Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Til He appears and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”

As you would know, the words above come from the first verse of that blessed Christmas carol, ‘ O Holy Night.’ I’ve always loved this carol, and would place it at the top of my list of all-time favorites.

It’s hard not to recall these poetic words when reading the third ‘Servant Song’ of Isaiah, found in Isaiah 50:4-11. Seven and a half centuries before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the prophet spoke of the Servant of the Lord who would come to a lost world “ in sin and error pining.” And those who listen to Him, and then turn to Him in faith and repentance, will be among those in this “ weary world” who find their eternal source of hope and joy in Him!

Note especially the Servant’s words in Isaiah 50:4–

“ The Lord God has given me
the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word
him who is weary.”

In this third ‘Servant Song’ Isaiah speaks of our Savior’s life (vv. 4-5), death (v. 6), and resurrection (vv. 7-9). But notice that these prophetic words, while addressing the whole world, are especially meant to “ sustain” those who are “ weary” (v. 4), who walk in the “ darkness” of this lost world, and are seeking to “ trust in the name of the Lord” (v. 10). We have here, then, a beautiful Old Testament picture of a ‘Servant for the Weary’!