THE SERVANT SONGS IN ISAIAH

I have explained in “Isaiah: Introduction to the Literary Structure” that the Book of Isaiah basically breaks down into three parts: chapters 1-35, 36-39, and 40-66. In turn, that last section consists of three parts: chapters 40-48 (IIIA), 49-57 (IIIB), and 58-66 (IIIC). I proposed that these three respectively center in on God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The second of these three sections can similarly be broken down into three sub-sections, which can in turn be further subdivided into three small units. And the central unit in the whole eight chapters also consists of three even small units. That amazingly yields five levels of three-fold organizations.

Structure of Section IIIB: Isaiah 49-57

1. Hope (49:1-50:3)

The Lord's Servant (49:1-6)

    a. Word of Hope (49:7-12)

        b. Sing for Joy (49:13)

    a'. Word of Hope (49:14-50:3)

            2. Pay Attention (50:4-52:12)

            The Lord's Servant (50:4-11)

                a. Listen! (51:1-8)

                    b. Awake! (51:9-52:6)

                        (1). Awake, awake (51:9-16)

                            (2). Rouse yourself, rouse yourself (51:17-23)

                        (1'). Awake, awake (52:1-6)

                a'. Listen! (52:7-12)

1'. Hope (52:13-57:21)

The Lord's Servant (52:13-53:12)

    a. Hope for the Abandoned (ch. 54)

        b. Invitation to come to the LORD (chs. 55-56)

    a'. Hope for the Abandoned (ch. 57)

For the Christian, the Servant Songs in Isaiah are a prime focus. All of them are found in chapters 40-66, with three of the four generally accepted songs occurring as shown above in bold. Bullock even labels chapters 49-57 as “The Servant of the Lord.” Within that section, these three passages act as demarcations between three triads (see above). In the first of these songs, he appears as a prophet to call Israel back to the truth; in the second he is rejected and smitten by the Jews; and in the grand finale his vicarious death and eventual vindication are proclaimed. All of this, it might be argued, is true of the Messiah, but is that enough evidence to declare that the Messiah is divine? NT usage of the Servant passages makes the above identity clear, but within the Book of Isaiah itself at least one powerful argument can be adduced to prove this point. As Wolf observes, language used to describe the Servant (“raised and lifted up and highly exalted” – 52:13) is practically identical to that used for the Almighty God (“seated on a throne, high and exalted” – 6:1). Thus, this section can be said to highlight the second element of the Godhead, Christ.

The other accepted Servant Song is Isa. 42:1-9. And there is a fifth passage that probably should be included in this category, namely, Isa. 61:1-3, even though the word “servant” is not actually present. However, that word is equally missing in 50:4-11, as Kidner points out. Some scholars, such as Bullock and Young, identify the Servant in 61:1-3 or recognize the close connection between these verses and the Servant Songs but stop short of grouping these verses together. It is certain, however, that Jesus saw this passage as applying to himself as the Messiah (see references below). 

An additional argument for including 61:1-3 in the Servant Songs can be made from literary considerations. Isaiah 42:1-9 emphasizes justice (42:1) followed by liberty (42:7) while Isa. 61:1-3 presents these same two elements in reverse order and utilizes some of the language found in the first passage. These two songs, found in IIIA and IIIC, respectively, thus form a perfect framework for the three intervening Servant Songs in Section IIIB.

“It is a notoriously difficult question: About whom do the Servant Songs speak?” (Peter Bella)

    Song 1 seems to use the term “servant” in the same way it appears in the rest of Isaiah – referring to the chosen nation of Israel which will establish justice on earth and be a light to the nations.

    Song 2 appears at first to identify him as the nation of Israel itself (v. 3), but in verses 5-6 he is an individual serving Israel while also being a light to the Gentiles. King Cyrus has been proposed as his identification, assuming that he was not just a personification of the nation Israel. However, even those interpretations do not exhaust the meaning of the verses, which were later applied to Jesus, the image of perfect Israel.

    Song 3 describes the servant as a righteous prophet who is persecuted for his teachings.

    Song 4 explains that this individual will not only be persecuted, but also killed. He will die to redeem people from their sins and ultimately be exalted by God. I cannot track down the reference, but I have read that it was this clear OT passage describing accurately the life and death of Jesus that caused its removal from the Jewish liturgical readings.

    Song 5 announces that the servant will usher in both deliverance for the oppressed and vengeance for God's enemies.

Beale and Carson's very helpful Commentary on the NT Use of the OT attempts to highlight the many times these particular passages in Isaiah were quoted or alluded to in the New Testament. The few references given below represent only a random sampling:

    Song 1: Isaiah 42:1-9 // Matthew 12:18-21

    Song 2: Isaiah 49:1-6 // Acts 13:47; Galatians 1:15-16

    Song 3: Isaiah 50:4-11 // Mark 10:33; Romans 8:1-39

    Song 4: Isaiah 52:13-53:12 // Mark 8:31; Acts 8:34

    Song 5: Isaiah 61:1-3 // Luke 4:16-21; 7:20-22