Isaiah 52:13-53:12 - Servant Song #4

YHWH's Redemptive Suffering Royal Prophetic Servant
Isaiah 52:13-53:12

13 See, my Servant, shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up and shall be very high. 14 Just as there were many who were astonished at him —so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals— 15 so he shall startle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.

1 Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. 3 He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity. And as one from whom others hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him of no account.

4 Surely, he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases, yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the punishment that made us whole. And by his bruises we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent — so he did not open his mouth. 8 By a perversion of justice, he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. 9 They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with affliction. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. 11 Out of his anguish he shall see; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors, yet he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

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INTRODUCTION -- FROM DESPAIR TO JOY

This series has been about the Servant Songs. The Servant Songs are in the Second Section of Isaiah, chapters 40-66. I have not given much attention to the material between these songs except between Song #1 [42:1-4] and Song #2 [49:1-6]. I talk briefly about those seven chapters between 1 & 2, mainly because it seemed like I was jumping such a large jump from chapter 42 to chapter 49 (and it seemed like something had to be said about the material I would have skipped). Nevertheless, I gave a survey of the rich material that I skipped over, and other than that, I have looked only at the Songs themselves -- except for a brief look at the introduction, "Comfort O comfort my people, says the LORD." Regarding that passage, it just felt as if setting the context was just too important to overlook.

Between Servant Song #3 and Servant Song #4, however, it seems significant, once again, to just make note of what Isaiah has to say after he finishes singing the Third (somber) Song and before he sings again, the Fourth Song, the most famous song. The space between songs three and four, however, is short. It is less than two chapters (chapter 51 and chapter 52 up through verse 11).

The Third Servant Song ends, "This is what you shall have from my hand: you will lie down in torment." (50:11). That song is dark; it is about suffering, and maybe more than suffering, it is about humiliation. Looking at the fulfillment of that song in the Gospel accounts of Jesus' humiliation, the mood is dreary. We watched the Titanic sink. Now the credits to the movie rolled. No one was rescued. Done. Verse 11 ends, "This is what you shall have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment."

When the song ends in despair, we then turn the page (roll the scroll over to the next words), to a whole new tone.

Isaiah 51:1-3
"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the quarry from which you were dug. 2 Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah, who bore you, for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. 3 For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song."

Lie down in torment is changed. Look at Abraham. He was (childless); he was but one when I called him, but I made of him many! God gives comfort. God turns desert places into gardens. We are now talking about gladness and thanksgiving and song! No transition. Sudden change from helplessness to celebration.

The NRSV has this title over this section -- "Blessings In Store for God's People." Chapter 52 also (verses 1-11 until Servant Song #4 begins) is bright. The NRSV to this section: "Let Zion Rejoice." Here is a verse to memorize (quoted by St. Paul):

Isaiah 52:7 -- "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'"

Again, Isaiah 52:10, 12 -- "The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God!" ... "For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard."

THE MOST FAMOUS SERVANT SONG is Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12

This passage is often referred to as the Suffering Servant. It is the most famous or most familiar of these Servant Songs. It often can seem, in this song's fame, as if this were the only Servant Song. Indeed, if it were, it would be enough to amaze. Yet, it is quite amazing that there is more. Finding four such songs that build up and climax over 11 chapters is as stunning as this closing song ... the most famous of the Servant Songs.

While this is labeled The Suffering Servant, it is not the same dark and somber mood as the third song. Somehow, it is triumphant even though the label of the suffering servant does indeed fit.

THE CHIASTIC STRUCTURE

There are five stanzas. The third stanza (53:4-6) is the clear climax. In my own experience, I memorized the key verse (the climax of the climax) of this stanza when I was a young child.

Isaiah 53:6 — All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The chiasm climaxes in the middle. The nature of a chiastic structure is that there are equal (somewhat mirroring) stanzas before and after the climax.

A
. . . . B
. . . . . . . . C (Climax)
. . . . B
A

The above is an attempt to represent a chiasm visually. The "C” stanza above is a climax. In the Fourth Servant Song:

52:13-15

. . . . 53:1-3

. . . . . . . . 53:4-6 (v6 = ultra climax)

. . . . 53:7-9

53:10-12

Then, within the climax, a further climax or a climax within the climax. (I used that same wording earlier, and I placed the full quote of Is. 53:6 as evidence. I do think, however, that it is worth repeating.

Isaiah 53:6
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

That one verse is not the whole of the poem. If that’s all one remembers, it might almost be enough. It would, however, be tragic to miss the rest of the poem/song. Only knowing 53:6, one grasps the overall meaning — the big picture: The Servant’s suffering was purposeful. He suffered in the place of others. Amazingly, he suffered for us.

Every stanza of this song, however, carries significance.

Stanza 1 — 52:13-15
YHWH’s Servant. He’s Royal. He is lifted up. He’s exalted. He will prosper < יַשְׂכִּיל > (wisdom, prudence, success … all related to royal oversight). Yet, see the surprise he brings. Astonishment and upset at the normal order of things. Also, his appearance is shocking, and he is beyond humans (the sons of men). The effect the Servant will have upon the normal order of things is startling.

Stanza 2 — 53:1-3
Who has believed/heard this surprising news? A plant grows in soil where no one expected. The powerful and the mighty arm of YHWH is revealed. And the Servant is seemingly ordinary to look at. In fact, there is something about him that makes people turn their faces away. He is despised rather than given the respect he is due.

Stanza 3 — 53:4-6
Here we are at the heart of the poem. Redemption. When one hears of sheep straying in the context of the Servant giving himself completely to redeem … to reclaim that which was his but has been lost … what comes to mind is the Shepherd who leaves behind the 99 sheep to go after the one who is lost (Matthew 18:12-14 // Luke 15:3-7). Jesus is the Servant. The Servant is the Shepherd. The Good Shepherd who knows his sheep, guards the door . . . no, the one who IS the Door. Read John chapter 10.

Stanza 4 — 53:7-10
He opened not his mouth, though his suffering was a perversion of justice. Who could have imagined how he was cut off from the land of the living? He did this for the sake of "my people!" Then, his grave and his tomb were where they did not belong.

Stanza 5 — 53:11-12
All of this "perversion of justice" was the will of YHWH. The Servant's life was an offering for sin. Therefore, God gives him a portion with the great, and he divides spoil with the strong .... because he poured out his life and bore the sins of many. If you don't already hear echoes of Philippians 2:5-11, then go and read that "Christological Hymn" quoted by Paul.

CONCLUSION

And with this, the four Servant Songs come to an end. What a climax. And this section of Isaiah continues.

Chapter 54: "Shout for joy O barren one who has borne no children; burst into song and shout you who have not been in labor." . . . . "Enlarge the tent ... lengthen your cords ... you will spread out to the right and the left ... Your Maker is your husband, YHWH of Hosts ... the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer." Put yourself in the place of the exiles as you listen to these next words, "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you, says YHWH, your Redeemer." . . . . "For the mountains may depart and the hills may be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says YHWH who has compassion on you."

Chapter 55: "Hear, everyone who thirsts; come to the waters. . . ." "Seek YHWH while he may be found. . . ." "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there until they have watered the earth, . . . so shall my word that goes out from my mouth . . . . It shall not return empty." . . . . "you shall go out in joy and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills shall burst into song" (compare this chapter to Psalm 126 and Psalm 98, which are both associated with the exiles returning home).

The exile is ending. YHWH is moving. Buckle your seat belt and hang on, it's gonna get exciting . . . .

FINAL NOTE

After attending the Baylor/Truett Seminary Summer Intensive with N.T. Wright -- "Into the Heart of Isaiah: Chapters 40-55," I allowed this material to ruminate for four months. I read through the whole of these passages multiple times. I memorized all four Servant Songs (I almost gave up in frustration in Song 3). I am more convinced than ever that Old Testament Hebrew poetry is meant to be memorized. In memorizing it, I meditate upon it in ways that I didn't imagine possible. My seminary training in good and proper exegesis was excellent (I am thankful for my time at SWBTS in the late 1980s during conflict, but the leadership and teaching I had at the time were exemplary). I draw upon my seminary training whenever I approach scripture. However, I have learned something new: meditation in Old Testament poetry. I stumbled upon memorization as a meditation method because I began memorizing some Psalms.

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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