Biblical Research Studies Group- The Message of the Prophet Isaiah-The Servant of Jehovah King Messiah

Dr. D.L. Cooper Commentary On Isaiah
Biblical Research Monthly-October 1945

ANOTHER PICTURE OF THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH--KING MESSIAH
Chapter 50

IN THE SECOND HALF of Isaiah, as we have seen heretofore, the servant of Jehovah, King Messiah, occupies the central position on the stage. As has been noted on previous occasions, whenever the word "servant" appears in Isaiah, one knows that it refers either to Israel as a nation, to the faithful remnant of the nation, or to King Messiah. The facts of each context are to determine its meaning in a given case. When we examine closely the passage which we are now to study--chapter 50--we see that the servant is distinguished from the nation and abandons it temporarily. Moreover, a close study of the prediction shows that the characteristics of an individual are in evidence throughout. This one therefore is the Messiah of Israel.

The Message of Jehovah, The Rejected Servant,
After Israel is Put Away (vss. 1-3)

50 Thus saith Jehovah, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, wherewith I have put her away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities were ye sold, and for your transgressions was your mother put away. 2 Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stink, because there is no water, and die for thirst. 3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering" (Isa. 50:1-3).

In the first verse we read, "Thus saith Jehovah ..." Repeatedly, we have seen that the word "Jehovah" in the mouth of the prophet has one of four connotations: In certain contexts the term refers to God the Father; in others, to God the Son; in other connections, to Jehovah the Holy Spirit; and in still other connections, it indicates the Holy Trinity. The facts of each context must determine its usage in a given case. When one reads and studies these verses carefully, one sees that this Jehovah, who is doing the speaking, has come to Israel and called upon her to forsake her wickedness, but she does not do that. His coming and calling is prior to this message. Which person of the Holy Trinity comes to Israel and calls her to repentance? When we examine parallel passages, we see that it is none other than King Messiah, Jehovah the Son. We may be certain therefore that the Jehovah of these verses is Jehovah the Son, the Messiah of Israel.

Jehovah the Son therefore is sending this message through Isaiah the prophet to the Jewish nation. That this is true is evident from the fact that in the preceding chapter (49) Jerusalem is represented by a mother and the Jewish people are considered as her children. This same figure is brought over into the discourse constituting chapter 50. The prophet therefore addresses the nation and asks it to produce the bill of divorcement which he had given to Jerusalem, their mother. A second query is, "... which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you?" These rhetorical questions demand the answer that Jehovah has not done either of the things mentioned. He has not divorced the mother city with her children, her inhabitants. He has not sold her into slavery in order to procure money. The thing for which she and her children have been sold is the iniquities and transgressions of the people. Thus when this message is given to the people, the mother of Israel, on account of the transgression and sins of the people, has been sold and has been put away. Iniquity and wrongdoing always separate a person or a group of people from God--whenever the individuals fail to repent of the wrong and to confess it.

From verse 2 we learn that Jehovah, the Messiah, who sends this message has already visited Israel, has left her to her fate, and has returned to heaven. It is clear from this passage and others that this Jehovah has sustained a very close relationship with the nation, which is represented by the marriage vow. His ceasing to acknowledge this relationship and His withdrawing fellowship from her for the time being might, by some, be understood as being equivalent to a legal divorcement, but the speaker immediately assures the Hebrew people, the children of Zion, that, though He has separated from His wife temporarily, He has not instituted legal proceedings for a divorcement. He therefore challenges the Jewish people to produce such a document showing that He has divorced Jerusalem, His wife. (In this connection let us remember that this one who is speaking is Jehovah, who came to the earth and Israel refused to hear Him upon His visit. This Jehovah, as we have already seen, is Jehovah the Messiah. He it is who is the husband of Israel. There is no conflict between this representation and that which is found in the New Testament, where the church is said to be the "bride" of Christ. The New Testament union between Christ and the church is of a higher and more spiritual order than that between Him and Israel. There is therefore no conflict between the teachings of the two Testaments.)

The Messiah would not put Israel away by divorcing her. This thought is set forth very beautifully by Hosea and his wife, Gomer. After the marriage, she proved unfaithful to the prophet. He therefore put her away but did not divorce her and awaited the time when she would cease from her sinful ways. After that he took her back to himself in holy wedlock. Thus the spirit of the prophet with his unfaithful wife is set forth to picture to us Israel's unfaithfulness to Jehovah, her Messiah.

In verse 2 the Messiah asks Israel why there was no man who responded when He called her at the time of which the message speaks, namely, His first coming. The language is very specific--"Wherefore, when I came, was there no man?" When we view this rhetorical question in the light of its fulfillment, we see that there were some in Israel who did accept Messiah and became His most ardent followers. But the number who received Him was so very small in comparison with the nation that, relatively speaking, Messiah could say that there was no one who gave heed. That the Bible does use relative language is clear from such a passage as Matthew, chapter 3. Here we read that all Jerusalem and Judaea went to John and were baptized by him. Matthew's statement is that all the people did it. Nevertheless, we are told in Luke 7:29 that the Pharisees and the lawyers "rejected for themselves the counsel of God, being not baptized of him." Relatively speaking, the bulk of the nation did accept John's message and submitted to his baptism, but there was a small minority that did not. One must look at all the facts of a given statement in order to determine whether or not the passage is to be interpreted absolutely or relatively. We are, however, to understand every statement absolutely unless there are facts which indicate that the writer used relative language. In view of this usage and in view of the light of the historical fulfillment, we know that Isaiah saw that comparatively few of the nation would accept Messiah when He would appear.

Moreover, Messiah asked Israel, "Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver?" These rhetorical questions demand in answer an emphatic denial. God's hand has not lost any of its power. He is as able to save today as He was when man was created. All power in heaven and in earth is given to Him. He can redeem and can deliver.

As proof that He can deliver, not having lost any of His power, He calls attention to the fact that "... at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stink, because there is no water, and die for thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering." He not only is the God of creation, but He is the God who is controlling all nature and directing the course of human history. It is in Him that we live, move, and have our continual existence. Thus this omnipotent Creator and Preserver of the universe reminds the nation of Israel, after she has rejected Him, that He has put away Jerusalem, the mother of the nation, temporarily--because of the sins of the people, but this separation is not permanent. It is only temporary. The Messiah is awaiting the time when Israel, being taught the enormity of her sin of rejecting Him, will confess this national transgression, will turn from it, and will return to Him wholeheartedly, accepting Him enthusiastically. When she does this, He will return and enter into covenant relationship with His beloved people again and make Jerusalem the joy and praise of all the earth.

The Care of Jehovah, The Father of The Messiah
During His Earthly Life (vss. 4-9)

"4 The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as they that are taught. 5 The Lord Jehovah hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward. 6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. 7 For the Lord Jehovah will help me; therefore have I not been confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. 8 He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand up together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. 9 Behold, the Lord Jehovah will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? behold, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up" (Isa. 50:4-9).

As has been noted above, the first three verses which we have been studying give us a picture of Jerusalem with her children after Messiah has put her away. The actual date when she, like Hagar, was sent forth into "the wilderness of the peoples" was 70 A.D., when God allowed the Roman armies under Titus to capture Jerusalem and to disperse the peoples of Israel throughout the world. But verses 4-9 are from a different standpoint. An examination of them shows that they present a picture of the Messiah during His earthly sojourn when He comes to Israel and issues His call to the nation to accept Him. A casual study of these verses shows that this interpretation is the only correct one.

Jehovah the speaker--who is King Messiah--as we have already seen, refers in our present section to "the Lord Jehovah," who has done certain things for Him and who will continue to render aid and assistance. Since, as we have seen, the Jehovah who is doing the talking is the Messiah, the Lord Jehovah is none other than God the Father.

In verse 4 the Messiah declares that "The Lord Jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as they that are taught." When we read this passage and remember that this is Jehovah who is doing the talking, we wonder how it is that the Lord Jehovah gives Him the tongue of one who is taught, and why it is necessary for the Lord Jehovah to waken Him morning by morning. If this passage were the only one which we have, we could not understand such language. But when we study other predictions concerning Jehovah the Messiah's coming to earth, we learn that He, in entering our sphere, is begotten by the Holy Spirit and is born of a virgin. Thus Jehovah the Messiah assumes human form and becomes the God-man--Immanuel, God is with us (Isa. 7:14; 9:6). The historical fulfillment of this prediction became a reality in the miraculous conception and virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. In his making the announcement to the virgin, Gabriel, in-answer to Mary's question, "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" declared, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:34,35). Notice, kind reader, the angel's statement: "Wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God." "The holy thing" begotten by the Holy Spirit came to consciousness in the union of the eternal Logos--the Word (John 1:1)--with this holy thing that was begotten by the Holy Spirit. Thus the holy thing begotten, after its union with the eternal Logos, was to be called and was thus addressed, "the Son of God." He was in truth the God-man. He was not God and man, a monstrosity. Instead, He was indeed the God-man. (ED. NOTE: For a thorough discussion of the subject here considered, see Sec. III, Chap. XII, "The Atonement," in my volume, What Men Must Believe.) Being the God-man and being born in the form of a little baby, He grew, in stature and in wisdom, to manhood. Concerning Him Luke tells us that he "... advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." (See Luke 2:52.)

There was therefore an unfolding and a development of His human nature in its connection with the divine Logos. Concerning this proposition there can be no doubt. An examination of the life of our Lord as recorded by the four Evangelists shows that He had imposed upon Himself limitations--even though He was God in human form. From the standpoint of His divine nature He could look into the heavens and could comprehend God. This fact is seen in the following quotation: "All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him" (Matt. 11:27).

Yet from the standpoint of His human nature, He had the limitations of the flesh. For instance, He declared that, concerning the day when He will return for His saints, no one "knoweth, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only" (Matt. 24:35,36). On various occasions we are told that Jesus, perceived such and such a thing, acted or responded in a given manner. When all the facts regarding His human nature are gathered and are studied, one arrives at the inevitable conclusion that the Son of God, while here upon earth, imposed certain limitations upon Himself. This being true, it is natural that God the Father, who was interested in Him beyond all conception of mortal man, would give Him "the tongue of them that are taught," that He might sustain with words him that was weary. Thus the Lord Jehovah gave to Jehovah Messiah the very words which He should use in His preaching ministry to the meek and lowly of the earth. In the divine arrangement concerning the incarnation the Lord Jehovah was pleased to do this for and through the Son.

Moreover, He tells us that God the Father wakened Him morning by morning to hear as those that are taught. Messiah, according to this prediction, will rest well--perfectly, but will be awakened by the Father at the proper time in order that He might have sweet communion with Him through prayer. By this fellowship, the Messiah is prepared to speak to the people--as never man so spake. When we read this prediction in the light of the fulfillment as we see it especially recorded in Luke, we can understand this more perfectly. Luke presented the Lord Jesus as the ideal man, the perfect man. He, though God, took on the likeness of sinful flesh. He was sin apart. There was no sin in His flesh. Neither did He commit any wrong in His life. Nevertheless, it was essential for Him, in order that He might perform His redemptive work, to be in communion with His Father and daily be taught of Him before He undertook the work that lay before Him. Thus we read that often our Lord arose very early and went out to some secret place to pray. On the night before He chose the Twelve, He continued in prayer all night. After having thus been awakened by the Lord and having been supercharged by the divine power, our Lord was prepared daily to go out and battle against Satan and to preach to sinners.

It is clear that Messiah engages in a preaching ministry, for it is declared that He thus was given special talent for teaching and was awakened daily in order that He might know how to sustain with words him that was weary (50:4). He therefore did not depend upon His miraculous power to bring comfort and cheer to the weary. It was rather through words that He brought such cheer. Miracles and supernatural demonstrations only attract attention and give authentication to the one who is speaking. The Word, and the Word alone, is that which creates faith. "So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). According to verse 5, "The Lord Jehovah hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward." Not all men want truth. Unfortunately very few people, comparatively speaking, want it. They want their own way and cling tenaciously--with a life and death grip--to their own ideas. It is a very rare thing to find a Nathaniel--an Israelite in whom there is no guile (John 1:47). There is only one attitude that one can afford to take, namely, that of the noble Bereans: "Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the scriptures daily, whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). Contrary to the general attitude of men the Son of God arose every morning to receive a message from Jehovah God. His ears were open. Never did He rebel against anything that God said. Repeatedly He informed His hearers that He came not to do His own will, but the will of Him who had sent Him. It never pays for anyone to seek to do his own will. Our motto should be: "God's will: nothing more, nothing less, nothing else." Such was the attitude of the Son of God.

The prophet, still speaking for the Messiah during His earthly life, declares in verses 6,7: "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord Jehovah will help me; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame."

Verse 6 especially looks at the time of the arrest, trials, mockings, and crucifixion of our Lord. When He was arraigned before the Sanhedrin, He was mocked by the guards. When He was taken to Pilate's judgment seat, the Roman soldiers likewise heaped every indignity upon Him as they scourged and ridiculed Him.

The nearer the Son of God approached Calvary, the more determined He was to continue on to the bitter end--He set His face like a flint. He goes forward to accept the sufferings that were to be His portion and to walk into the very jaws of death, being confident that God would not disappoint Him nor put Him to shame. When we look at the fulfillment of this prediction, we see that it was literally accomplished by our Lord at the time of His passion.

In this prediction the prophet moves closer to Gethsemane and Calvary, and he exclaims for the Messiah: "He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand up together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me; who is he that shall condemn me? behold, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up" (vss. 8,9). The nearer the time approaches for the suffering and the crucifixion, the bolder He becomes. He assumes this attitude because He who justifies Him is near, namely, the Lord Jehovah. Knowing that He had omnipotence on His side, the Messiah asks the question: "Who will contend with me?" Then He challenges anyone who in the light of all the facts would become His adversary. He concludes His statement by saying that the Lord Jehovah would help Him. In the last statement of the verse He foresees all of those who do oppose Him waxing old as a garment and becoming moth-eaten; that is, they pass away. He, on the other hand, comes off victorious from the conflict.

A Call to all Truth Seekers to Accept the Messiah

After the prophet, as the representative of the Messiah, delivers his message, he makes a special personal appeal to the people in the following words:

"10 Who is among you that feareth Jehovah, that obeyeth the voice of his servant? he that walketh in darkness, and hath no light, let him trust in the name of Jehovah, and rely upon his God. 11 Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that gird yourselves about with firebrands; walk ye in the flame of your fire, and among the brands that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of my hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow" (Isa. 50:10,11).

"Who is among you [the Jewish people] that feareth Jehovah [the Lord Jehovah, the Father] that obeyeth the voice of his servant [Messiah]?" Thus in this verse the prophet was speaking for the Lord Jehovah, sending forth a call to the honest-hearted truth seekers to accept and to obey the Messiah, the servant of Jehovah. Neither Jehovah God nor Jehovah Messiah ever forced any man's will. God made each one a free moral agent. He does all within His power to persuade men to accept the truth and to yield their lives to Him. Nevertheless He always stops short of coercion of the will. The prophet therefore, speaking for God, asks the people who will come out and obey His servant. This is a call to Israel which was issued officially on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ (Acts, chap. 2). That invitation has been echoing down the corridors of time to the present moment. The gospel is to the Jew first and also to the Gentile (Rom. 1:16). Now is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time. When death comes, it is too late, for it is appointed unto men once to die; after that, judgment. (See Hebrews 9:27.) The call is coming to every Hebrew to accept Messiah. An invitation is given to every sinner throughout the world.

"He that walketh in darkness, and hath no light, let him trust in the name of Jehovah, and rely upon his God" (vs. 10b). One does not have to be a brilliant and highly educated man in order to receive the truth. One does not have to be born into an environment of culture, refinement, and education in order to understand the knowledge of God. One may be born in heathen darkness and may be walking in the same; but, if he is only honest and conscientious, prizing truth above everything else, the Lord will bring truth to such a one. "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:5): Cornelius was living up to all the light that he had. Moreover, it is evident that he was praying for more light; for the angel, dispatched from heaven to him, declared that his prayers had been heard and that he should send to Joppa for one Simon, whose name was Peter, and who was lodging by the seaside. This messenger of God was to tell him words whereby he and his household might be saved. Thus we see that an honest, conscientious truth seeker received the light. God gave it to him. What He did for Cornelius, He will do for anyone else who is thus seeking truth and righteousness.

But to those who do not want truth but who wish to continue in their own spiritual darkness, the prophet said, "Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that gird yourselves about with firebrands; walk ye in the flame of your fire, and among the brands that ye have kindled" (vs. 11). It is quite evident in this connection that these people whom he thus addresses are those who are satisfied with their own spiritual condition and standing before God. He therefore is willing for them to walk in the light of their own firebrands--in the light of human knowledge and effort. So long as they do that, however, they can never come to the true light. Those who thus persist in their own darkness "shall lie down in sorrow." In other words, these shall pass out of this life without God and without hope in the world. They shall go off into everlasting darkness and shame.

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