The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear, and I did not resist; I did not rebel. 6 I offered my back to those who flogged me and my cheek to those who tore out my beard. I never hid my face from demeaning insults or from those who spit on me. 7 The Lord Yahweh empowers me, so I am not humiliated. For that reason, with holy determination, I will do his will and not be ashamed. Isaiah 50:5-7

From this point forward in Isaiah’s writing he highlights the Servant of the Lord. Did Isaiah comprehend what He was writing, what would take place over 700 years into the future when God would come to earth in the flesh? Regardless, what we have in the rest of the Book is a prophetic picture of Jesus. We see His power, His rulership, and also His humility and sacrifice. Everything Isaiah describes Jesus will fulfill in His time on earth.

The Gospel writers confirm these words of Isaiah when they describe how Jesus suffered at the hands of the Jewish leaders and the Romans just prior to His crucifixion.It all starts with a Servant that is submitted and willing. The opening phrase about opening His ear is not about listening, it is about the ear being pierced as a sign of ownership and the commitment of the Servant to the Owner. Jesus did not resist He did not rebel. Jesus was willing to be the sacrifice for our sins as well as to offer Himself to be rejected, abused, and beaten as part of the process.

Notice the strength Jesus carried in the knowledge He is empowered by His Father and the Holy Spirit dwelling in Him. This gave Him the motivation to endure everything He faced with holy determination. I must remember the same Holy Spirit that dwelt in Jesus dwells in me. I am also empowered and sense His presence and leading. There is no reason for me to ever be ashamed but with holy determination, like Jesus, to be a servant of God.