Introducing The World-Changing Servant Of The Lord Series

Time and again Isaiah brings Genesis to our minds—Genesis, that amazing book of beginnings. Like in Isaiah 44, where God calls himself, ‘The First and the Last,’ for God is the one who existed before all things and who called everything into being. Or chapter 40, where God recalls the story of how He measured the waters in his hand, stretched out the heavens like a tent, and weighed the hills in a balance. Isaiah loves to show the impressive glory of the Creator.

This focus on God as world-creator leads to a closely related theme: God as world-saviour. For the splendid works of God have been deeply scarred by sin. Everyone is now born in hostility against God, so everyone deserves his condemnation. As for creation itself, the physical world, it too is fractured and groaning—so far from the Paradise of God. So God is working on restoration, unfolding his plan to renew creation, top to bottom. And He’ll renew his people—more than just Israel, but sinners from all nations.

You can’t set back the clock. There will be no return to Genesis and to Paradise. But in God’s power and wisdom, there will be something even better. And God will do this through his chosen Servant, Jesus Christ, whom God sends as the force for world change.

It is the Servant of God who gets introduced in our chapter. We’ve met him before, in chapter 42. Now we learn more about him and about the broad scope of his work. He is not sent merely to get Judah out of exile. No, God is going to make a lasting salvation possible for all people, and take steps toward the re-creation of all things. He will do so through the world-changing Christ. I preach God’s Word to you from Isaiah 49:1-13,

Introducing the world-changing Servant of the LORD:

1) where is He from?

2) what does He do?

3) where does He go?

4) how is He welcomed?

1) where is He from? From the first words, it’s clear that God is working on something big. For in verse 1, God’s Servant announces, “Listen, O coastlands, to me, and take heed, you peoples from afar!” Notice that He’s putting out a broadcast far and wide, even to islands and distant nations. There’s a whole world out there, waiting to hear the truth about God—needing to hear his message about redemption.

How do you react when someone comes with big news, an unexpected announcement? If you know the person well, you probably accept their word. But if you don’t know them, you want to see some credentials. Who are they, and where did they pick up this information? God’s Servant knows this, so He tells us where He’s from. Verse 1: “The LORD has called me from the womb; from the womb of my mother He has made mention of my name.” He shares a bit of biography to help us accept him.

First, God “called” him. In the Bible, being “called” is being assigned by God to a certain position and task. And the Servant’s call came early, even before He was born. Already then, God set him apart. This is no last-minute plan, but God has been working on it for ages.

That reference to his mother’s womb, to the Servant’s parents, makes us think of at least two things. One is the previous prophecy in Isaiah 7:14, “The virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall his name Immanuel.” From the most unlikely place—an impossible place: the virgin’s womb—will come the world’s Saviour.

And that in turn brings to mind the very first prophecy of world restoration. Yes, in Genesis God gave his word that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15). It was a woman who’d have a key role: God was going to use her to bring forth the Christ. Set apart already in the womb, this Servant will have a vital mission, a huge task.

Now, sometimes the work that God gives to us seems impossible. Just to be a faithful friend, just to be a godly husband or wife, a good neighbour—that’s hard. But there’s great encouragement in God’s promise that He’ll always supply what is needed for us to serve him. Whatever the task He lays on you, He will powerfully help you to do. But you need to trust in him for this. It’s been said, ‘God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.’ God is always looking for those who will depend on him.

We see the same thing at work in God’s Servant. The LORD called him, gave him a massive assignment, but then made him ready too. This is what Christ says of God’s equipping, “He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand He has hidden me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver He has hidden me” (v 2). God got him ready, gave him everything for the mission ahead.