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The series of four songs found in Isaiah that are referred to as the servant songs present an interesting question. Who is the servant that these songs are talking about? The suffering servant could be Jesus the Messiah, the collective righteous persons of Israel, the individual righteous person of Israel, or Jeremiah, who is one of the prophets. Who the suffering servant is not of the utmost importance when discussing these songs, what is important is that the nature of the servant himself be discussed, what is he supposed to act like? God is depicting a definitive person that he trusts to bear the burden of the sins of the people. The servant is depicted in as having several distinct qualities.
In the first servant song of the book of Isaiah the servant can be seen as a gentle person. In the song it says, He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street (42: 2). This particular picture is a prophecy of the quiet manner in which the servant would go about his ministry, shunning the attention of the crowds and not being interested in the fanfare of men. This makes sense if the servant is Jesus because there are many instances in which he has performed miracles and asked that the people not tell anyone of the gifts he has. The servant in the second servant song can be seen as the fearless warrior prepared to do battle with any foe. In chapter 49 of Isaiah the servant is depicted as 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 (49: 2).
The servant is a weapon of God, not necessarily to be used in destruction, but to use his sharp sword of a mouth to help save the souls of the people of Israel. He is a strong warrior willing to fight for the righteousness of the people of Israel. In the third servant song the servant can be seen as a true devotee to God because he is fearless, gentle, and has complete faith that God would not lead him astray. The servant himself contends, Who among you fears the lord and obeys the voice of his servant, who walks in the darkness and has no light, yet trusts in the name of the lord and relies upon his God? (50: 10). The servant does not fear in walking alone in the dark because he knows he has the strength of God to lead him when there is no light to be found. He has complete faith that God will lead him in the direction that he must go in order to be successful.
The servant asks if there are any more people that trust in the lord as he does. This servant is also very humble and fears no shame because he knows that he is preaching an unpopular message but God is right there for him and he says, I gave my back to the smiter's, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting, for the Lord God helps me (50: 6 - 7). The servant has no fear in being ridiculed or humiliated because he knows that he has God on his side. The servant wants the people of Israel to learn form and to once again become righteous souls of God. In the fourth song in the book of Isaiah the servant is the savior. He represents what will happen when the prophecies finally come true.
And as the song goes, so shall he startle many nations kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand (52: 15). He will realize for all the Kings of the land and different countries what they had originally feared. The lord God has made this man in order for all those who had not been listening so that they might see for themselves what their true problems and sins are. This servant is the truly suffering servant as he shoulders the burden of all sins of all people. Thusly he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities (53: 11).
This servant suffered the sins and shortcomings and iniquities and downfalls the majority of the people so that they may learn to be better people, so that they will no longer do evil, and so they will now do good deeds and acts of kindness. It is amazing that one person bore the burdens of so many and remained humble while never uttering a word of disdain at any point during his suffering. The servant songs are an important aspect to that of the book of Isaiah because it provides major incite into some of the inner workings of God and the Bible. The servant himself could be many things, such as Jesus, the righteous whole of Israel or the individual, and even Jeremiah the prophet. The important facet of the servant is the qualities that make up the servant.
The servant seems to have been created in the true image of God. The servant is humble, yet strong, soft spoken and yet carries the all important message of God, and most important carried the burden of all the sins of all the people while maintaining composure and never allowing succumbing to the brutal intolerance's he was bombarded with.
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Research essay sample on The Servant In Book Of Isaiah
