The Book Of Isaiah. Day 52, The Lord Helps The Servant's Ministry, Part Two

Chapter 50 is a prophecy about the earthly ministry of the One called the "Servant"---the Messiah. It is being spoken in His voice and yesterday's study ended with Him speaking of being obedient to how badly He would be treated. He was able to do this because it was part of the Father's plan of salvation and because the Father strengthened Him in His humanity.

"Because the Sovereign Lord helps Me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set My face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame." (Isaiah 50:7) Setting His face "like flint" (like a hard rock) is an expression of determination. I believe this is a reference to His final journey into Jerusalem where He knew He would be arrested, cruelly mocked, abused, and crucified. When we are performing a difficult task that takes strength, we will often set our jaw in a clenched position, steeling ourselves to perform the task. This is what Jesus did when He entered the city. He faced His fate head on with no looking back.

At Jerusalem He would be accused of many things without any proof. The accusers' stories did not agree with each other, though it was the law that no one could be put to death for a capital crime without the eyewitness testimony of two or more witnesses. Pontius Pilate found Him guilty of nothing and when we arrive at that part of Scripture we will see that Pilate shrewdly determined that the religious leaders of Jerusalem wanted Jesus dead to further their own ambitions. In this next segment we find the Servant proclaiming His innocence and His faith that the Lord will vindicate Him.

"He who vindicates Me is near. Who then will bring charges against Me? Let us face each other! Who is My accuser? Let him confront me! It is the Sovereign Lord who helps Me. Who will condemn Me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up." (Isaiah 50:8-9) No one could ever prove that Jesus sinned because He didn't sin. God the Father proved this by raising Him from the dead and giving Him the name that is above every name. If Jesus hadn't risen from the dead, He would have been largely forgotten just as the false Messiahs had been. How could there be any proof that He is God the Son if He remained in the grave like any other man who had been executed? The resurrection is the proof that He is who He says He is and it is upon the basis of seeing the resurrected Christ that His disciples stopped being afraid and began to boldly "set the world on fire" (Luke 12:49) and "turn the world upside down" (Acts 17:6) with the gospel message.