Referring to Cyrus king of Persia. In chs. 41—48 Christ as the Servant of Jehovah is typified by Cyrus in the following aspects: He was raised up by Jehovah (vv. 2a, Isa. 41:25a; Isa. 45:13a; Acts 3:26a), anointed by Jehovah (Isa. 45:1a; Luke 4:18a), and loved by Jehovah (Isa. 48:14b; Matt. 3:17). He did God’s pleasure in destroying Babylon (Isa. 48:14b; Rev. 17:1—19:4). He was God’s counselor (Isa. 46:11b) to subdue the nations and have dominion over the kings (vv. 2b, Isa. 41:25c; Isa. 45:1b; Ezra 1:2a; Acts 5:31a; Rev. 1:5a). He was also Jehovah’s shepherd for the fulfilling of His desire in building up the city (symbolizing the kingdom) and the temple of God and in releasing God’s captives (Isa. 44:28; 45:13b; Ezra 1:2-3; John 10:11; 5:30b; John 2:19; Luke 4:18b).

In chs. 41—66 three parties are used by Isaiah to typify Christ as the Servant of Jehovah (Matt. 12:15-21): Cyrus king of Persia, Israel, and Isaiah the prophet. These three servants and the all-inclusive Christ are one, serving Jehovah God for His good pleasure in releasing and raising up God’s elect to build God’s temple and God’s city and to set up God’s kingdom, which will be enlarged to consummate in the New Jerusalem.

In the first forty chapters of this book Isaiah unveiled in a hidden way God’s economy, which is to have a people so that Christ as the embodiment of God can be expressed as everything, that He may be the centrality and the universality of everything in God’s economy (see note Isa. 22:25¹). God in Christ and Christ with God have reached this point, i.e., to have Christ expressed as God’s centrality and universality, to such an extent that these three parties — Cyrus the Gentile king, the pitiful Israel, and Isaiah — became one with Christ that God might have a corporate expression. Everyone who is one with Christ, including the New Testament believers, is a type of Christ, who is the Servant of God, and such persons also are servants of God because they are part of Christ. All other persons have been terminated, put aside by God. Those who are one with Christ have become a great corporate Christ (1 Cor. 12:12; Col. 3:10-11), the same as the individual Christ in being the testimony and servant of God.

According to vv. 8-20, Christ as the Servant of Jehovah is typified by Israel for the carrying out of the kind word of comfort spoken by Jehovah to Israel (Isa. 40:1-2). As a type of Christ, the Servant of Jehovah, Israel was chosen by Jehovah and upheld with the right hand of His righteousness (vv. 8-10; 42:1, 6). Like Christ, Israel overcame the enemies by Jehovah and rejoiced and gloried in Him, the Holy One of Israel (vv. 11-16; Rev. 3:21; Matt. 11:25-26). Israel also typifies Christ as the Witness of Jehovah (Isa. 43:10; Rev. 1:5a; 3:14). Just as the Spirit was poured out on Christ, the Spirit of Jehovah was poured out on Israel for the blessing of his offspring (Isa. 44:1-5, 21; 42:1b; Matt. 3:16; Luke 4:18-19). Also, in Israel Jehovah was glorified, just as God was glorified in Christ (Isa. 43:7; 49:3; 46:13b; John 17:1; 12:28).

The pronoun has the force of a proper name here: Jehovah is “He.”

According to vv. 21-29, Christ as the Servant of Jehovah is for the exposing of the falsehood and vanity of the idols, the head of which is Satan. Everything except Christ is false, vain, and an idol (see note 1 John 5:21^3a, par. 1).