A Servant
Of God
The Old Testament presents the Messiah as the Servant Of God sent
into the world to save His people from their sins. Let’s take a few moments to study this aspect
of the life of the Messiah and see the One that perfectly completed this
wonderful promise from God.
THE
SCRIPTURES:
Zech 3:8 (KJV)
8) Hear
now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for
they [are] men wondered at: for,
behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.
Isa 42:1-4 (KJV)
1) Behold
my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, [in
whom] my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring
forth judgment to the Gentiles.
2) He shall not cry, nor
lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
3) A bruised reed shall he
not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth
judgment unto truth.
4) He shall not fail nor
be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall
wait for his law.
Isa 52:13-15 (KJV)
13) Behold,
my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very
high.
14) As many were astonied
at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the
sons of men:
15) So shall he sprinkle
many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for [that] which had not been told them shall
they see; and [that] which they had
not heard shall they consider.
Isa 53:10-12 (KJV)
10) Yet
it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin,
he shall see [his] seed, he shall
prolong [his] days, and the pleasure
of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11) He shall see of the
travail of his soul, [and] shall be
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he
shall bear their iniquities.
12) Therefore will I
divide him [a portion] with the
great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured
out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he
bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Matt 12:14-21
(KJV)
14) Then
the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy
him.
15) But when Jesus knew [it], he withdrew himself from thence:
and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;
16) And charged them that
they should not make him known:
17) That
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
18) Behold my servant,
whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my
spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
19) He shall not strive,
nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
20) A bruised reed shall
he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment
unto victory.
21) And in his name shall
the Gentiles trust.
Rom 5:17-19 (KJV)
17) For
if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Jesus Christ.)
18) Therefore as by the
offence of one [judgment came] upon
all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto
justification of life.
19) For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made
righteous.
Phil 2:5-8 (KJV)
5) Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus:
6) Who, being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7) But made himself of no
reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men:
8) And being found in
fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross.
THE
STUDY:
What a seeming contradiction. We have already seen that the Messiah was
promised to be a reigning King over the spiritual nation of Israel throughout
eternity. These promises are found in
the midst of the same Old Testament that tells us the coming Messiah would be a
Servant of God. These two apparently
contradictory prophetic revelations are, in actuality, two wonderfully
harmonious promises that set Christ apart from all others who have ever
lived.
THE
PROPHECY:
Zech 3:8
In Zechariah 3:8 we find that the coming Messiah,
described here as “The Branch”, is clearly declared to be the servant of God…. “for, behold, I will
bring forth my servant the BRANCH.” In this text, He is called “the Branch” to help remind us of His beauty
and fruitfulness resulting from His perfect submission to His Father… (Isa 4:2) “In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and
the fruit of the earth [shall be]
excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.”
Isaiah 42:1
In Isa
42:1, we read another promise of the Messiah
involving His servitude to His Father… “Behold
my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, [in
whom] my soul delighteth;…”
This prophecy continues by describing the workings
of Christ and his faithfulness in His death and executing judgment on the
earth.
Isaiah 52:13-15 & Isa 53:10-12
Likewise, in both Isa 52:13-15 and Isa 53:10-12, we
have the same promise that His servanthood would be shown through His
suffering, death and exaltation… vs 13 “Behold, my servant
shall deal prudently,…” & vs 11 “by his knowledge shall my righteous servant
justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities…”
THE
FULFILLMENT:
Matt 12:14-21
In Matthew 12, we find that Jesus is clearly
declared to be the fulfillment of the Isa 42 prophecy… “… But when Jesus knew
[it],… And charged them
that they should not make him known: That it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold
my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased:…”
Rom 5:17-19
The death of Jesus on the
cross is described as “the
obedience of one”. We are told that it was
His obedience on the cross that resulted in the giving of His righteousness to
His people… “so by the obedience of one shall many be
made righteous.” Once again, we can see that the life of Jesus reveals to us that He is
the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies of servanthood and humility.
Phil 2:5-8
A spirit of humility and servitude was clearly revealed
in the life of Jesus. Once again, it is
His death on the cross that is pointed to as the ultimate demonstration of His
willing obedience to the Father… “Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of
God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But
made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was
made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross.
It is this same spirit of humility, submission and
self-sacrifice that should be shared by all those who have trusted in Jesus.
PRACTICAL
APPLICATION:
The servanthood of Christ not only involved delivering the message
of His Father and doing His Father’s works, but also giving His life on the
cross as the supreme act of submission and obedience to the will of His
Father. Through His entire life, Jesus
displayed the ultimate spirit of selflessness and humility for the sake of His
chosen people. In doing so, He showed
Himself to be the suffering servant of the Old Testament Messianic
prophecies.
As followers of Jesus, let us all display that same type of
self-sacrificial spirit as we seek to serve Him with our lives.
May the Lord bless our study of His Word.
If you have any questions about salvation you are
welcome to email me at settledinheaven@gmail.com. I’ll be more than happy to answer any
question you may have.
Also, if you look at my blog page “How To Have A
Relationship With God”. On this page,
you will find several blog entries explaining the way of salvation and
important truths about salvation.
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May the Lord bless your study of His
Word. Like God’s Word… may your soul’s
salvation and your life’s faithfulness be “Settled in Heaven.”
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