Message Three

Christ as the Servant of Jehovah
Typified by Cyrus the King of Persia, Israel, and Isaiah

Scripture Reading: Isa. 41:2, 25; 45:13, 1; 48:14; 46:11; 44:28;
41:8-16; 42:1; 43:10; 44:1-5, 21; 46:13; 48:16; 49:1-4; 50:4-9

Isa. 41:2 Who has stirred up someone from the east, / Called him in righteousness to His feet? / He gave up the nations before him, / And caused him to have dominion over kings. / He made them like dust with his sword, / Like driven stubble with his bow.

Isa. 41:25 I have raised up one from the north and he has come; / From the rising of the sun he will call upon My name. / He will come upon rulers as upon mortar, / As the potter treads the clay.

Isa. 45:13 I raised him up in righteousness, / And will make straight all his ways; / He will build My city, / And send away My captives, / Neither for a price nor for a reward, / Says Jehovah of hosts.

Isa. 45:1 Thus says Jehovah to His anointed, / To Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, / To subdue the nations before him; / And I will loosen the loins of kings; / To open before him double doors / So that the gates will not be shut:

Isa. 48:14 Assemble yourselves, all of you, and hear! / Who among them has declared these things? / Jehovah loves him; he will do His pleasure / On Babylon, and His arm will be upon the Chaldeans.

Isa. 46:11 Who calls for a bird of prey from the east, / And from a distant land a man to be My counselor. / Indeed, I have spoken; surely I will bring it to pass. / I have purposed; surely I will do it.

Isa. 44:28 Who says to Cyrus, He is My shepherd, / And he will fulfill all My desire, / Even by saying of Jerusalem, She will be built, / And of the temple, Her foundations will be laid.

Isa. 41:8-16 But you, Israel, My servant, / Jacob, whom I have chosen, / The seed of Abraham My friend; ⁹You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, / And from its extremities have called, / And said to you, You are My servant; / I have chosen you and have not cast you away. ¹⁰Do not be afraid, for I am with you; / Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. / I will strengthen you; surely I will help you; / Surely I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness. ¹¹Indeed all those who were incensed against you / Will be ashamed and confounded; / The men who strive against you / Will be as nothing and will perish. ¹²You will seek but not find / The men who contend with you; / The men who war with you / Will be as nothing and as without existence. ¹³For I am Jehovah your God, / Who takes hold of your right hand, / Who says to you, Do not be afraid; / I will help you. ¹⁴Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, / You few men of Israel; / I will help you, declares Jehovah, / Even your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. ¹⁵Now I will make you into a sharp threshing instrument, / One that is new and possessing teeth. / You shall thresh the mountains and make them powder, / And you shall make the hills like chaff. ¹⁶You shall winnow them, and the wind will carry them away / And the storm wind will scatter them. / And you will rejoice in Jehovah, / You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Isa. 42:1 Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, / My chosen One in whom My soul delights; / I have put My Spirit upon Him, / And He will bring forth justice to the nations.

Isa. 43:10 You are My witnesses, declares Jehovah, / And My servant whom I have chosen, / In order that you may know and believe Me / And understand that I am He. / Before Me there was no God formed, / Neither will there be any after Me.

Isa. 44:1-5 But now hear, O Jacob, My servant, / And Israel, whom I have chosen. ²Thus says Jehovah your Maker / And the One who formed you from the womb, who will help you, / Do not fear, O Jacob, My servant, / And Jeshurun whom I have chosen, ³For I will pour water upon the thirsty land, / And streams upon the dry ground; / I will pour out My Spirit upon your seed, / And My blessing upon your offspring. ⁴They will spring up among the grass, / Like poplars beside the flowing streams of water. ⁵One will say, I am Jehovah’s; / Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; / Another will write with his hand, I am Jehovah’s; / He will name himself with the name Israel.

Isa. 44:21 Remember these things, O Jacob, / And Israel, for you are My servant. / I have formed you; you are My servant; / O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.

Isa. 46:13 I will bring My righteousness near—it is not far off; / And My salvation will not delay; / And I will give salvation in Zion, / And to Israel My glory.

Isa. 48:16 Draw near to Me and listen to this: / From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; / From the time it took place, I was there. / And now the Lord Jehovah / Has sent me and His Spirit.

Isa. 49:1-4 Listen to me, O coastlands, / And hearken, you peoples from afar. / Jehovah has called me from the womb; / From the bowels of my mother He has made mention of my name. ²And He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; / He has concealed me in the shadow of His hand, / And He has made me a polished arrow; / He has hidden me in His quiver. ³And He said to me, You are My servant, / Israel, in whom I will be glorified. ⁴But I said, I have labored in vain; / I have used up my strength for nothing and vanity; / Yet surely the justice due to me is with Jehovah, / And my recompense with my God.

Isa. 50:4-9 The Lord Jehovah has given me / The tongue of the instructed, / That I should know how to sustain the weary with a word. / He awakens me morning by morning; / He awakens my ear / To hear as an instructed one. ⁵The Lord Jehovah has opened my ear; / And I was not rebellious, / Nor did I turn back. ⁶I gave my back to those who strike me / And my cheeks to those who pluck out the hair; / I did not hide my face / From humiliation and spitting. ⁷The Lord Jehovah helps me; / Therefore I have not been dishonored; / Therefore I have set my face like a flint, / And I know that I will not be put to shame. ⁸The One who justifies me is near; who will contend with me? / Let us stand up together! / Who is my adversary in judgment? / Let him come near to me. ⁹Indeed, the Lord Jehovah helps me, / Who is the one who condemns me? / Indeed, they will all wear out like a garment; / The moth will consume them.

I. In Isaiah 41 through 66 Christ is revealed as the Servant of Jehovah:

A. In the book of Isaiah Christ as the Servant of Jehovah is typified by three persons—by a Gentile king, Cyrus the king of Persia; by God’s chosen corporate people, Israel; and by the prophet Isaiah; all three were God’s servants in the sense of a type.

B. Cyrus, Israel, and Isaiah all did the same thing to please God by serving to release God’s people, to build up God’s house, the temple, and to build up God’s kingdom, signified by the city of Jerusalem; thus, they all typify Christ as God’s Servant—Luke 4:18-21; Matt. 16:18-19.

Luke 4:18-21 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to announce the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away in release those who are oppressed, ¹⁹To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of jubilee.” ²⁰And when He rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant, He sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹And He began to say to them, Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

Matt. 16:18-19 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in the heavens.

C. All who are in Christ (1 Cor. 1:30) and who are thus one with Christ to release God’s people and to build up His house and His kingdom are servants of God; those who are one with Christ have become a great corporate Christ (12:12; Col. 3:10-11), the same as the individual Christ in being the testimony and servant of God:

1 Cor. 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

1 Cor. 12:12 For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ.

Col. 3:10-11 And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, ¹¹Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.

1. We need to be one with Christ to release God’s people from the captivity of Satan back to the enjoyment of God as their possession; our preaching of the gospel is to release these captives to make them the sons of God, the members of Christ, and the constituents of the new man—Isa. 61:1-2; Luke 4:18-21; Matt. 12:28-29; Gal. 3:26; Rom. 12:4-5; Col. 3:10-11.

Isa. 61:1-2 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon Me, / Because Jehovah has anointed Me / To bring good news to the afflicted; / He has sent Me to bind up the wounds of the brokenhearted, / To proclaim liberty to the captives, / And the opening of the eyes to those who are bound; ²To proclaim the acceptable year of Jehovah / And the day of vengeance of our God; / To comfort all who mourn;

Matt. 12:28-29 But if I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²⁹Or how can anyone enter into the house of the strong man and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will thoroughly plunder his house.

Gal. 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Rom. 12:4-5 For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, ⁵So we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

2. We need to be one with Christ to release God’s people from Babylon (apostate Christendom) and the principle of Babylon; anything that is Babylonian gives Satan the ground to defeat the people of God—Isa. 48:20; 41:21-29; Rev. 17:3-5; Josh. 7:21.

Isa. 48:20 Come out from Babylon; / Flee from the Chaldeans; / With a voice of shouting declare; / Let them hear this, / Send it out unto the end of the earth; / Say, Jehovah has redeemed / His servant Jacob.

Isa. 41:21-29 Present your case, says Jehovah; / Bring forward your arguments, says the King of Jacob. ²²Let them bring forth and declare to us / What will take place; / Let them show what the former things were, / That we may consider them, / And may know the end of them; / Or let us hear the things that are coming. ²³Declare to us the things that are coming afterward, / That we may know that you are gods; / Indeed do good or do evil, / That we may look at one another anxiously and be afraid together. ²⁴You are indeed nothing, / And your work is of no consequence; / He who chooses you is an abomination. ²⁵I have raised up one from the north and he has come; / From the rising of the sun he will call upon My name. / He will come upon rulers as upon mortar, / As the potter treads the clay. ²⁶Who has declared it from the beginning that we may know, / And in advance that we may say, He is right? / Indeed there was no one who declared it; indeed no one who let us hear; / Indeed no one who heard your words. ²⁷Formerly I said to Zion, Here, here they are; / And to Jerusalem, I will give someone who preaches glad tidings. ²⁸But I looked and there was no man, / And from among these there was no counselor, / Who, when I asked, would give Me an answer. ²⁹Indeed all of them are vanity; / Their works are of no consequence; / Their molten images are a wind and a waste.

Rev. 17:3-5 And he carried me away in spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. ⁴And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the unclean things of her fornication. ⁵And on her forehead there was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Josh. 7:21 When I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle of Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And now they are hidden in the earth in my tent, with the silver under it.

3. We need to be one with Christ to build up the church as God’s temple and as God’s kingdom—Eph. 2:21-22; Matt. 16:18-19, 24; 1 Cor. 14:4b; Rom. 14:17-18.

Eph. 2:21-22 In whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; ²²In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.

Matt. 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

1 Cor. 14:4 He who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but he who prophesies builds up the church.

Rom. 14:17-18 For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸For he who serves Christ in this is well pleasing to God and approved by men.

II. Christ as the Servant of Jehovah is typified by Cyrus the king of Persia—Isa. 41:2, 25; 45:13, 1; 48:14; 46:11; 44:28:

Isa. 41:25 I have raised up one from the north and he has come; / From the rising of the sun he will call upon My name. / He will come upon rulers as upon mortar, / As the potter treads the clay.

Isa. 44:28 Who says to Cyrus, He is My shepherd, / And he will fulfill all My desire, / Even by saying of Jerusalem, She will be built, / And of the temple, Her foundations will be laid.

A. Cyrus was raised up by Jehovah (41:2a, 25a; 45:13a; Acts 3:26a), anointed by Jehovah (Isa. 45:1a; Luke 4:18a), and loved by Jehovah (Isa. 48:14b; Matt. 3:17).

Isa. 41:25 I have raised up one from the north and he has come; / From the rising of the sun he will call upon My name. / He will come upon rulers as upon mortar, / As the potter treads the clay.

Acts 3:26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant, has sent Him to bless you in turning each of you away from your wicked deeds.

Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to announce the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away in release those who are oppressed,

Matt. 3:17 And behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I have found My delight.

B. He did God’s pleasure on Babylon (Isa. 48:14; 46:11), symbolizing the Roman Catholic Church (Rev. 17:3-5).

C. He was God’s counselor (Isa. 46:11b) to subdue the nations and have dominion over the kings (41:2b, 25; 45:1b; Ezra 1:2a; Acts 5:31; Rev. 1:5a).

Isa. 41:25 I have raised up one from the north and he has come; / From the rising of the sun he will call upon My name. / He will come upon rulers as upon mortar, / As the potter treads the clay.

Ezra 1:2 Thus says Cyrus the king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has Jehovah the God of heaven given to me; and He has charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Acts 5:31 This One God has exalted to His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Rev. 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood

D. As Jehovah’s shepherd, Cyrus fulfilled the desires of Jehovah—Isa. 44:28:

Isa. 44:28 Who says to Cyrus, He is My shepherd, / And he will fulfill all My desire, / Even by saying of Jerusalem, She will be built, / And of the temple, Her foundations will be laid.

1. Cyrus served God by defeating Babylon, God’s enemy (48:14), which had captured His people and destroyed the temple (2 Kings 24-25), by declaring the release of Israel from captivity, and by issuing a decree allowing the Jews to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem (Isa. 45:13; Ezra 1:2-3).

Ezra 1:2-3 Thus says Cyrus the king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has Jehovah the God of heaven given to me; and He has charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ³Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him; and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and let him build the house of Jehovah the God of Israel—He is God—who is in Jerusalem.

2. These three things are types, signifying Christ’s defeating Satan (Heb. 2:14), releasing His believers from Satan’s captivity (Luke 4:18; Eph. 4:8), and building up the church as God’s temple (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 2:21).

Heb. 2:14 Since therefore the children have shared in blood and flesh, He also Himself in like manner partook of the same, that through death He might destroy him who has the might of death, that is, the devil,

Eph. 4:8 Therefore the Scripture says, “Having ascended to the height, He led captive those taken captive and gave gifts to men.”

Matt. 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Eph. 2:21 In whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord;

3. In subduing Babylon and releasing the captives of Israel, and in charging Israel and supporting them to build up the temple and the city of their God (Ezra I), Cyrus did God’s pleasure—Isa. 48: 14:

a. God loves Israel, loves His kingdom, signified by the city of Jerusalem, and loves His house, signified by the temple.

b. It was a matter of love for God to use a Gentile king to do what was in His heart; thus, God loved Cyrus—v. 14.

III. Christ as the Servant of Jehovah is typified by Israel—41:8-16; 42:1; 43:10; 44:1-5, 21; 49:3; 46:13:

Isa. 41:8-16 But you, Israel, My servant, / Jacob, whom I have chosen, / The seed of Abraham My friend; ⁹You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, / And from its extremities have called, / And said to you, You are My servant; / I have chosen you and have not cast you away. ¹⁰Do not be afraid, for I am with you; / Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. / I will strengthen you; surely I will help you; / Surely I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness. ¹¹Indeed all those who were incensed against you / Will be ashamed and confounded; / The men who strive against you / Will be as nothing and will perish. ¹²You will seek but not find / The men who contend with you; / The men who war with you / Will be as nothing and as without existence. ¹³For I am Jehovah your God, / Who takes hold of your right hand, / Who says to you, Do not be afraid; / I will help you. ¹⁴Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, / You few men of Israel; / I will help you, declares Jehovah, / Even your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. ¹⁵Now I will make you into a sharp threshing instrument, / One that is new and possessing teeth. / You shall thresh the mountains and make them powder, / And you shall make the hills like chaff. ¹⁶You shall winnow them, and the wind will carry them away / And the storm wind will scatter them. / And you will rejoice in Jehovah, / You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Isa. 42:1 Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, / My chosen One in whom My soul delights; / I have put My Spirit upon Him, / And He will bring forth justice to the nations.

Isa. 44:21 Remember these things, O Jacob, / And Israel, for you are My servant. / I have formed you; you are My servant; / O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.

Isa. 49:3 And He said to me, You are My servant, / Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

Isa. 46:13 I will bring My righteousness near—it is not far off; / And My salvation will not delay; / And I will give salvation in Zion, / And to Israel My glory.

A. Israel typifies Christ for the carrying out of the kind word of comfort spoken by Jehovah—40:1-2.

Isa. 40:1-2 Comfort, oh, comfort My people, / Says your God. ²Speak unto the heart of Jerusalem, / And cry out to her, / That her warfare has finished, / That the penalty for her iniquity has been accepted; / For she has received from the hand of Jehovah double / For all her sins.

B. Israel was chosen by Jehovah and upheld with the right hand of His righteousness—41:10.

Isa. 41:10 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; / Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. / I will strengthen you; surely I will help you; / Surely I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.

C. Israel overcame the enemies by Jehovah and rejoiced and gloried in Him, the Holy One of Israel—vv. 8-16; 42:1a; Rom. 8:37; 1 Thes. 2:19-20.

Isa. 41:8-16 (see reference above)

Isa. 42:1 Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, / My chosen One in whom My soul delights; / I have put My Spirit upon Him, / And He will bring forth justice to the nations.

Rom. 8:37 But in all these things we more than conquer through Him who loved us.

1 Thes. 2:19-20 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at His coming? Are not even you? ²⁰For you are our glory and joy.

D. Israel was the witness of Jehovah—Isa. 43:10; Rev. 1:5a; 3:14; Acts 1:8.

Rev. 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood

Rev. 3:14 And to the messenger of the church in Laodicea write: These things says the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God:

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

E. The Spirit of Jehovah was poured out on Israel for the blessing of his offspring—Isa. 44:1-5, 21; Matt. 3:16; Luke 4:18-19.

Isa. 44:21 Remember these things, O Jacob, / And Israel, for you are My servant. / I have formed you; you are My servant; / O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.

Matt. 3:16 And having been baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon Him.

Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to announce the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away in release those who are oppressed, ¹⁹To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of jubilee.”

F. Jehovah was glorified in Israel—Isa. 43:7; 49:3; 46:13b; John 17:1; 12:28:

Isa. 43:7 Everyone who is called by My name, / Whom I have created, formed, and even made for My glory.

Isa. 49:3 And He said to me, You are My servant, / Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

Isa. 46:13 I will bring My righteousness near—it is not far off; / And My salvation will not delay; / And I will give salvation in Zion, / And to Israel My glory.

John 17:1 These things Jesus spoke, and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You;

John 12:28 Father, glorify Your name. Then a voice came out of heaven: I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.

1. Israel is God’s servant in the sense of fulfilling God’s desire in His economy to have a corporate expression of Himself for His glory—Isa. 43:7:

Isa. 43:7 Everyone who is called by My name, / Whom I have created, formed, and even made for My glory.

a. The people of Israel were to be used by God to express Him in a corporate way.

b. In this sense Israel was one with Christ as God’s servant—41:8; 45:4; 49:3; Hosea 11:1; cf. Matt. 2:15.

Isa. 41:8 But you, Israel, My servant, / Jacob, whom I have chosen, / The seed of Abraham My friend;

Isa. 45:4 For the sake of My servant, Jacob, / And Israel, My chosen one, / I have also called you by your name; / I have surnamed you, although you do not know Me.

Isa. 49:3 And He said to me, You are My servant, / Israel, in whom I will be glorified.

Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, / And out of Egypt I called My son.

Matt. 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod, in order that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

c. The servant of Jehovah is corporate, and Israel was part of this corporate servant—Isa. 41:8.

Isa. 41:8 But you, Israel, My servant, / Jacob, whom I have chosen, / The seed of Abraham My friend;

2. In the present age the church, as the testimony of God, serves God for the expression of God, the glory of God—Rev. 1:2; Eph. 3:21; Gal. 6:16.

Rev. 1:2 Who testified the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, even all that he saw.

Eph. 3:21 To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever. Amen.

Gal. 6:16 And as many as walk by this rule, peace be upon them and mercy, even upon the Israel of God.

3. The glorification of God is the purpose of our service; the highest service we can render to God is to express Him in His glory—Eph. 1:23; 1 Cor. 10:31.

Eph. 1:23 Which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.

1 Cor. 10:31 Therefore whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

IV. Christ as the Servant of Jehovah is typified by the prophet Isaiah—Isa. 48:16; 49:1-4; 50:4-9:

A. Isaiah typifies Christ as the Servant of Jehovah (Mark 10:45) for God’s speaking (Deut. 18:15; John 3:34; 14:24):

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Deut. 18:15 A Prophet will Jehovah your God raise up for you from your midst, from among your brothers, like me; you shall listen to Him.

John 3:34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit not by measure.

John 14:24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

1. Isaiah served God as His mouthpiece to speak forth His word, which is the embodiment of Himself—Isa. 49:1-4.

2. Isaiah’s prophesying helped in the release of Israel and the rebuilding of the temple and the city.

B. In verse 4 Isaiah typifies Christ:

1. People judged Christ wrongly, thinking that His word was nothing and in vain; however, Christ was assured that the justice due to Him would come from God—1 Pet. 2:23.

1 Pet. 2:23 Who being reviled did not revile in return; suffering, He did not threaten but kept committing all to Him who judges righteously;

2. God values Christ’s word (cf. Matt. 24:35) and will reward Him for His speaking.

Matt. 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall by no means pass away.

C. Isaiah 50:4-5 speaks of the instruction received by Isaiah as a servant of Jehovah; thus, Isaiah typifies Christ in his receiving instructions from God.

Isa. 50:4-5 The Lord Jehovah has given me / The tongue of the instructed, / That I should know how to sustain the weary with a word. / He awakens me morning by morning; / He awakens my ear / To hear as an instructed one. ⁵The Lord Jehovah has opened my ear; / And I was not rebellious, / Nor did I turn back.

D. In the life he lived, Isaiah was a type of Christ:

1. Isaiah 50:6-9 reveals the life lived by Isaiah as a servant of Jehovah.

Isa. 50:6-9 I gave my back to those who strike me / And my cheeks to those who pluck out the hair; / I did not hide my face / From humiliation and spitting. ⁷The Lord Jehovah helps me; / Therefore I have not been dishonored; / Therefore I have set my face like a flint, / And I know that I will not be put to shame. ⁸The One who justifies me is near; who will contend with me? / Let us stand up together! / Who is my adversary in judgment? / Let him come near to me. ⁹Indeed, the Lord Jehovah helps me, / Who is the one who condemns me? / Indeed, they will all wear out like a garment; / The moth will consume them.

2. These verses describe the life lived by the Lord Jesus on earth—Matt. 26:67; 1 Pet. 2:23.

Matt. 26:67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists, and others slapped Him,

1 Pet. 2:23 Who being reviled did not revile in return; suffering, He did not threaten but kept committing all to Him who judges righteously;