Sunday, February 19, 2017

The highest calling (Isa 41-45)

HOW TO BE A SERVANT OF THE LORD ACCORDING TO ISAIAH (Isa 41-45)1
pdf
Dr. Paul Manuel—20017

The leaders of Israel repeatedly exhort the people of Israel to "serve the Lord."2 To do that, though, they must be able to answer two questions:
  • Whom do you serve?
  • Who is the Lord? What is He like?
  • How do you serve?
  • What does He expect? What is your responsibility to Him?3
Whatever servanthood entails, it must deal with these two questions. Answering them does not exhaust the subject, and you may discover things that relate to other aspects of the topic, but begin by addressing these basic issues with two sets of passages in Isaiah: The first set of passages describes the coming messiah as God's servant (the so-called Servant Songs).4 The second set of passages depicts the nation of Israel as God's servant.5 In both sets, the messiah and the nation, the servant does the Lord's biding and advances His agenda. The second set especially provides an example for you of what it means to serve God and it is the second set of passages, those describing the nation, that we will consider in this study.

Isaiah addresses the second half of his book to the nation in exile. There is trouble on the horizon. The relative security of life in Babylon is being threatened by the military expansion of the Meo-Persian Empire. What will happen? In the almost 70 years since their deportation to Babylon, the Israelites have settled down, built homes, raised families, and established businesses. If they survive the coming conflict, what will happen to their communities, especially if Babylon falls (which seems very likely)? Many think God has forsaken them. So Isaiah attempts to convince them that God is with them, moreover, that God is behind this political upheaval and will use it to return them to the land.

Isaiah has another task as well which is to convince the exiles that they should return to their ancestral home. The Babylonian captivity may be drawing to a close, but the people have made a home for themselves in Babylon and are, understandably, reluctant to tear up their roots again. Besides, to what would they be returning? Would those other peoples who had since moved into Canaan welcome an influx of immigrants, even if they were the previous inhabitants? Isaiah tells them their return is indeed part of the Lord's plan for them, because Israel is God's servant, and He is a benevolent master.

In our examination of passages depicting the nation of Israel as the Lord's servant, pay particular attention to two things, repetition and opposition.
1. Repetition
a. Sometimes the biblical writer will use a phrase over and over because it is formulaic (e.g., "This is what the LORD says" in Isa 43:1, 14; 44:2, 6, 24).
b. Other times, repetition is for a particular rhetorical effect: The writer (or speaker) wants to convince his audience of something. It is this second use of repetition that occurs in the nation-as-servant passages of Isaiah. God, through the prophet, is trying to convince Israel of certain things that concern their relationship to Him, certain things about being a servant. So He will say something a number of times to make sure they get the point.
2.. Opposition (contrast)
a. God lets them know their choices are limited. Either the people serve the Lord or they serve the gods of their pagan neighbors.
b. He lays out two alternatives:
1) He tells them what it is like to serve Him, the true God.
2) He tells them what it is like to serve pagan deities.
In our sessions together, then, watch for repeated material and for contrasting material.

I. Whom do you serve? (Isa 41:8-13; 43:10; 44:1-2; 45:4)
A. God has a claim on you because of what He did in the past.
Isa 41:8 "But you, Israel, My servant,6 Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend, 9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,7 And called from its remotest parts And said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.

Isa 43:10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.

Isa 44:1 "But now listen, O Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen.... 2 This is what the LORD says—he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

Isa 45:4 For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.

Because God is the master, He has a claim on you, on your life.
  • The validity of His claim rests on what you are to Him: You are His servant.
a. He chose you (Isa 41:8,9; 45:4).
b. He helped you (Isa 41:9).
c. He called you (Isa 41:9).
d. He accepted ('did not reject') you (Isa 41:9).8
As God's servant, you work for someone who wants you. Perhaps the emphasis should be on the last word of that sentence: who wants you (even more than "Uncle Sam wants you")! God reminds the exiles that although He could have chosen anyone to serve Him—that decision being His prerogative as Lord of creation—He chose Israel.9 Moses said: "The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession" (Deut 7:6b).10

Later in chapter 41, Isaiah addresses the gods of the nations. Notice the contrast between Isa 41:9—"I [the Lord] have chosen you"—and Isa 41:24: "You [idols] are of no account, and your work amounts to nothing. He who chooses you is an abomination." One primary difference between the Lord and idols is that the Lord chooses His people, but people choose their idols.11

Why is there this difference? Either the idols cannot choose, because they are incapable of making decisions, or the gods these idols represent do not want to choose because they have no interest in man. But is it not preferable that man should choose his own gods rather than that any one deity should impose its choice on man? After all, we like to make our own decisions in matters of religion.... It is not preferable if you choose something that will not or that cannot work (compare Isa 41:24 above).
B. God has a claim on you because of what He does in the present.
Isa 41:10 'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' 11 "Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish. 12 "You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them.12 Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent. 13 "For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'

Isa 43:10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.

Isa 44:1 "But now listen, O Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen.... 2 This is what the LORD says—he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

Isa 45:4 For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me.
1. The validity of His claim rests on what you are to Him: You are His servant.
a. He encourages you (Isa 41:10, 13; 44:2 'Do not fear [or] be anxious').
b. He accompanies you (Isa 41:10).
c. He strengthens you (Isa 41:10).
d. He helps you (Isa 41:10, 13; 44:2).
e. He upholds you (Isa 41:10, 13).
f. He assigns you (Isa 43:10).
g. He informs you (Isa 43:10).
h. He calls you (Isa 45:4).
i. He favors you (Isa 45:4).
2. The validity of His claim rests on what He is to you: He is your Master.
  • He is your God (Isa 41:13).
This is not quite what we expect. Jesus tells a parable about a typical master-servant relationship:
Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? (Luke 17:7-8)
Notice what Jesus indicates is the normal arrangement in a master-servant relationship: The servant helps the master not visa versa. Yet in Isaiah, God the Master, says He will help you the servant. There is another difference earlier in Isa 41:
Each [idol worshipper] helps the other and says to his brother, "Be strong!" The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer spurs on him who strikes the anvil. He says of the welding, "It is good." He nails down the idol so it will not topple. (Isa 41:6-7)
Your God, your Master, will help you, His servant, but those who serve idols must help the idols. The pagan's relationship to his idol reflects the normal order: As a servant properly helps his master, so the idolater properly helps his idol. What is wrong with that arrangement? ...It masks reality, because an idol is incapable even of helping itself. If it cannot keep from falling over, it certainly cannot provide any aid to the person who serves it.

There is another contrast. Earlier (Isa 41:5), Isaiah makes reference to a disturbance in the greater Ancient Near East, something that is making people very nervous: "The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble." (Isa 41:5a). The "it" is Babylon's failing attempt to fend off the military might of King Cyrus, and soon the Medo-Persian Empire will become the dominant superpower.

The question people are asking is: What will this inevitable Persian victory mean for the subjects of a defeated Babylon? Perhaps the gods will help. The pagan peoples' hope (however misplaced) is why the craftsman and goldsmith are doing such a brisk business. But in the beginning of the chapter (Isa 41:1-4), God states that He is responsible for this political upheaval: "Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD...I am he." (Isa 41:4) Because God is in control of the situation, He is in a position to help those who serve Him, and He encourages them: "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isa 41:10) The idols, however, are powerless to help those who serve them13—after all, they cannot even stand up own their own—and they are powerless as well to hinder God's work. Later in the same chapter the Lord taunts them: "Tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; he who chooses you is detestable." (Is 41:23-24)14 Again, notice the similarities.
C. God has a claim on you because of what He has done.
Isa 44:1 "Now listen, O Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen. 2 This is what the LORD says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun,15 whom I have chosen.... 21 Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you. 22 I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,16 your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you."17 23 Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the LORD has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel.
1. His claim is because of what He did for you.
a. He chose you (Isa 44:1,2; cf. Isa 41:8-9).
b. He made you (Isa 44:2,21).
c. He formed you (Isa 44:2).
d. He forgave you (Isa 44:22).
e. He redeemed you (Isa 44:23).
2. His claim is because of what He does for you.
a. He helps you (Isa 44:2; cf. 41:10, 13).
b. He encourages you (Isa 44:3 "Do not fear"; cf. 41:10, 13).
c. He remembers you (Isa 44:21).
d. He showcases you (Isa 44:23).
As this description of the multitudinous favor the Lord bestows on His people shows, there is a significant disparity between the expectations and aspirations of Israel's God and those of pagan deities.

God could rightfully impress anyone into His service because He has a claim on all men by virtue of being their creator. But He has a double claim on the people of Israel; for He not only made them, He redeemed them. Is Isaiah referring to physical or spiritual redemption? ...This may include physical redemption from Babylon,18 but it at least refers to spiritual redemption from sin; specifically through the atonement of the messiah, the servant whose substitutionary work makes possible the redemption and return of Israel to God.
It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth. (Isa 49:6)
He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isa 53:5-6)
Again, there is a contrast, this time with...
All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit him nothing? (Isa 44:9-10)
The Lord made a nation from the descendants of Abraham:
The people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. (Isa 43:21)
This is what the LORD says—the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: (Isa 45:11)
He demonstrated His interest in this particular people. God also redeemed Israel and, thereby, demonstrated His ability to act on the people's behalf.19 But man made the idol. What kind of demonstration of interest or power is that on the part of the god it supposedly represents? Even from a purely selfish perspective, it is to Israel's advantage to serve the Lord; but it profits people nothing to serve an idol.

So, whom do you serve? According to Isaiah's message in these servant passages:
  • You serve a God who has chosen you and who wants you to be part of His people.
  • You serve a God who will help you, who is capable of overcoming those things that terrify you most.
  • You serve a God who has a double claim on you, who made you and who redeemed you.
He has proven His interest in your welfare, as well as His ability to act on your behalf. This is the God you serve, and it is a very good arrangement.

***********************

Having developed some idea of whom you serve, it is necessary to determine how you serve. To do that, we will continue examining what God has said in other servant passages.

II. How do you serve? (Isa 42:18-25; 43:8-13)
A. You serve God by obeying His instructions.
Isa 42:18 "Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see!20 19 Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one committed to me, 21 blind like the servant of the LORD? 20 You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing."21 It pleased the LORD for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious.22 22 But this is a people plundered and looted, all of them trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons. They have become plunder, with no one to rescue them; they have been made loot, with no one to say, "Send them back." 23 Which of you will listen to this or pay close attention in time to come? 24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,23 and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned? For they would not follow his ways; they did not obey his law. 25 So he poured out on them his burning anger, the violence of war. It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.

Why does God call Israel blind and deaf? ...The people did not heed God's law (Isa 42:24) and did not respond to His discipline (judgment; the exile v. 25).
B. You serve God by being His witnesses.
Isa 43:8 Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. 9 All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of them foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things?24 Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, "It is true." 10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed25 nor will there be one after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. 12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God. 13 Yes, and from ancient days26 I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?"
1. The servant testifies to God's longevity (no god "after me" Isa 43:10).
2. The servant testifies to God's originality (the only "savior" Isa 43:11).
3. The servant testifies to God's antiquity ("from ancient days" Isa 43:13).
4. The servant testifies to God's potency ("who can reverse" Isa 43:13).
God expects His servants to tell others about Him, and He continues an argument He began earlier: "Present your case," says the LORD. "Set forth your arguments," says Jacob's King. "Bring in [your idols] to tell us what is going to happen." (Isa 41:21-22a) He then issued an open challenge to present another candidate worthy of the title: "God." The only possible contender (or pretender) was the idols of the gentiles. Yet wholly apart from some serious design flaws—such as their not being able to stand up without assistance—they cannot even do the simplest of god-like activities such as predicting the future or even interpreting history in a way that shows some divinely controlled plan (Grogan 1986:25 1). Only the Lord has said what will happen before it happens (e.g. conquest by Cyrus).27

Therefore, one method of witnessing is by rehearsing God's prophetic track record, not just that He predicts the future but that He controls history; that what He says, happens (see comments on Isa 41:22 and Isa 43:9). Moreover, God says that by recognizing His sovereign involvement in world events, two things should be obvious: He is the only one worthy of title: "God," and He is the only one capable of helping His people:28 "[The LORD] is recognized as God because he performs the acts of God; Israel is his proof' (McKenzie 1968:54).

Application:
  • What competes for your service to God are primarily money and yourself.
Matt 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Rom 16:18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
  • Although everyone to whom you witness will not agree with your testimony, you can encourage others to serve God through your personal example and by appealing to their own self-interest.29
Josh 24:15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
1 Cor 3:8b Each will be rewarded according to his own labor.... 13 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
Summary: The two questions this study on servanthood attempted to answer were whom do you serve and how do you serve.
1. Whom do you serve?
a. You serve a God who has chosen you, who wants you to be among His people.
b. You serve a God who will help you, who is capable of overcoming those things that terrify us most.
c. You serve a God who has a double claim on you, because He made you and redeemed you.
d. You serve a God who has proven His interest in your welfare and His ability to act on your behalf.
This is the God you serve.
2. How do you serve?
a. You serve God by obeying His instructions, those He has given in His word.
b. You serve God by being His witnesses, to gentiles as well as to each other, that He is the only God and savior.
He is the only one worthy of title "God" and the only one capable of helping His people.

Because there is only one God and savior, servanthood, despite the humble connotations of the term, is the highest calling anyone can have. Furthermore, by serving God now, you are preparing for the future, because this will be the primary occupation of citizens in the New Jerusalem, as John states simply: "The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him" (Rev 22:3b).

For the Bibliography and Endnotes see the pdf here.

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