WEEK FOUR INTRODUCTION
December 24–30
TITLE:  SONGS OF THE SERVANT

More than any other Old Testament book, Isaiah focuses on the salvation that Christ will bring to his people and through them, salvation to the whole earth. The word Messiah comes from the Hebrew word Mashiach, which means “the anointed or holy one.” Christos or Christ is the Greek equivalent. Most Old Testament Jews were familiar with the concept of a coming Messiah, one they believed would at some point in time deliver them from their Roman conquerors. They knew the prophecies regarding the Messiah’s victory over God’s enemies. They believed that this Messiah would establish an earthly kingdom and that as a result, they would live as free men and women. Yet they failed to understand that Christ’s work was spiritual, not political, in nature. He came not to release them from physical bondage but to heal their spiritual diseases. 

It is surmised that while growing up, Christ not only studied the book of Isaiah but also memorized it. Christ quoted Isaiah eight times during his ministry. Isaiah is quoted (or alluded to) in the Gospels approximately twenty-one times, twenty-five times in Paul's letters, six times in 1 Peter, five times in Acts, four times in Revelation, and once in Hebrews.

In the middle of the book of Isaiah there are four songs about the coming Christ that are known as the Servant Songs. Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, Isaiah explained in detail the nature and ministry of Jesus through these poems. The first song (Isaiah 42:1–9) describes the Servant establishing justice not only for the nation of Israel but ultimately for all earthly kingdoms. In Matthew 12, Christ quotes Isaiah 42 to explain himself to the multitudes that followed him. 

There are similarities between song #1 and song #2 (Isaiah 49:1–7). In both of the first two songs the Servant is seen as a light to the gentiles. Both songs describe praise for Christ as well as his glory filling the earth. Yet the second song leaves no room for doubt that the Servant’s mission is not only to bring the wayward nation of Israel back to Yaweh, but more importantly, to gather peoples from every tribe and tongue unto himself.

The third Servant Song (Isaiah 50:4–11) reveals the great faithfulness of the Servant even in the midst of profound personal suffering. Isaiah 50:7 (NKJV) reads, “For the Lord God will help Me;

Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. Christ determined that he would never give up because he knew God was with him. In light of his example and the stance the Servant took, the reader is challenged to “trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God” (Isaiah 50:10, NKJV).

The fourth Servant Song (Isaiah 52:13–53:12) is one of the most beloved passages in all of Scripture. It describes in excruciating detail Christ’s passion like no other passage does. Famed British preacher Charles Spurgeon referred to these verses as “the Bible in miniature and the gospel in essence.” Jesus quoted from it in Luke 22, and it is referenced in fifteen different New Testament books. This sinless one who endured humiliating suffering “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,” (2 Corinthians 5:21) as a substitutionary atonement so that all might be saved.

To fill out the week, three additional portions from Isaiah that detail other characteristics of the Servant have been selected. On Christmas Eve the governance of the servant Savior is highlighted. On Christmas Day, the focus is on the mission and work of the chosen one. Then on Thursday, December 28, we’ll meditate on the caring nature of the servant Shepherd. May your Christmas week be blessed through the meditation of these songs, as together we welcome and receive the Lord of All!

Day 22 - Sunday, December 24
CHRISTMAS EVE
Title: THE GOVERNANCE OF THE SERVANT SAVIOR
Scripture: Isaiah 9:6-7 (NKJV)
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Poetry & Poet:
“Christmas Day”
by Christina Rosetti

A baby is a harmless thing
     And wins our hearts with one accord,
And Flower of Babies was their King,
     Jesus Christ our Lord:
Lily of lilies He
Upon His Mother’s knee;
Rose of roses, soon to be
Crowned with thorns on leafless tree.

A lamb is innocent and mild
     And merry on the soft green sod;
And Jesus Christ, the Undefiled,
     Is the Lamb of God:
Only spotless He
Upon His Mother’s knee;
White and ruddy, soon to be
Sacrificed for you and me.

Nay, lamb is not so sweet a word,
     Nor lily half so pure a name;
Another name our hearts hath stirred,
     Kindling them to flame:
“Jesus” certainly
Is music and melody:
Heart with heart in harmony
Carol we and worship we.

THE ENORMITY OF A BABY’S COMING AND THE POWER OF HIS NAMES

When I first saw him, he was pink and tiny in the clear plastic bin. Blankets were under him and his Dad, with his shirt off, was cleaning him up after his first diaper-filling experience. This was my sixth grandchild. Yet the wonder was still there — such tiny fingers and toes. That little face, contorting with emotion, forming first expressions of mind and personality.

Something about seeing a newborn makes us wonder. What’s to come? Some parents immediately begin comparing a newborn’s facial features and body structure to people in the family. We like to predict. But who really knows? God does. And there is a thread all through the Bible of insights God gives parents about newborns. Angels often bring this news. Abraham and Sarah, up in years, heard about a miracle child they would raise. Sarah laughed about it (Gen. 18:10-15). Manoah’s wife heard about her boy Samson in a way that terrified her husband (Gen. 13:1-14,22-23). Rebekah heard from God that twins inside her would be combative in life (Gen. 25:21-26). Zechariah, whose disbelief about the news caused him speech trouble, heard that the pre-born son of his old age would become a renowned prophet (Luke 1:11-20).

Then there was the prediction to Mary. She was told by the angel Gabriel that the child she would bear — before her marriage — would be the Son of God, a ruler like no other on the throne of his ancestor David. The kingdom of this baby within her would never end (Luke 1:32-33, 35). Luke is the only gospel that recounts Mary’s conversation about baby Jesus. The passage shows her more troubled by the angel Gabriel’s greeting (he tells her she’s a woman richly blessed) than about the enormity of who this baby would become (Luke 1:29). She does ask about the biology of what’s next (Luke 1:34).

Names matter. They identify, give context, sometimes speaking of something far bigger than the name itself. Part of how God predicts things about people and nations (even inanimate objects) has to do with what they will be called. Gabriel tells Mary she will name her son Jesus (Luke 1:31). Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, is not mentioned in the Luke account, but in Matthew’s gospel we get his side of the story. An unnamed angel comes to him in a dream as he worries about Mary’s reputation as a woman pregnant outside marriage. The angel tells Joseph two things: stop worrying about Mary’s reputation. (Her pregnancy is a miracle from God foretold centuries earlier.) And the angel tells Joseph to name the boy Jesus.

Interestingly, Gabriel doesn’t explain to Mary what the name Jesus means. Perhaps she knew. The angel in Joseph’s dream ties the name Jesus (Y’shua or Joshua) to the salvation He would bring us all. (Matt. 1:19-23). Isaiah’s prophecy uses many names for this coming Savior: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The names are only the beginning for us who believe. For He is with us.

Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for babies. Thank you for their little fingers and toes and their cries and their snuffles and the warmth of their bodies on our chest and shoulders as we hold them close. Thank you, Jesus, for coming to us in this way, entering into every part of our humanity — our frailty, our vulnerability in birth, and our transience of life on this planet. You came to die, Jesus — in our place. And that must have weighed heavy on your mother’s heart as she held you. Thank you for giving us these accounts of your birth to remind us of how great You are and how much we, like helpless babies, need you in this perilous world.
Amen

Dr. Michael A. Longinow
Chair, Department of Digital Journalism and Media
Adviser, Print Journalism; Adviser, The Chimes
Co-Adviser, Media Narrative Projects
Department of Digital Journalism and Media
School of Fine Arts and Communication
Biola University

For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.