Question 1

Who is the Servant that God calls from the womb in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The Servant speaks as one whom the Lord called and named from the womb, whose mouth is like a sharp sword and who is kept close in God’s hand. He is sent first to bring Jacob back to God and restore Israel, and then also to be a light to the Gentiles and God’s salvation to the end of the earth. This fits the promised Messiah, who perfectly serves God, speaks powerful words, suffers rejection, yet is finally honored by kings and brings salvation to people from every nation.

Question 2

What does it mean that the Servant is a "light to the Gentiles"?

Accepted Answer

When God says He will give the Servant for a light to the Gentiles, He is showing that His saving plan is not only for Israel. The Servant’s work is “too small” if it is only to raise up the tribes of Jacob. God sends Him so that people in distant lands, who sat in darkness, can see God’s truth and mercy. Through this Servant, God brings the message of salvation, forgiveness, and new life to those who were far off, so that His salvation reaches to the end of the earth.

Question 3

How does God answer Zion’s fear that He has forsaken and forgotten her?

Accepted Answer

Zion cries out that the Lord has forsaken and forgotten her because of long and deep trouble. God answers with a tender picture: can a mother forget her nursing child? Even if that happened, He says He will not forget His people. He says He has engraved them on the palms of His hands, and that her walls are always before Him. He promises new children, restored cities, and enemies driven far away. His answer shows that His care is constant, personal, and stronger than a mother’s love.

Question 4

What does "I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands" mean?

Accepted Answer

This picture is God’s way of saying He cannot and will not forget His people. To engrave something on the palms of the hands means it is always in view, always remembered. God speaks to Zion, who feels abandoned, and tells her that her name and her welfare are fixed before Him. Her walls, meaning her life and community, are continually before His eyes. So even when His people feel desolate or scattered, God wants them to know their situation is never out of His sight or His care.

Question 5

What is the "covenant of the people" that God gives through the Servant?

Accepted Answer

God says He will preserve the Servant and give Him for a covenant of the people. Instead of only giving written terms, God gives a Person. Through this Servant, God firmly binds Himself to His people in mercy. By Him the land is re‑established, ruined places are given back, and prisoners are told, “Go forth.” The covenant here means restored relationship, ordered life, and secure blessing, all carried out by the Servant whom God keeps, strengthens, and sends for the good of His people.

Question 6

What does this passage teach about God’s care for discouraged servants?

Accepted Answer

The Servant says, “I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought,” which shows honest discouragement when results seem small. Yet he adds that his judgment and work are with the Lord. God answers by promising that the Servant will be glorious in His eyes and that His task is larger than it seems, reaching not only Israel but the nations. This shows that God sees faithful labor, even when fruit is hidden, and that His plans are bigger and longer than what we often feel in the moment.

Question 7

How does this passage describe God’s rescue of prisoners and captives?

Accepted Answer

God says the Servant will tell prisoners, “Go forth,” and those in darkness, “Show yourselves.” He promises they will be fed along the ways, led to safe pastures, not hunger or thirst, and be guided by springs of water. Later He asks if prey can be taken from the mighty, then answers that He Himself will take the captives away from the strong and save their children. Even those who oppress will end up destroying one another. God makes clear that His power is greater than any captor.

Question 8

Why are kings and queens pictured as nursing fathers and mothers to Zion?

Accepted Answer

God says He will lift up His hand to the Gentiles, and kings and queens will carry Zion’s sons and daughters and care for them like nursing parents. They will bow down and humble themselves. This picture shows that God can move even powerful rulers to protect and support His people. Those who once were far away will help rebuild and gather Zion’s children. It is a way of saying that God can turn former outsiders and even former enemies into helpers in the care and growth of His church.

Question 9

What does this passage show about God’s plan for both Israel and the nations?

Accepted Answer

The Servant is first sent to bring Jacob back and restore Israel, and God calls the “preserved of Israel” those who are kept for Himself. Yet God also says this is a light thing compared to the full plan. The Servant will be a light to the Gentiles and God’s salvation to the end of the earth. People will come from north, west, and the land of Sinim. Gentile nations will carry Zion’s children and serve her. So God’s plan holds both the gathering of Israel and the bringing in of people from all nations.

Isaiah 49:1

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

The Servant and Light to the Gentiles

Salvation Reaches to the End of the Earth

Promise to Zion

The Servant and Light to the Gentiles

Salvation Reaches to the End of the Earth

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Isaiah 49:1

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

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The Servant and Light to the Gentiles

Salvation Reaches to the End of the Earth

Promise to Zion

The Servant and Light to the Gentiles

Salvation Reaches to the End of the Earth

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