Planning for Greatness

A New Commentary on the Fourth Servant Song: Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Pt. 2

…I will give him a position among the great… Isaiah 53:12a

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I’m struggling with one of my objectives for 2026. It’s an objective that energizes all three of my lifetime goals: a personal rhythm of life that embodies shalom, a family goal of developing Casa Lovejoy as a “Little Monastery in the World,” and a professional goal of fruitful adventures. Under this annual trifecta is the objective that is the source of the friction: to “take the next level.”

The friction comes from the tension between my desire “to take the next level” and my commitment to follow the One who said, “the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.” It really comes down to this: What does it mean to take the next level of greatness with Jesus? I haven’t found an answer that solves my dilemma. But when I looked at my reflection in the mirror of this second half of the fourth song of Isaiah, I saw some clues.

Therefore, I will give him a position among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong… -Isaiah 53:12 a, b

This is a “next level” to strive for; a position among the great! This would be a powerful quote for my tombstone. I searched the rest of the passage for ways to achieve this goal. I found a different path. I also found that walking in this way won’t be easy.

I began by asking myself, “What moral fiber do I need to take this ‘next level’”? This verse stood out to me:

…he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth… -Isaiah 53:9b

Reading it reminded me of Isaiah’s first servant song:

He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice, he will not falter or be discouraged til he established justice on earth.” - Isaiah 42:3-4a

I knew I could grab onto this goal! All I would have to do is preserve a firm, quiet, and compassionate response to the world. I was fairly confident I could pull that off. My confidence grew as I looked at the second half of verse 11 in our passage:

…by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many…Isaiah 53:11b

I knew I was wired up for this as well! I love books, I love libraries, I love learning and teaching. This shared character trait of the servant fit well with passages in the first and third servant songs that caught my eye earlier:

In his teaching the islands will put their hope. -Isaiah 42:4c

The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakes me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. -Isaiah 50:4-5

So, “taking the next level” this year should include:

1. Holding a firm, quiet, and compassionate response to the world,

2. Learning all I can about God,

3. Listening for God’s instructions,

4. Sharing the knowledge through teaching and writing.

I knew, however, that I was ignoring other parts of the passage. If I were serious about “taking the next level,” I would have to deal with these as well.

“By his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many” is followed by:

…by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:11b,c

That wasn’t too bad. If my study and teaching need to bear the iniquity of others, so be it. But that is not the fullness of this next level. The “gravestone phrase” I mentioned above is followed by a more stark expression of this same theme:

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. -Isaiah 53:12a,b

This servant’s path to greatness also includes a strange, and painful, experience from God:

By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished. Isaiah 53:8

and

He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer…(to make) his life an offering for sin… -Isaiah 53:9, 10a,b

I saw that it was, apparently, this kind of experience that God rewards with greatness.

…he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. -Isaiah 53:10b-12a

I began to struggle with how suffering could be part of my “taking the next level” objective. I could emulate such a thing, but it would be perverse, almost like self-harm, to seek pain as a form of spiritual advancement. I meditated on these passages until it dawned on me that the point of this theme isn’t that every follower of God should suffer. No, the key to greatness is to give up the attempt to become great; to release control of the results of our actions. This idea was confirmed by the very first verse of this post:

Therefore, I will give him a position among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong… -Isaiah 53:12 a, b

This greatness is not something we grab. It is something we are given. I realized how often I missed the “giftedness” in my journey with Jesus.

Taking the next level of life, then, requires replacing my fear of not being all I can be with the promise of God giving greatness to those who live their life for the benefit of others.

So, this year “taking the next level” will be two-fold:

1. Set my sights on the greatness he will one day impart by:

   1. Listening to God each morning, Learning from God daily, and studying about God every chance I get.

   2. Hold that firm, quiet, and compassionate response to the world.

   3. Share, write, and teach about God on my Substack channel.

   4. Be ever ready to sacrifice my life and my goals as God calls.

2. Upgrade my commitment to my wife in intercessory prayer for family, friends, and indeed the whole world.

The way I will emulate Isaiah’s suffering servant is encapsulated in this powerful phrase:

For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

-Isaiah 53:12b

Come to think of it, this passage is the best phrase, not only for my “Take the Next Level” objective, but for my tombstone.