Wednesday 9 April 2025
The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. (v. 4)
Background
Today’s passage is in two distinct parts. The first section (vs 1-3) addresses one of the greatest questions that God’s people have wrestled with over the centuries: the problem of evil, or ‘theodicy’. This is a universal issue that continues to challenge all believers today, and which is explored at greatest length in the Old Testament book of Job.
In this specific case, the passage seems to be a response to the challenges of the Babylonian Exile, after Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed in 597 BC. How could God have let such a terrible thing happen to his chosen people and the beautiful Temple built by Solomon, which was believed to be God's earthly dwelling place?
These verses give two possible answers. The first is that God chose to commit evil and was the cause of the suffering (v. 1). The second is that God was a weak god, who was not powerful enough to defend the people from the more powerful deities of Babylon (vs 2-3). The Lord refutes both of these suggestions, though. God did not choose to divorce his beloved people by issuing a certificate of divorce, as men could do under the law (Deuteronomy 24:1-4), or sell them like a slave into servitude (v. 1). Nor does the God who clothed the heavens lack power with a "shortened hand" (vs 2-3).
In the second section, we again encounter the mysterious character of the servant. Although, the original author did not describe them as such, scholars often speak about the four ‘servant songs’ in Isaiah (42:1-4, 49:1-7, 50:4-11, 52:13-53:12). This third song emphasises how the servant has a tongue that speaks God’s word (v. 4), ears that listen to God’s word (vs 4-5), and a heart that trusts in God’s word alone (vs 7-9).
No one is completely sure who this servant is but it may originally have referred to Israel and its role in God’s plan of salvation. Christians, though, have long read these passages as talking about Jesus and his Passion, especially in verses such as five and six. Commentators often also often speak about Jesus 'setting his face like flint' (v. 7) to go to Jerusalem, knowing he would face his torture and death there (Luke 9:51).
To Ponder:
- How do you respond to the fear that God’s people seem to have in this passage that they have been divorced and abandoned by God?
- What might having the 'tongue of a teacher' sound like for a servant of the Lord?
- When might we need to 'set our face like flint' as we seek to follow God in our everyday lives?
Prayer
Faithful God, our helper and comforter in all times and places, give us ears to hear your word and tongues to speak your praises, in the service of your kingdom; through the power of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Bible notes author: The Revd Geoffrey Farrar
The Revd Geoffrey Farrar is the Superintendent Minister of the Richmond & Hounslow Circuit in south-west London. He has pastoral charge of Barnes, Putney and Roehampton churches. He is currently studying part-time for a PhD at the nearby University of Roehampton, looking at the impact of the Maccabean Revolt on responses to Jesus. He lives in Putney with his partner and their adopted son.