The Lord has given me
a well-trained tongue.
That I may know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Each morning, he wakes me to hear,
to listen like a disciple.
The Lord has opened my ear.
For my part, I made no resistance,
neither did I turn away.
I offered my back to those who struck me,
my cheeks to those who tore at my beard.
I did not cover my face
against insult and spittle.
The Lord comes to my help,
so that I am untouched by the insults.
So, too, I set my face like flint.
I know I shall not be shamed.
My vindicator is here at hand.
Does anyone start proceedings against me?
Then let us go to court together.
Who thinks he has a case against me?
Let him approach me.
The Lord is coming to my help,
who will dare to condemn me?
(Isaiah 50:4-9)
Today’s Old Testament reading is the third of the Servant Songs of Isaiah. The idea of righteous suffering is ubiquitous in Isaiah. This text emphasizes the cost of being faithful to the LORD’s calling and God’s vindication of the servant’s obedience. Isaiah 50:4-9 is written in the first person. Thus, the prophet equates himself with the servant or is speaking about the experience of suffering through the lens of the servant’s first-hand experience.
Today’s passage has two sections, verses 4-5 and verses 7-9, joined together by, and that are hinged upon, the servant’s suffering at the hands of his enemies in verse 6. The first section focuses on the servant’s calling through images of speaking and hearing. The center of this passage, literarily and thematically, is verse 6, that depicts graphically the abuse that the servant’s enemies inflict upon him. The passage concludes with verses 7-9 by using legalistic language to describe the LORD’s advocacy. The structure of the passage focuses the reader’s attention on Isaiah 50:6. Thus, the meaning of suffering is the central problem that the prophet confronts. The servant’s divine calling, on the one hand, and the LORD’s vindication, on the other, frames this weighty theological dilemma.
Verses 4-5 emphasize the servant’s calling through the theme of faithfulness. The communication of God’s intention to the people is fundamental to the core of a prophet’s calling. In verse 4, the tongue of this loyal “teacher” is used to support the weary. The ear of the servant is opened to both those whom he teaches and to the LORD. Hearkening to the voices of both characterizes the prophet’s obedience; and hence, he declares confidently, “For my part, I made no resistance, neither did I turn away”.
Both verses 4 and 5 begin with the LORD God as the subject of verbs that enable the servant’s vocation. The LORD has “given” the prophet his tongue in order to speak words that sustain the people. The LORD God has “opened” the ear of the servant. Thus, the LORD both enables and is the source of this prophetic calling, making possible both the servant’s speech and hearing.
Verse 6 is the crux of Isaiah 50:4-9. It describes the servant’s suffering at the hands of his enemies. This theme is directly related to the servant’s calling and message described in verses 4-5. Within the context of exile, a prophet’s advocacy on behalf of the marginalized can lead to resistance from the powerful and even from those who suffer. The servant gives his back to those who strike him. The same Hebrew verb, nātan (“give”), which the poet uses to describe the LORD’s gift of speech in verse 4, is used here in verse 6 to describe the prophet’s disposition toward those who oppose the message.
It is important to point out that the servant does not receive this suffering passively; but he actively chooses to accept the conflict that arises through his proclamation. This last point emphasizes that suffering, in and of itself, is not vicarious. It is a byproduct of speaking truth to power. Moreover, the servant always remains an agent in relationship to his enemies’ abuse. The danger in this verse is obvious. Preachers and theologians have often adopted the theme of righteous suffering uncritically to the harm of many. In the context of unavoidable suffering, human dignity is lost when survivors are denied their agency to resist violent oppression or when victimization is held up as a universal standard for sainthood.
In group-oriented societies, suffering is a source of shame for individuals and communities. But in God-centered societies, the LORD God vindicates the honor of the suffering servant. In the LORD’s court, the servant is righteous. The LORD, who is the source of the servant’s calling, is also the agent of the prophet’s vindication. For us, God’s help is the source of our confidence and our hope in the midst of suffering.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!