Isaiah 42:1-9

Isaiah 42:1-9 NIV

“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. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

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: “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, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”

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One of the difficulties in reading the prophets is that I never quite know who they are talking about. Without commentaries at my side I'm a little lost, having to guess or follow my gut. I have to remember the historical situation in which these writings occurred if I'm going to even begin to understand them. But there is another aspect to reading the prophets that is not bound by historical setting. It is the voice of the living God speaking anew through the same material that the Jews heard so long ago.

The early church were all Jews living under the oppression of Rome and the corruption of King Herod and the high priest Caiaphas, both puppets of the Romans. The Jews were living as exiles in their own country. They were searching for hope in deliverance from their bondage. They searched the scriptures and saw promise of messiah, a holy anointed one from God to lead Israel and bless the gentiles with the knowledge of God. The early church understood Jesus of Nazareth to be the messiah. That's why the church knows Him as Jesus Christ, more literally Jesus the Anointed One.

The early verses in Isaiah 42 seem to point so clearly to Jesus it's hard for me to read it any other way. Jesus told his disciples that the scriptures testify to him. This has got to be one of those places. But historically speaking Isaiah 42 is part of a larger oracle concerning the rise of Persia as a world power. Later Isaiah will name the king of Persia as the one from the east whom God has raised up.

Remember these words from the previous chapter?

Isaiah 41:2-3 NIV

“Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow. He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before.

Isaiah is talking about Cyrus, king of the Persians. I believe Cyrus is the subject of Isaiah 42:1-9. Of course all these oracles are delivered for Israel's benefit. I think the latter portion of this oracle is about Israel. It could still be about Cyrus but the distinction between Jews and gentiles makes me think Israel is the subject.

Of course all of this material could be about Israel, the servant of the Lord. Cyrus is a warrior so it's hard to see a warrior as gentle. Isaiah describes the servant of the Lord as one who won't raise his voice or shout. He won't harm those who are beaten down like a bruised reed or a smoldering wick. This messianic figure is hard to pin down historically speaking. If Cyrus is the one Isaiah is speaking about in verses 1-9, then I think of the Hebrew exiles in Babylon as the bruised reed and smoldering wick. If Israel is the subject, then the bruised reed and wick are the poor and oppressed.

Since I'm not certain, I'm going to jump to Jesus as the servant, for the church has read these words in Isaiah speaking a fresh word centuries later. We do the same today. Reading these verses as predicting the appearance of Jesus makes the clearest sense. For I can see clearly how Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Jesus is called by God. When He was baptized in the Jordan River the Lord said, "This is my son with whom I am well pleased." That sounds like delight to me. When Jesus began His ministry He referred to another section of Isaiah that said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news." Here in verse 1, God is placing His Spirit on God's chosen servant to bring justice to the earth.

The islands will put their faith in His teachings. (Isaiah 1:4) That means the Greeks or Greco-Roman culture will embrace Christianity. Check! Jesus is the fulfillment of that prophecy. I'm not sure Cyrus fits that description. The Greeks conquered Persia and oppressed Israel, so I'm not sure Israel fulfilled this prophecy either.

Jesus was certainly gentle. He was compassionate about the sick, lame, bind and the outcast.

When verse 6 says that God will make His chosen servant a covenant to the people and a light to the gentiles, I certainly see how Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. The people are Israel. The gentiles are everyone else who are not Jews. Jesus came first to the lost sheep of Israel. Only after establishing the church within Israel did the church begin to spread the gospel to the gentle nations. Of course Israel or a king from the line of David could fit this description too. Even Cyrus might be the servant who becomes a covenant to the people, metaphorically speaking. But Jesus Christ is the fullest expression and the one who clearly fulfilled this passage of prophecy.

This word was delivered first to Jewish exiles. They would have hope in deliverance from their exile in Babylon, or as refugees in Egypt and other places. But today I read these words as truth already accomplished and being accomplished. Jesus every day brings justice by restoring right relationships between believers. He helps the spiritually blind to see and the spiritually deaf to hear God's voice. He set lives free that are bound up in fear and sin. Jesus is the new covenant for the whole world, both Jews and gentiles. When I take the bread and drink the cup, I participate in the covenant in the body and blood of Jesus Christ. And I am continually transformed by His teachings and liberated by His power.

Thanks be to God for His chosen servant Jesus Christ.