Introduction:

Looking at how God comforts His people amidst inclusion of judgment due to disobedience and rebellion among the ancient Israel and Judah, His grace and justice still abounds. This week's SSLesson will disclose important mission as God's people serve Him and save others as well.

Is it not surprising that the Church, having come down through the ages this far, must now be taught the very first fundamentals of her faith?

As we start studying the 41st chapter of Isaiah. let's remember that our work is to prepare the way of the Lord for the gathering of the people (see: Isa. 41:1, 2) To renew their strength is to put away sin, and to come near to God, is to learn of Him. Having done this they are then to invite others to come to judgment. The nations will keep silence until that time, and then will they say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Micah 4:2.

"Study the forty-first chapter of Isaiah, and strive to understand it in all its significance." {8T 39}

Help on this chapter may be found in "Prophets and Kings," pages 143-154, the challenge of Elijah to the false gods.

Outline of the Study:

A Servant People: Isaiah 41

A Servant Messiah: Isaiah 42:1-7

A Liberator Messiah 1: Isaiah 44:26-45:6

A Liberator Messiah 2: Isaiah 44:26-45:6

A Difficult Mission for the Servant: Isaiah 49:1-12

Memory Verse:

“ ‘Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles’ ” (Isaiah 42:1, NKJV).

Prayer Thought:

This is the religion of Christ. Anything short of it is a deception. No mere theory of truth or profession of discipleship will save any soul. We do not belong to Christ unless we are His wholly. It is by half-heartedness in the Christian life that men become feeble in purpose and changeable in desire. The effort to serve both self and Christ makes one a stony-ground hearer, and he will not endure when the test comes upon him. {COL 50.1}

A Servant People: Isaiah 41

Verse 1: God calls the nations before Him. He is about to speak to them, so He asks them to keep silence. After God has spoken, "then let them speak."

Verse 2, 3: The sense of these two verses may perhaps best be presented by this paraphrase: "Who hath raised up one from the east who is always victorious? Who hath given him authority over the nations, and made him rule over kings? His sword drives them like dust, his bow like chaff before the wind. He pursues them and marches forward safely and that so swiftly that he does not tread the path with his feet." Cyrus is the "man from the east."

Verses 3-5: These verses plainly show that the manifestation of God's power is to be felt everywhere. Verse 4: This verse does not say that God is the first and the last. That indeed is true. Rev. 1: 11. But here it states that God is with the last. Even as God was in the beginning, so He will be with His people to the end, with the last.

Verse 6-7: God's people are indeed to help their neighbor. The foolish nevertheless shall do foolishly, and shall continue in their idolatry.

"So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved. “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away’” (Isaiah 41:7-9)

God's promises to His servants are sure. Let us take hold of them now. We shall never find an opportunity as good as we have today. Tomorrow will be too late; we had better respond while God is pleading. {2TG 9.11}

NOTE.—The prophet is here describing the condition which would accompany the conquests of Cyrus. The islands and the nations would be afraid; they would "draw near," but not to God. This drawing near probably has reference to the league between Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt against Cyrus. But instead of trusting God, they appeal to their idols, and decide to make a particularly good and strong set of gods. "Well might the words written of the idol builders of old be, with worthier aim, adopted as a motto by character builders of to-day: `They helped every one his neighbor; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.' "—"Education," p. 286.

Verse 10: "Abraham my friend"! What a wonderful designation! And we are the children of Abraham, God's friend. God's people will come from the ends of the earth. They may not be perfect, but God has not cast them away. Why should we not fear? Why not be dismayed? What exceedingly precious promises are given?

Verses 11, 12: Now is our opportunity to do all we can for those who oppose us, for here we are plainly told that if they continue in their hostility they shall perish.

Verse 13: "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." If we as a people are not fearful, then why all these pleadings and encouragements? Why the urgings that we cast out our fears?

Verse 14, 15: To thresh the mountains (kingdoms) is to take the wheat (saints) out of them. The servants of God, therefore, are here promised a new instrument, different from any ever used before; that is, the gathering of the saints in the harvest time is to be accomplished in a way un-dreamed of, -- contrary to every human planning. This instrument will have teeth; it will suddenly separate the wheat from the straw and blow out the chaff. Christ, "Whose fan is in His hand, ..will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matt. 3:12. For this cause we are called, and for this great and grand work we are to prepare the way.

Verses 16, 17: The time was to come when Israel should again reign. As the instrument of the Almighty they would thresh the nations (mountains). A day also lies just ahead when the Israel of God will no longer be a savor of life to a rebellious world. No more will God spare a world in rebellion because of the righteous remnant. Instead, because of their rebellion and their oppression of His people, the vials of His wrath will be poured upon them. The land will be emptied and desolate (Rev. 5:14-17; Jer. 4:23-28) like Babylon of old (Jer. 51:2). But in that day God's people shall rejoice in Him and "glory in the Holy One of Israel." (See Isa. 25:8, 9.) Yes, the chaff shall be blown out and the whirlwind shall carry it away to be burned with consuming fire. But God's people shall rejoice in the Lord, and their poor will He comfort. This text has a literal application as well as a spiritual one. Speaking of the time of trouble, we read in "The Great Controversy," page 629: "The people of God will not be free from suffering; but while persecuted and distressed, while they endure privation, and suffer for want of food, they will not be left to perish. That God who cared for Elijah will not pass by one of His self-sacrificing children. He who numbers the hairs of their head will care for them; and in time of famine they shall be satisfied. While the wicked are dying from hunger and pestilence, angels will shield the righteous, and supply their wants. To him that 'walketh righteously' is the promise, 'Bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.' When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.'"

Verse 18: The latter rain, we here see, is to be plentiful. It will make rivers, springs, and pools where not expected. All this is a forecast of a great harvest, even from the desert places -- from the heathen lands. "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." Rev. 7:9.

Verse 19: God will beautify the lands of the Gentiles with people having Christian characters and graces as beautiful as the myrtle, the oil, the fir, the pine, and the box trees together. There is nothing in the world today to give men hope and peace of mind but these promises of God. —These trees are of the choicest. The desert itself shall be transformed into a grove of stately, beautiful trees. And the object is that men may see in this a demonstration of the creative power of God.

Verses 20-24: Here is a challenge to all our adversaries. Let them tell you what shall happen hereafter if they can, or let them tell the past if they will, God challenges them. Thus they may now know that they are as nothing, and those who choose to follow them, even they shall be an abomination to Him. God's challenge is definite, "Show us the future. Prove your power to predict, or give any proof of life and activity." (See Jer. 10:5) God's idea of these idols is well expressed in the margin, "worse than nothing," "worse than of a viper."

Verse 25: This one that is in prophecy comes from somewhere north of the Promised Land. He calls on the Lord early -- as early as the rising of the sun. He also comes upon princes as upon mortar, and as the potter that treads the clay. "In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a Kingdom...it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms." Dan. 2:44.

Note: Please click the link for more insights: https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/5-mighty-stone-and-the-great-image-of-daniel-2?authuser=0

Verse 26: Is there anyone who ever declared these things to the people? asks the Lord. Then He answers His Own question: "Yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words."

Verses 27, 28: When God visits His people with these good tidings, He finds no man among His servants to do this work, and no counsellor among them to give an answer to these things! We nevertheless are to do all we can to awaken them. We should exalt the Word, comfort His people, and prepare the way so that He can make a new threshing instrument of us. {2TG 9.15}

Serving Others Brings Success

How important it is that God's people have their minds constantly employed in serving Him perfectly in everything!

We can indeed make ourselves the poorest of the poor by concerning ourselves wholly with our own needs and wants instead of working toward the goal of producing all we can for the benefit of others. Doing for others is what brings success and alone makes one in demand.

Serving Others True Marks of Christlikeness

God's estimate is accurate. Man's measurement is deceiving. Humility and the disposition to serve God by serving others are the true marks of Christlikeness, and they will be truly honored in the kingdom of God. {17MR 168.2}

Let Each Help the Other.

The family firm is a sacred, social society, in which each member is to act a part, each helping the other. The work of the household is to move smoothly, like the different parts of well-regulated machinery. {AH 179.4}

If ever the Lord has spoken by me, He speaks when I say that the workers engaged in educational lines, in ministerial lines, and in medical missionary lines, must stand as a unit, all laboring under the supervision of God, one helping the other, each blessing each. {CH 394.3}

This servant undoubtedly represents the people of God (in that moment, Israel and Judah). We might conclude that the next references to the servant in Isaiah also represent Israel.

However, the other mentions refer to an anonymous messiah who would free Israel and would die as a sacrifice (Isaiah 49:6-7; 52:13-53:12).

So there are two servants in Isaiah. The first one is the people of God who is saved and redeemed. The second one is anonymous, and He is the Redeeming Messiah.

A Servant Messiah: Isaiah 42:1-7

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, my Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.” (Isaiah 42:1)

The work of Christ is definitely set forth in this chapter. He is the elect of God, a term which occurs six times in this portion of Isaiah. He is gentle, quiet, compassionate. He does not come to crush life, but to develop it; not to despise the weak, but to help them. If there is but a dimly burning wick, He does not give up hope. He will not stop until the work is accomplished. Many of the blind shall yet see the light, and the whole earth shall praise the Lord.

Verse 1: Christ is the servant (John 6:38), sent to do the Father's will. He is the elect whom the Father has chosen, and whom He upholds. "Bring forth judgment." The word "judgment" occurs three times in these first verses, and may be translated "law;" but commentators agree that the word is used here in a larger sense, some rendering the sentence thus: "He shall carry the true religion to the Gentiles."

Verse 2: "In marked contrast to all this [the manner of the Pharisees] was the life of Jesus. In that life no noisy disputation, no ostentatious worship, no act to gain applause, was ever witnessed. Christ was hid in God, and God was revealed in the character of His Son. To this revelation Jesus desired the minds of the people to be directed, and their homage to be given."—"The Desire of Ages," p. 261.

Verse 3: There are few more beautiful passages in the Bible. The reed may be bruised, Christ will not break it. The candle may burn dimly, but He will not blow it out. There may not be much strength, the life may be bruised and broken; there may not be much light, rather smoke and darkness. But Christ does not give up hope. His own light does not burn dimly. By gentle measures the smoking flax may be fanned into a flame. His purpose shall not be broken, and the true religion shall be extended to all the earth.

Verse 4: The words "fail" and "be discouraged" correspond in the original to "dimly burning" and "broken" in verse 3.

Verse 5: Again and again the true God is mentioned as the Creator. Here the reading really is, Thus saith the God who alone is truly God. "That which cometh out of it," probably refers to all that the earth produces,—gold, silver, and vegetation.

How does God speak of Christ's appointment to His work? How will God sustain Him? For what will He give Him to the people and to the Gentiles? Verse 6. 7. 'What is further prophesied concerning the work of Christ? Verse 7. 8. What does God say of His name? What is said concerning the Lord's glory and praise? Verse 8.

The Holy Spirit Rested Upon Jesus

At the age of twelve, the people saw that the Holy Spirit was resting upon Jesus. He felt something of the burden of the mission for which he had come to our world. His soul was stirred into action. As one who would learn, he asked such questions as would flash light into the minds of those with whom he was talking. He helped them to understand the true meaning of the prophets, and showed them what the mission and work of the Messiah would be.

His Work has been Misunderstood

The Jewish people had wrong ideas about the Messiah and his work. They thought that when Christ came in their day, he would do grand and wonderful things, that he would set them above all other people. They were looking for the glory that will be seen when Christ comes the second time, and did not study the Bible so that they could know that he was to come the first time in a very lowly way. But Jesus asked questions about the scriptures that pointed to his first appearing, that flashed light into the minds of those who were willing to receive the truth. Before he had come to the earth, he had given these prophecies to his servants who had written them down, and now as he studied the Bible, the Holy Spirit brought these things to his mind, and showed him the great work that he was to do in the earth.

Their minds had become imbued with the popular conception of the Messiah as a temporal prince, who was to exalt Israel to the throne of universal empire, and they could not understand the meaning of his words foretelling his sufferings and death. {GC88 344.4}

He Grew in Knowledge and Wisdom

As he grew in knowledge, he imparted knowledge to others. But though he was wiser than the learned men, he did not become proud, or feel that he was above doing the most humble toil. He took his share of the burden, with his father, mother, and brethren, and toiled to help support the family. Though the doctors had been amazed at his wisdom, he obeyed his parents, and worked with his own hands as any toiler would work. It is stated of Jesus that as he grew older he "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." {YI, November 28, 1895 par. 4}

The Messiah as Prophesied

In the words, "I am the light of the world," Jesus declared Himself the Messiah. The aged Simeon, in the temple where Christ was now teaching, had spoken of Him as "a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel." Luke 2:32. In these words he was applying to Him a prophecy familiar to all Israel. By the prophet Isaiah, the Holy Spirit had declared, "It is too light a thing that Thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth." Isaiah 49:6, R. V. This prophecy was generally understood as spoken of the Messiah, and when Jesus said, "I am the light of the world," the people could not fail to recognize His claim to be the Promised One. {DA 465.1}

Plainly had Moses been instructed for Israel concerning the work of the Messiah to come. "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee," was the word of Jehovah to His servant;" and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him" (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18) (Prophets and Kings, pp. 683, 684). {LHU 29.4}

Who is this anonymous servant? What is His mission?

Isaiah 42:1. He brings justice to the Gentiles

Isaiah 42:2-4. He fulfills His goals with silence and meekness

Isaiah 42:5-6. He acts as a covenant between God and His people

Isaiah 42:7. He brings light and hope to heal the blindness and to free the prisoners

Therefore, this servant is the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 12:15-21).

A Liberator Messiah 1: Isaiah 44:1-22

“Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—to subdue nations before him and loose the armor of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut.” (Isaiah 45:1)

God is the God of Prophecy

God will pour out His Spirit, but only upon them that are thirsty. Many will be converted also among the Gentiles and heathen. These shall all acknowledge the true God and keep themselves from idols. Two things distinguish the true God from false gods. God is the Creator. God is the God of prophecy. He can tell the future. We may not worship idols of wood and stone. But if we do not acknowledge God as Creator, if we accept evolution as a substitute for creation, we have formed another god and rejected the true One. God may use nations and kings to fulfill His word. So He did in the case of Cyrus. Our faith should be strengthened as we see fulfilled prophecy.

Verses 1, 2: It is interesting to note how God uses every opportunity to emphasize the fact of creation. Here He announces Himself as the One who made and formed man. Jeshurun means the "upright one." It may here be used to show the change from "Jacob, the supplanter."

Verses 3, 4: "There are certain conditions upon which we may expect that God will hear and answer our prayers. One of the first of these [ 14 is that we feel our need of help from Him. He has promised, will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.' Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, who long after God, may be sure that they will be filled. The heart must be open to the Spirit's influence, or God's blessing can not be received."—"Steps to Christ," p. 99. The result of the outpouring of the Spirit is the springing up here and there of life,—new believers.

Verse 5: This verse tells of the ingathering of Gentiles as a result of the outpouring of the Spirit.

Verses 6-8: God is here King, Redeemer, the First and the Last, the only One. A paraphrase of verse 7 would read: "Who is like Mel For since the beginning, I have prophesied and declared and set in order. Now let them,—the false gods,—tell us the future." God repeatedly calls attention to prophecy as incontestable proof of divinity. We may do the same. We need not fear. God stands by His predictions.

Verses 9-11: "Their delectable things." Another name for their idols which are "pets, favorites, treasures." They are their own witnesses. They witness against themselves, for they can neither see nor know. How, then, can they help othersl Verse 10 is a rhetorical question, "Who is so foolish as to make an imager "His fellows," that is, worshipers. The workmen are men. And how can men make a god'?

Verses 18-20: "He hath shut their eyes." Rather, their eyes are plastered over. "None considereth." They do not think, they do not reflect. If they did, they would see the folly of their action. "Feedeth on ashes." (See Prov. 15: 14; Hosea 12: 1.) "A deceived heart." We need to ask God to help us not to deceive ourselves. "Can not deliver his soul." Help must come from some outside source. We can not save ourselves. An idol is a lie. Men believe an idol can help. But it is a vain hope.

Verses 21-22: God tells His people to remember these things of which He has just been speaking. And if they do, God will remember them. They shall not be forgotten. God not merely promises to forgive, but in this text it is spoken of as already done. "I have blotted out." It is as though a father were speaking to a wayward son or daughter who had caused the parents much sorrow and grief, "I have forgiven the past. All is well. Come home. Return to me. I have redeemed you." Rejoice, for the Lord hath done it. The Lord hath redeemed' Jacob.

In Israel, two types of people were anointed: priests and kings (Exodus 28:41; 1 Kings 1:34). In addition, prophets were also anointed sometimes (1 Kings 19:16).

Cyrus was anointed to fulfill only one of those roles. He is an anointed king called by God to carry out a specific mission: to free His people.

Both the Bible and archaeology confirm the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies about Cyrus (1 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1; Daniel 6:28).

Cyrus dried up the Euphrates to conquer the city of Babylon (Isaiah 44:27). He also authorized the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, and gave them everything they needed to rebuild the temple (Isaiah 44:28).

All this was foretold 150 years before It happened! This has led some people to deny that these chapters were written by Isaiah.

Nevertheless, the Dead Sea Scrolls confirm that the book of Isaiah has only one author: Isaiah, the prophet who lived in the 7^th century BC and was inspired by God.

A Liberator Messiah 2: Isaiah 44:26-45:6

“Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure, saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” and to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”’” (Isaiah 44:28)

Verse 28: The mention of Cyrus by name, one hundred fifty years before his appearance, has been one of the chief factors in the decision of the critics that Isaiah did not write this part of his prophecies. It seems impossible to them that God could give a man's name even before his birth. Such an attitude shows a great lack of faith, and, indeed, most of the work of the critics is founded in unbelief. Josiah's name was announced three centuries before his birth. 1 Kings 13:2. And why should it be thought a thing incredible that God should do this? These very chapters in Isaiah emphasize again and again that God is different from idols. He can foretell the future. They can not. For anyone to hold the view that God can not tell what is to come, is to put Him on a level with idols.

Isa. 45:2, 3: God would go before and help Cyrus. He is the One who would cause the gates to open. God would so work that Cyrus could not fail to know that some supernatural power was helping him. Babylon, according to Herodotus, had one hundred gates, all of brass. The city could not be taken in any ordinary manner.

Verse 4: To establish the faith of His people, God called Cyrus by name. When we see prophecy fulfilled, our faith should become stronger. The fulfillment of prophecy in the signs of the times occurring all about us should have the same effect.

"His anointed." The only place in the Scriptures where this is spoken of a Gentile. "The advent of the army of Cyrus before the walls of Babylon was to the Jews a sign that their deliverance from captivity was drawing nigh. More than a century before the birth of Cyrus, Inspiration had mentioned him by name, and had caused a record to be made of the actual work he should do in taking the city of Babylon unawares, and in preparing the way for the release of the children of the captivity. Through Isaiah the word had been spoken. . . "In the unexpected entry of the army of the Persian conqueror into the heart of the Babylonian capital by way of the channel of the river whose waters had been turned aside, and through the inner gates that in careless security had been left open and unprotected, the Jews had abundant evidence of the literal fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy concerning the sudden overthrow of their oppressors."—"Prophets and Kings," pp. 551, 552.

A Divinely Appointed Mission

“As the king saw the words foretelling, more than a hundred years before his birth, the manner in which Babylon should be taken; as he read the message addressed to him by the Ruler of the universe, ... his heart was profoundly moved, and he determined to fulfill his divinely appointed mission. He would let the Judean captives go free; he would help them restore the temple of Jehovah. In a written proclamation published ‘throughout all his kingdom,’ Cyrus made known his desire to provide for the return of the Hebrews and for the rebuilding of their temple.” E.G.W. (Conflict and Courage, September 8)

Messiah to Restore Preserved of Israel

In the later centuries of Israel's history prior to the first advent it was generally understood that the coming of the Messiah was referred to in the prophecy, "It is a light thing that Thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth." "The glory of the Lord shall be revealed," the prophet had foretold, "and all flesh shall see it together." Isaiah 49:6; 40:5. It was of this light of men that John the Baptist afterward testified so boldly, when he proclaimed, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias." John 1:23. {PK 688.3}

A Difficult Mission for the Servant: Isaiah 49:1-12

“It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)

Restoration of the Kingdom of Judah and Israel

Mal. 3:2, 3 -- "But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."

At this coming He is not to take His saints to the mansions above, but He is to purify the sons of Levi -- the ministry; He is to destroy the leaders of idolatry. Since the purity of His servants is first to be restored, the restoration, therefore, commences in the Church. Thus is the Edenic state of peace and security to be restored, for we are told that-- Isa. 11:6-9 -- "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

So it was in Eden, and so it must be again if all things are to be restored, and if these prophecies are to be fulfilled. The Pre-millennial Kingdom -the kingdom of glory - https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/6-the-establishment-of-the-kingdom-of-glory?authuser=0

"In that day" -- that is, in the day this Edenic peace and security are restored -- then, not after, is the Kingdom of Judah and Israel to be restored (Ezek. 37:16-28) and made to stand for an ensign. To it shall the Gentiles seek. This restoration of Judah and Israel, therefore, takes place in probationary time, for the Gentiles shall seek the "ensign." Plainly, then, the Gentiles shall still be standing when Edenic peace and security are restored to God's people during the great and dreadful day. {2TG 31.4}

It is relatively easy to identify this servant:

v. 1: He was called from the womb. Lk. 1:31

v. 2: He has a sharp sword in His mouth. Rev. 1:16

v. 3: God would be glorified in Him. Lk. 3:22

v. 4: His message would not be accepted. Lk. 9:22

v. 5: He would gather the tribes of Israel. Jn. 12:32

v. 6: He would be a light to the Gentiles. Jn. 8:12; 9:5

v. 7: He would be despised and abhorred. Mt. 26:67

Despite His difficult mission and the rejection, Jesus didn’t give up. Thanks to His perseverance, He can give us everlasting Redemption today.