The Hidden Servant

‘Listen to Me, O islands, and pay attention, you peoples from afar, YHWH called me from the womb. From the body of My mother, He named Me. He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He concealed Me. He had also made Me a select arrow; He has hidden Me in His quiver. And He said to Me, ‘You are My Servant, Israel in Whom I will show My glory.’’

The Servant songs at the end of Isaiah’s prophecies are about God’s dealing with Israel, and specifically highlight the Servant of YHWH who will finish the work of God in Israel, concerning their future, their salvation, and the fulfillment of His covenant with them. And one great mystery we begin to see is that salvation would come through the Servant to the entire world. This Servant was hidden and concealed in the hand of God, but would be revealed in Israel and God would receive all the glory when that happened.

’But I said, ‘I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely the justice due to Me is with YHWH, and My reward with My God.’ These words are not the words of Isaiah, lamenting the many years of his prophecies to Israel and Judah, but of the hidden Servant of the LORD. He would toil and it would look like it was in vain, but it would not be in vain. The LORD formed Him to be His Servant from His mother’s womb. Why? In order that Israel might be gathered back to their God. His work would bring Him great honor and God would be His strength.

Not only would this man be God’s Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the remnant of Israel, He would be a Light of the nations so that the salvation of God would reach to the ends of the earth. And it is right here that we get the actual name of the Servant who is speaking - Salvation in Hebrew is Yeshua! This is Jesus, the Holy One of Israel, the Word of YHWh who came to Isaiah and spoke these words so that he would write them down for all time, to declare to Israel the new things that God would do that had been hidden from them. Yeshua/Salvation would reach to the ends of the earth!

‘Thus says YHWH, the Redeemer of Israel, its Holy One, to the Despised One, to the One abhorred by the nation, to the Servant of rulers, ‘Kings shall see and arise. Princes shall also bow down; because YHWH who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.’ This Servant of YHWH who is Salvation/Yeshua would be despised, yet He would receive honor for His mighty deeds in brining redemption to Israel and to the nations. And later on the Scriptures we understand that the mighty work of Jesus secured Him the Name above every Name, that all nations would bow before Him and declare Him to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords, worshiping Him because He is God and Savior!

‘Thus says YHWH, ‘In a favorable time I have answered You, and in a day of salvation (Yeshua) I have helped You; and I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people, to restore the land, to make the inherit the desolate heritages; saying to those who are bound, ‘Go forth,’ and to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ Along the roads they will feed, and their pasture will be on all the bare heights. They will not hunger or thirst, neither will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; for He who has compassion on them will lead them, and will guide them to springs of water. And I will make all My mountains a road, and My highways will be raised up. Behold these shall come from afar; and lo, these will come from the north, and from the west, and from the land of Sinim.’’

This wonderful promise of God to save not only the remnant of Israel, and restore the land promised to them as an inheritance hinges on the Servant - Jesus. Those redeemed will come into the land and God will cover them with compassion. He will raise up roads for them to travel easily and guide them to springs of water. They will come from afar, even from the West and from the far east, from Sinim, which is China. This will cause all of creation itself to rejoice! The whole earth and the heavens themselves will rejoice at the Salvation (Jesus) of God because He has comforted His people and has compassion on the afflicted. Nature itself is waiting the be released from its own bondage, and that will happen when Jesus returns and begins to reign and rule in Jerusalem. 

The Servant of YHWH had been hidden. This was a mystery to Isaiah and everyone else. When Jesus came, born of a virgin, and revealed Himself as their Savior, they did not understand. So they despised Him, rejected Him, and killed Him. That only accomplished what YHWH had already declared would happen and did not stop His ability to save. Jesus conquered Death, secured Salvation, and rose again in mighty power over all of the forces of wickedness. Now He stands as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He will again come and redeem the remnant of Israel, and bring salvation to the nations. This hidden Servant will be seen by all.