Can Zion Do without the Servant in Isaiah 40-55?

CTJ 39 (2004): 109-116 Can Zion Do without the Servant in Isaiah 40-55? Annemarieke van der Woude Introduction Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, says your God. These are very familiar words that have found their way into the hearts and minds of many believers, and in many hearts and minds, these words will often come with a melody: that of Handel s Messiah. Comforting music to words of comfort. It is not surprising that these words are so familiar, for we all are in need of comfort some time or other, aren t we? Prologue (Isaiah 40:1-11) Yet, as soon as we leave the familiar setting of Handel s Messiah and read the words in their original context, the feeling of comfort can easily change to a feeling of discomfort and confusion. This is because Isaiah 40 is a confusing and fragmentary passage. It raises more questions than it answers. When we try to reconstruct what actually happens in these verses, we see the following: Your God says: Comfort my people! A voice cries: Prepare the way for the LORD! A voice says: Cry! and someone else answers: What shall I cry? Someone says to Zion: Climb on a high mountain and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God! And, apparently, the LORD actually arrives, carrying his flock with him. The questions are numerous. Who are the ones who are supposed to comfort the people? Who are all these voices, crying and replying? What exactly is going on? What is this business of all these voices crying, this highway for the LORD that has to be prepared? We hear the commands to comfort the people, to build a highway for Zion to be a herald of good news. Does any of this actually happen? If so, it certainly is not mentioned in these lines. At face value, then, this is not a passage that is easy to understand, let alone to preach. Obviously, if you are going to preach on a certain passage, you had better understand what it is trying to say. Therefore, I want to start by discussing the meaning of the text as it stands. What I want to show about the first eleven verses of Isaiah 40 is that this passage is actually meant to be elusive. It can only be properly understood when it 109

CALVIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL is read in the context of chapters 40-55 as a whole the part of the book that is often called Second Isaiah. When it is read in that context, it becomes clear that Isaiah 40:1-11 functions as a key passage to these chapters. It prepares us for what lies ahead, but it does so in a way that makes us curious and eager to read on. Furthermore, it does so precisely by being so fragmentary and lacking in information. Reading the beginning of Isaiah 40 by itself is a bit like trying to understand the plot of a theater movie by only looking at its trailer. Only after we have seen the whole picture can we look back at these perplexing verses and make some sense of them. I will attempt to draw some lines in this whole picture of Second Isaiah by looking in some detail at three pericopes from the following chapters to see how they relate to the questions that are raised by this difficult passage. As I hope to show, the who-is-who questions will turn out to get an unexpected answer that we would not have guessed from these verses alone. What is more, looking at the whole of Second Isaiah will give us an important clue as to how we, the present-day readers and preachers, can find our entrance into the message of this text and become personally involved in it. It turns out that it is the text of Second Isaiah itself that hands us this entrance. The very stuff and structure of these chapters has been designed to invite, to urge the readers to become involved personally in the history of the LORD and his people as it is portrayed by Second Isaiah. Zion Complains (Isaiah 49:14-26) The first passage we will look at is all about the relationship between Zion and the LORD. At the beginning of chapter 40, Zion was called to act as a herald of good tidings and to shout enthusiastically that the LORD is coming. It is not until Isaiah 49 that Zion speaks for the first time. Further, what she says surprises us, for her message is not a joyful one: The LORD has forsaken me (Isa. 49:14). 1 She does have nerve though. How will the LORD answer to her rebuke? Will he be silenced, or will he be angry? Neither. Instead, he reacts mercifully. He compares his love for Zion with the love of a mother for her child: Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne (Isa. 49:15)? As a mother cannot forget her baby (it is her own body that reminds her of her suckling), so it is definitely impossible that the LORD will forget Zion. His care for her resembles the love of a mother for her child. The entire passage has one goal: to convince Zion that the LORD has compassion on her. For that purpose, Zion is told that her children will come to her, and she is asked to lift up her eyes and to look around for their gathering: Lift up your eyes and look around; all your sons gather and come to you (Isa. 49:17; cf. 49:18-20). Zion cannot hide her skepticism: Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren (Isa. 49:21; cf. 49:24). The LORD is personally involved in this project. He brings entire nations to a stop, he resists her oppres- 1 Scripture texts are from the New International Version, unless indicated otherwise. 110

CAN ZION DO WITHOUT THE SERVANT IN ISAIAH 40-55? sors, and he makes kings and queens carry her children on their shoulders (Isa. 49:22-26). Finally, Zion will understand, as everybody will understand, that the LORD does not forget her. This pericope is impressive for it clarifies that it is not just an unidentifiable group that is going to comfort Zion, but the LORD himself. He is her personal guarantor. It may be surprising that Zion s comfort consists of bringing back her children. At the beginning of Second Isaiah, Zion s children are not mentioned. These verses do, however, mention a flock that the LORD takes care of on his way back to Zion: He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young (Isa. 40:11; cf. 40:10). I assume that his flock is in fact Zion s children. The passage portrays Zion in several ways. She is a partner who feels left alone. She is a baby at the breast who will not be forgotten. She is a mother who waits for her children; a bride who wears ornaments. She is a place to live as well as a place to leave. In short, Zion is sometimes depicted as a person, sometimes as a place. In scholarly research, her portrait as a person is often referred to as personification. Personification is a literary device that represents inanimate objects as human beings. The portrayal of a city as a woman is a well-known practice in literature from the Ancient Near East. So using personification does not make Isaiah unique. It is interesting, however, to examine the way personification functions in Second Isaiah. At first, in the prologue, Zion was only spoken to for a short moment when she was asked to act as a herald of good tidings: Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear (Isa. 40:9, NRSV). It is at this point, when Zion speaks out for herself (Isa. 49:14f.), that she truly appears as a person rather than as a city. What does this do to us as readers? Second Isaiah is a dramatic text. The actions that take place in it are not told as a story but are happening directly, as it were, before the reader s eyes. There is hardly any distance between the events in the text and the emotions that are brought about in the reader. So it is with Zion. By depicting Zion as a woman, who feels lost, who openly shows her despair, and who just cannot trust in a new future; and by letting her express these emotions directly, the text brings the readers to identify with her in the most expressive way. When at the end of this pericope it becomes clear that her complaint has had its effect and that the LORD has compassion on her, this message of compassion also hits home much more personally with us, the readers, than it would have in a regular narrative about the LORD and the city of Jerusalem. By the way, Zion is not the only actor on the stage of Second Isaiah. Neither is she the first one to appear. When Zion speaks for the first time, the wellknown figure of the servant of the LORD has just come into sight in the preceding chapter where he says: And now the Sovereign LORD has sent me, with his Spirit (Isa. 48:16; cf. 49:1-6). This servant is known from the so-called servant songs (Isa. 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12), but he shows up elsewhere in Second Isaiah as well. In the course of these chapters, the contour of the ser- 111

CALVIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL vant gradually becomes sharper. He becomes visible by the word of God that addresses him and changes him. Thus, the LORD chooses him as his instrument: See, I will make you into a threshing sledge (Isa. 41:15). Now, what is interesting in the passages that follow our pericope is that the female figure of Zion and the male figure of the servant continuously switch, the one appearing as soon as the other has left the stage. They must have something to do with one another, but in what way? It raises one s curiosity that Zion and the servant never act together. They never talk to one another. What then is the nature of their relationship? I will come back to that question later, but I will turn now to the second pericope. The Coming of the LORD (Isaiah 52:7-10) In Isaiah 52, a herald of good tidings draws near rapidly (Isa. 52:7-10). Judging from the prologue, that herald must be Zion. She must to have become used to her role as a herald after all and is now skilled at pointing others to the coming of the LORD. To our surprise, however, it is not Zion at all who acts as a herald here. On the contrary, the herald speaks to Zion and says: Your God reigns! (Isa. 52:7). This passage clearly harks back to the beginning of Second Isaiah. There, the most important action had been the coming of the LORD to Zion. In this pericope, we participate in his actual coming, as it were, through the watchmen s eyes: Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes (Isa. 52:8). At first, it was not clear at all who was going to comfort Zion (Isa. 40:1-2). It already has been made obvious that it is the LORD himself who personally engages to comfort her when she complained that she had become good for nothing (Isa. 49:14-26). Now we see that the LORD actually does comfort Zion by his arrival. This also means that a highway has apparently been made for him (Isa. 40:3-5). The LORD has succeeded in coming to Zion, and, on his way, he did not encounter any barriers. The LORD has come to Zion. The way has been prepared for him. He has comforted Zion. All these actions express his kingship. Thus, at the end of this passage, most of what the prologue promised has come true. What more can we expect? Is not this an appropriate ending to the book? It is not surprising that redaction criticism on Second Isaiah has suggested that Isaiah 52 originally formed the first closure of the book. In this view, parts from the prologue (Isa. 40:1-11), together with this pericope (Isa. 52:7-10), build the framework of the first redaction. This first book contains a message of comfort for Jerusalem because the LORD has come to Zion. The message is meant for the first group of people who returned from exile. The first redaction of the book has its origin in Jerusalem sometime after 539 B.C.E. After the first, follows a second book edition. This second book edition expands the material to the size as we know it now Isaiah 40-55. Also, a new 112

CAN ZION DO WITHOUT THE SERVANT IN ISAIAH 40-55? framework is added to the material. It consists of passages that focus on the word of God (Isa. 40:6-8 and Isa. 55:10-13): the word of our God stands forever (Isa. 40:8). The forming of this second-book edition can be explained from changing historical circumstances. Earlier, the people had been optimistic about the possibilities to build up their new lives in Jerusalem according to the guidelines of the LORD. Later, however, they became aware of their own stubbornness. People felt that they really needed the word of the LORD in order to be sustained. Even though there may be some plausible elements in this view, my question remains: Are the passages that follow our pericope really just an appendix (Isa. 52:11-55:13)? Might Second Isaiah just as well have ended with the coming of the LORD? Or, do the following passages form an integral part of the dramatic progression in these chapters? I maintain that they do. We would not do justice to the following chapters, if we considered them only as an appendix to what precedes. The reason stems from a paradoxical element in the kingship of the LORD. By coming to Zion, his kingship becomes visible. At the same time, it is true that the LORD only fully becomes king when others acknowledge his kingship. Yet, in Isaiah 52, it is the ruins of Jerusalem that are called to break out in song and confess the kingship of the LORD. Thus, in the following chapters, we wait for the acceptance of his kingship. At the beginning of Second Isaiah, Zion was called to act as a herald of good tidings and to point to the coming LORD: Here is your God! (Isa. 40:9). It would indicate that she realizes that the LORD indeed is king. Yet up until now, we have not seen Zion in her role as herald. The prologue had also stated that the LORD when he returns to Zion would carry his flock (Isa. 40:10-11). We have already read about the way Zion s children will be brought back to her (Isa. 49:14-26). Surprisingly, however, the LORD now comes to Zion all by himself. People who join him on his way back are simply not mentioned. After the LORD has returned to Zion (Isa. 52:7-10), the servant appears one more time (Isa. 52:13-53:12), and Zion appears one more time (Isa. 54:1-17). Finally, in the concluding passage, a group of people is called to seek the LORD (Isa. 55:1-13). Apparently, the text invites the reader to see a link between these actants (participants in a narrative). What then, do the male figure of the servant, the female figure of Zion, and this group of people have to do with one another? For Zion and for the people who should recognize the majesty of the LORD, the servant exemplifies this process of returning. He functions as a role model for them, but in what way? A Call to Turn (Isa. 55:6-13) At the end of Second Isaiah, in our third pericope, a group of people is called to seek the LORD: Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near (Isa. 55:6; cf. 55:7). As readers, we do not actually see this group seeking, but we do understand that the whole pericope has one goal: to convince them to do so. The word of God is decisive to motivate this group: so 113

CALVIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isa 55:11). The word of the LORD is trustworthy and it fulfils what he sends it for. The word of the LORD is reason enough to go out in joy, for the mountains and hills to burst into song, and for the trees of the field to clap their hands (Isa. 55:12-13). The word of the LORD is an instrument to encourage the group to seek him. Could it be of any help for Zion as well? Could it motivate her to carry out her role as a herald of good tidings and to proclaim comfort to others now that comfort has become her part? Jacob/Israel, sometimes addressed as servant as well (cf. Isa. 41:8-9), mainly appears in the first part of Second Isaiah (Isa. 40-48). Zion mainly appears in the second part (Isa. 49-55). Throughout the entire Second Isaiah, a you-group is addressed permanently. It is not fully clear which people belong to this group, but it is clear that efforts are made to let this group participate in God s plans with his people: Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other (Isa. 45:22). Still, time after time, this project fails. This group demonstrates resistance and unbelief: You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing (Isa. 42:20). Throughout the chapters of Second Isaiah, the following questions become more and more pressing: How can this group be persuaded to overcome its own skepticism? How can these people prepare to listen to their God and to follow him? The LORD does not give in. He chooses the servant as his instrument to persuade this group. The servant shows confidence in a way that this group cannot carry out. Thus, he reveals how they can return to the LORD. There is one decisive moment in this process of returning. We find it in the so-called fourth servant song (Isa. 52:13-53:12). In this song, a group of people realizes that the servant has suffered innocently. Furthermore, by doing so, he stands in for them: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:6). From now on, everything will change. Now that this group has gained insight, it can become the servant s offspring and follow his footsteps: he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand (Isa. 53:10). For this group, the servant creates the opportunity to turn to the LORD, and so he does for Zion. Because the servant has just shown the people how to change, the call at Zion s address to enlarge the place of her tent and to watch out for her children (Isa. 54:1-17) becomes trustworthy. The LORD s new community therefore will not only incorporate his offspring but hers as well: For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities (Isa. 54:3). In the servants of the LORD (Isa. 54:17) the offspring of the servant and Zion assemble. The male character of the servant and the female character of Zion come into touch by way of this new community their own offspring. This group of followers finally is called to seek the LORD (Isa. 55:6-13). 114

CAN ZION DO WITHOUT THE SERVANT IN ISAIAH 40-55? Let me add one word on the anonymous character who was being called to call at the beginning of Second Isaiah: A voice says, Cry out. And I said, What shall I cry? (Isa. 40:6; cf. 40:7-8). The word of God was mentioned there to encourage him. We as readers noticed that the servant grows during these chapters by the word of the LORD that addresses him. Finally, he speaks: The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary (Isa. 50:4; cf. 48:16; 49:1-6; 50:5-9). Thus, he heartens others. It is not too much to suspect that it is the servant who is motivated at the beginning to go and call (Isa. 40:6-8). An Open Ending Reading from Second Isaiah has made it clear to us that the relationship between the male figure of the servant and the female figure of Zion is a triple alliance in the end. It is through the group that has changed, by way of the example that the servant has shown to them through their common offspring, that the servant and Zion are linked. Both the servant and Zion are necessary in the process of returning. This is what the texts from Second Isaiah want to accomplish. The male character of the servant is impressive because of his devotion and his willingness to sacrifice himself for that. The female character of Zion is impressive because of her courage to speak about her disbelief and her doubts. Both of them sustain the you-group that is permanently addressed in Second Isaiah. They must give up their unbelief and to follow the LORD. Second Isaiah has an open ending. The reader is still waiting for Zion in her role as herald of good tidings (Isa. 40:9). Also, the reader waits for the people to return to Zion (Isa. 40:10-11). In another way as well, Second Isaiah has an open ending. That has to do with the dramatic nature of these texts. A dramatic text seeks to change its audience. The text wants to bring about that change by showing its readers how to change. In Second Isaiah, this happens by the servant s example. The servant shows the actants within the text, such as Zion and a group of people, how they can return to the LORD. We, actual readers of Second Isaiah, he attracts as well. The servant lets us participate in the process of returning to the LORD. He enables us to follow his footsteps. An absolute return only takes place when it occurs in us, readers of Second Isaiah, as well. When we succeed in laying down our unbelief and our skepticism, when we succeed in trusting the LORD unconditionally and when we succeed in joining the servant and Zion, returning to the LORD is definitive. Without reservations, we confess: Our God is king! Summary and Conclusions Summarizing what I have said so far, I make the following points: Isaiah 40:1-11 is meant to be an elusive text. It piques our curiosity by leaving gaps in the information it provides gaps that will only be filled in hindsight when reading the following chapters. 115

CALVIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Yet, when these gaps are filled in, we have seen that this often happens in unexpected ways. The anonymous person who is called at the beginning (Isa. 40:6), and who is told that the word of the LORD will stand forever, is in fact the servant. This is the way the LORD chooses him as his instrument. Only in the following chapters does this figure receive enough form to make out what he stands for. The dramatic structure of Second Isaiah with its direct speech and the identifying figures of Zion and the servant are meant to make us, the readers, personally involved in the events that take place. We are invited to feel what Zion feels, the despair as well as the LORD s compassion, and to identify with the servant in following his example. By coming to Zion, the LORD has comforted her. But when will the people return to Zion? When will she become a herald? These open questions make us think about what still needs to be done ultimately to come to the conclusion that it is we ourselves, the readers, for whom the ultimate fulfillment of the prologue is still waiting. We ourselves must turn to the LORD and acknowledge his kingship. Thus, we become Zion s still-missing offspring, and, by having her children back, she will be able to act as a herald of good tidings. The way in which Second Isaiah succeeds in forcing a gap in the text in order to invite us, present-day readers, to leave and to set out, is described in the following poem. 2 Eschaton Here is the time, and in the midst of our Exilic life we sense the call to leave, New, nothing like what we have heard before. Does anyone possess the strength to go? Rhyme is the voice that tries to wake us up: In metre and in syntax we surmise Keys of a code, a figure drawing near. Let us observe: Who ll travel home through him? Ere long, see: he is here. A servant, weak, Evoked as image, word, is teaching life. Now who will follow? Who will be inspired, Evolved into his offspring and his kin? Escaped from text, a voice is calling out, Marked, written in the heart of you who reads. 2 Bosman, H. J., Eschaton, in The New Things: Eschatology in Old Testament Prophecy. Festschrift for Henk Leene, ed. F. Postma, K. Spronk, en E. Talstra. ACEBT Supplement Series 3. (Maastricht, 2002), 47. 116