Isaiah 49:4
But I said, “I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand,
and my reward is with my God.” (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7
In verse 3, God says to the Messiah that he will display God’s glory – he will accomplish what the nation of Israel failed to achieve. The Messiah responds in verse 4 in frustration where seemingly his efforts are in vain. It is as if he is not able to bring glory to God and his work has no reward.
The Hebrew word rîq is translated as “vain” in this verse which conveys the idea of worthless human effort. The origin of this word is the Hebrew word ruwq which means “to pour out.” This word is used for a range of concepts from exposing what is concealed, pouring out what is stored, to scattering what is broken. So if we pull all these concepts together, Jesus is saying that he has completely poured himself out to reveal the glory of God and all that is left is an empty vessel. He sees no return on his investment.
There were certainly moments in Jesus’ ministry when this was the case:
- “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (John 1:10-11).
- “‘You unbelieving and perverse generation,’ Jesus replied, ‘how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?’” (Matt 17:17).
- “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?‘ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)” (Matt 27:46).
One of the greatest temptations Jesus faced on earth is the feeling of discouragement. His ministry was incredibly difficult if you stop and consider what and who Jesus had to work with along with the persecution he received from the Jewish leaders. He had no place to lay his head (Matt 8:20), his followers struggled to understand his message, his disciples betrayed him, and his enemies crucified him. It certainly at times seemed as if his labor was all for nothing.
“Yet” that is not the end. The Servant is confident in his reward once his mission is accomplished. This word “yet” marks a change in the Messiah’s tone. He moves from futility to confidence. In the midst of his mission, he saw no fruit of his labor and his efforts were in vain. Yet because he leaves it all in the Lord’s hand, he is confident God will vindicate him and reward him.
This verse is better translated in the American Standard Version, “Yet surely the justice due to me is with Jehovah.” It’s not merely “yet” but it is “yet surely.” The Hebrew word here is ’ākēn which is a contrasting word of certainty and carries with it a sudden acknowledgment of reality. It displays a change of heart when the speaker is confronted with undeniable truth.
Despite the hardest of times and difficulty of the mission, Jesus saw the reward that was coming and persevered. He completed the mission. Jesus is an example for us that when life gets hard, we have to consider the reward that is coming if we can persevere. We have a hope that in the end we will be rewarded with eternity in heaven in the presence of God.
The author of Hebrews sums it up the best:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Heb 12:1-3).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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