief. His faith in Jesus was exceedingly great, to
the level that he would willingly give his life in testimony to that divine
Son of God.
Neither was Paul an unfeeling man, some frustrated
maniac, out to prove the power of Jewish authorities. He was filled with
fervor because of his love for God, because of his devout allegiance to
the God of his fathers. The witness of Stephen had a powerful impact upon
Paul. Paul was faced with the event of an intelligent man who willingly
gave his life for his belief in Jesus. And Paul was also faced with the
fact of a man who exhibited a zealousness and a sincerity equal to Paul's.
How could he explain such devotion from transient emotions or intellectual
fascination?
Paul requests letters of authority from the
Sanhedrin to continue his suppression of the new believers. He is filled
with continuing fervor to remove them from the midst of the Jews. He begins
his journey to Damascus. Then, at that noontime hour, as he ponders the
strength, courage, and sincerity of Stephen, he comes to grips with that
fact that there is far more to this new sect than cultic frenzy. As the
focus of his psyche concentrates intensely on that dilemma a brilliant
light strikes from the sky.
As I made my journey and drew near to Damascus,
about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. And I fell
to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute
me?" And I answered, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said to me, "I am Jesus
of Nazareth whom you are persecuting."
Now Paul knew the reality of a living divine
being who could personally visit him in glorious celestial light. Now he
knew the reality of a living God. Now he knew that the testimony of Stephen
and all those others was founded on a reality that did not appear in mere
theological differences, cultic perversions, or fanatic frenzies. |