Are you a servant? (Part 2) What is a servant of the Lord?
What is a servant of the Lord?
Last week I talked about delivering the message at my church for the Sunday morning worship service (a terrifying experience).
I was trying to be what I thought to be a servant, but it seemed important to investigate how that is defined in the Bible.
The term servant is used more than 800 times in the Old Testament. In that context, the word servant refers to being a slave. This is not the same meaning as in the history of slavery in our country. In many scriptures of the Old Testament, the word servant refers to an officer close to the king or to one chosen to be the leader of His people (logos.com).
For example:
But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘you are my servant’: I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:8-10
Many other Old Testament leaders are called “servants”–Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, etc. These men are heroes and leaders–not the type of men we would typically describe as servants.
In Zechariah 3:8-9, the coming of the Messiah is predicted and referred to as a servant.
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus tells His disciples they must be servants and described himself as coming to serve (after he chastises James and John for requesting places of honor in heaven).
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:43-45
You may be thinking, “but these are great men–chosen by God–I can’t possibly be a leader like them!”
But…
aren’t we chosen?
If we are Christians, we are definitely chosen.
Let’s review–What does the Bible tell us about being a servant?
- Servants are leaders–chosen by God. (Isaiah 41:9)
- God strengthens His servants and upholds them with His mighty Hand (Isaiah 41:10)
- Servants should not be afraid for God is with them (Genesis 26:24)
- The servant is faithful and seeks justice (Isaiah 42:3)
- A servant is humble and obedient (Philippians 2:3-4; Mark 10:43-44)
We are called to be like Christ–a servant.
I was still scared! Even though I had done research, written and practiced what I wanted to say–I was still nervous about sharing this message with two churches…
Next week, in Part 3 (and final segment) of “Are you a servant?”, I’ll focus a little about sharing my message and more about what the Bible tells us about serving.