What is the tongue of the learned (Isaiah 50:4)?

Answer

In the third of the “Servant Songs” of Isaiah, Israel’s Messiah speaks of His God-appointed mission: “The Lord GOD has given Me

The tongue of the learned,

That I should know how to speak

A word in season to him who is weary.

He awakens Me morning by morning,

He awakens My ear

To hear as the learned” «The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. », (Isaiah 50:4, NKJV).

The word translated as “tongue” here refers to “speech” in the original Hebrew. The tongue of the learned literally means the “speech of those who are taught.” The Messiah’s God-given role is to hear and speak what God His Father teaches Him. Jesus is a humble and obedient servant, passing on only what He has heard and learned daily, “morning by morning,” through direct fellowship with God the Father. “I do nothing on my own,” said Jesus, “but speak just what the Father has taught me” «Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. », (John 8:28).

Jesus yielded to the will of His Father (John 5:19,30;6:38). He opened His ears to hear and obey the voice of God and relinquished His tongue to speak the words of God. Spending time alone with His Father, Jesus sought guidance and meditated on God’s Word «And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. », (Mark 1:35). In this manner, Christ was bestowed with the tongue of the learned to convey divine wisdom and solace to the weary (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus exemplified the ultimate model of a Christian disciple «Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. », (John 4:34).

“A word in season to him who is weary” is the gospel’s good news. In Isaiah 61:1, the Messiah proclaims, “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed” (NLT).

The tongue of the learned does not belong to those who attain human wisdom but to those who are divinely instructed. The Messiah’s mouth was “like a sharpened sword” or “a polished arrow” concealed in the shadow of God’s hand «And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me; », (Isaiah 49:2). When Jesus opened His mouth to speak, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God,” was unleashed «And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: », (Ephesians 6:17). The crowds were astounded by His teaching because He taught with God’s authority, wisdom, and power (Matthew 7:28-29;13:54;Mark 6:2;John 7:46).

Jesus is the Logos, the Living Word of God (John 1:1-4, 14). He hears, learns, speaks, and lives God’s complete message, which is, everything His Father desires to communicate to humanity (Colossians 1:19; Colossians 2:9; John 14:9). Jesus dwelt among us as God in the flesh, and He revealed God the Father to us «And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.», (John 17:26).

When first called by God, Moses doubted his ability to be the Lord’s spokesperson. Moses hesitated, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue” «And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. », (Exodus 4:10, ESV). But God reassured Moses: “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak” (Exodus 4:11-12; ESV).

Moses developed the tongue of the learned by walking in close fellowship with God, listening to His voice (Numbers 12:6-8; Exodus 33:11), spending time in His presence «And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. », (Exodus 34:29). He spoke the words that God had taught him to say (Exodus 24:3; Exodus 31:13).

The tongue of the wise is the tongue of a disciple. This tongue is well-versed in righteousness (Psalm 34:13; Proverbs 12:18; James 3:9-10), bringing forth a fountain of life “The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.”, (Proverbs 10:11). Those who yield to God’s will, listen attentively to Him, and speak what He teaches them become effective ministers of the Lord.