The Servant's Compelling Character | Isaiah 50:4-11
The Servant's response to suffering reveals five aspects of his character that compel us to follow him: (1) his sustaining tongue, (2) his obedient ear, (3) his surrendered body, (4) his confident face, and (5) his authoritative voice. This sermon is part 3 in "The Suffering Servant," Bryan Craddock's series of verse-by-verse sermons on Isaiah 49-55.
You never really know what’s inside of a sponge until you squeeze it. It might be clean and ready to wipe away a mess. Or it might be so dirty that it will spread a gross mess onto everything it touches. It’s the same way with people, isn’t it? You never really know what’s inside of us until we are squeezed by the pressure of suffering. What comes out can be pretty messy!
Around 700 years before the time of Christ, the Prophet Isaiah announces that the people of Judah, Israel’s southern kingdom, will be pressed hard with suffering. The Babylonian Empire will conquer them and lead them into exile. Even though that event happens about a hundred years later, the Lord reveals how they will respond in Isaiah 49. It is messy! They will accuse God of forgetting them, leaving them alone and hopeless, and being unjust, all because they arrogantly assume that they are innocent. It’s all lies!
So, the Lord seeks to change their outlook by telling them about the Suffering Servant who will come in the future. Isaiah 50:4-11 shows that his suffering will bring out the best in him. In fact, his response to it reveals five aspects of his character that compel us to follow him.
Now we believe that these prophecies about the Servant point forward to Jesus, and we will see confirmation in the Gospels that his character perfectly matches the description here in Isaiah. He’s the only one who can clean up our mess, and he is able to do so because of his spotless character. So, we need to trust him and follow his example even when we are facing suffering.
His Sustaining Tongue
In Psalm 69, David likens the experience of suffering to sinking in deep waters. A drowning person can be dangerous. There is a sense of panic and desperation as you struggle to breathe. They will instinctively pull someone else down to lift their own head up. In times of suffering, that same instinct influences how we react. We often put others down to lift ourselves up, but it never works.
The Servant responds differently. He has a sustaining tongue. His words lift others up. They are like a life preserver for those who are going under. In the first part of Isaiah 50:4, 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 King James Version says, “tongue of the learned,” and I think that translation captures the idea better. The Servant speaks with great insight and understanding. His words perfectly fit the need of the moment. Back in Isaiah 40:29, the prophet said that the Lord gives power to the faint. The Servant’s word is the vehicle of that divine power. It provides comfort to bind up the weary and strength to help them persevere.
Now Jesus said many things to sustain the weary, but one of his most encouraging statements is recorded in Matthew 11:28-30. He is already suffering verbal attacks. People accuse him of being a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners (11:19). He warns them of the consequences of such hard heartedness, but then he says,
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Apart from Christ we are all saddled with the burden of sin and guilt. Some try to ignore it, deny it, or even celebrate it, but none of that ever alleviates our underlying sense of shame. Others try to offset it by doing a few outstandingly good deeds, but that’s not enough. Then there are those who try to do everything right, but it only deepens their feeling of hypocrisy.
Jesus offers us rest. His words lift us up so that we can breathe. Luke 23:34 tells us that even as they were crucifying him, he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He proclaims the good news of forgiveness so that we can have hope and peace. He speaks the truth that gives us a firm foundation (Mt 7:24). His words impart spirit and life (Jn 6:63), enabling us to bear fruit (Jn 15:7-8).
Have you come to him? Are you listening and following? If so, then his words should shape your words, even in times of suffering. We have an unshakable hope in Christ. We have no reason to be critical and negative, putting people down. In Ephesians 4:29, Paul says,
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
The Servant has a sustaining tongue. Come to him, trust him, and follow the example that he sets for us.
His Obedient Ear
Even if you have never used them yourself, you have probably seen someone walking around wearing those little wireless earbuds. They are a great invention, but they can make communication complicated. They are so inconspicuous that you can talk to someone for several minutes without realizing that they cannot hear you. They are off in a completely different world.
Suffering has a similar effect on us. It drowns out everything else. All you hear is your own thoughts screaming inside your head. But as the Servant suffers, he has an obedient ear. He consistently listens to the Lord and follows his commands.
Beginning in the middle of Isaiah 50:4 and continuing down through verse 5, the Servant says,
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.
The willingness to listen to God’s Word as vital to spiritual life as breathing is to physical life. So, the call to listen is repeated throughout the Bible. One of the key passages in the Old Testament Law is Deuteronomy 6:4-5. It is often called the Sh’ma, which is the Hebrew word for “hear.” It says,
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
But we all have a spiritual hearing problem. We listen to a lot of different voices, including our own, while we turn a deaf ear to God. Jesus refers to this. On several occasions he concludes his teaching by saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” We need to be spiritually awakened. God must open our ears. But he also holds us responsible for our failure to listen. It’s an act of rebellion against him.
The Servant does not have this problem. Day by day, he is fully alert. God opens his ears, and he responds in obedience. Jesus fulfills this prophecy by modeling this kind of life for his followers. John 15:10 tells us that he said,
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
Jesus never sins, but his perfect obedience is more than an example. He satisfies the requirements of God’s Law, so that God’s promised blessing can be poured out in salvation. Hebrews 5:8-9 explains,
Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.
The Servant has an obedient ear, do you? Has God awakened you to hear, believe, and obey? Follow the Servant.
His Surrendered Body
We often use the word “surrender” in a negative sense. Someone commits a crime and tries to escape. They are surrounded, outgunned, and overpowered. They have no option but to admit defeat and give up.
That’s not how it is with the Servant. He is powerful and innocent of all wrongdoing, yet he willingly surrenders to being physically mistreated. The Servant describes his decision and his experience in Isaiah 50:6 and in the first part of verse 7. He says,
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;
As painful as such treatment would be, each action is intended to put someone to shame. The Proverbs speak of using a rod across the back as a punishment for fools (10:13; 19:29; 26:3). Second Samuel 10:4-5 tells us that the king of the Ammonites humiliated David’s emissaries by shaving off half their beards (2 Sam 10:4-5). In Job 30:10, Job says that people expressed their abhorrence of him by spitting. Despite all of this, the Servant has the Lord’s help and is not ultimately disgraced.
Jesus is fully aware that he will be treated this way. Mark 10:32-34 tells us,
And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise."
He could escape by avoiding Jerusalem and going somewhere else. When they come to arrest him, he even says that he can appeal to his Father to send twelve legions of angels to rescue him. But he does not do that. He aims to do the will of God and to fulfill the Scriptures, so he surrenders (Mt 26:53-54).
The Gospels do not mention his beard being plucked out. But with all the other abuse that he experiences, it is certainly possible. The Jewish council blindfolds him, spits at him, and slaps him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?” (Mt 26:67-68). After scourging him, the Roman soldiers dress him up in a robe and crown of thorns. They bow before him and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spit on him and strike him over the head with a rod (Mt 27:26-30). Of course, the ultimate disgrace is that he is stripped naked and crucified between two thieves. Yet by the power of God he overcomes, rising from the dead and ascending into heaven to be honored at the right hand of God.
I was fifteen when I began to understand that Jesus surrendered himself to his suffering. I found it compelling. How could we not believe and follow? Shouldn’t we accept the risk of being treated shamefully for him? In 1 Peter 2:21, Peter says,
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
The Servant surrendered his body to pain and humiliation. Are we willing to follow him? But even in his surrender we see another aspect of his character.
His Confident Face
During World War II, the United States deployed a unit to Europe called the Ghost Army. Their mission was to deceive the enemy about the size and location of Allied forces. It was a traveling road show. They would set up phony camps with inflatable tanks and sound effects. Their efforts were very effective, but it was extremely dangerous work for those troops. If attacked, they had no place to hide and no real firepower to defend themselves.
A lot of people go through life putting on a phony show of strength. We puff ourselves up and even try to convince ourselves that it’s real. But then suffering comes along and pops our bubble. We need true strength to persevere, and we find it in the Servant.
The Servant has a confident face because of his relationship with God from whom all authority comes. Starting in the middle of Isaiah 50:7 and continuing down through verse 9, he says,
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. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.
The contrast between the Servant and his adversaries could not be greater. His face is set like an immovable piece of flint. He doesn’t flinch or grimace in his suffering. He does not fear when false accusations are leveled against him. He is constant because he knows that the Lord is on his side. But his adversaries are nothing more than a ghost army that will fall apart and fade away.
We hear this confidence in the interactions that Jesus has with the Jewish leaders. For instance, John 8:28-29 tells us,
So Jesus said to them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him."
The suffering waiting for him in Jerusalem does not shake his confidence. Luke 9:51-53 uses an expression that is similar to the one in Isaiah 50:7 about his face being set. It says,
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
Even after he is beaten and flogged, he speaks with great confidence to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. John 19:10-11 tells us,
So Pilate said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?" Jesus answered him, "You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin."
When we believe in Jesus, he brings us into a relationship with the Father. We are forgiven of our sins, so that we can look forward with confidence and peace even when we face opposition. In 1 Peter 4:19, Peter says,
Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Don’t worry about opposition. Be confident in the Lord. Set your face and keep following the Servant, because there is one more aspect of his character.
His Authoritative Voice
Imagine what it would be like to live your whole life underground without ever seeing the sun. You could make a fire to generate some light, maybe a torch that you could carry around. But it wouldn’t enable you to see very well, and it wouldn’t last long. It would just burn itself out. You would always be fighting the darkness. Then one day you hear a voice calling you down a different path. It promises to rescue you from the darkness and to lead you out into the full light of day. Would you listen?
That scenario captures our spiritual condition. We live in a dark world, and the Servant calls out with an authoritative voice, promising to guide us into the light. Isaiah 50:10 says,
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.
This verse uses four relational words--fear, obey, trust, and rely, and there is a logic to that progression. Proverbs 1:7 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. To fear him is to acknowledge that as Creator he knows how things work and is in charge. Furthermore, he is not silent. He speaks through his servant, so we should obey him. But that requires us to trust that he is not deceiving us. Then we must rely upon him to guide us step by step out of the darkness.
Jesus often speaks of light and darkness this way. We find it sixteen times in the Gospel of John. The most direct statement is John 8:12, which tells us,
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
Have you responded to his call? Are you willing to fear, obey, trust, and rely upon him? If so, then your life can and should reflect his light for others? Matthew 5:16 tells us that Jesus said,
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Those who follow Christ and shine for him will experience the joy of living in the presence of our glorious God forever. But many people refuse to fear, obey, trust, or rely upon him. They ignore the Servant’s authoritative voice to do things their own way. Isaiah 50:11 has a stern warning for them. The Servant says,
Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.
A lot of people ignore the fact that Jesus often makes statements like this. Sometimes he describes eternal punishment as an unquenchable burning. But he also warns people about the torment of utter darkness. As he speaks about his return in his Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:30 tells us that he says,
And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Your response to the Servant’s authoritative voice will either lead to a joyful existence in the glorious light of God or to an intensely painful one removed from that light. Don’t ignore the Servant to figure it out on your own. Listen to him!
__________
The Servant’s suffering brings out his character. He has a sustaining tongue, an obedient ear, a surrendered body, a confident face, and an authoritative voice. Don’t you find that compelling? If you have never done so, I invite you to begin following Jesus Christ today. If you are not yet ready to make that commitment, then I encourage you to learn more about him. Read his Word for yourself. In the fourteenth chapter of John’s Gospel, he addresses many of the same ideas that we have considered today.
If you are following Christ, how are you doing at reflecting his character? Is it evident in your tongue, ear, body, and face? Aspire to grow in Christlikeness. Walk in the light and share it with others. Tell someone about his compelling character.
May we follow him faithfully!
Reflect
Which aspect of the Servant’s character do you find most compelling? Why?
What steps could you take to grow to better reflect the Servant’s character?
How might you use this passage in telling someone about Christ?