2/8/13. Isaiah 42:1-25. THE LORD’S SERVANT – my devotional

 Isaiah 42:1-25                                                                                Friday, February 8, 2013

Key Verse: 42:6-7                                                                          Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

 “⁶ I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, ⁷ to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison  and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” (NIV 2011)

 Dear God, good morning. Thanks for the good night’s sleep and all the promises that a new day holds. Help me to have fruitful day. I also pray that you be with our family help us all to grow in faith in Christ. Guide our hearts along the narrow path. Create among us a fellowship where you can dwell. I pray that you bless the upcoming “Art of Marriage” seminar. Work through it to bless families. Make doing this seminar be a lifelong mission for Julie and myself. Please grant me one word to hold onto. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

 Part 1: Here Is My Servant (1-9)

Verses 1-9,“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him,and he will bring justice to the nations. ² He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. ³ A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; ⁴ he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” ⁵ This is what God the Lord says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: ⁶ “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, ⁷ to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison  and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. ⁸ “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. ⁹ See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”

God called Israel to be his servant-people in the world. They were to serve by bringing justice and hope to the nations through God’s word. They were to be gentle to the suffering. This should be the character and mission of God’s servants in every age.

These words looked forward to and were fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. (Mt. 12:18-21) “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. ¹⁹ He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. ²⁰ A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. ²¹ In his name the nations will put their hope.” (NIV 2011) Jesus did not break or snuff out those under the power of sin and death. He faithfully served sinners, opened the eyes of the blind and released those sitting in the dungeon of sin.

 I thank God for Jesus for so many reasons. First , he brings justice to the nations. There is so much injustice. Think about the recent shootings. But God is the judge. He will bring all those who have perpetrated injustice to others…to justice. They will receive what is due them in this world and in the next. (That is if they do not repent and believe in Jesus.)

      I thank God for Jesus because he will not snuff out a smoldering wick nor break bruised reed. He is kind and gentle and patient. He came to save the weak and the down trodden and the helpless and strengthen them as his disciples. God didn’t crush me when I was lost in this world. He came to seek and to save what was lost…me. I have been strengthened by the grace of God.

I too need to be very graceful to others. I need to take care of the bruised reeds and smoldering wicks as Jesus has done to me. Please help me to be graceful and patient with others, especially those who are close to me.

I like verse 4b, “…In his teaching the islands will put their hope.” What hope is there in this world apart from God? I see increased crime, poverty, despair, isolation and loneliness. This is the future without Jesus and the gospel. But there is hope in Christ. Why? Verses 5 reads, “⁵This is what God the Lord says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:”  Jesus is the Creator God. He is the one who can do all things according to his will.

      Jesus speaks the words of life and the words of hope. There is hope for all people of all nations when they hold onto the Gospel. I saw pictures of people in Poland in 1940. They were so poor. They suffered so much. How far have then come in 72 years? God can change any place and any people and bring new life and fruitfulness. All nations must put their faith, hope and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then real change can happen.

The Father promises to be with his Son, Jesus in verse 6, “⁶ “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,”  Jesus, through his suffering, death and resurrection established a new covenant in his blood and became a light for the Gentiles.We have a new covenant. Practically speaking that means that we are no longer have to obey perfectly or offer up endless animal sacrifices to be saved. No. We have Jesus, the perfect Lamb. His sinless blood was shed on the cross. Because of Christ’s sacrifice we receive God’s grace of forgiveness. We become new creations and become alive in Christ. We have eternal life as God’s children. The holy God dwells in us and among us and with us. What a beautiful covenant that we have in Jesus.

 Part 2: Sing To The Lord a New Song (10-25)

The prophet called for new songs of praise in light of the announcement of the servant. Look at verses 10-16, “¹⁰ Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them. ¹¹ Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops. ¹² Let them give glory to the Lord and proclaim his praise in the islands. ¹³ The Lord will march out like a champion, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies. ¹⁴ “For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant. ¹⁵ I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools. ¹⁶ I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

       All the people were invited to praise the Lord for what he has done. Even Gentiles in Kedar and Sela are invited to praise the Lord. Moreover the Lord would march out for battle and triumph over his enemies. I could sing a new song to Jesus because Jesus made all things new through the Gospel. I have a new life. When I fall into sin and mistakes I can have a new beginning in Christ. I can have new beginnings in my relationships. I look forward to the day where there will be a new heavens and a new earth.

      But those who trusted in idols could not rejoice in the Lord. Look at verses 17-25.  “¹⁷ But those who trust in idols, who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’  will be turned back in utter shame. ¹⁸ “Hear, you deaf;  look, you blind, and see! ¹⁹ Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one in covenant with me, blind like the servant of the Lord? ²⁰ You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen.” ²¹ It pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious. ²² But this is a people plundered and looted, all of them trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons. They have become plunder, with no one to rescue them; they have been made loot, with no one to say, “Send them back.” ²³ Which of you will listen to this or pay close attention in time to come? ²⁴ Who handed Jacob over to become loot, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned? For they would not follow his ways; they did not obey his law. ²⁵ So he poured out on them his burning anger, the violence of war. It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.”

God does not share his glory with idols. When God’s servant Israel turned to idols, God called them deaf and blind. God allowed his people to be looted and plundered by other nations. From this I would say that if don’t repent of idol worship there could be some dire consequences. In our country,  money, other people, careers, cars , even our own bodies can be idols. We must never surrender our hearts to such as these. We need to turn our hearts to Jesus and trust him and serve him alone.

Prayer: “Lord, thank you for Jesus who heals me and sets me free from sin. Help me to proclaim the good news of Jesus to others.”

One Word: Praise God!