Autor: Voegelin, Eric

Buch: Israel and Revelation

Titel: Israel and Revelation

Stichwort: Deutero-Jesaia, 2. Lied vom Gottesknecht; der Prophet als Reräsentat d. Geschichte

Kurzinhalt: Second Song, redemption has been experienced by the prophet for Israel; the even greater task of becoming the light to the nations

Textausschnitt: 143/13 With the victory of Cyrus and the impending return to Jerusalem the redemption of Israel is accomplished (48:20): "Say: 'Redeemed has Yahweh his Servant Jacob."' This does not mean, however, as the sequel shows, that the empirical Israel has accepted the message of salvation. It means that redemption has been experienced by the prophet for Israel, as its representative. Israel has become the perfected one, because in its midst the revelation has found response in at least one man. For the Servant who has been destined in heaven in God's time now enters historical time in the prophet's own person as the speaker of the Second Song (49:1-6): (508f; Fs)
Hearken, you coast-lands, to me,
and give attention, you peoples afar!
Yahweh has called me from the womb,
before my birth he gave me my name;
()
The model of Jeremiah as the lord of history in royal form makes itself strongly felt in this Second Song. Israel has contracted into the Servant, who tries to move the empirical Israel - apparently in vain. But in spite of his temporary failure in the cause of Yahweh, God has assigned to him the even greater task of becoming the light to the nations. The cause of the failure to convince the people is set forth in the following text. Yahweh has indeed extended to the downtrodden Israel -"despised by men, abhorred by nations, the slave of rulers" (49:7)- his promise of salvation (49:7b) (509f; Fs)