The Labors of God's Servant Are Not in Vain

Now Jehovah speaks these prophetic words: "You are my servant, O Israel, you the one in whom I shall show my beauty." (Isaiah 49:3)  Jehovah refers to the nations  of Israel as his servant.  (Isaiah 41:8) But Jesus Christ is God's preeminent Servant. (Acts 3:13)  None of God's creatures can reflect Jehovah's "beauty" better than Jesus. Hence,  while nominally addressed  to Israel, these words have their real application to Jesus. -John 14:9; Colossians 1:15.

Is it not true, though, that Jehovah is despised and rejected by most of his own people?  Yes. By and large, the nation of Israel does not accept Jesus as God's anointed Servant. (John 1:11) All that Jesus accomplishes while one earth might seem to his contemporaries to be of little value, even insignificant.  This apparent failure in his ministry is alluded  to next by the Messiah:  "It is for nothing that I have toiled. For unreality and vanity I have used up my own power."  (Isaiah 49:4a) These statements are not made because the Messiah is discouraged.  Consider what he says next:  Truly my judgment is with Jehovah and  my wages  with my God." (Isaiah 49:4b) The Messiah's success is to be judged, not by men, but by God.

Jesus is principally interested in God's approval, or goodwill.  In the prophecy, the Messiah says:  "Now Jehovah, the One forming me from the belly as a servant belonging to him, has said for me to bring back Jacob to him, in order  that to him Israel  itself  may be gathered . And I shall  be glorified in the eyes of Jehovah, and my own God will have become my strength." (Isaiah 49:5)  The Messiah comes to turn the hearts of the sons of Israel back to their heavenly Father. Most do not respond, but some do. However, his real wages are with Jehovah God.  His success is measured, not in human terms, but according to Jehovah's own standards.

Today, Jesus' followers may at times feel as if they are toiling for nothing. In some places , the results of their ministry may seem insignificant when compared with the amount of work and effort expended. Still, they endure, encouraged by the example of Jesus. They are also strengthened by the words of the apostle Paul, who wrote:  "Consequently,  my beloved brothers, become steadfast, unmovable, always having  plenty to do in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor  is not in vain in connection with the Lord." -1 Corinthians 15:58. 

Next time: "A Light of the Nations"

From the Book Isaiah's Prophecy Light for all Mankind, Volume II, 2001