[Pg 253]

Ver. 6. "_I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to the pluckers,
I hid not my face from shame and spitting._"

The words express in an individualizing manner the thought, that the
Servant of God, in His vocation as the Saviour of the _personae
miserabiles_, would experience the most shameful and ignominious
treatment, and would patiently bear it. In God's providence, part of
the contents was literally fulfilled upon Christ. But the fact that
this literal agreement is not the main point, but that it serves as a
hint and indication only of the far more important _substantial_
conformity which would take place, although the hatred of the world
against the Saviour of the poor and afflicted should have manifested
itself in forms altogether different,--this fact is evident from the
circumstance that regarding the fulfilment of the words: "and my cheeks
to the pluckers"--plucking the cheeks, or plucking off of the beard
being the greatest insult and disgrace in the East, comp. 2 Sam. x.
4--there is no mention in the New Testament history.

In vers. 7-9 we have the future glory, which makes it easy for the
Servant of God to bear the sufferings of the Present. If God be for
Him, who may be against Him?

Ver. 7. "_But the Lord Jehovah helpeth me, therefore I am not
confounded, therefore I make my face like a flint, and I know that I am
not put to shame._"

[Hebrew: nklmti] refers to [Hebrew: klmvt] in the preceding verse. He
whom the Lord helps is not confounded or put to shame by all the
ignominy which the world heaps upon him. The expression: "I make my
face like a flint" denotes the "holy hardness of perseverance"
(_Stier_); comp. Ezek. iii. 8. In that passage it is especially the
assailing hardness which comes into consideration; here, on the
contrary, it is the suffering one. There is an allusion to the passage
before us, in Luke ix. 51: [Greek: egeneto de to sumplerousthai tas
hemeras tes analepseos autou, kai autos to prosopon autou esterixe tou
poreuesthai eis hIerousalem.]

Ver. 8. "_He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with one? Let
us stand together; who has a right upon me, let him come near me._"

In the confidence and assurance of Christ, His redeemed ones, too,
partake,--those that hear the voice of the Servant of God, ver. 10,
comp. Rom. viii. 33, 34, where this and the [Pg 254] following verse
are intentionally alluded to. The justification is one by _deeds_. It
took place an