Confidence in God

 Isaiah 50:4-9a is the First Reading appointed for Palm Sunday.  It is, in the Book of Isaiah, the third of the Servant Songs.  We will hear the fourth of these songs on Good Friday as the Suffering Servant is no longer merely one who is struck and spit upon, but one who is "wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities."(53:5).  In this servant song we see hints of the suffering to come but a supreme confidence in God as Helper and Ultimate Merciful Judge.  It will be the preacher's task to preach this confidence.

(The following questions have been developed to explore the way the Word functions in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers. These questions are not meant to be exhaustive but are  best used in conjunction with forms of exegesis common to students of scripture. For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word is functioning as a witness to God's unfailing faithfulness despite all evidence to the contrary.  It is a statement of faith in God, and as such it is performing a Gospel function. (i.e. God's faithfulness is good news).

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is little hint of the Law here.  Mention is made of the beatings, hardship, insults and spitting that have come to the servant of God, but there is no hint that this servant has been unfaithful.  Condemnations are absent from this text.

3. With whom are you identifying in the text?  While Christians hear Christ being described in this text, it is also fair to say that any of God's people who have suffered for being steadfast in their faith could be described here.  We can then, in this case, identify with the sufferer herein described.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  In a sense, this whole text is a call to obedience.  If we can understand the servant as a disciple of the Teacher, then this disciple is being lifted up as an example for us all.  Have confidence in God, we are told.  Do not shy away from your call!

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The opposite of what this servant is experiencing will give us our couplets:  unbelief/trust in God; doubt/confidence in God; turning back/going forward in faith.

6.  Exegetical work:  Claus Westermann, that brilliant Isaiah scholar, calls this passage "an individual psalm of confidence."  He compares this passage to a lament, noting several similarities, but also noting that this passage is not the lament of one who is suffering for being righteous, but one who is suffering "in consequence of the office of being a mediator."  "Both [Jeremiah and Isaiah here] tell of a commissioning with the Word of God which involves its recipients in loneliness and suffering."  "50:4-9 represent the confession of confidence spoken by a  mediator of the Word."  (The OT Library series, Isaiah 40-66, pp. 226-228).  Abraham Heschel, quoting H.H. Rowley, says that "the servant is at once Israel and an individual... The servant is Israel today and tomorrow; but Israel may be all or a few or one of its members." (The Prophets, p.149n).  Ancient Christian commentators have, in unison, seen Christ in this passage.  Fifth century bishop, Theodoret of Cyr, will suffice for a typical view:  "This whole recital is taught by the holy Gospels.  For the servant of the high priest gave [Christ] a blow on the cheek; some struck his face, saying, 'Prophecy to us Christ! Who is the one who struck you?'  Others spat in his face; as for Pilate, he had him scourged and delivered him to be crucified." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scriptures, OT, vol. XI, p. 132).  Interestingly, Luther did not point, in his teachings, so much to Christ, as to the Church.  In his lectures on this text he said, "The rule of the church is not located in pomp and appearance but in the Word, even in the spoken Word, on which we may stand firm against all insults. For 'if God is for us, who is against us?'" (LW, vol. 17, "Lectures on Isaiah:  Chapters 40-66", p. 195).

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  It might be very important to heed the advice of Henry Mitchell and seek places to celebrate in a sermon on this text. After all, this text is mainly a witness to God's faithfulness. If we get bogged down in the insults and spitting of verse 6, we may well end up forgetting the confidence which concludes the text:  "It is God who helps me; who will declare me guilty?"

Blessings on your proclamation!