“Behold My servant whom I uphold, Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth. I have put My Spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.” Isaiah 42:1
Throughout Scripture we are confronted with the concept and practice of being a servant. It is interesting that when the Lord addressed Joshua, He spoke of Moses as His servant: “Moses, My servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan.” (Joshua 1:2) When we look at Daniel, and what was said of him by Darius the king of the Medes and Persians, we are confronted again with the greatness of man revealed by him being a servant. When Daniel was in the den of lions, Darius cried out to him: “O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?” (Dan. 6:20) The Lord Jesus spoke to the disciples concerning being a servant, using Himself as the example. On one occasion He said, “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28) In Luke’s gospel, He added: “…I am among you as He that serves.” (22:27) So, why is having the mentality and disposition of a servant, and the commitment and resolve to be one, so very important? It has to do with faith, obedient faith and humility, which is a right perspective of what we are in the sight of God. To know Christ, His very life by the Spirit, one must be brought into conformity with His will and way, His purpose and power. It is only in having a right attitude towards ourselves, towards others, and primarily towards God, that He will entrust the riches of His glory to the soul, to be known and lived on this earth. The man who is truly humble chooses to see others as Christ sees them, not without fault, but in spite of their faults, to love them. The heart of a servant is one truly devoted to God, but one where the perspective and power of the love of Christ dominates his life and existence. How is it that Jesus, though being the Son of God, and coming King, the Savior of the world, made Himself so accessible to the weak, the poor, the sick, and the needy, even eventually taking upon Himself the sins of the entire world, so that all men might be saved? It is because He was dominated by the love of the Father, first of all to the Father, and then to men. This love was translated and applied in how He saw the lost and dying, the suffering, and struggling. Christ was One who came to seek the lost to save, delivering and setting free the captive. However, it must be underlined that His loving service to men could only go as far as His devotion and love, submission, and faith in the Father, for His pleasure and glory. Christ humbled Himself, became a man, took upon Himself the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death, even the death on the cross. (Philippians 2:7,8) Here is Divine greatness communicated to men that they might walk in His steps, to know His life and to give it to others, to serve others by the Spirit, according to the will of the Father, led by Him and kept by Him. What is a practical parallel of Christ being a servant, that the disciple of Christ needs to know and lay hold of so that the blessing of God will be on his life and service?
In Isaiah 42:1, Scripture tells us that God the Father “…put His Spirit upon Him, Christ.” It is only after this that the declaration comes forth: “…and He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.” It was when Jesus was baptized that the Spirit of God came upon Him in a specific, original way to enable Him to be the servant that He needed to be in this world, accomplishing His mission and work on Calvary.
Dear Father, Anoint us to serve Thee. In Jesus’ name, Amen.