But thou, Israel, art my servant... — The verse is important as the first introduction of the servant of the Lord who is so conspicuous throughout the rest of the book. The idea embodied in the term is that of a calling and election, manifested now in Israel according to the flesh, now in the true Israel of God, realising its ideal, now, as in the innermost of the three concentric circles, in a person who gathers up that ideal in all its intensity into himself. The three phrases find their parallel in St. Paul’s language as to (1) the seed of Abraham according to the flesh; (2) the true seed who are heirs of the faith of Abraham; (3) the seed, which is none other than the Christ Himself (Romans 9:7; Galatians 3:7; Galatians 3:16). Here we have the national aspect, Israel as he is in the idea of God. So in the later language of Christian thought we have (1) the visible Church falling short of the ideal; (2) the spiritual Church approximating to the ideal; (3) Christ Himself, as identified with His people.
The seed of Abraham my friend. — The word for “friend” implies loving as well as being loved. Of all the names of Abraham, it has had the widest currency (comp. 2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23). For the Arabs of the present time Abraham is still Khalil Allah — the friend of God, or simply, el Khalil, the friend.