3441. 'For the sake of Abraham My servant' means because of the Lord's Divine Human. This is clear from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord's Divine, and also His Divine Human, dealt with in 2833, 2836, 3251, and from the meaning of 'My servant', when used in reference to the Lord, as the Divine Human. Not that the Divine Human is a servant, for the Divine Human also is Jehovah, 1736, 2156, 2329, 2921, 3023, 3035, but 'My servant' means the Divine Human because by means of that Divine Human the Lord serves the human race. Indeed it is by means of the Divine Human that a person is saved, for unless the Lord had united the Human to the Divine so that man could with his mind behold and worship the Lord's Human, and in so doing approach the Divine, he could not possibly be saved. The joining of man to the Divine Himself, called the Father, is effected through the Divine Human, called the Son, and so through the Lord, by whom one who is spiritual understands the Human, but one who is celestial understands the Divine Himself.

[2] From these considerations it is evident why the Divine Human is called a servant, namely that it serves the Divine for the purpose of giving man access to Himself, and it serves the human race in their salvation. This then is what is meant by 'Abraham My servant', as also in David, Remember His marvellous acts that He has done, the signs and the judgements of His mouth, O seed of Abraham His servant, O sons of Jacob His chosen ones. He sent Moses His servant, Aaron whom He had chosen. He remembered His Holy word, with Abraham His servant. Psalms 105:5-6, 26, 42.

Here 'Abraham His servant' is used to mean the Lord's Divine Human. In a similar way the Lord's Divine Human is also meant in the highest sense by 'servant Israel', 'servant Jacob', and 'servant David':

SERVANT ISRAEL

In Isaiah,

You, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham My friend, you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from the extremities ¹ of it, and said to you, You are My servant, I have chosen you. Isaiah 41:8-9.

Here, in the highest sense, 'Israel My servant' is the Lord in relation to the internal aspects of the spiritual Church, and 'Jacob' to the external aspects of that Church. In the same prophet,

He said to me, You are My servant Israel in whom I will be rendered glorious. It is a light thing that You should be a servant to Me to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel. And I have given You as a light of the nations, that You may be My salvation right to the ends of the earth. Isaiah 49:3, 6.

Here 'servant Israel in whom I will be rendered glorious' clearly stands for the Lord's Divine Human. Plainly He is called 'a servant' from the service He performs, for it is said 'that You may be a servant to Me to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel'.

[3] SERVANT JACOB

In Isaiah,

I will give you the treasures of darkness and the secret riches of hiding-places for the sake of My servant Jacob, and of Israel My chosen. Isaiah 45:3-4.

Here 'servant Jacob' and 'Israel the chosen' are used to mean the Lord - 'servant Jacob' in relation to the external Church, 'Israel the chosen' in relation to the internal Church.

[4] SERVANT DAVID

In Ezekiel,

I will gather the children of Israel from all around. My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will dwell in the land which I gave to My servant Jacob. And they will dwell in it, they and their sons, and their sons' sons even for ever. And David My servant will be their pence for ever. Ezekiel 37:21, 24-25.

'Servant David' clearly stands for the Lord's Divine Human, 1888, and does so by virtue of Divine Truth which is meant by 'the king', who is David in this case, 1728, 2015, 3009. Also, in relation to good truth itself is the servant, see 3409. This being so the Lord calls Himself one who serves or ministers, in Mark,

Whoever would be great among you must be your minister; and anyone who would be first among you must be the servant of all, even as the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to but to minister. Mark 10:43-45; Matthew 20:26-28.

And in Luke,

Who is the greater, one who sits at table or one who ministers? Is it not the one who sits at table? But I am in the midst of you as one who ministers. Luke 22:27.

Footnotes:

1736. The fact that the Lord is Jehovah, who is here called 'God Most High', is quite clear from the Word: in Isaiah,

Jehovah Zebaoth is His name, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth He is called. Isaiah 54:5.

Here it is explicitly stated that 'the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel', who is the Lord alone, is 'Jehovah Zebaoth' and 'the God of the whole earth'. In the same prophet,

Thus said Jehovah your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am Jehovah your God. Isaiah 48:17.

In the same prophet,

I am helping you, said Jehovah your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 41:14.

The expressions 'the Holy One of Israel' and 'the God of Israel' occur many times. That the Lord is the Holy One of Israel and the God of Israel is quite clear from where it is said that they saw the God of Israel, under whose feet there was so to speak a paved work of sapphire stone, like the substance of the sky for purity, Exodus 24:10.

[2] None other was acknowledged and called Jehovah by the Jewish Church because that Church worshipped the one God Jehovah, and more importantly, because all the religious observances of that Church represented Him -- though the majority did not know this - and because all things in the internal sense of the Word had Him as their meaning. In Isaiah,

He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord Jehovih will wipe away tears from all faces. And it will be said on that day, Behold, this is our God, we have waited for Him and He will save us. This is Jehovah, whom we have waited for; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation. Isaiah 25:8-9.

This refers to the Coming of the Lord.

[3] In the same prophet,

Behold, the Lord Jehovih will come with might, and His arm will exercise dominion for Him. He will pasture His flock like a shepherd, He will gather into His arm, He will carry the tiny lambs in His bosom, ¹ and will lead those that give suck. Isaiah 40:10-11.

This refers explicitly to the Lord who is 'the Lord Jehovih'. 'He will come with might, and His arm will exercise dominion for Him' stands for the fact that He would by His own power overcome the hells. 'Pasturing the flock', 'gathering into His arm', 'carrying the tiny lambs in His bosom', and 'leading those that give suck' have reference to His love, or mercy.

[4] In the same prophet,

Thus said Jehovah, God Himself who created the heavens, who formed the earth and made it, who Himself established it and created it not an emptiness, and formed it to dwell in: I am Jehovah, and there is none else. Am not I Jehovah and there is no God else besides Me? A just God, and a Saviour, there is none besides Me. Look to Me and be saved, all ends of the earth. For I am God and there is no other. Isaiah 45:18, 21-22.

Here it is explicitly stated that the Lord alone is Jehovah and God. 'To create the heavens and form the earth' is to regenerate, and so 'the Creator of heaven and earth' is the Regenerator, see 16, 88, 472, and elsewhere. This is why the Lord is in various places called Creator, One who forms, and Maker.

[5] In the same prophet,

You are our Father, for Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O Jehovah, are our rather, our Redeemer; from of old is Your name. Isaiah 63:15-16.

This refers explicitly to the Lord who alone is the Redeemer. In Moses,

Take notice of His face, ² and hearken to His voice, lest you provoke Him, for He will not endure your transgression, for My name is in the midst of Him. Exodus 23:21.

'Name' is the essential nature, see 144, 145, while 'in the midst' is the inmost, 1074.

[6] In Isaiah,

To us a Boy is born, to us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. His name will be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6-7.

This plainly refers to the Lord. In Jeremiah,

Behold, the days are coming and I will raise up for David a righteous branch and He will reign as King, and act with understanding, and execute judgement and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell with confidence. And this is His name which they will call Him, Jehovah our Righteousness. Jeremiah 23:5-6.

This plainly refers to the Lord. In Zechariah,

Jehovah will be King over all the earth; in that day there will be one Jehovah, and His name one. Zechariah 14:9.

This is plainly a reference to the Lord. 'Name' stands for Essential Nature.

Footnotes: