Isaiah 49 is a second message (after Isaiah 42) about God's Servant. Again, the servant is an individual who is called from the womb for a special task that will benefit all nations (vv 1, 5-6).
Moreover, the servant personifies Israel (verse 3). Commentator Geoffrey Grogan points out that the Gospels present Jesus in this way. As Nathanael says in John 1:47, Jesus is "an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit."
The prophecy indicates that not everyone will embrace the Servant. He would be "one deeply despised, abhorred by the nation" (verse 7). Still, he would have an international impact and capture the attention of rulers. The New Testament applies this prophecy both to Jesus (Lk 2:32) and to the work of the apostles (Ac 13:46-47).
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