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Meditation on the 4th ‘Servant Song’ in Isaiah

Reverend Martin Adhikary

Published: 22 Mar 2024, 12:06 AM

Meditation on the 4th ‘Servant Song’ in Isaiah
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Every year, Christians all over the world observe the Holy Octave during the Palm Sunday till the Easter Sunday with great solemnity and religious fervor. With meditation and reflection on the sacrificial death of Christ and his glorious resurrection during that time they worship God.  
Meditation on the 4th ‘Servant Song’ in IsaiahThe Bible’s Book of Isaiah contains four great songs known as the ‘Servant Songs’. They are found in the following chapters of the book: 42:1-7, 49:1-13, 50:4-11, and 52:13-53:12. In these special songs, Christians see prophecies about Christ, his sufferings at the hands of the wicked ones and his subsequent exaltation and glory. They are written in what is called ‘prophetic past tenses’. Known as the ‘most Christian prophet’ in the Old Testament, the 8th century B.C. prophet Isaiah portrayed the Messiah as the suffering Servant of God. He had to endure great sufferings, even unjust death for the cause of the redemption and salvation of his people and also for mankind from sin.  This article solely focuses on the 4th or the last Song. It is quoted below:     
“See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness—so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. Who has believed our message, and to whom was the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely, he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet, it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 52:13-53:12).
Isaiah portrays Christ as the obedient and suffering servant of God whom he also exalted. He was smitten and afflicted for the salvation of Man from the bondage of sin. The very central and key verse in this 15-verse passage is: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (verse 5). The whole New Testament testifies to this truth about the suffering, passion and death of Christ, who was sinless yet he bore our sins. Paul wrote: “He who knew no sin God made him sin for us.” The innocent, non-violent and just was killed for and by the unjust that we may have new life, life of love, justice and peace with God and with all his creation.
The Bible teaches that sin must be punished. God so loved mankind that he gave his only begotten and sinless Son to pay that price by his substitutionary death. God is immortal. He incarnated as a man in the person of Jesus so that he could die. He died for our transgression and iniquity.  The death of sinless Christ is the only acceptable sacrifice before Holy God, the ransom-price for sin.  May God grant us that we may live our lives in love, peace and harmony! This is how we can show our true devotion to God.
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The writer is a Christian Theology teacher and Church leader

 

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