Who Calls Himself a Servant and Whom the Holy One Calls a Servant

"Moses My servant is dead" (Joshua 1:2). There are some who called themselves a servant and the Holy One, blessed be He, also called a servant; some who called themselves a servant yet the Holy One, blessed be He, did not call a servant; and some who did not call themselves a servant yet the Holy One, blessed be He, called a servant. Abraham called himself a servant, as it is said, "Do not pass on from beside your servant" (Genesis 18:3), and the Holy One, blessed be He, called him a servant: "for the sake of Abraham My servant" (Genesis 26:24). Jacob called himself a servant, "I am too small for all the kindnesses that You have done for Your servant" (Genesis 32:11), and the Holy One, blessed be He, called him a servant, "Fear not, Jacob My servant" (Isaiah 44:2). Moses called himself a servant, "You have begun to show Your servant" (Deuteronomy 3:24), and the Holy One, blessed be He, called him a servant, "Not so My servant Moses" (Numbers 12:7), "Moses My servant is dead" (Joshua 1:2). David called himself a servant, "I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant" (Psalms 116:16), and the Holy One, blessed be He, called him a servant, "for the sake of David My servant" (1 Kings 11:13), and "David My servant shall be a prince to them forever" (Ezekiel 37:25). Isaiah called himself a servant, "the One who formed me from the womb to be a servant to Him" (Isaiah 49:5), and the Holy One, blessed be He, called him a servant, "as My servant Isaiah walked" (Isaiah 20:3). Samuel called himself a servant, "Speak, for Your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:10), yet the Holy One, blessed be He, did not call him a servant. Samson called himself a servant, "You have given this great deliverance into the hand of Your servant" (Judges 15:18), yet the Holy One, blessed be He, did not call him a servant. Solomon called himself a servant, "Grant Your servant a listening heart" (1 Kings 3:9), yet the Holy One, blessed be He, did not call him a servant. Job did not call himself a servant, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, called him a servant, "Have you set your heart on My servant Job?" (Job 1:8). Joshua did not call himself a servant, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, called him a servant, "Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died" (Joshua 24:29). Caleb did not call himself a servant, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, called him a servant, "and My servant Caleb" (Numbers 14:24). Eliakim did not call himself a servant, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, called him a servant, "to My servant, to Eliakim" (Isaiah 22:20). Zerubbabel did not call himself a servant, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, called him a servant, "Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, My servant" (Haggai 2:23). Daniel did not call himself a servant, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, called him a servant, "Daniel, servant of the living God" (Daniel 6:21). Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah did not call themselves servants, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, called them servants, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, servants of the God" (Daniel 3:26). The earlier prophets did not call themselves servants, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, called them servants, as it is said, "unless He has revealed His secret to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).