Spit and Blood-Isaiah 50:6
Spit and blood. Sounds like a battle and terms not used in polite company and certainly not in a church. But here we are, polite company in a church ready to learn from Isaiah about a faithful servant who gets ridiculed, sworn at, bullied, spit upon and flesh ripped apart.
We question who is this servant and why the cruel treatment? In the ancient Near East, a servant was a “trusted envoy,” a “confidential representative,” or “one who is chosen.” So who sent this servant to be treated so badly? Who was he sent for? Why so much anger and hatred toward him? The servant does not back down. The servant choses to serve, to suffer and be faithful to his calling. Our text reads, “He sets his face like flint,” ready for the battle. Can’t he see that he cannot win?
Question: What are the Servant Songs in Isaiah?
Answer: There are four “Servant Songs” of Isaiah that describe the service, suffering, and exaltation of the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah. All four songs show the Messiah to be God’s meek and gentle Servant. He is a royal figure, representing Israel in its ideal form; He is the high priest, atoning for the sins of the world. Isaiah predicts that this Servant of the Lord would deliver the world from the prison of sin. In the royal terminology of the ancient Near East, a servant was a “trusted envoy,” a “confidential representative,” or “one who is chosen.” The Servant Songs are found in Isaiah 42:1–9; Isaiah 49:1–13; Isaiah 50:4–11; and Isaiah 52:13—53:12.