Who is the Servant? | Isaiah 52:13

Hello, welcome to Isaiah 53 In-Depth Bible Study: Part 1. Today, I thought about how deep Isaiah 53 goes and realized that I didn’t want to cram it all into one post. I want to give each verse room to breathe so we can focus on it in detail. So, we start with, Who is the Servant? | Isaiah 52:13.

In the original Hebrew Scripture, there are actually no chapter divisions. Both Jewish and Christian scholars agree that chapter 53 is a continuation of the prophecy starting back at Isaiah 52:13, so that is exactly where we are going to start.

I really want to take our time unpacking each verse together. We’ll be finding at least two or three witnesses in Scripture for our foundation as we go. This is going to be an ongoing series because it is simply way too much to unpack in just one post without getting totally lost in a mountain of information.

Isaiah 52:13

So, who is God’s servant? Throughout the book of Isaiah, God’s servant is explicitly named as Israel. Let’s look at the supporting scriptural evidence to establish our witnesses, we actually find far more than the 2-3 that we need.

But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, Seed of Abraham My friend—You whom I drew from the ends of the earth and called from its far corners, to whom I said: You are My servant; I chose you, I have not rejected you—

— Isaiah 41:8-9

Notice that not only is Israel called the chosen servant, but God explicitly states that Israel is not rejected. Even though the nations claim that God has forsaken His servant Israel, Scripture tells a completely different story.

But I will bring healing to you and cure you of your wounds,’ declares the LORD. ‘Though they called you “Outcast, that Zion whom no one seeks out.

— Jeremiah 30:17

Look at that, you see here in Jeremiah 30:17, as a direct witness to Isaiah’s prophecy about not being rejected, though the nations believed Israel was and notice here it says Israel was wounded but God will heal Israel as we will see later the connection to Isaiah 53.

“But hear, now, O Jacob My servant, Israel whom I have chosen!…” — Isaiah 44:1-2

“For the sake of My servant Jacob, Israel My chosen one, I call you by name…” — Isaiah 45:4

“…Say: “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!”” — Isaiah 48:20

“And He said to me, “You are My servant, Israel in whom I glory.”” — Isaiah 49:3

Something to Think About

As we look at how the servant is described across these chapters, we also have to look at Isaiah 42:19-20, which reads:

“Who is so blind as My servant, so deaf as the messenger I send? Who is so blind as the chosen one, so blind as the servant of the LORD? Seeing many things, he gives no heed; with ears open, he hears nothing.”

— Isaiah 42:19-20

The servant here is described as being blind and deaf, unable to see, hear, or understand. Christians claim that Jesus is the servant in Isaiah, but if that is the case, you have to ask yourself a serious question. Was Jesus blind and deaf, unable to understand anything?

And given the Christian view that Jesus is God, I have to leave you with one more question to ponder on, and that is:

Is God His own servant?

Final Thoughts

I used to believe the Christian viewpoint that Isaiah 53 was about a suffering messiah. Honestly, back then, I just didn’t understand scripture very well. In fact, the scriptures I grew up reading look quite different than what is in the original Hebrew Bible, which we are going to see later on as we get deeper into this study.

Today, I’m right here learning with you. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I do have a heart to study and learn what the text actually says. I also want to say, don’t rely only on what I write alone here on Graceful Studies. I encourage everyone to study for themselves as well, to see what the Scriptures say.

See you in the next post, as we continue to study Isaiah, one post at a time.