Isaiah 49:1-6 - Servant Song #2

YHWH's Prophetic Royal Servant
Isaiah 49:1-6

1 Listen to me, O coastlands; pay attention, you peoples from far away! The Lord called me before I was born. While I was in my mother’s womb, he named me.

2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand, he hid me. He made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away. 3 And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

4 But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord and my reward with my God.”

5 And now the Lord says — who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength…. — 6 He says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel? I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

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INTERPRETATION

If there were no verses between the First and Second Servant Songs, it might seem as if they belong together. The First Servant Song ends with “and the coastlands long for his teaching” (Isaiah 42:4). The Second Servant Song, then opens with (Isaiah 49:1), “Listen to me, O coastlands; ….” This is one reason I think using just these Servant Songs is a legitimate way to summarize Second Isaiah (Isaiah chapters 40-55).

Like any summary, however, much is left out. There are nearly 7 chapters between the First and the Second Servant Songs. In these chapters, the prophet names Cyrus as God’s instrument to restore Israel (44:28; 45:1). Cyrus is called Yahweh’s “Shepherd” and through him the exiles return to restore Israel and rebuild The Temple. In addition, Isaiah has an extended section of satire regarding idols. This picturesque section is where man — a craftsman — forms and shapes the god from the same wood he might use to warm himself or cook bread. Following that, is a section regarding the futility of worshiping idols. Idols are gods made by man — whereas in Israel’s understanding man was made by God. Men make a god in the image they imagine (and our gods look and behave as fallen man), but in Israel’s understanding, man is made in God’s image to reflect His glory. There is more in chapters 43-48 between the First and Second Servant Songs. Focusing only on Servant Songs means much is left out. Nevertheless the Servant Songs are the limitation of these posts.

The significant difference, at least at first glance, between the First and Second Servant Song is the person of the language — the pronoun. The First Song is written in Third Person. Isaiah speaks for God as God tells about the Servant. However, in the Second Song — written in First Person — the Servant speaks directly to the people (through the voice of Isaiah) about himself. One must note there is another person/language change. The Third Servant Song is also in First Person, but in the final or fourth Servant Song, the voice returns to Third Person. Is Isaiah signaling something to his audience?

MEANING OF THE LINGUISTIC PRONOUN PERSON CHANGE

From recent meditations on the Psalms and other Hebrew poetry, I have a tentative thesis. I should note, this thesis is definitely tentative; it is not studied. I have not given this the systematic review it deserves before writing it down. Nevertheless, I am going to put it forward here with that huge caveat. I believe that there is something signaled in Hebrew poetry via pronoun or person shift (i.e. when the poem changes from, say, Third Person to First Person).

Consider Psalm 23. The Psalmist speaks of YHWH in third person from the beginning (v2a), “‘He’makes me lie down.” Again, in (v2b and v3), “‘He’ leads me” to water and in paths. But then — notably after the “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” the pronoun changes person: “‘You’ are with me … ‘Your’ rod and staff comfort … ‘You’ prepare a table … ‘You’ anoint my head.” My thesis is as follows: the person change signals climax.

Though this thesis is only tentative, I believe the Second Servant Song signals something similar. I have outlined song “titles” in these posts (my outline here should properly credit notes from N.T. Wright in the 2025 Summer Intensive via Truett Seminary on this section of Isaiah).

Song One — Behold my Servant (an introduction to the Royal Servant).
Song Two — The Royal Servant is Prophetic
Song Three — The Royal and Prophetic Servant Suffers
Song Four — The Royal, Prophetic, Suffering Servant is Redemptive.

Between songs One and Two, the pronoun shift signals the listener (reader) to notice especially the PROPHETIC nature of the mysterious servant introduced in Song One. In Songs Two and Three the First Person continues as the Servant tells us of his Prophetic nature and his suffering. We cannot fail to miss the pronoun shift, again back to Third Person, as the kind of suffering is highlighted. The Servant Suffers to Redeem others. This Fourth Song is the most famous. One cannot fail to recognize so many familiar verses quoted so often in the New Testament and in popular seasonal material. As a child, I learned some memory verses from the Third Song.

MEANING WITHIN THE SECOND SERVANT SONG

Now to interpretation of the Second Song. The Royal Servant was called even before his birth (v1). This is a prophetic motif, and it is not unique to this Servant. The clearest example is Jeremiah. In Jeremiah 1:5, the prophet proclaims that, “before I formed you in the womb” and “before you were born” … YHWH says, “I knew you” and “I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”

Samson is another example of pre-birth calling (Judges 13). Though a Judge, he stands in the prophetic tradition, and he was chosen by God for his ministry prior to his birth.

The Second Servant Song says the Servant was chosen (from birth) the speak: “His mouth was a sharp sword” (v2), and to be YHWH’s tool of judgement (“He made me a polished arrow” v2b). The Servant speaks to the exiles. The exiles carried off to the land of the enemy and serving their captors must have felt uselessness: (v4), “I have labored in vain.” Their calling as YHWH’s people was squandered. Yet there is hope (v4b). These exiles maintained a sense of God’s special calling, and the Servant says, “You are my Servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified!” (v3). And the rest of this Song goes on to say, that God will still use his Servant. “Is it too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel?” (Verse 6).

And the song ends with a promise of YHWH which Christians since the time of the writing of the New Testament, have seen as words fulfilled in Israel but only, in the Christian viewpoint, as Israel is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. “I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach the end of the earth.” (Verse 6).

On another note, many Christians get off track as to whether the Church replaces Israel. These verses may be seen as evidence that both sides of that issue have something wrong. The Church does not replace Israel. Neither is the old Israel (ethnic Israel) still to be recognized in the old way. God EXPANDED Israel beyond the old (ethnic) identity. The Church is Israel as constituted today. There is ONE people of God. Israel is the church and the church is Israel.

More is to come in this regard. The Third and Fourth Servant Songs further explain how he (Israel the nation AND Jesus the Messiah) suffers and places himself in the position of redeeming — both his people and all who are willing. “My salvation may reach the end of the earth.”

The Second Servant Song gives us a taste of God’s twofold redemption including both Israel and all the nations. The Second Servant Song, still short like the first, gives a taste of the sweet message, but mostly says, “stay tuned.” “There is so much more to come.” “You cannot even imagine what YHWH is doing.”

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All Related Posts:
Servant Songs Intro/Background - https://listed.to/@Qoheleth/67223/isaiah-servant-songs-intro

Isaiah 42:1-4 -- Introducing YHWH's Royal Servant - https://listed.to/@Qoheleth/67224/isaiah-42-1-4-servant-song-1
Isaiah 49:1-6 -- The Prophetic Royal Servant - https://listed.to/@Qoheleth/67225/isaiah-49-1-6-servant-song-2
Isaiah 50:4-11 -- The Suffering Prophetic Royal Servant - https://listed.to/@Qoheleth/67226/isaiah-50-4-11-servant-song-3
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 -- The Suffering Prophetic Royal Servant is Redemptive (our redemption) - https://listed.to/@Qoheleth/67227/isaiah-52-13-53-12-servant-song-4