The Suffering Servant;- Old Testament version

The Suffering Servant of Isaiah has always been a point of contest between the Jewish and the Christian reading of the Old Testament

One traditional Jewish interpretation is that he is a representative figure, standing for the sufferings of Israel.

Other interpretations insist on treating him as an individual, and of course Christian tradition refers him to the person of Jesus.

Another school of thought offers a third option, that God in all seriousness intends us to understand both interpretations.

My guiding principle in reading the prophets of the Old Testament is that the prophet is always addressing the people of his own time, in the first instance. That determines the original meaning of the prophecy. The Holy Spirit will sometimes allow the Christian to find a supplementary meaning along the same lines.

A classic example is the “birth of a child” prophecy in Isaiah ch7 v14, which was originally setting a deadline for the promised end of a siege of Jerusalem. It is on Matthew’s authority that we reassign the verse to the birth of Jesus.

Following that principle, the Suffering Servant passages need to be read first as part of a much longer address, which belongs to the historical setting of the work of Cyrus and the restoration of Jerusalem.

The starting-point is in ch40, in the instruction to give “comfort” to Jerusalem. That is the object of the exercise. Israel needs to know that the restoration has been guaranteed.

The original fall of Jerusalem was God’s response to the iniquities of Jerusalem. Jerusalem has now been punished enough, which is what makes the restoration possible. She has completed her sentence.

The other condition which had to be fulfilled was that the God of Israel should be able to overcome all the other gods which might have opposed it. That’s why so much of this address is proclaiming his power and condemning their weakness, as demonstrated by the events of current history.

Everything is being prepared, “made straight”, for God to do his work (vv3-5). The word of God will stand for ever, in contrast with the ephemeral nature of created things- “all flesh is grass” (vv6-8).

The God who rules with might is coming to gather his flock (vv9-11). This is the same God who created the world, “marked off the heavens with a span”. He works under nobody else’s guidance or authority. “All the nations are nothing before him” (vv12-17).

(vv18-20 are part of an account of the helplessness of the physical idol)

This is the God who sits in the heavens and controls them. All the inhabitants of the earth are nothing before him (vv21-26).

Why, then, does Jacob/Israel say “My way is hid from the Lord”? This is the God who is strong and gives power to the faint. “They who wait for the Lord will renew their strength”. (vv27-31)

In ch41 he begins speaking to the Gentiles to challenge them on the same point. Is it not true that he “tramples kings under foot”?

(vv6-7 The physical idol again)

Then he returns to addressing Jacob/Israel, calling them “my servant”. He called them originally from the ends of the earth, saying “You are my servant, I have chosen you -fear not for I am with you- I am your God, I will strengthen you” (vv8-10). Those who strive against them will be put to shame. He will make them a strong force to crush them. He will fill their land with water and trees, so that men in general will know that the Holy One of Israel has done these things.

He challenges the rival gods on their power to know the past or the future (vv21-24). They and their work are nothing. He has “stirred up” a king from the north to trample other rulers, and he has already announced the fact to Jerusalem, but these delusions had nothing to say on the matter (vv25-29).

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold” (ch42 v1). In the immediate context, this has to be Jacob/Israel, because the message is continuing.
In that case, “I will put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations” is explained by “the coastlands wait for his law”. The justice comes through the law of God, which the servant is teaching to the rest of the world. And “I am giving you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations” (v6) would have the same meaning. Through the servant, God is opening the blind eyes of the nations and releasing them from their dungeon.
These would be the “new things” which the Lord is bringing into existence.

So now the Lord is to be praised with a new song (v10). He breaks his patient silence and goes out against the nations like a man of war. He will lead the blind into new paths, away from the rough places and into level ground. And here “the blind” means those who put their trust in idols. Particularly his own people, who have been dazzled by the false light of the gods of their enemies;
“Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the Lord?”

Jacob/Israel is designed as God’s messenger to the world, but they must relearn the message of the power of God before they can teach it. They have become a prey to the nations, but who made them so? No, not the gods of those nations, but the Lord himself (v24) because of their former sins.

Ch43; Jacob/Israel must fear no more, because the God who created them has also redeemed them, and will regather them.

“Bring forth the people who are blind” (v8).
“You are my witnesses, and my servant who I have chosen, that YOU may know and believe me and understand that I am He” (v10)
“The blind” are still Jacob/Israel. They- or, rather, the event that is happening to them- will be presented as a witness, to convince the assembled world, but also to convince themselves, that the Lord is the only god.

This is the promise of their Redeemer (v14), who once broke down Egypt for their sake, and now breaks down Babylon for their sake.

Previous themes begin to be repeated. The Lord reminds them again of their former neglect and iniquity, which is why he originally delivered them up to Babylon (vv22-28).

Ch44; Nevertheless, continuing to address Jacob/Israel his servant, he promises to pour water on their thirsty ground. Not just literally, for there will be an outpouring of his Spirit, so that many descendants will be attaching themselves to his name. There is no god like him, for he is the only one who can foretell these things.

(vv9-20 Physical idols again)

You should remember these things, Jacob/Israel my servant, because I have swept away your transgressions and redeemed you. I have ordered the repopulation of Jerusalem and the whole of Judah, and have appointed Cyrus to make sure it happens.

Ch45 Addressing Cyrus, giving him that task “for the sake of my servant Jacob”.

Let no one, then, doubt what the Lord is doing (vv8-13). The other nations will be forced to admit to Israel that their God is the true God, who has saved Israel with an everlasting salvation (vv14-17). He is the God who formed the world to be lived in, not to be a chaos, and made himself known through his word instead of keeping himself secret (vv18-19).

Let the ignorant nations who carry around idols acknowledge him as the only saviour. Let the ends of the earth turn to him and be saved, so that every knee will bow to him (vv20-26).

Ch46 The physical idols can’t even carry themselves (vv1-2, vv5-7). So let Jacob/Israel trust in the God who can carry them. He is God, there is none like him, and he will bring salvation to Zion.

Ch47 Address to Babylon, who will be destroyed by the same Redeemer because she has put her trust in her own sorceries.

Ch48 Turning back to address Jacob/Israel. When their redemption comes, let them not be stubborn and try to give the credit to their own idols. Let them acknowledge that God has told them about this new thing before it happened. Do not run the risk of being cut off again (vv9-11).

God has called Cyrus as his agent against the Babylonians (vv14-16)
If only, Israel, you had listened to my commandments before, you could have been at peace all this time. Now you may leave Babylon and rejoice and praise. But there will be no peace for you if you return to being wicked (vv17-22).

Ch49 vv1-6; This is known as “the second Servant Song” (after ch42 vv1-4). The servant speaks in the first person, but there is no immediate reason in the context to abandon the identification with Jacob/Israel. God has put his word into the servant’s mouth as a weapon. There was a time when the servant thought he had laboured in vain (the Exile?), set he retains his confidence that the Lord will set things right.

One anomaly, on this interpretation, is that the servant has the task of “bringing back, raising up, restoring” the tribes of Jacob/Israel. One possible explanation is that the servant represents a faithful and trusting minority within Israel, who will bring back to the land many who had fallen into despair and indifference. Another possibility is that the servant here is the current generation of Israel, the return-from-exile generation, who will “restore Israel” by setting up the nation again. Anyway, the servant is now told that this task is not enough, and he will also be established as “a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth”. As might be done by teaching them God’s law.

It is generally accepted that Israel is being addressed in the rest of the chapter. Israel is the servant of rulers, despised by the other nations. But the Lord repeats his promises to restore the land and to bring back Zion’s children.

Ch50 The Lord assures the children of Zion that he has not divorced their mother. They were sent away only because of their transgressions, and he does not lack the power to save them and bring them back.

Vv4-8 One speaks who listens to God and speaks for him, and is determined to stand his ground despite the shame being imposed on him by the “smiters”. Again, this could, in the immediate context, be applicable to Israel’s experience of the exile. The defiance of the world is the defiance that belongs to the commissioned prophet, which opens up the possibility that Israel weas meant to be God’s prophet to the nations.

Ch51 returns to the comfort of Zion, urging them to look back to Abraham their father. Not only will the Lord restore their wilderness to an Eden, but he will also send out his law and justice to the nations as whole. So those who know righteousness should not “fear the reproach of men or be dismayed at their revilings”. He reminds them once again of his power as Creator. He recalls the time (vv17-20) when Jerusalem drank the cup of the wrath of God, and now promises them (vv21-23) that the cup has been transferred to their tormenters.

Ch52 Let Zion, then, joyfully depart from Babylon.

Ch53 (and the preceding two verses) is the core of the “Suffering Servant” material. Yet even here, in the immediate context, it is possible to see a reference to Jacob/Israel as a corporate body.. The Servant has a marred appearance, and is despised and rejected of men, But only a couple of chapters back, it was Jacob/Israel that was being despised, “reproached and reviled”, and this could be applied to the shame of being defeated and exiled by the Babylonians. The other nations would be able to say of Israel “We esteemed him stricken, smitten by God”. In which case the other nations would be confessing that their own transgressions were part of the burden being laid upon Israel and equally responsible for Israel’s downfall. In that case, “my servant will prosper” and “shall divide the spoil with the strong” would be part of the promise being made to Zion. We are told that he will make many righteous “by his knowledge”, which could perhaps mean by his teaching knowledge of God’s laws.

In support of this approach, we may note that the next couple of chapters resume or continue the theme of encouraging Zion. She may forget the shame of her widowhood, and she will be established in righteousness. That is the heritage of the servants of the Lord (ch54). I will make an everlasting covenant with you, and you will call the nations as their leader just as David led his people.. So seek the Lord and return to him, understanding that his thoughts are way beyond your thoughts. You will be led out of Babylon in joy (ch55).

Given the continuity of the overall message, it appears that even the Servant Songs must be regarded, n the first instance, as part of the address to Jacob/Israel on the occasion of their release from Babylon.

On the other hand, there is also a New Testament dimension to the interpretation of this theme, which will be considered another time.

yeah, I learned the Hebrew culture reads in.....symbology and signs when reading a work.

the greek do time start to finish but the Hebrew culture goes strait into interpreting, as in Revelations...interpreting the visions but not by first to last at all. still gettin used to that....he he

I like this reading, thanks man, I was needing something

I now add a link to the sequel thread, where believerofgod has been adding material relating to the Jewish viewponit;
Suffering Servant- New Testament version

originally posted by: DISRAELI
The Suffering Servant of Isaiah has always been a point of contest between the Jewish and the Christian reading of the Old Testament

One traditional Jewish interpretation is that he is a representative figure, standing for the sufferings of Israel.

Other interpretations insist on treating him as an individual, and of course Christian tradition refers him to the person of Jesus.

Another school of thought offers a third option, that God in all seriousness intends us to understand both interpretations.

My guiding principle in reading the prophets of the Old Testament is that the prophet is always addressing the people of his own time, in the first instance. That determines the original meaning of the prophecy. The Holy Spirit will sometimes allow the Christian to find a supplementary meaning along the same lines.

A classic example is the “birth of a child” prophecy in Isaiah ch7 v14, which was originally setting a deadline for the promised end of a siege of Jerusalem. It is on Matthew’s authority that we reassign the verse to the birth of Jesus.

Following that principle, the Suffering Servant passages need to be read first as part of a much longer address, which belongs to the historical setting of the work of Cyrus and the restoration of Jerusalem.

The starting-point is in ch40, in the instruction to give “comfort” to Jerusalem. That is the object of the exercise. Israel needs to know that the restoration has been guaranteed.

The original fall of Jerusalem was God’s response to the iniquities of Jerusalem. Jerusalem has now been punished enough, which is what makes the restoration possible. She has completed her sentence.

The other condition which had to be fulfilled was that the God of Israel should be able to overcome all the other gods which might have opposed it. That’s why so much of this address is proclaiming his power and condemning their weakness, as demonstrated by the events of current history.

Everything is being prepared, “made straight”, for God to do his work (vv3-5). The word of God will stand for ever, in contrast with the ephemeral nature of created things- “all flesh is grass” (vv6-8).

The God who rules with might is coming to gather his flock (vv9-11). This is the same God who created the world, “marked off the heavens with a span”. He works under nobody else’s guidance or authority. “All the nations are nothing before him” (vv12-17).

(vv18-20 are part of an account of the helplessness of the physical idol)

This is the God who sits in the heavens and controls them. All the inhabitants of the earth are nothing before him (vv21-26).

Why, then, does Jacob/Israel say “My way is hid from the Lord”? This is the God who is strong and gives power to the faint. “They who wait for the Lord will renew their strength”. (vv27-31)

In ch41 he begins speaking to the Gentiles to challenge them on the same point. Is it not true that he “tramples kings under foot”?

(vv6-7 The physical idol again)

Then he returns to addressing Jacob/Israel, calling them “my servant”. He called them originally from the ends of the earth, saying “You are my servant, I have chosen you -fear not for I am with you- I am your God, I will strengthen you” (vv8-10). Those who strive against them will be put to shame. He will make them a strong force to crush them. He will fill their land with water and trees, so that men in general will know that the Holy One of Israel has done these things.

He challenges the rival gods on their power to know the past or the future (vv21-24). They and their work are nothing. He has “stirred up” a king from the north to trample other rulers, and he has already announced the fact to Jerusalem, but these delusions had nothing to say on the matter (vv25-29).

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold” (ch42 v1). In the immediate context, this has to be Jacob/Israel, because the message is continuing.
In that case, “I will put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations” is explained by “the coastlands wait for his law”. The justice comes through the law of God, which the servant is teaching to the rest of the world. And “I am giving you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations” (v6) would have the same meaning. Through the servant, God is opening the blind eyes of the nations and releasing them from their dungeon.
These would be the “new things” which the Lord is bringing into existence.

So now the Lord is to be praised with a new song (v10). He breaks his patient silence and goes out against the nations like a man of war. He will lead the blind into new paths, away from the rough places and into level ground. And here “the blind” means those who put their trust in idols. Particularly his own people, who have been dazzled by the false light of the gods of their enemies;
“Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the Lord?”

Jacob/Israel is designed as God’s messenger to the world, but they must relearn the message of the power of God before they can teach it. They have become a prey to the nations, but who made them so? No, not the gods of those nations, but the Lord himself (v24) because of their former sins.

Ch43; Jacob/Israel must fear no more, because the God who created them has also redeemed them, and will regather them.

“Bring forth the people who are blind” (v8).
“You are my witnesses, and my servant who I have chosen, that YOU may know and believe me and understand that I am He” (v10)
“The blind” are still Jacob/Israel. They- or, rather, the event that is happening to them- will be presented as a witness, to convince the assembled world, but also to convince themselves, that the Lord is the only god.

This is the promise of their Redeemer (v14), who once broke down Egypt for their sake, and now breaks down Babylon for their sake.

Previous themes begin to be repeated. The Lord reminds them again of their former neglect and iniquity, which is why he originally delivered them up to Babylon (vv22-28).

Ch44; Nevertheless, continuing to address Jacob/Israel his servant, he promises to pour water on their thirsty ground. Not just literally, for there will be an outpouring of his Spirit, so that many descendants will be attaching themselves to his name. There is no god like him, for he is the only one who can foretell these things.

(vv9-20 Physical idols again)

You should remember these things, Jacob/Israel my servant, because I have swept away your transgressions and redeemed you. I have ordered the repopulation of Jerusalem and the whole of Judah, and have appointed Cyrus to make sure it happens.

I have read much about this man. Also known as the marred prophet or the davidic servant.

It is my belief if he truly exists which I think he does. Some say it is Jesus or the Book of Mormon, but I believe he has yet to arrive. It is my belief that he is on earth today. I believe it is also possible he is the Holy Ghost incarnate. I have two amazing blogs that go in depth about him if you’re curious. Cool to see someone talking about him here.

a reply to: DISRAELI
Have you read the sequel thread, on the "New Testament" version?
To my mind, only two interpretations are really in the running. "Israel in the |Bablylonian exile" is the most probable historic original meaning, on the presumption that prophets address forst the people of their own time. Then the New Testament, understood as the voice of the Holy Spirit, authorises us to take the reference to Jesus as an additional layer of meaning. See link posted just above yours.

P.S. This was meant as a reply to the poster just above, but went astray.