Christ, Our Covenant: A Brief Survey Chad Richard Bresson

The idea of Covenant is inherent to our place in Christian history and indeed the world. When we

say "Covenant Theology" or "New Covenant Theology" we are saying something about what we believe

to be true, not only about the interpretation of Scripture, but our view of the world around us. Our view of

reality itself is inseparable from the idea of Covenant. This makes it very important when we say that the

New Covenant age in which we live doesn’t simply involve a new covenant after the old order, but

involves a Covenant that is Christ Himself. This is a brief synopsis of the Biblical data on the idea of

“covenant”, a glimpse of Isaiah 42:6, and a brief survey of some commentators on Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8.

What is a covenant?

While the idea of covenant is central to both God’s revelation of Himself to man and His

redemption of man to Himself in Christ, “covenant” is very nearly a presumed notion in the text itself. It

does not occur with detailed explanation as to its definition, identity, function, or purpose. Yet it is

inextricably linked in the text to human history and most importantly, the history of a redeemed people.

So we would expect to find much in the Scriptures that indicate what it is that a covenant is and does and

in that expectation the Scriptures do not disappoint, both in text and picture form.

Meredith Kline has a helpful definition from his magnum opus, “Kingdom Prologue”, which will

function as a starting point for our understanding of how the text develops the theme of “covenant”:

“...a berith is a legal kind of arrangement, a formal disposition of a binding nature. At the

heart of a berith is an act of commitment and the customary oath-form of this commitment

reveals the religious nature of the transaction. The berith arrangement is no mere secular

contract but rather belongs to the sacred sphere of divine witness and enforcement. The

kind of legal disposition called berith consists then in a divinely sanctioned commitment.

In the case of divine-human covenants the divine sanctioning is entailed in God’s

participation either as the one who himself makes the commitment or as the divine

witness of the human commitment made in his name and presence.” – Meredith Kline,

Kingdom Prologue, pp. 1-2.

From Kline’s definition, we can make several observations about “covenant” (all of which are

intertwined with each other and may be true of “covenant” all at the same time):

1. Legal arrangement

2. Formal disposition

3. Bond

4. Act of Commitment

5. Oath-swearing

6. Contract

7. Divine Sanctioning

It’s interesting to note that Kline nowhere uses the word “promise” in this definition, though

certainly promise is wrapped up in “oath”, “bond” and “commitment”. There is a tendency by some in

contemporary scholarship to reduce covenant to merely “promise”, when certainly the Scriptures,

especially the Old Testament, speak of covenant in terms that are richer, deeper, and more

contextualized than can be conveyed in this one word.

Another point of note is the legal or forensic nature of the covenant. Again, there is a tendency in

contemporary scholarship to speak of “covenant” merely in terms of “commitment” (i.e. Graeme

Goldsworthy, who defines covenant as “a biblical concept which refers primarily toGod’s commitment to

his people”). Such a limiting of the term amounts to a reductionism that does not account for all that the

Scriptures say about covenant, especially its legal and contractual nature. The contract was a legally

binding arrangement which was made effective in the shedding of blood. Such a contract came with

“notarization” or inauguration (as Hebrews 9:18 puts it) complete with witnesses to the solemn occasion

in which the two parties were bound to each other. In regards to the Sinaitic Covenant, the law laid out

the terms of the covenant. Thus, law and the Sinaitic Covenant are inseparably bound. To violate the

law is to violate the covenant. This legal aspect of the covenant is especially important when we

consider the Mosaic or Sinaitic Covenant and the context for the Isaiah passages.

A final word may be said in regards to Kline’s definition. While he terms “covenant” as a “divinely

sanctioned commitment”, he does not include in the definition the number of *assenting* parties

necessary to constitute a covenant in the scriptures. Kline, here, makes no commitment on his part as to

whether covenants are unilateral or bilateral and he does not do so because the text of scripture reflects

both kinds of covenants. Nor does Kline make the mistake of identifying the covenant as “conditional” or

“unconditional”. Again, there has been a tendency in contemporary theology (one that must be resisted)

to summarize all of the biblical covenants as unilateral and unconditional when in fact conditionality is the

dominant strain of the dominant covenant of the Old Testament, the Sinaitic covenant.

If “covenant” is a legally binding contract of divine promise, then what are its elements and what

is its purpose or function? Again, while there does not seem to be a passage that explicitly details all of

the elements, purposes or functions of the covenant idea in Scripture, it is possible to piece together it

elements, how the contract functions, and its intended purposes.

Among the identifiable elements of the covenant1 are (again, covenants will have some, if not all

of these elements and these elements help identify commonalities between covenants):

1. God’s self-identification

2. Reminder of God’s great acts in the past

3. Description of relationship between God and recipient

4. Sacrifice as terms

5. Man to man regulations

6. Witnesses

7. Blessings and curses

8. Call to trust in God

9. Accompanied by a sign

10. Ratified in blood

11. Some have suggested that a covenant has its meal… though this characteristic is only readily

identifiable in the Mosaic and New Covenants, and implied in the Abrahamic.

12. Messianic in trajectory

Having identified the elements, just how did the covenant function? As a legally binding contract

setting the terms between two parties, the covenant functioned as a binding agreement between God

and his people, most notably, God as King and his subjects. No covenant in the scriptures is between

1 Helpful resources include: Meredith Kline, “Kingdom Prologue”; Michael Horton, “Covenant and Eschatology”; John Bright, “Covenant and Promise”

equals. All covenants stipulate what God will do for his people and in some cases will stipulate what God

expects from his people. All covenants place God’s people in a subjective or subservient role to God

himself (and this includes those so-called unilateral arrangements such as the Abrahamic Covenant).

Kline, Mendenhall, Bright, and others have pointed out the similarities between the covenants found in

the Bible and the treaties of the ancient near east, especially those of the Hittite nations. While it is not

our place here to consider the merit of understanding the Biblical covenants as Suzerainty Treaties

between the Overload and His vassals, we must note that all Biblical covenants certainly flow out of

God’s rulership over his people… it is through the covenant that God exercises his rule and reign over

those who are His. The covenant is unmistakably theocratic. It sets the terms for the theocracy. It gives

the King “court-jurisdiction” over His people through which he rules and judges His people. Thus, for

Israel, the Sinaitic Covenant functions as a national constitution, binding her and her undivided

allegiance to her King, the One and only YAHWEH.

Finally. these elements and purposes of the biblical covenants are not merely given to God’s

people in word form. God doesn’t merely verbalize the covenant and its terms to His people. The Bible’s

major covenants are accompanied by significant events that symbolize in picture form the covenant and

the terms between King and subject. Thus, the pictures and the imagery of Genesis 15 (the torch and

firepot), Exodus 24 (the elders on the mountain and the ratification with the people), and Joshua 24

(Joshua’s great discourse) all help shape our thinking as to what a covenant is and does. It is in these

pictures we find meaning and purpose to the covenants. The significance of these events has been

underestimated in our theology of covenant. Through the images, pictures, and prophetic discourse,

God shows (and tells) His people what He will do for them and what is expected of them.

Isaiah 42:6

In the course of redemptive history, by the time we get to Isaiah something is drastically wrong.

Israel has not been keeping covenant. The glorious events of Sinai are a distant memory. The land is

no longer flowing with milk and honey but with injustice and the blood of the righteous. One part of the

kingdom divided is no more. The blood thirsty Assyrians have marched through Samaria and have

obliterated all traces of its rebellious people. The northern 10 tribes pursued the prostituting idolatry of

the nations around them bringing upon themselves the curses of the covenant. God wasn’t kidding in

Deuteronomy when he said “if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to

worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you that you shall surely perish.” Israel has been

crushed by Assyria. Samaria is no more. But it isn’t merely the northern tribes who have broken

covenant. Judah feels the heat from Assyrians bearing down on Jerusalem. There is a divine reprieve,

but it is quite evident that Judah has broken covenant as well. Will Judah escape Israel’s fate? The

answer, as it comes from the lips of Isaiah and other like-minded prophets, is a resounding “no”. As sure

as the judgment for covenant-breaking in Deuteronomy had come to pass on northern Israel, it will

descend on Judah. The question then becomes, what will become of God’s people? If God has

obliterated the northern 10 tribes for breaking covenant, does this mean there is no hope and no future

for the Israel that is left?

Into this scene comes Isaiah. Isaiah has a thankless job. He is motivated and carried along by a

vision of God’s glory. While Israel has been faithless to the covenant, the covenant-making God is still

on his throne. God is still king. He is high and lifted up and his train fills the temple, the real temple of

which the earthly temple now is merely a corrupted and abused copy. Against the backdrop of this vision

Isaiah proclaims judgment to a people who refuse to hear him. In the courtroom of heaven, Israel is

placed on trial with YAHWEH as prosecutor and judge. Israel, charged with crimes against the King of

Heaven, her true King, is found guilty of breaking the covenant. Even Hezekiah, a king who embraces

the gospel of Yahweh and His glory, exhibits faithlessness. For the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, covenant-

breaking, faithlessness, and judgment dominate the prophet’s message. When we reach the end of

chapter 39, one can almost sense the despair. 10 tribes are gone. God’s longsuffering patience will

eventually run out with the remaining tribes. The specter of the covenant curses of Deuteronomy raining

down on rebellious and whoring Judah looms very large. Chapter 39 ends with Hezekiah speaking about

peace, yet God has promised war against the house of Israel (Isaiah 40:2). His justice will be satisfied

against a people guilty of breaking covenant.

And then there is chapter 40. Into the darkness of God’s wrath being poured out against a

covenant breaking people “a voice cries: in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord.” God’s people

have broken covenant and his vengeance will be poured out against them, but it doesn’t end there. He

doesn’t leave his people there. God will destroy Israel; but He will save His people. The movement

between Isaiah 39 to Isaiah 40 is almost surreal… Isaiah’s message of judgment shifts, almost as if mid-

sentence, to a message of comfort (and not coincidentally, at the request and commissioning of God, just

as he had earlier in the book). There is such a stark contrast between chapters 39 and 40, there have

been those who have suggested that Isaiah 40-66 was written by someone other than Isaiah and after

the exile. Yet this is not the case. God’s salvation of His people follows the judgment of the nation and

in fact is set over against that judgment.

At the center point of God’s salvation of his people is the Suffering Servant. The covenanting

YAHWEH isn’t simply going to allow bygones to be bygones. He isn’t simply going to return His people

to their land, only to have history repeat itself, with repentance followed by ever-increasing covenant

breaking. YAHWEH has said as much in Deuteronomy. The punishment of Israel will be followed by

something that is completely different: a new people with circumcised hearts. But how will this be

accomplished and exactly what is YAHWEH going to do for His people? For an Israel facing judgment

what is it that gives her hope if there is any hope to be found in the prospect of Assyrians and

Babylonians who seemingly stand ready at God’s command ready to execute His judgment? Against the

gloom and terror of a King who will keep his covenant promise to rain curses down on a disobedient

people, is the glory of a Suffering Servant in whom His people will enjoy covenant blessings forever.

Chapter 39 ends with the chilling promise “behold, the day is coming”. This is that terrib le day of

the Lord in which His wrath is poured out against a covenant-breaking people. But chapter 40 begins

with words of comfort and a promise set over against such a terrible day, “Behold, the Lord GOD

comes…” This King who reigns from His temple on high is going to come and save His people through a

Suffering Servant. Through this Suffering Servant, the problem of a covenant that has been broken and

cannot be obeyed will be resolved. The law which hangs over the people of Israel pronouncing guilt and

exacting judgment in the courtroom of heaven will be dealt with.

And if we are to understand the nature of the work of the Suffering Servant in the passages we

are considering, we must pay attention to a series of passages that are the glue holding these passages

together. Much has been made of the fact that inherent to Isaiah’s message of deliverance are Songs to

be sung. As God pronounces comfort for His people in their restoration from the hands of the

Babylonians, the melody line is connected by a series of promises as to how he is going to act in

righteousness on behalf of His people; the One who does not grow weary, the Suffering Servant, will

bring relief to the downtrodden and the weary by again dwelling with His people. The opening chapters

of Isaiah 40-66 are linked together by these promises: Isaiah 40:28-31, 41:17-20, 42:16-17, 43:2-7,

45:13-19, and 48:17-22. These literary markers highlight God’s activity in the salvation and restoration of

His people:

“The LORD…does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives

power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength…they who wait for

the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall

run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31).

“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched

with thirst, I the LORD will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 18 I will

open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the

wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. 19 I will put in the wilderness

the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the

plane and the pine together, 20 that men may see and know, may consider and understand

together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.

(Isaiah 41:17-20)

“And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known

I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level

ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them… (Isaiah 42:16-17)

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall

not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame

shall not consume you. 3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your

Savior… I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. 4 Because you

are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you,

peoples in exchange for your life. 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring

from the east, and from the west I will gather you. 6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to

the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the

earth, 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed

and made.” (Isaiah 43:2-7)

“I have stirred him up in righteousness, and I will make all his ways level; he shall build my

city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward,” says the LORD of hosts…Israel is

saved by the LORD with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or

confounded to all eternity. 18 For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (he is

God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it empty, he

formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other…(Isaiah 45:13-19)

“Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God,

who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. 18 Oh that you had

paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and

your righteousness like the waves of the sea; 19 your offspring would have been like the

sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed

from before me.” 20 Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of

joy, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth; say, “The LORD has redeemed his

servant Jacob!” 21 They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made

water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and the water gushed out…” (Isaiah

48:17-22)

God is again going to gather His people. He is going to collect them not merely from Babylon, but

the ends of the earth. What he did for His people in the first Exodus from Egypt will be far surpassed in

one final exodus that is permanent. He is going to give water to the thirsty and healing for those who are

blind; he is going to give relief for those who are oppressed and give righteousness to those who have

none. Keep all of these things in mind as we consider our texts.

How is it that He will accomplish this? Will he merely recapitulate the events of Exodus by

leading his people in a grand demonstration against the Babylonians? No. God has in mind something

far greater and far grander. Chapter 41 ends with God again back in the courtroom reminding His people

that He is their true King and admonishing them over their idols which rule over nothing. Chapter 41

ends like this: “Behold they (those illegitimate rulers and those false gods) are all a delusion.” Israel’s

covenant breaking has been the pursuit of a mirage, leaving them poor, thirsty, needy, blind, and in

darkness. But just as God himself as torch and firepot passed through the sacrificed animals as the

keeper of the covenant who himself will bring the blessings of the covenant to pass, so too God is

himself going to satisfy the demands of the covenant.

The end of chapter 41 is this: “Behold they are all a delusion”. The opening line of Isaiah 42 is

this: “Behold my servant”. Over against the illegitimate rulers and false gods God presents his Suffering

Servant who will embody His kingship over His people. Here is the text for our consideration:

1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my

Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his

voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly

burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint

or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for

his law. 5 Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it

and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will

take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for

the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I

give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. 9 Behold, the former things have come to

pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Isaiah

42:1-9)

Our passages for consideration are Isaiah 42:6 and Isaiah 49:8. These are, within the context of

this opening section of Isaiah 40-66, parallel passages, with Isaiah 49 actually beginning the next section

and next song. It would be really tempting to take the time to completely unpack this entire section but

we do not have that kind of time. Instead, we are going to focus our attention on one phrase in verse 6:

“I will give you as a covenant for the people”. There has been a lot of discussion among commentators

about the meaning of that phrase, but most of the discussion falls in the typical fashion along the lines of

the identity of the servant. Is the servant Israel? Is the servant unidentified? Is the servant an unknown

Messianic figure who will arrive on the scene at a later point in Israel’s history? And how that question is

answered is determined far earlier in one’s handling of the other so-called Messianic texts of Isaiah,

those passages that point to some kind of King-Ruler yet to come in Israel’s future. For reasons I will not

go into here, I believe that the Suffering Servant is a Messianic King-Ruler who is yet to come in Israel’s

future, and not just a Messianic figure, but the ultimate Christophany, God come in human form to

accomplish his own purposes on His people’s behalf. The torch and the firepot will take on flesh, not

only walking through the carcasses as a covenant keeper, but suffering the fate of the carcasses as a

covenant breaker.

There are several observations to be made about this Suffering Servant who will be made a

covenant for the people. There has also been a lot of discussion about whether or not this is a covenant

personified and what “for the people” actually means. Again, while some commentators are ambivalent

about what it means for a person to be made a covenant, many others, some of whom will be quoted

below are convinced (rightly so) that this is nothing other than a Covenant that takes on flesh.

1. So the first thing we can say about this covenant is that the covenant promised here is a

person, none other than the Suffering Servant of verse 1 in this passage. The Suffering

Servant is going to embody a covenant.

2. The Servant-Covenant will be given. There are echoes here of an earlier prophecy, “unto us

a Son is given”. This is a covenant that will come from outside of the people… an example of

a unilateral action on the part of YAHWEH.

3. The Servant-Covenant will be commissioned by YAHWEH. Not only is he having an effect on

the people, He is divinely ordained for this specific purpose.

4. This Servant-Covenant brings justice. Justice is mentioned 3 times in the first 4 verses. Here

in this passage the divine commissioning is itself characterized by righteousness. Justice is

inseparable from the nature of this covenant and its effects.

5. This Servant-Covenant will be a light. “A covenant for the people” and “a light for the nations”

are parallel here. The Servant embodies both covenant and light. In fact, these two phrase

“covenant for the people” and “light for the nations” are so connected that one could say that

this Suffering Servant will be a covenant light. These are parallels in intensification, with the

latter providing more detail about the former. IOW, this is a covenant from which light

proceeds.

6. This Servant-Covenant acts on behalf of the people. “For the people” suggests not only

recipients, but those who are the beneficiaries of the giving of this new covenant. There is a

cause and effect relationship between the covenant and the people.

This then is the profile of the Suffering Servant who is to be a covenant for the people. There is

coming a day in Israel in which a Suffering Servant will be embody the covenant for His people. This

Servant-Covenant will be a light to those whom he is given. As this covenant shines forth he brings

justice to His people, a people that is broader than mere Israel.

And that leads us to consider a couple of other dynamics at work in this passage.

1. The first is that this “people” is not just Israel. Verse 2 says the Suffering Servant will bring

forth justice to the nations. Verse 5 says God gives breath to the people on the earth. Verse

6 places these two words side by side… the covenant for the people is going to be a light to

the nations. The benefits of this Servant-Covenant extend beyond Israel to the ends of the

earth… including Gentiles. The reach of this covenant isn’t limited to the nation of Israel, but

is for all people groups.

2. The Servant-Covenant is Spirit empowered. Verse 2: I have put my Spirit upon Him. The

same Spirit that has breathed life into creation (vs. 5) breathes life into the nations through

this Servant-covenant for the people. The covenant-light is going to be a life source.

3. The Servant-Covenant effects a new creation. Verse 5 places the context of this Servant-

Covenant in verse 6 in the original creation. Verse 5 is the language of Genesis 1:2, with the

Spirit hovering over the waters in the creation of the heavens and the earth and Genesis 2:7

in which he is the life breath of God into man, or the original “generation”. Here the language

of the garden is employed leading into verse 6 because what is needed is a new generation,

or re-generation. And that’s precisely the effects of this Servant-Covenant in verse 7: opening

the eyes of the blind, releasing prisoners from the dungeons, and giving light to those in

darkness. This is the language of a new creation. And indeed, verse 9 says as much: these

are “new things”, an idea Isaiah continues in chapter 43 verse 19: Behold I am doing a “new

thing”. The new creation has a Servant-Covenant bringing life to the nations.

4. The Servant-covenant is inseparable from a new law. Verse 4: “the coastlands are waiting for

His law”, a law that will in and of itself effect justice.

5. The Servant-covenant is set over against the false idols of the people. Verse 17 of chapter

42: it is the Servant-covenant that is going to render the idols of the unbelieving Israelites

useless. The covenant will shame any and all comers who attempt to usurp the divine right of

the King-Covenant.

So, how does this fit in with the rest of Isaiah? Israel has broken covenant. They have played

the infidel. The Assyrians have threatened and YAHWEH in his mercy gave them reprieve. But the

Babylonians, a rising power to the east, are coming. They will execute judgment as the curses of

Deuteronomy rain down on unrepentant and unbelieving Israel. As he has already done with the

northern 10 tribes, God is going to pour out his wrath on the covenant-breaking nation. Darkness will

cover the land…Covenant-breaking Israel is in need of a new covenant and a new law that effects justice

in its recipients. It is this Suffering Servant-Covenant that will satisfy God’s wrath (Isaiah 53). He will

satisfy the terms, the blessing and curses, of the broken covenant and in so doing become a covenant

himself.

This Suffering Servant-Covenant will “lead the blind in a way that they do not know…” This

Suffering Servant-Covenant will “turn the darkness before them into light”. “When the poor and needy

seek water and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst”, this Suffering Servant-Covenant

will not forsake them, but indeed will feed them and give them drink. This Suffering Servant-Covenant is

none other than the King of heaven whose train fills the temple. This King is Himself a Covenant… He

not only sets the terms of his rulership of His new people, He *is* the terms of His rulership of His people,

a rulership that is empowered by the Spirit who breathes life into a new nation, a new humanity, made up

of all nations. God’s people, as they await judgment from a law that has condemned them, are in need

of salvation. Salvation for covenant-breakers comes in the form of a covenant keeper who becomes a

covenant for them. Their kingdom will be destroyed. But the Suffering Servant-Covenant will bring a

new kingdom. Isaiah 9:1-7:

1 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into

contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made

glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. 2 The

people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep

darkness, on them has light shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased

its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide

the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his

oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5 For every boot of the tramping

warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his

shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting

Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no

end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with

justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD

of hosts will do this.

Survey of commentaries and others on Isaiah 42:6 and Isaiah 49:8

Several commentators have noted that the expectation of Isaiah 42 and Isaiah 49 is that the

Suffering Servant will embody a covenant for or to Israel. The phrase occurs twice. In Isaiah 42:6, “a

covenant for the people”. In Isaiah 49:8, “a covenant to the people”. Here is a brief survey of those

commentators who see in these passages the promise of a covenant personified.

John Watts, who interprets the servant of Isaiah to be Cyrus, says this regarding Isaiah 42:6: “As

‘covenant (for) people’ and ‘light (for) nations,’ the emperor is responsible for government, justice, and

order for the peoples under his rule.” (Isaiah 34–66, p. 660)

By the time Watts arrives at chapter 49, the major player for Watts is Darius, but the interpretation

of the phrase “a covenant to the people” is quite similar: “He is to be םע תירב, ‘a people’s covenant.’ The

emperor is personally to be the constitutional basis by which each people will function as a people. The

breakdown of authority under the Assyrians in the seventh century B.C.E. and under the Babylonians in

the sixth century could only be brought into some sort of order by imperial authority.” (p. 738)

Allan Harmon is extremely helpful. He too sees a link between the servant and Cyrus in Isaiah 42:

“The most difficult phrase in this song is the statement that God will make the servant a covenant of the

people (Heb. berit ‘am). Some suggested interpretations can be ruled out on grammatical grounds. Thus

the idea that the reference is to the servant community is not a possible interpretation, as this would

require a change in the word order (‘am berit). It has also been suggested that the word berit does not

mean covenant here but rather something that forms a parallel with ‘light’ in the following phrase.

However, this is most unlikely not only because of the immediate context but also because covenant was

such an underlying concept for Isaiah and his listeners/readers that to introduce a word here that looked

and sounded like it would be most unusual. The best interpretation is that the servant is seen as

constituting the essence of the covenant that is intended to be for the people. He sums up in his own

person what the covenant really meant, and this will be spelt out by Isaiah and other prophets as they

speak about the new covenant (see Isa. 54:10; Jer. 31:31–34; Ezek. 16:59–60).” (Isaiah: A Covenant to

Be Kept for the Sake of the Church, p. 288)

Harmon makes the same point in chapter 49: “The servant’s prayers will be answered in that he

will be ‘kept’ to be a covenant for the people. The same verb ‘keep’ (nâtsar) is used of the servant as has

already been used of ‘the preserved of Israel’ in verse 6, for the LORD keeps him ready for his mission.

This is the second time that this phrase ‘a covenant for the people’ has occurred (see commentary on

42:6). In his person the servant embodies all that is intended in the covenant.” (p. 343)

Watts and Harmon are not the first to make the connection between “covenant” and “person”.

Gerard Van Groningen ("Messianic Revelation in the Old Testament") on Isaiah 42: "Yahweh calls the

servant in righteousness (42:6; cf. 9:7 [MT 9:6]), that is, in accordance with Yahweh's nature, will, and

revealed pattern for human life and for the regulation of the cosmos. This call in righteousness

establishes the correct legal relationship between Yahweh and the Servant so that the latter can bring

and execute all his functions justly. Yahweh pledges his full support to the Servant (42:6b). He will take

hold of the Servant's hand as he had assured the servant Israel. He will grasp and sustain him (41:9-10)

and watch/guard/keep him (my comment: watch/guard/keep is a concept closely associated with Israel's

tabernacle/temple, grounded in Genesis 2:15. Christ as Covenant and Light is the Consummator of

Israel's Priesthood to the nations - cf. Christopher Wright, "Old Testament Ethics for the People of God",

p. 469). I will stand watch over you to guard you from dangers, that is, I will keep you in your position and

task. And Yahweh, in addition to calling and upholding him, will set, or make, him a covenant "for the"

people and for a light to the nations. (42:6a)...As the Servant is a light (cf. Jesus' saying: "I am the light of

the world," John 8:12) for the nations, so the Servant is the covenant "belonging to the people," hence it

is best to translate: a covenant for the people (cf. NIV).

“The idea of the covenant, as we noted more than once, was explicated to the patriarchs,

particularly by Moses to Israel and specifically by God to David. All the blessings, promises, and

assurances embodied in the covenant have their root and origin in, and are dispensed by the Servant

who himself is at the very center of all these blessings. In summary, the Servant is not to be simply the

mediator of the covenant as Moses had been, but he is also to be the covenant. The two are

inseparable. The Servant is the actual binding element and force of the covenant bond and all the

blessings of the covenant are in him and through him come out to the peoples. As the covenant and light

the Servant will bring sight, freedom, and life to those in darkness." Gerard Van Groningen, "Messianic

Revelation in the Old Testament", pp. 586, 587

On Isaiah 49:8,9, Gerard Van Groningen writes: "The Servant is to become a berit (covenant for

the people). Isaiah had previously proclaimed this theme about the Servant (cf. Isaiah 42:6). Covenant,

in Isaiah 42:6, is a parallel term or a synonym with light. The Servant, then, is to be made a sure bond of

love and life between Yahweh and his people; to be such a vital link he will bring about what Yahweh

had promised to the patriarchs as integral aspects of this relationship. As a covenant and light the

Servant is to restore the Promised Land, rehabilitate the devastated areas, and call out to the exiles to

come forth and be freed from their bondage... The righteous Servant... is to be Yahweh's Covenant for

God's people, a light to the Gentiles (42:6). He is to fulfill the covenantal duty of being a means of

blessing to all nations (cf. Gen. 12:1-3)" Gerard Van Groningen, Messianic Revelation in the Old

Testament, p. 606

It's interesting to read John 1 (LOGOS as Torah) in light of what Theodore Vriezen notes in Isaiah

42, 43 and 55.

Of Isaiah 42, Vriezen writes: "God wants to use Israel to bring to the nations the knowledge of his

Torah... (Isaiah) proclaims... the universal vocation of Israel... as a missionary task. Israel is to bring the

message of the Torah to the world and to reveal the redeeming and vivifying power of suffering for the

sins of the world... Here the Old Testament revelation of God reached its culminating point, especially in

Isaiah 43, for here the idea arose that the Torah (revelation) not only leads to theocracy, the rule of God

over Israel itself, but also to that love which suffers unto death for the sins of others. This is the last new

element of the revelation of God given to Israel before the coming of Christ... Jesus Christ becomes the

fulfillment of this divine vision. In this way the greatest and most profound message of the Old Testament

is *actualized* (my emph., crb) by Him among men on this earth, and thus the true meaning of the word

of God, spoken to Israel is revealed completely... There will be an everlasting covenant which will reveal

all the faithful acts of grace granted to David, so that all the nations will run unto Israel which is His

witness (55:3-5); Israel is called to be a 'light to the Gentiles' and a 'covenant of the people' to teach the

world the Torah and 'Righteousness/Justice' (misphat)... Israel should become a light to the Gentiles so

that God's salvation might spread as far as the ends of the earth. " Theodore Vriezen, "An Outline of Old

Testament Theology", p. 18, 34

The parallelism of Isaiah 42:6 is crucial to understanding Isaiah’s theological understanding of

covenant personified. Just as much as Christ is a light "for the nations", Christ is a covenant "for the

people" (this parallelism is glory for us... the nations' light/salvation is being brought into the Covenant

with Israel... the result of which is verse 7: we are the "blind", the "prisoners from the dungeon" who "sit

in darkness").

Alec Motyer, writing in The Prophecy of Isaiah, says of Isaiah 42:6: "...the servant will be a

covenant, i.e. the means through whom people will come into covenant relation with the Lord." (The

Prophecy of Isaiah, p. 322).

On Isaiah 49:8, Motyer writes: "...the Servant is more than a covenant officiant or instigator; he is

in his own person the Lord's covenant. Here again is the claim that exalts the Servant above any

prophet. In biblical thought the covenant is a unilateral pledge and consequent work of God. To speak of

the Servant as the covenant means that while, as we know, it is through his work that covenant blessings

become available, it is only in him, in the union of personal relationship, that these blessings can be

enjoyed. Prophets preached the covenant and pointed away from themselves to the Lord; the Servant

will actualize the blessings and point to himself. On land, inheritances, captives, and darkness. The

physical is a motif of the spiritual: restore/'raise up' is used in the sense of making secure, establishing (2

Chron. 7:18); reassign/;cause to inherit' means to bring into possession and enjoyment; for the

captives/'those who are bound' the Servant spells freedom; to Be free/'show yourselves' is to enjoy a

new-found liberty." – (The Prophecy of Isaiah) p. 391

The key word in understanding Isaiah through Motyer: "actualize". Just as in Hebrews Christ is

Priest and Sacrifice (or just as at the Transfiguration he is both Law and Lawgiver), here in Isaiah Christ

is both the fulfillment of the Covenant AND Actualizer of the Covenant. He is Covenant AND both

Blessing and Curse (Gen. 15:10,17). It's interesting that Motyer connects Isaiah 49:8 with 2 Chron. 7:18

where we find Christ both the fulfiller of the covenant and the "establisher" himself (Isaiah 44:26 is most

likely an allusion to the same reality... Christ is both fulfillment and fulfiller of the "counsel" or "word").

This is in perfect alignment with *the* revelation of the covenant of Genesis 15 (torch/oven) in which

Christ makes the covenant AND both fulfills the covenant and becomes the curse, swearing by His own

name. i.e. he is the consummation of all things covenant.

Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg (one whom Vos acknowledges as an influence), in pointing out that

Christ is both Prophet and Prophecy in Isaiah 42:1-9, says of verse 6: "...the Lord turns to His Servant

and addresses Him. He announces to Him that it should be His glorious destination, partly to bring, in His

person, the covenant with Israel to its full truth..." -- E. W. Hengstenberg, Christology of the Old

Testament, p. 529.

Hengstenberg cements his point: "The covenant can belong to the covenant-people only, Rom.

9:4, - the old, no less than the new one. The covenant with Abraham is an everlasting covenant of

absolutely exclusiveness, Gen. 17:7. The Servant of God is called the personal and embodied Covenant,

because in His appearance the covenant made with Israel is to find its full truth; and everything implied in

the very idea of a covenant, all the promises flowing from this idea, are to be in Him, Yea and Amen. The

Servant of God is here called the Covenant of Israel, just in the same manner as in Micah 5:5 (compare

with Eph. 2:14), it is said of Him: 'This (man) is Peace," because in Him, peace, as it were, represents

itself personally; - just as in Isaiah chap. 49:6, He is called the Salvation of God, because this salvation

becomes personal in Him, the Savior, - just as in Gen. 17:10, 13, circumcision is called a covenant, as

being the embodied covenant (my note: doesn't that have some huge implications for the blood of the

covenant in Christ's death? crb), -- just as in Luke 22:20, the cup, the blood of Christ, is called the New

Covenant, because in it, it has its root. The explanation: Mediator of the covenant, is meager and

weakens the meaning. The circumstance that the Servant of God is, without farther qualification, called

the Covenant of the people shows that he stands in different relation to the covenant from that of Moses,

to whom the name of the Mediaor of the covenant does not the less belong than to Him. From Jeremiah

31:31, we learn which are the blessings and gifts which the Servant of God is to bestow, and by which

He represents himself as the personal Covenant. They are concentrated in the closest connection to be

established by Him between God and His people: 'I will be their God, and they shall be my people.' It is

only in the New Covenant, described in that passage of Jeremiah, that the Old Covenant attains to its

truth." -- Hengstenberg, Christology of the Old Testament, p. 548.

On Isaiah 42:9, Hengstenberg says: "...the appearance of the Servant of God, and the victory

over the idols accomplished thereby, the bringing forth of the law of God over the whole earth through

Him, and the full realization of the covenant with Israel. The thought is this: -- that a God who does not

manifest and prove himself as such, who is contented with the honor granted to Him without His

interference, cannot e a god; that the true God must of necessity be filled with the desire of absolutely,

exclusive dominion, and cannot but manifest and prove this desire." Hengstenberg, Christology of the

Old Testament, p. 550.

To paraphrase Hengstenberg: the Servant of God, as the Covenant Himself, is both Lawgiver and

Law... he exerts his dominion over the world not merely by what He says but by *who He is*. He not only

brings salvation to all people groups, He himself *is* salvation for all people groups.

Franz Delitzsch on Isaiah 42:6: "An unprejudiced commentator must admit that the ‘servant of

Jehovah’ is pointed out here, as He in whom and through whom Jehovah concludes a new covenant with

His people, in the place of the old covenant that was broken-namely, the covenant promised in Isaiah

54:10; 61:8; Jer 31:31-34; Ezek 16:60ff. The mediator of this covenant with Israel cannot be Israel itself,

not even the true Israel, as distinguished from the mass (where do we read anything of this kind?); on the

contrary, the remnant left after the sweeping away of the mass is the object of this covenant...Let us bear

in mind, that the servant of Jehovah appears here not only as one who is the medium of a covenant to

the nation, and of light to the Gentiles, but as being himself the people's covenant and heathen's light,

inasmuch as in his own person he is the band of a new fellowship between Israel and Jehovah, and

becomes in his own person the light which illumines the dark heathen world. This is surely more than

could be affirmed of any prophet, even of Isaiah or Jeremiah. Hence the ‘servant of Jehovah’ must be

that one Person who was the goal and culminating point to which, from the very first, the history of Israel

was ever pressing on; that One who throws into the shade not only all that prophets did before, but all

that had been ever done by Israel's priests of kings; that One who arose out of Israel, for Israel and the

whole human race, and who stood in the same relation not only to the wider circle of the whole nation,

but also to the inner circle of the best and noblest within it, as the heart to the body which it animates, or

the head to the body over which it rules."

And on Isaiah 49:8, Franz Delitzsch writes: "The fact that Jehovah makes His servant ‘a covenant

of the people,’ i.e., the personal bond which unites Israel and its God in a new fellowship (see Isaiah

42:6), is the fruit of his being heard and helped. The infinitives with Lamed affirm in what way the new

covenant relation will be made manifest. The land that has fallen into decay rises into prosperity again,

and the desolate possessions return to their former owners. This manifestation of the covenant grace,

that has been restored to the nation again, is effected through the medium of the servant of Jehovah.” --

Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 7: Isaiah

Thomas Edward McComiskey on The Servant as a covenant: "...The prophet emphasized

another aspect of the covenant in Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8. In both passages the servant himself is called a

covenant. The latter verse appears to refer to the servant as an individual, not as the nation. The

elements of the promise apparent in this context are the restoration to the land (49:8), the people as the

offspring (49:8, 12), and Gentile salvation (49:6). The reference to the servant as a covenant is a unique

concept in the Old Testament. It evidently means that the servant would function as does a covenant.

The covenant in view here is best understood as the promise-oath, which is called a covenant in Genesis

15:18. It is the terms of that promise that are mentioned. The promise-oath secured the terms inherent in

it and promised a bright future for the offspring. If the servant is to function as a covenant, then he will

secure those promises that effect the realization of the inheritance of God's people. The promise is to be

fulfilled in him. He realizes the promise of the land and he is the instrument that assures the inclusion of

Gentiles in the promised inheritance." -- Thomas McComiskey, The Covenants of Promise, p. 90.

In speaking of Isaiah 49, McComiskey adds: "The supreme authority of the Old Testament is

ultimately the same as that of the New Testament, that is Christ. It is Christ, not only in his objective

delineation of Old Testament word, but in his living presence *in the word* (emp. mine; crb). He mediates

the promises, according to Paul, not only in the New Testament era, but in the Old Testament era as

well, for in some way those promises were made to Christ before the new covenant appeared in

history...Christ became the facilitating principle of obedience... it was an objective realization of the

relationship of Christ to the promise (in Deut. 30). This relationship permeates the covenants. It led

ultimately to the appearance in history of the one to whom the words were spoken, 'I will keep you and

will make you to be a covenant for the people....'(Isa. 49:8). -- Thomas McComiskey, The Covenants of

Promise, pp. 227, 228.

Edward J. Young, in his commentary on Isaiah, says of Isaiah 42:6: "The language is striking, for

the servant is actually identified as a covenant. A covenant, however, in this instance is not a pact or

agreement between two equal parties. From the parallel word light (i.e. salvation), we learn that it is

actually a divine bestowal of grace. God sovereignly dispenses to man His blessings of salvation, and it

is this sovereign dispensation that is called a covenant.

"That the servant is identified with the covenant of course involves the idea of his being the one

through whom the covenant is mediated, but the expression implies more. In form it is similar to our

Lord’s, “I am the resurrection and the life,” or the phrase in 49:6, “to be my salvation.” (Other examples of

this idiomatic usage are Ps. 45:7; 109:4; 120:7; 119:172, and possibly Num. 12:6) To say that the

servant is a covenant is to say that all the blessings of the covenant are embodied in, have their root and

origin in, and are dispensed by him. At the same time he is himself at the center of all these blessings,

and to receive them is to receive him, for without him there can be no blessings. Such language could

not apply to Israel, but only to One who may truly be designated a covenant. There is thus gradation in

the description of the servant. Moses was a mediator of the covenant, but the servant is the covenant. In

New Testament terms, this means that they to whom God sovereignly bestows the grace of salvation

receive the Servant Himself.

"Parallel to the expression covenant of the people is the phrase light of the Gentiles. Not merely

does the servant bring light or lead into light, but he is himself the light. Light is a figurative designation of

salvation (49:6). The Gentiles are as yet in darkness, i.e. the bondage that sin places upon men, and

from this darkness there is no deliverance until the Light of the world shines upon them.

"Verse (seven) sets forth the purpose of the servant’s appearance upon earth and indicates how

the covenant will be administered. The reference is not to the return from exile, but to the salvation of

Jews and Gentiles, who so desperately were in need of the covenant and of the light. Here is prophesied

the shining of the Light of the world upon those who walked in darkness. Here is seen the administration

of the covenant of grace to those who lie in bondage. This deliverance is set forth in figurative terms.

"'To open the eyes of the blind’ — The reference is not to those who are physically blind, nor

even to the spiritually blind, but to the condition of blindness that is the result of sin. All sinners are blind

in that they cannot see reality as it is. What they need is an opening of the eyes. Christ also spoke of

Himself as the Light of the world, i.e. the bringer of light to those who are blind.

"In the light of Paul’s usage of this passage in Acts 26:17, 18 it would seem that the reference is

universal and not to be restricted to either the Jews or the Gentiles. Christ is the Light of the world…

“…(In verse 8), the phrase that is my name means simply that God’s Name is Yahweh. The

certainty, expressed in verse 7, that the servant will not leave God’s people in darkness, lies in the fact

that God’s Name is LORD. This does not mean that the Name of God is simply the vocable Yahweh, but

rather that what is expressed by the word Yahweh is God’s Name…There is obvious reflection upon the

revelation of the name at Sinai. Until the time of the exodus God was known to His people as El Shaddai.

At the time of the exodus, however, He gave to them a further revelation of His nature, which found

expression in the word Yahweh. From a reading of Exodus 3 we learn that this word has to do with the

eternity or aseity of God, and that it reveals this eternal God as the One who sovereignly chooses His

people and performs for them an act of redemption. This covenant name is Yahweh, who has chosen the

servant. Therefore, because God is the eternal One who has entered into covenant with His people

(which in verse 6 has been personified in The Servant; crb), the truth stands unchangeable that the

servant in whom the Lord delights will come to bring salvation to this people and to deliver them from

their bondage. Inasmuch as the Name of the Lord is Yahweh, He will not give His glory to another. The

reference here is to His essential glory, which He possesses in and of Himself. Were God to give His

glory to another, He would be denying Himself, negating His own nature. – Edward J. Young, The Book

of Isaiah, pp. 120-123

On Isaiah 49:8, Edward J. Young says, “The day of salvation (Paul quotes this in 2 Cor. 6:2) is

the day when God will accomplish salvation for His people. Day here is not to be taken literally, but is

equivalent to time. Salvation expresses the same thought as time of favor, but more exactly. The time of

favor is one in which the salvation of God will be seen. At that time God will help the servant. This and

the preceding parallel verb refer to continuous action rather than to an act performed once for all. They

give a hint of what is to follow in chapter fifty-three, namely, that at the time when God accomplishes His

salvation, the servant will be in need of help.

“The words time and day are significant, for they make clear that God does not act capriciously or

haphazardly. At the time determined He performs His work. Our Lord expressed the same thought when

at the wedding feast at Cana He remarked, ‘My hour is not yet come.’

“…That the servant should be a covenant is the grand and central point of the passage, for it

expresses the end God had in mind in forming him. This is followed by a statement of the purpose for

which the servant is made a covenant of the people. As far as syntax is concerned, the subject of the

infinitives may be either the servant or God. In the light of the context, with its strong emphasis upon the

preparation of the servant, it would seem best to construe as subject the servant.

"Under the imagery of the restoration of a devastated land, the gift of salvation is described. The

description reflects upon the division of the land under Joshua, and leans upon the expressions used in

verse 6. ‘To raise up the land’ has primary reference to the land of Palestine, and the parallel expression

‘desolate inheritances’ reflects upon the desolation that has come upon the land of promise. These

inheritances had been distributed by lot under Joshua (cf. Josh. 13ff.). The reference is not merely to the

southern kingdom but to the entire land. The picture refers primarily not to the return from the exile, but to

the reestablishment of the Davidic kingdom under the Messiah, when all the true seed of Abraham will

receive their promised inheritance. – Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, pp. 278, 279

This view of Isaiah 42 and 49 is not unique to our generation. At least one church father was

making this connection. Justin writes: "But we do not trust through Moses or through the law; for then we

would do the same as yourselves. But now — (for I have read that there shall be a final law, and a

covenant, the chiefest of all, which it is now incumbent on all men to observe, as many as are seeking

after the inheritance of God. For the law promulgated on Horeb is now old, and belongs to yourselves

alone; but this is for all universally.

"Now, law placed against law has abrogated that which is before it, and a covenant which comes

after in like manner has put an end to the previous one; and an eternal and final law — namely, Christ —

has been given to us, and the covenant is trustworthy, after which there shall be no law, no

commandment, no ordinance. Have you not read this which Isaiah says: ‘Hearken unto Me, hearken unto

Me, my people; and, ye kings, give ear unto Me: for a law shall go forth from Me, and My judgment shall

be for a light to the nations. My righteousness approaches swiftly, and My salvation shall go forth, and

nations shall trust in Mine arm?’ And by Jeremiah, concerning this same new covenant, He thus speaks:

‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with

the house of Judah; not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day that I took

them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt’).

"If, therefore, God proclaimed a new covenant which was to be instituted, and this for a light of

the nations, we see and are persuaded that men approach God, leaving their idols and other

unrighteousness, through the name of Him who was crucified, Jesus Christ, and abide by their

confession even unto death, and maintain piety. Moreover, by the works and by the attendant miracles, it

is possible for all to understand that He is the new law, and the new covenant, and the expectation of

those who out of every people wait for the good things of God. For the true spiritual Israel, and

descendants of Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham (who in uncircumcision was approved of and blessed

by God on account of his faith, and called the father of many nations), are we who have been led to God

through this crucified Christ…" -- Dialogue of Justin (chap. 11)

Rikk E. Watts, in his contribution on Mark in Carson & Beale’s “Commentary of the New

Testament Use of the Old Testament” sees Christ’s invocation of “covenant” in the Upper Room as a

connection back to Isaiah 42:6, and in doing so, ties together Exodus 24 and the Isaiah passage:

“Exodus 24 functioned primarily in two ways. First, it provided an interpretive framework for the blood of

circumcision. On Mark’s reading, circumcision as a mark of entry into covenant must now be related to

Jesus. Second, and more commonly, Exodus 24 necessarily meant Torah-obedience (24:7) –

understandably so, as this was Israel’s fundamental covenant obligation… That Mark’s succinct account

mentions no stipulations needs to be balanced with Jesus’ eminent concern for Torah throughout and the

fact that Mark begins his story (Mark 1:2-3, in which Mark quotes from Isaiah 40:3 as well as Malachi 3:1;

crb) with Malachi’s messenger of the covenant. Consequently, Israel’s ‘kingdom of priests’ vocation,

expressed in terms of Isaiah 40-66’s vision of including Gentiles (see Isaiah 42:6; crb) and hence “the

many” (from Isaiah 56:7 in Mark 11:17; crb)…, can be fulfilled only in relation to Jesus and an equally

exclusive commitment to him and his ‘cross-bearing’ Torah.

“Finally, we should note that even if Mark does not explicitly say so, this converges with the work

of the servant whom Yahweh twice declares is appointed as a “covenant for the people,” which probably

means for the faithful within Israel and the survivors of the nations who turn to him (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6-8).”

– Rikk E. Watts, in Carson & Beale, “Commentary on New Testament Use of the Old Testament”, p. 231

This survey of just some of the commentators and scholars on Isaiah 42:6 and Isaiah 49:8 is

intended to show that it is not a unique suggest that Christ personifies the idea of “covenant” in the New

Covenant. This isn’t unique to New Covenant Theology. What many of these comments have in

common is a common hermeneutic, one that is shared by New Covenant Theology: Christ is the

fulfillment of the types and shadows of the Old Covenant. If the Old Covenant is itself a shadow (as

Galatians 3 seems to indicate that it is), then it would not be unexpected for us to find that Christ is the

Incarnation of the Covenant idea in the canon. To paraphrase Harmon, in his person, Christ - the

Suffering Servant - embodies all that is intended in the New Covenant.

Bibliography

Barry, J. D. (2010). The Resurrected Servant in Isaiah. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Bright, J. (1976). Covenant and Promise: The Prophetic Understanding of the Future in Pre-Exilic Israel.

Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

Delitzsch, F., & Keil, C. F. (1996). Commentary On the Old Testament: Isaiah (Vol. 7). Peabody, MA:

Hendrickson.

Harman, A. (2005). Isaiah: A Covenant to Be Kept for the Sake of the Church. Scotland: Christian Focus

Publications.

Hengstenberg, E. W. (1871). Christology of the Old Testament. Edinburgh: T & T Clark.

Horton, M. S. (2002). Covenant and Eschatology: The Divine Drama. Louisville, KY: Westminster John

Knox Press.

Kline, M. (2006). Kingdom Prologue: Genesis Foundations for a Covenantal Worldview. Eugene, OR:

Wipf & Stock.

Knight, G. A. (1984). Servant theology: a commentary on the book of Isaiah 40–55 (Rev. and updated

new ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Martyr, S. J. (n.d.). Dialogue of Justin.

McComiskey, T. E. (1985). The Covenants of Promise: A Theology of the Old Testament Covenants.

Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Mendenhall, G. (1954). Law and Covenant in Israel and the Ancient Near East. Biblical Archaeologist,

17, 26–46, 50–76.

Motyer, J. A. (1993). The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary. Downers Grove, IL:

InterVarsity Press.

Van Groningen, G. (1997). Messianic Revelation in the Old Testament. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock.

Vriezen, T. (1970). An Outline of Old Testament Theology (2nd ed.). Newton, MA: Charles T. Branford.

Watts, J. D. (2005). Isaiah 34–66 (Revised Edition., Vol. 25). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Watts, R. E. (2007). Mark. In G. K. Beale, & D. A. Carson, Commentary on the New Testament use of

the Old Testament (pp. 111-250). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Young, E. J. (1965). The Book of Isaiah: A Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.