Welcome to Week Five of our study in the book of Isaiah and to the first of the servant songs. Fun fact: It was Bernhard Duhm in his 1892 book “Das Buch Jesaia” (The Book Isaiah) who coined the term “servant songs,” but we have no record of these parts of Isaiah ever being sung. The term servant song thus refers to a prophetic vision of God’s future Servant, who we understand is our Lord Jesus Christ, expressed in poetic form. There are at least four servant songs, although some scholars identify as many as six.
The importance of the Servant is settled in the very first verse of Isaiah chapter 42, where God says “Behold my servant…” As Pastor Tom has often told us, behold is a word of sight. When God commands us to look at something, it’s important!
Our passage this week is Isaiah 42:1-13. Since it is a short passage, we encourage you to read the entire passage as a whole before doing Personal Worship. Each day we will focus on a verse, or a few verses, from within the passage. Let’s get started!
Thank you to my wife Tracy, who once again contributed her wisdom to writing the prayer guides.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
Behold my Servant
Observe
God focuses our attention on his servant: Jesus, the Messiah. We’re told four things: 1. God upholds (strengthens, supports) him, 2. God chose and is delighted by him, 3. God’s Spirit is with him, and 4. He (the Servant) will bring justice for all nations.
Isaiah 42:1
The Lord’s Chosen Servant
42
Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
Matthew 3:17
17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Isaiah 10:1-4
10
Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees,
and the writers who keep writing oppression,
2
to turn aside the needy from justice
and to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be their spoil,
and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
3
What will you do on the day of punishment,
in the ruin that will come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help,
and where will you leave your wealth?
4
Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners
or fall among the slain.
For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
Matthew 25:35-40
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Matthew 5:27-30
Lust
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
Israel (and, by extension, we who make up the church) failed as a community to bring about God’s justice. There is no singular definition of justice in the Bible. In the Old Testament, God’s law was retributive justice (that is, you do wrong, you suffer the consequences of your action). An eye for an eye, that sort of thing. But there was also focus on social justice. Isaiah declared that Israel had “robbed the needy of justice” (Isa. 10:1-4) by failing to care for the poor, the widowed, and the orphan. The latter message is repeated in the New Testament, as Jesus clearly focused on the marginalized and the downtrodden (Matt. 25:35-40). But retributive justice takes a back seat in the New Testament, replaced by a sort of transformative justice. Obedience to God is not avoiding an action that would bring punishment, it’s an inner transformation of thought and attitude (Matt. 5:27-30). Which is not to say that we are not responsible for our actions—we still are. The degree to which we succeed in our innermost self to put on the mind of Christ is the degree to which we achieve God’s justice. Jesus is the standard of perfection.
Deeper dive: There is a connection between Isaiah 40:2 from last week’s Personal Worship, and Isaiah 42:1 this week. Isaiah 40:2 reads “…her iniquity is pardoned.” Isaiah 42:1 reads “…in whom my soul delights.” The Hebrew word for pardoned and delights are different forms of the same word. What connection might there be between the pardon of Jerusalem’s iniquity and God’s delight in his Servant?
- What is YOUR definition of justice?
- What examples can you think of from the life of Jesus that show him bringing justice?
Dear Lord, How poorly I have understood the importance of a servant’s heart. I turn away from the needy. I judge those who struggle and suffer, blaming them for their condition. I often think I’m better than others. I confess these failings. But you, Jesus, the Lord of all things, became a servant. You submitted to suffering and death for my sake. And God declared His delight in you. Help me Lord to soften my heart to learn your ways, to adopt your thoughts and to value your priorities. Transform my heart, and let them see you in me. Amen.
Day 2
How the Servant works
Observe
Yesterday we read about the CHARACTER of God’s chosen servant and saw his mission spelled out: to bring justice. Today we read about HOW God’s servant will bring justice.
Isaiah 42:2-4
2
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
Matthew 12:18-21
18
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19
He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
21
and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Matthew 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
God’s servant will act quietly, his voice will not be heard shouting in the streets. He will be gentle. Reeds look tall and substantial when they spread out before you in a marshland, but when you walk through them you discover they are weak and easily trampled. God’s servant does not finish the job of breaking apart crushed reeds, he is gentle with them. The wick of a lamp that is running low on oil flickers and smokes, giving off little light. God’s servant does not snuff it out, he fills the lamp with oil (which is often a picture of the Spirit filling us) and restores the light. We are weak. We look like we’re standing tall, even though it takes very little to crush us. We may burn brightly for a time but will eventually run low on oil and become just a flicker. God’s servant is immune to these weaknesses, and continues faithfully bringing justice, even to the parts of the world farthest from him (or, “the coastlands”).
- How would you describe the relationship between gentleness and justice?
- What do you think it means in Isaiah 42:2 where it says the Servant will not cry out, lift his voice, or be heard in the street?
Heavenly Father, What a different picture I see here of strength than the portrayal of strength in the world. A voice is not raised. Nothing is injured or broken by God’s servant, but he brings justice. Justice must begin with acknowledgement that I am broken and I need your mercy. Help me to treat others gently, in the knowledge that they, like me, are in need of your mercy. Sustain me when I grow weary. Amen.
Day 3
What the Servant does
Observe
The address changes from speaking to an audience ABOUT his Servant to speaking TO the Servant himself. He will be a covenant to the people, opening blind eyes and freeing prisoners.
Isaiah 42:5-7
5
Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
7
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Acts 26:23
23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”
Acts 26:18
18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Acts 13:47
47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
Isaiah 49:8
The Restoration of Israel
8
Thus says the Lord:
“In a time of favor I have answered you;
in a day of salvation I have helped you;
I will keep you and give you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages,
The work of the Servant is set into the context of creation. It is through the ministry of the Servant, therefore, that God will bring redemption to the heavens and the earth, and all that comes from it. God assures the Servant that he will support him (“take you by the hand and keep you”). Until he was suffering on the cross, the Servant was never alone—God was always with him. The old covenant between God and his people, shown by the blood of sacrificed animals, was never held up on our end. We struggled and failed to keep all his commands. But the new covenant in the blood of the Servant was kept perfectly, and is a promise to the nations that an end to blindness and imprisonment has come. We can see, and are free, because of him. The Servant was given as a light to the nations, and we are called to reflect that light today.
- Why shouldn’t the Israelites have been surprised by the prophecy that God’s Servant was given as a light to the nations?
- How should we apply this today? In verse 6, who are “the people” today? Who or what are the nations?
Father God, This is a powerful picture of your work today. Generations of your people turned away again and again, but you were faithful. Your prophet tells us here about your plan: Jesus is the faithful servant; he did your work, and you strengthened him. Lord, help me to draw near to you, to recognize where you are working around me and to faithfully join that work. I trust you Lord, to strengthen me because you are faithful. Amen.
Day 4
God gets the glory
Observe
God supports the Servant’s work for his own glory, and he shares his glory with no one—especially not idols (carved or otherwise).
Isaiah 42:8-9
8
I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
9
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them.”
Isaiah 41:21-24
The Futility of Idols
21
Set forth your case, says the Lord;
bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.
22
Let them bring them, and tell us
what is to happen.
Tell us the former things, what they are,
that we may consider them,
that we may know their outcome;
or declare to us the things to come.
23
Tell us what is to come hereafter,
that we may know that you are gods;
do good, or do harm,
that we may be dismayed and terrified.
24
Behold, you are nothing,
and your work is less than nothing;
an abomination is he who chooses you.
God challenges the nations to have their idols recall past events and predict the future (Isa. 41:21-24). They cannot, of course. The people of Israel had not seen these new prophecies fulfilled yet, but they could trust God would bring them to pass, based on what he had already done. We have the great blessing of seeing both what God had done up until that time AND the prophecies fulfilled, proving that he alone is the true God, alive and all-knowing. Just as the Servant did not seek glory for himself, but only brought glory to his Father, we should do likewise.
- What brings glory to God?
- How can you give glory to someone else? Can that be done by words alone?
God of Glory, This world is so full of self-promotion that it almost seems normal, sensible even. If I don’t seek my own glory, how will I ever receive my due? Someone will get that scholarship, that business, that raise, that award; why not me? Lord, help me to see beyond these temporary concerns. Remind me that my life belongs to you, to use as you direct, and I will praise you. You, and you alone. Amen.
Day 5
And the world sings a new song
Observe
Through the ministry of the Servant, God brings redemption to the world and brings himself glory. A grateful world sings out its praises for the justice brought by the Servant.
Isaiah 42:10-13
Sing to the Lord a New Song
10
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.
11
Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the habitants of Sela sing for joy,
let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12
Let them give glory to the Lord,
and declare his praise in the coastlands.
13
The Lord goes out like a mighty man,
like a man of war he stirs up his zeal;
he cries out, he shouts aloud,
he shows himself mighty against his foes.
Isaiah 42:14
14
For a long time I have held my peace;
I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman in labor;
I will gasp and pant.
In response to this new thing the Lord does (that is, bringing justice to the world through the redeeming ministry of the Servant), a new song is sung. It’s not only a new song, but a new singer. A worldwide audience is prophesied to sing this universal praise. The inclusion of the desert and the coastlands was representative of saying “the ends of the earth.” The ministry of the Servant went beyond the people of God that was Israel and included all nations (Gentiles). Verse 13 concludes with a look ahead to the Lord’s Second Coming. The Servant came with gentle quietness, to bring justice and redeem people. But there is a time coming when the Lord will come as a man of war, with great zeal, and conquer (literally, not figuratively) all his foes. If you read ahead just one verse to Isa. 42:14, you see the Lord speaking of the restraint he has shown thus far. How great and marvelous his arrival will be for all those who love his Messiah and rest in his justice. Similarly, how terrifying it will be for his foes.
- Why is the restraint God has shown a good thing?
- Why will it be a good thing when God restrains himself no longer?
Heavenly God, I want to see you heal every hurt among those I love. I want you to punish and reverse every cruel action I see in the world. But I know that your time is not like mine. Thank you for delaying your judgment. Thank you for that mercy, for by your mercy you have provided for the redemption of all things. And by that mercy you have redeemed me. Thank you, Lord of heaven and earth. What a glorious day it will be when you return. Amen.