The servant will restore Israel and bring light to the nations

49:1 Listen to me, you coastlands! Pay attention, you people who live far away! The Lord summoned me from birth; he commissioned me when my mother brought me into the world. 49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword, he hid me in the hollow of his hand; he made me like a sharpened arrow, he hid me in his quiver. 49:3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, through whom I will reveal my splendor.” 49:4 But I thought, “I have worked in vain; I have expended my energy for absolutely nothing.” But the Lord will vindicate me; my God will reward me. 49:5 So now the Lord says, the one who formed me from birth to be his servant – he did this to restore Jacob to himself, so that Israel might be gathered to him; and I will be honored in the Lord’s sight, for my God is my source of strength – 49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant, to reestablish the tribes of Jacob, and restore the remnant of Israel? I will make you a light to the nations, so you can bring my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.” 49:7 This is what the Lord, the protector of Israel, their Holy One, says to the one who is despised and rejected by nations, a servant of rulers: “Kings will see and rise in respect, princes will bow down, because of the faithful Lord, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you.” 49:8 This is what the Lord says: “At the time I decide to show my favor, I will respond to you; in the day of deliverance I will help you; I will protect you and make you a covenant mediator for people, to rebuild the land and to reassign the desolate property. 49:9 You will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’ and to those who are in dark dungeons, ‘Emerge.’ They will graze beside the roads; on all the slopes they will find pasture. 49:10 They will not be hungry or thirsty; the sun’s oppressive heat will not beat down on them, for one who has compassion on them will guide them; he will lead them to springs of water. 49:11 I will make all my mountains into a road; I will construct my roadways.” 49:12 Look, they come from far away! Look, some come from the north and west, and others from the land of Sinim! 49:13 Shout for joy, O sky! Rejoice, O earth! Let the mountains give a joyful shout! For the Lord consoles his people and shows compassion to the oppressed. 49:14 “Zion said, ‘The Lord has abandoned me, the sovereign master has forgotten me.’ 49:15 Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne? Even if mothers were to forget, I could never forget you! 49:16 Look, I have inscribed your name on my palms; your walls are constantly before me. 49:17 Your children hurry back, while those who destroyed and devastated you depart. 49:18 Look all around you! All of them gather to you. As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry; you will put them on as if you were a bride. 49:19 Yes, your land lies in ruins; it is desolate and devastated. But now you will be too small to hold your residents, and those who devoured you will be far away. 49:20 Yet the children born during your time of bereavement will say within your hearing, ‘This place is too cramped for us, make room for us so we can live here.’ 49:21 Then you will think to yourself, ‘Who bore these children for me? I was bereaved and barren, dismissed and divorced. Who raised these children? Look, I was left all alone; where did these children come from?’” 49:22 This is what the sovereign Lord says: “Look I will raise my hand to the nations; I will raise my signal flag to the peoples. They will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders. 49:23 Kings will be your children’s guardians; their princesses will nurse your children. With their faces to the ground they will bow down to you and they will lick the dirt on your feet. Then you will recognize that I am the Lord; those who wait patiently for me are not put to shame. 49:24 Can spoils be taken from a warrior, or captives be rescued from a conqueror? 49:25 Indeed,” says the Lord, “captives will be taken from a warrior; spoils will be rescued from a conqueror. I will oppose your adversary and I will rescue your children. 49:26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will get drunk on their own blood, as if it were wine. Then all humankind will recognize that I am the Lord, your deliverer, your protector, the powerful ruler of Jacob.”

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

God appoints his servant from before birth. The servant feels his work has failed, but the Lord will vindicate him. He will restore Israel, gather the scattered people, and also bring salvation to the nations. Zion, though she feels abandoned, will be remembered, rebuilt, and filled again with children.

This passage has two main parts. First, the servant speaks about his calling and mission. The Lord chose him before birth and gave him words that are sharp and effective. He does not work by his own power. He serves because God sent him.

The servant is called "Israel" in one verse, but the passage goes on to show that he also restores Jacob and gathers Israel. So the servant is best understood as one person who represents and fulfills Israel's calling. His task is not small. He will bring back God's people and also be a light to the nations.

The servant admits that his work seems useless. He feels he has labored in vain. But he trusts that the Lord will judge rightly and reward him. That is important. God often works through servants who do not see immediate success.

The Lord then promises to help the servant at the right time. He will protect him, use him to rebuild the land, and free prisoners. This is new-exodus language. It pictures God leading his people out of bondage and back to life.

The second part turns to Zion, that is, Jerusalem personified as a woman. She thinks the Lord has forgotten her. The Lord answers that this is not true. A mother may forget her child, but God will not forget his people. He has their names in mind and their walls before him.

Zion's ruined land will be repopulated. Her children will return from far away. Those who once destroyed her will be removed. The city that seemed barren will become full. The Lord will gather his people from the nations and humble their enemies. In the end, everyone will know that the Lord is the Savior and Redeemer of his people.

• God appoints his servant before birth.
• The servant speaks with God's power, not his own.
• The servant is presented as a representative figure who fulfills Israel's calling.
• The servant may feel his work is in vain, but God will vindicate him.
• The servant will restore Israel and be a light to the nations.
• The Lord does not forget Zion, even when she feels abandoned.
• God will gather his scattered people and rebuild what was ruined.
• The passage ends with God's public judgment and his saving power being known by all.

• Warning: do not read the servant as only the nation as a whole; the passage presents a real personal figure.
• Warning: do not turn Zion into a vague symbol and lose the historical promise of restoration.
• Warning: do not soften the hard language about rejection, captivity, and judgment.
• Promise: the Lord will help, protect, and vindicate his servant.
• Promise: prisoners will be released and scattered people will be gathered.
• Promise: Zion will not remain abandoned; she will be remembered and restored.
• Command: listen to the Lord's servant and trust God's timing.
• Command: wait patiently for the Lord, who does not put his people to shame.

The passage shows God's covenant faithfulness at work. He uses his servant to restore Israel and extend salvation to the nations. This fits God's long plan to bless the world through his chosen people, and it points forward to the servant theme later fulfilled in the Messiah.

Do not judge God's work only by what you can see right now. Faithful service may look empty for a time, but the Lord sees it and will act at the right time. Also, do not think God has forgotten his people when they are weak or ruined. He remembers, restores, and saves.

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