(Verses 1-4 are quoted in Matthew 12:18-21)
The first word in verse 1 is translated as ‘Here’. It is more usually translated in the NIV as ‘See !’. Many other translations have ‘Behold’. It is an interjection to draw our attention to what is coming next (A similar word, translated ‘behold’ is used many times in 1 Kings 17-19 – see HERE
In our last study we read ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord’
So it is important to notice what we are about to read!
Isaiah 42
1 ‘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 smouldering wick he will not snuff out.
So we are introduced to Jesus, God’s chosen one. One in whom he delights. What a contrast to the false gods and idols we have just been reading about. And he has no need to shout on the street corners in order to be heard. People will naturally be drawn to him by his gentle manner. Those who have suffered will be restored, and those with a glimmer of faith will be tenderly encouraged.
What do we make of ‘he will bring justice to the nations’ ?
Let’s look at the next section
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.’
The ‘nations’ and the ‘islands’ refer to peoples beyond Israel – the Gentiles (also in verse 6).
‘Justice’ and ‘Judgement’ are used interchangeably in many translations and it can only mean that all nations will be treated in the same way. There will be a time of judgement, but at the same time God has provided a Saviour who has offered himself to all who will put their faith in him. All will receive the same justice.
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:
Again, a positive reminder that creator God is not like their worthless idols – look at all that he has made! And remember too where life itself comes from.
‘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.
Here God is addressing his son. He will live a life of righteousness, a living example of the new covenant God has made with mankind. Those who put their trust in Jesus will truly ‘see the light’ and receive freedom and release.
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.’
Again, look at your worthless gods and their idols. What prophecies have they made in the past that have come true? What visions of the future can they give today before they happen? Note verse 8: I WILL NOT yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. This was the sin of the Israelites and he will have none of it.
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.
Enough of this seriousness. The coming of Jesus will usher in a new regime of praise. Sing a new song . . . praise . . . raise their voices . . . shout . . . . proclaim his praise!
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.
Because of his gentle manner some might consider Jesus to be weak, but that is furthest from the truth. Like a warrior he will battle the forces of darkness and triumph over them.
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.
The coming of Jesus will bring enormous changes to people’s lives. Obstacles will be removed, darkness will become light, and people will be led into a different way of life. God says you can be certain of this: These are the things I will do.
17 But those who trust in idols, who say to images, “You are our gods,” will be turned back in utter shame.
Now he turns to address Israel – his chosen people, his servant, his messenger to the nations who has abandoned him and gone after worthless idols.
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.’
Just like the idols they worship, ‘they have . . . eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear’ (Psalm 115:5-6). Inexplicably, the history of his chosen people had recorded them following one false god after another, until the Lord finally had had enough and brought punishment and exile on those he had covenanted with, those he had set apart to be his servant nation. The land that he had intended to be his messenger of hope to the surrounding nations.
21 It pleased the Lord for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious.
Because the Lord is righteous, he expected his chosen people to be the same. To that end he gave them simple rules to follow – the first of which simply states:
‘ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
‘You shall have no other gods before me. ‘You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything . . . ‘ (Exodus 20:1-4)
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.
Mankind does not like to be told what to do. Is started in the Garden of Eden when Adam effectively said to God :’I don’t want to do what you want me to do – I want to do what I want to do’ and that has been the sin of everyone since. But as with Adam, sin resulted in separation from God, and eventual punishment.
Many times other peoples had been allowed to raid and plunder the children of Israel, but they repeatedly failed to understand that it was ’the Lord, against whom we have sinned‘ who had directed their punishment.
Now, in exile the people have a chance to fully understand, and then to come back to the one who will now offer them salvation.
Isaiah 43
1 But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
People currently in exile may well have thought that this was the end of their national existence. They expected that they would gradually be assimilated into the mixture of other nationalities also exiled to Babylon, and there was no hope – no future.
Not so says the Lord. Don’t be afraid – I created you, I chose you and now I have redeemed you – you are mine. So let me show what your future holds.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Two natural things worried people. Water – few people could swim; and fire – once fire had taken hold of field or forest there was no stopping it. Look, you are going to have to learn to trust me says the Lord, I can easily protect you from water or fire because . . .
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. 4 Since you are precious and honoured in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. 5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, “Give them up!” and to the south, “Do not hold them back.” Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth – 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.’
Firstly I am Almighty God, the Holy one, your Saviour. If anyone questions my authority – earthly kings or forces of evil – I am even prepared to exchange you for other nations. Not as a show of power, but because I love you and will do anything necessary to buy you back. Again, don’t be afraid. I will restore your children – my children from the far ends of the earth. As Creator God I have the authority to do this.
And this ‘everyone’ extends to us too. Christians are adopted into his family. We are called by the name of his son, chosen in him before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5).
8 Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. 9 All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of their gods foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right, so that others may hear and say, ‘It is true.’
Now God says, let’s have a test: get all those who worship other gods to come before me in a proper court of law. Get them to explain how their gods prophesied that this would happen. Bring in their witnesses so it can be settled legally. And I will bring in my witnesses. (Similar to Isaiah 41.)
10 ‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no saviour. 12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed – I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘that I am God.’
Case dismissed. Their ‘gods’ are recent upstarts. Only Creator God has been from eternity past and will continue into eternity to come. And only he has the power to save us from the consequences of our sins, in order for us to be with him for ever.
13 Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?’
14 This is what the Lord says – your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘For your sake I will send to Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians, in the ships in which they took pride. 15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King.’
Now, says God, I’ll give you another prophecy. Your captors, the Babylonians, who trust in their great trade links through the Persian Gulf – they will use those same ships to flee when my Persians attack from the north.
16 This is what the Lord says – he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
Think: what god was it that brought you out of Egypt, through the Red Sea on dry land, only to drown the army that pursued you?
18 ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 20 The wild animals honour me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.
Once more, the future seems a lot closer. Provision will be made for all god’s chosen people – the people I formed for myself. We have to respond in praise!
22 ‘Yet you have not called on me, Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me, Israel. 23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings, nor honoured me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with grain offerings nor wearied you with demands for incense. 24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offences.
After all this, God’s chosen people ignore him. They don’t waste any time in praying. It never occurs to them to make any donations. They simply assume that their sins will be forgiven without considering the immense cost of their salvation.
25 ‘I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.
Remember who it is that has taken your sins. Who it is that gives you a clear conscience. God says it’s only for my own sake that I am prepared to do all this.
26 Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence.
Let’s hear your testimony. On what do you base your claim of innocence?
27 Your first father sinned; those I sent to teach you rebelled against me. 28 So I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple; I consigned Jacob to destruction and Israel to scorn.
Read your Bibles. Go back to Adam and the reason the world is in the state it is. Every generation since has persisted in it’s sin. I sent prophets to you, who you ignored. I have sent all of you into exile to bring you to your senses.
That’s where we have to leave this study, but fortunately the next chapter starts:
‘But now listen, Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen.
This is what the Lord says –
