“The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning He awakens; He awakens My ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord GOD has opened My ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave My back to those who strike, and My cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not My face from disgrace and spitting. But the Lord GOD helps Me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. He who vindicates Me is near. Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up together …. Behold, the Lord GOD helps Me; who will declare Me guilty? … Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the Name of the LORD and rely on his God.“
(Isaiah 50:4-8a, 9a, 10 ESV)
Our passage for today is one of the Servant Songs from Isaiah. When we listen to it, we hear Jesus Himself speaking about His work as our Savior and Rescuer. It fascinates me, because how often do we get to hear Jesus’ inner thoughts the way we do in this poem? Here He gives us a window into His own heart, and what it was like to live among us.
And what do we hear? Above all, Jesus is depending on His Father, every step of the way. He says, “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary … the Lord God has opened My ear … The Lord God helps Me.” Although Jesus is God, He is also human; and He leans on God the Father for all His needs.
It sounds odd to say it, but Jesus is setting us an example of faith; He tells us that every morning God awakens Him to hear Him. He talks about learning from God how to sustain us with His words; and this has come true, hasn’t it? How many times are we troubled and tired, but when we go to the Gospels, we find that Jesus has given us just what we need to hear so we can keep going? He comforts us and strengthens us through His word.
But He does much more than that. As He says later, “I gave My back to those who strike, and My cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not My face from disgrace and spitting.” This is a graphic description of what Jesus went through for our sakes when He was betrayed, arrested, and tortured before His death. And He tells us very clearly that He did this of His own free will. No one forced Him to suffer or die for us; Jesus did this because He loves God the Father, and because He loves us. And that is why He is forever the true Servant of God, now risen from the dead, who gives life to all of us who trust in Him.
We Pray: Lord Jesus, thank You for what You did for me. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on September 10, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. Does it surprise you to see how much Jesus depends on the Father?
2. To find other places in Isaiah where Jesus speaks, look up Isaiah 43:1-9, 49:1-7, 52:13-53:12, and Isaiah 61:1-3.
3. Why do you think so many of these passages refer to Jesus as “Servant”?