The Notion of the Servant of God in the Old and New Testaments

The Notion of the Servant of God in the Old and New Testaments

When this notion comes to mind, it is crucial to understand what a servant of God is by first trying to understand who a servant is in the first place. A servant is understood to be an individual responsible for performing other people’s duties, especially those employed in the house setting. Also, they are people employed by a government or a devout follower or helper. In this case, a servant of God is essentially all of these definitions. In essence, the servant of God performs God’s duties on earth. With this in mind, it suffices to maintain that this paper will explore the development of the Servant of God in the Old and New Testaments, seeking similarities, differences, and changes to the meaning of the Servant of God in both Testaments.

Foremost, it is crucial to understand that the Servant of God is mentioned five times in the Old Testament, while the same is mentioned four times in the New Testament. The Servant of God accomplishes the will of God and is often deemed an individual specially chosen by God to be in a position of leadership, to represent Him. In both the Old and New Testaments, the notion of the Servant of God has been seen in given groups of persons: Israel and Christ. Doubtless, several people are referred to as the Servants of the Lord. However, the historical interpretation manifests in Isaiah 40-55 to a specific figure assigned this title. Readers created this history as they lived in a world that was God-ordered from the sacred texts. As such,”… for the heirs of this tradition, the topic has a theological significance inseparable from the history of interpretation, a history fundamentally shaped by the book of Isaiah itself” (Balentine). From the first chapter to the thirty-ninth of the book, Broadly seen as a composite work, there is a preservation of the original sayings.

Also, the interpretation of this book has changed. Duhm believes that by upholding the opinion that chapters 1-39 and 40-66 are independent of each other, they were secondarily joined much later (Balentine). The interrelationship between identity and a role in the servant passages is seen in Isaiah 42:1-4. The servant is described as a Davidic king, and that God’s Spirit is laid on the person and given authority to judge and bring justice. The belief is that the servant is given the role assigned to the king before, as seen in Isaiah 42:5. In this case, “…the multiple features ascribed to the servant here can only be applicable all at once to a royal figure” (Balentine). As such, it suffices to say that Isaiah provides royal portraiture of the servant.

Similarly, on numerous occasions, the New Testament appears to follow the contention structure as seen in Isaiah 40-66, in which Isaiah’s Servant is to be copied. From Luke through Acts, the gospels see Jesus and the apostles as the light of the Gentiles. Also, in 1 Peter 2:21-25, Christ goes through righteous sufferings, as seen in Isaiah 53:5-12, which mentions this as an example to be emulated by the believers that unjustly suffer. Philippians 2:5-11 asks believers to emulate Christ, who was eager to abandon his status as a prince humbled himself to a Servant, and submitted willingly to death. By being exalted above, Every knee should bend, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord Isaiah 45:23; 52;13. With this in mind, it is also clear that The Isaianic verses largely influenced New Testament writers to define Jesus, the early church, and themselves.

Works Cited

Balentine, Samuel E. “The Oxford Encyclopedia Of The Bible And Theology”. Www-Oxfordreference-Com.Saintleo.Idm.Oclc.Org, 2015, https://bit.ly/3xb5hIE. Accessed 1 Aug 2021.

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Choose just one of the themes from the list below. Note developments of that theme in the Old Testament to the New Testament (N.T.), and show how N.T. writers reinterpreted it. Discuss similarities, differences, and changes to the meaning. You must provide a separate outline for your paper.

The Notion of the Servant of God in the Old and New Testaments

Use only the following resource that’s available as an e-book: The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Theology. Be sure to distinguish between paraphrasing and direct quotes. Type a 350-750 word paper using MLA formatting. Submit the completed assignment to the appropriate Dropbox by no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.

Themes
Justice
Servant of God
Jerusalem
Covenant
Redemption
Sin
Love
Son of Man
Peace
Faith
Resurrection
Wealth and Poverty
Christ
Son of God
Lord
Mercy and Compassion
Repentance
Death
Kingdom of God
Wisdom
Priest
Grading Rubric
Accurate use of English, including careful documentation (including the ability to paraphrase and use quotations), and good organizational plan. 40 pts
Adequate research, including the use of primary sources. 20 pts
Accurate and complete reflection of material read for assignment. 40 pts
Saint Leo University
https://proassignments.org/choose-just-one-of-the-themes-from-the-list-below-note-developments-of-that-theme-in-the-old-testament-to-the-new-testament-n-t-and-show-how-n-t-writers-reinterpreted-it/