Servants of the Lord

A description of individuals, groups, and the nation of Israel. Isaiah portrays a unique servant whom the NT identifies as Jesus Christ.

Individuals as servants of the Lord

The patriarchs as servants of the Lord

Exodus 32:13 See also Genesis 18:3, Genesis 32:10; Deuteronomy 9:27; 1 Chronicles 16:13; Psalm 105:6

Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’”

Moses as the servant of the Lord

Exodus 14:31 See also Numbers 12:7–8; Deuteronomy 34:5; Joshua 1:1–2; Nehemiah 1:7–8; Malachi 4:4

When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.

Other leaders as servants of the Lord

Numbers 14:24; Joshua 5:14, Joshua 24:29; Judges 2:8, Judges 15:18

David as the servant of the Lord

Psalm 89:20 See also 1 Samuel 23:11; 2 Samuel 7:5 parallel 1 Chronicles 17:4; 1 Kings 14:8

I have found My servant David; with My sacred oil I have anointed him.

Other kings as servants of the Lord

1 Kings 3:7–9; 2 Chronicles 32:16

Individual prophets as servants of the Lord

1 Kings 14:18, 1 Kings 18:36; 2 Kings 14:25; Isaiah 20:3

Paul as the servant of the Lord

Acts 27:23 See also Romans 1:1; Ephesians 3:1

For just last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me

Other individual believers as servants of the Lord

1 Samuel 1:11; Job 1:8, Job 2:3, Job 42:7–8; Haggai 2:23; Luke 1:38, Luke 1:48, Luke 2:29; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1; Revelation 1:1

Pagan kings as servants of the Lord

Jeremiah 25:9 See also Isaiah 45:1; Jeremiah 43:10

behold, I will summon all the families of the north, declares the LORD, and I will send for My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, whom I will bring against this land, against its residents, and against all the surrounding nations. So I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and contempt, an everlasting desolation.

Groups of servants of the Lord

The people of Israel as the Lord's servants

Isaiah 41:8–9 See also Leviticus 25:42, Leviticus 25:55; Nehemiah 1:6, Nehemiah 1:10; Isaiah 43:10; Jeremiah 30:10–11 parallel Jeremiah 46:27–28; Luke 1:54

“But you, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend— I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said, ‘You are My servant.’ I have chosen and not rejected you.

Failure of the people of Israel to serve the Lord

Isaiah 42:19 See also Judges 10:6; 1 Samuel 12:10; Nehemiah 9:35; Malachi 3:14

Who is blind but My servant, or deaf like the messenger I am sending? Who is blind like My covenant partner, or blind like the servant of the LORD?

Priests as the Lord's servants

Exodus 28:1, Exodus 28:41; Leviticus 7:35; Numbers 18:7; Hebrews 8:5

Levites as the Lord's servants

Deuteronomy 18:7; 1 Chronicles 23:28–31; Ezra 6:18; Ezekiel 44:11

Prophets as the Lord's servants

Jeremiah 7:25 See also Jeremiah 29:19, Jeremiah 44:4; Ezekiel 38:17; Daniel 9:6; Amos 3:7; Zechariah 1:6; Matthew 21:34–36 parallels Mark 12:2–5, Luke 20:10–12; Revelation 10:7

From the day your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all My servants the prophets again and again.

Other nations as the Lord's servants

Psalm 72:11 See also Isaiah 56:6; Zephaniah 3:9

May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.

The Lord's servants recognised as such by pagans

Daniel 3:26 See also Daniel 6:16, Daniel 6:20; Acts 16:17

Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing fiery furnace and called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire,

The unique servant of the Lord

Isaiah's vision of this servant

Isaiah 42:1–4 See also Isaiah 49:1–6, Isaiah 50:4–9, Isaiah 52:13–53:12

“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow weak or discouraged before He has established justice on the earth. In His law the islands will put their hope.”

Jesus Christ's life identifies him as the Lord's servant

Matthew 12:17–21 See also Matthew 8:16–17, Matthew 20:28 parallel Mark 10:45; Matthew 26:28 parallel Mark 14:24; Matthew 27:12–14 parallel Mark 15:2–5; Mark 9:12; John 1:29, John 12:38

This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory. In His name the nations will put their hope.”

NT leaders proclaim Jesus Christ as the Lord's servant

Acts 8:30–35 See also Acts 3:13, Acts 3:26; Romans 10:16, Romans 15:21; Philippians 2:6–8; 1 Peter 2:21–25

So Philip ran up and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.” “Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

The Lord's service

An exclusive service

Deuteronomy 6:13 See also Deuteronomy 10:12, Deuteronomy 10:20; Joshua 22:5, Joshua 24:14–24; Matthew 6:24 parallel Luke 16:13

Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.

Serving the Lord as he requires

Colossians 3:23–24 See also Psalm 2:11; Luke 1:74, Luke 12:35–36; Romans 7:6; Ephesians 6:7; 2 Timothy 2:24; 1 Peter 2:16

Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, as for the Lord and not for men, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

The Lord's care for his servants

Psalm 35:27 See also Isaiah 54:17, Isaiah 65:13–15; Daniel 3:28

May those who favor my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “Exalted be the LORD who delights in His servant’s well-being.”

The reward of the Lord's servants

Revelation 22:3–5 See also Luke 12:37–38, Luke 19:17; John 12:26, John 15:14–15

No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within the city, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.