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Isaiah 50:4-9
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• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • Hebrew Interlinear Bible, WLCv, WLC5, CHES, AV.
  • The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • IV.XXXIII.12-13, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
  • III.12, VI.15, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
  • IV.39, IV.42, Against Marcion, Tertullian (c. 210)
  • Chapter XX, On the Resurrection of the Flesh,  Tertullian (c. 211)
  • Chapter XXII, Chapter XXIII, Against Praxeas,  Tertullian (c. 213)
  • Epistle VI -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 250)
  • Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org.
  • From the Geneva Notes.
    • "The prophet represents here the person and charge of them that are justly called to the ministry by God's word."
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "Who dares to be an enemy to those unto whom he is a Friend? or who will contend with those whom he is an Advocate?"
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "This and the following passages may be in some sort understood of the prophet Isaiah, but they are far more evidently and eminently verified in Christ, and indeed seem to be meant directly of him."
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
    • "Messiah, as "the servant of Jehovah" (Isa 42:1), declares that the office has been assigned to Him of encouraging the "weary" exiles of Israel by "words in season" suited to their case; and that, whatever suffering it is to cost Himself, He does not shrink from it (Isa 50:5, 6), for that He knows His cause will triumph at last (Isa 50:7, 8).
  • "The Shame and Spitting; Isaiah 50:6," Charles H. Spurgeon, 1879.
    • "We cannot doubt but what Isaiah here wrote concerning the Lord Jesus Christ."
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies and Exegesis:
  • Commentary, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Michael L. Ruffin, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2018.
    • "In this third of Second Isaiah’s servant songs, the servant talks about what happens when we grow in knowledge of the Lord’s ways."
  • "The Politics of Victimhood and Shame," J. Leavitt Pearl, Political Theology, 2018.
    • "...Jesus teaches his followers to bear their victimhood without shame, just as he bore his own without shame."
  • A Plain Account, Wesleyan Commentary,James Matthew Price, 2018.
    • "Teachers know the only way to learn comes through observation and repetition as proven throughout history and across cultures."
  • The Truett Pulpit, Jamie McCallum, 2016.
    • "The servant is kind and compassionate; someone worth knowing. And yet, so quickly, he becomes the victim of brutality. What happened?"
  • Commentary, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Patricia Tull, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2015.
  • Commentary, Isaiah 50:4-9a, James Matthew Price, A Plain Account, 2016.
    • "The Lenten color of violet hints at the violence sometimes suffered by faithfulness in the short-term, and also sends shivers down the spine. This Sunday the color of a bruise is replaced by that of blood-red, lethal wounds. The full impact of faithfulness is not yet accounted for."
  • The Center for Excellence in Preaching, Doug Bratt, resources from Calvin Theological Seminary: Comments & Observations, Textual Points, Illustration Ideas, 2016.
  • "The Lord's Servant, A Disciple under Fire," Commented Bible Passages from Taize, 2014.
  • Commentary, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Christopher Hays, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2015.
    • "In Isaiah 50, however, the servant expresses confidence in terms that are reminiscent of Job."
  • The Center for Excellence in Preaching, Scott Hoezee, resources from Calvin Theological Seminary: Comments & Observations, Textual Points, illustration ideas, 2015.
  • Commentary, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Tyler Mayfield, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2014.
    • "The servant's confidence springs from past actions of God in calling the servant and bestowing gifts up him as well as God's present helping actions in the face of confrontation by enemies."
  • "What Sort of Passion?" John C. Holbert, Opening the Old Testament, 2014.
    • "Holy Week is not about blood lust, but I have to admit that I have more than once in my church life participated in just that. There was the time in a darkened sanctuary where all the congregants were invited to come forward and drive a nail into an old rugged cross, while I sang "The Old Rugged Cross" and "Were You There?" And there was the time when after the last candle was snuffed by the last dark-robed disciple, the pastor intoned, "Christ is dead; let us not pray." Dramatic? Without doubt. What I need to think about? I am not so sure."
  • "Suffering Servants," Alan Brehm, The Waking Dreamer.
    • "The suffering God of the suffering Savior calls us all to be suffering servants, breaking the power of evil in our world, taking on the suffering of others in order to bring them relief, pouring ourselves out for a world of pain and injustice in order to bring healing and peace and freedom."
  • "On the Liturgy of the Passion," Walter Brueggemann, ON Scripture, Odyssey Networks, 2013.
  • "A Humiliated Servant," John C. Holbert, Opening the Old Testament, 2013.
    • "Isaiah hoped against hope that his servant would appear from the exiled Israelites and would bring the Torah of YHWH to the world, thereby creating a new world of peace and justice for all. And the early Christians believed, in the face of the death of their servant, that the teaching of Jesus would not disappear but would spread throughout the world, thereby creating a new world of peace and justice for all."
  • "Vindication," Alan Brehm, The Waking Dreamer, 2013.
    • "No discussion of the steps of Christian faith would be complete without acknowledging that it is essentially a decision to follow a man who was ridiculed and executed."
  • Commentary, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Anathea Portier-Young, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2012.
    • "What will it mean for us to preach the word of God with the tongue of students, listen like students do, and still stand up to testify confident in God's help?"
  • The Politics of Isaiah 50:5-9, Timothy Simpson, Political Theology, 2012.
  • Commentary, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Mark S. Gignilliat, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2012.
  • Commentary, Isaiah 50:4-9a, David G. Garber, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2011.
    • "One of the challenges of preaching the lectionary in conjunction with the liturgical calendar is that of remaining true to the tradition of the church season while allowing the biblical texts to speak anew to our communities of faith."
  • Commentary, Background, Insights from Literary Structure, Theological Message, Ways to Present the Text. Anna Grant-Henderson, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "The servant speaks straight after God has made the claims that he has the power to deliver Israel from their unfaithfulness. In contradiction to the unfaithful and unhearing Israel, the servant declares that he is obedient and listens to the Lord."
  • "Preaching In The Key Of Life," Stephen G. Marsh, The Hardest Question, 2011.
    • "Does our preaching really speak to the real-life struggles of those to whom we preach?"
  • Reflections on Isaiah 50:4-9, John C. Holbert, Patheos, 2011.
    • "In this less-preached text related to Passion Sunday, the preacher should focus on the actions of the servant in order to help the hearers deepen their portrait of the one they have come to call Christ."
  • Desert Scribblings, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Geoff McElroy, 2008. Reflection and commentary.
    • "The servant of the song is not necessarily a particular person. Instead, the servant is a model of and for anyone who hears God, who is given a 'word' to comfort, and gives of themselves to be the servant they are called to be."
  • Commentary, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Mark Throntveit, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2010.
    • "Just as the servant was persecuted for his faithful obedience to God, maintaining that faithful obedience to the end, so Jesus was persecuted for his message, remaining obedient unto death, 'even to death on a cross' as Paul reminds us in our epistle."
  • Commentary, Isaiah 50:4-9a, (Passion Sunday) Charles L. Aaron, Jr., Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
    • "When we preachers engage the Suffering Servant passages we enter territory that is both evocative and mysterious."
  • Commentary, Isaiah 50:4-9a, (Passion Sunday) Fred Gaiser, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2008.
    • "'God has given me the tongue of a teacher,' says the prophet?something, no doubt, all preachers would like to claim. If they do, though, they should pay attention also to the next line: God 'wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.'"
  • The Old Testament Readings, Isaiah 50;4-9a, Palm-Passion Sunday C, The Old Testament Readings: Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia.
    • "God will vindicate him for his faithfulness. By contrast, all earthly authority is ultimately fleeting."
  • Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • Isaiah 50:4-9a, (Palm Sunday) Studies on Old Testament texts from Series B, C, Ralph W. Klein, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
  • Kairos CoMotion Lectionary Discussion, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Wesley White. "A place of conversation regarding Progressive Christianity."
    • "What word sustains a weary you?"
  • "The Servant's Life / Suffering," Expository Essay, Isaiah 50:4-9a, Dr. William R. Long.
    • "Between this week and Easter we are privileged to be brought again to the mystery of divine suffering."
  • "Shame for Doing God's Will?" Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Lectionary Resource for Catholics.
    • "How do we sustain ourselves for doing good in the face of criticism? How can God help us in those times?"
  • Isaiah 50:4-9a, (Pentecost 15) Studies on Old Testament texts from Series B, Ralph W. Klein, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
  • Commentary, Isaiah 50:4-9a (Pentecost 15B), Frank M. Yamada, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
    • "What is the meaning of suffering?"
• Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices. Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
  • Ashby, Godfrey, "The Chosen People: Isaiah 40-55," Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, 1988.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Blenkinsopp, J., "Second Isaiah -- Prophet of Universalism," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 1988.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Chisholm, Robert B., Jr., "The Christological Fulfillment of Isaiah's Servant Songs," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2006.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Davies, Andrew, "Oratorio as Exegesis: The Use of the Book of Isaiah in Handel's Messiah," Biblical Interpretation, 2007.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Gaiser, Frederick J., "A Preacher's Conversation with Second Isaiah," Word and World, 1994.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Holmgren, Fredrick C., "The Servant: Responding to Violence (Isaiah 50:4-9)," Currents in Theology and Mission, 2004.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Lindsey, F. Duane, "The Commitment of the Servant in Isaiah 50:4-11," Bibliotheca Sacra, 1982.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Rowley, H.H., "The Servant Mission: The Servant Songs and Evangelism," Interpretation, 1954.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Stone, Bebb Wheeler, "Second Isaiah: Prophet to Patriarchy," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 1992.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Wilcox, Peter, "The Servant Songs in Deutero-Isaiah," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 1988.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Wilshire, Leland Edward, "The Servant City: A New Interpretation of the 'Servant of the Lord' in the Servant Songs of Deutero-Isaiah," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1975.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Witvliet, John D., "Isaiah in Christian Liturgy: Recovering Textual Contrasts: Correcting Theological Astigmatism," Calvin Theological Journal, 2004.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
• Sermons:
• Reviews:
  • Review: Jim W. Adams, The Performative Nature and Function of Isaiah 40-55. T&T Clark, 2006. Review by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer, Review of Biblical Literature, 2008.
• With Children:
  • Worshiping with Children, Palm/Passion Sunday, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2012.
• Drama:
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Clip Art, Isaiah 50:7, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
• Hymns and Music:
  • Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
  • Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Isaiah 50:4. The Cyber Hymnal.
  • Hymn selections (United Methodist) and more from Hymnsite.com.
  • Hymn Selections, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
  • Isaiah
• Movies Listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
  • Suffering Servant
  • Teachers
  • Wrongly Accused
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of Isaiah

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