April 10

Lent 2018

Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Lent

 

Read

The Servant Songs, Day Three:

(Within the Book of the Prophet Isaiah we encounter four poetic sections known as the Songs of the Suffering Servant. The specific identity of this Servant of the Lord remains the topic of scholarly debate. Perhaps it refers to the prophet Isaiah himself, perhaps the entire nation of Israel, or possibly the promised Messiah. Christian faith sees these prophetic utterances fulfilled in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Lord.

Because of the Christian identification of the Suffering Servant with Jesus, the four Servant Songs become a way of encountering the Lord during this Lenten Season. Not only do they give us a sense of the commitment and endurance that characterized his messianic ministry, but they become a way of touching the bruised face of the Messiah, of hearing the resolute determination that sustained him in the midst of trial, and of rejoicing with him in God’s ultimate vindication of his calling and service.)

In the third song, we learn of the abuse and derision the Servant endured at the hands of his enemies.

Reflect

Today we reflect on the third of the four Servant Songs.

Pray

Take time with the third servant song today. Read Isaiah 50:4-11. 

Act

Here, the servant knows and declares that his help is with the Lord. He does not allow suffering to cause him to stop trusting in the Lord. Instead, with strength of spirit, the servant declares his faith in God. “The Lord GOD is my help . . . I shall not be put to shame.” Amidst darkness and adversity, because he fears the LORD, the servant walks not by his own light but by the light of God. 

Listen to the Scriptures through a recording of the third Servant Song.