Christmas 2019: Behold My Son, in Whom I am well pleased, part 13.

Tuesday January 21, 2020

 

ISA 42:1 "Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold [grasp];

My chosen one in whom My soul delights.

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the nations.

 

ISA 42:2 "He will not cry out or raise His voice,

Nor make His voice heard in the street.

 

ISA 42:3 "A bruised reed He will not break,

And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;

He will faithfully bring forth justice.

 

ISA 42:4 "He will not be disheartened or crushed,

Until He has established justice in the earth;

And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."

 

The pressure upon Jesus would be immense, but they would not destroy Him. He had adequate inner resources because He trusted God the Father. And, the same promise given to Him is given to us. Our justice is with the Father as well as our reward. All things, no matter what they are, will work out together for good to those who love God.

 

We are to wait and obey until God reveals the solution or the way out (1CO 10:13).

 

Notice the frequent mention of justice:

 

ISA 42:1 "Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold [grasp];

My chosen one in whom My soul delights.

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the nations.

 

ISA 42:2 "He will not cry out or raise His voice,

Nor make His voice heard in the street.

 

ISA 42:3 "A bruised reed He will not break,

And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;

He will faithfully bring forth justice.

 

ISA 42:4 "He will not be disheartened or crushed,

Until He has established justice in the earth;

And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law."

 

“Bring forth justice to the nations, faithfully bring forth justice, and establish justice on the earth (His law).” Just is what is right given to every person.

 

When Jesus was born into this world any thoughts of the world escaping justice were terminated; the redeemed and the wicked would have to eventually face justice. For so long have the faithful have been devastated and afflicted and the wicked prosper and get away with injustice, but the truth and the law fulfilled was born in Bethlehem.

 

PSA 5:8 O Lord, lead me in Thy righteousness because of my foes;

Make Thy way straight before me.

 

PSA 5:9 There is nothing reliable in what they say;

Their inward part is destruction itself;

Their throat is an open grave;

They flatter with their tongue.

 

PSA 5:10 Hold them guilty, O God;

By their own devices let them fall!

In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,

For they are rebellious against Thee.

 

PSA 5:11 But let all who take refuge in Thee be glad,

Let them ever sing for joy;

And mayest Thou shelter them,

That those who love Thy name may exult in Thee.

 

PSA 5:12 For it is Thou who dost bless the righteous man, O Lord,

Thou dost surround him with favor as with a shield.

 

The sentence is coming, and it is only a matter of time. This gives power to our faith, that though we may be afflicted and unfairly treated, vindication is as certain as the sun rising. It will come and we will wait upon the Lord.

 

What is just is what is right given to every person. The powerful in our world pervert justice, attempting to eradicate it while painting a veneer of its image over their corruption. Jesus will bring justice. He already has at the cross, and until His second coming, men have a chance to choose for His justice, upon which time He will exact justice in the form of judgment. Living under justice in a fallen world means that suffering will be certain.  

 

But, all men who reject His justice will be judged by it. They will either love it and move under it or they will be broken to pieces by it.

 

Each of the Servant Songs is followed by a confirmatory comment. In the present song, the Lord confirms the world-wide task of His Servant and pledges its outcome.

 

ISA 42:5 Thus says God the Lord,

Who created the heavens and stretched them out,

Who spread out the earth and its offspring,

Who gives breath to the people on it,

And spirit to those who walk in it,

 

God has created everything and controls everything. So much in control is He that He entered the world as an infant.

 

No one and nothing has life outside of Him. Nothing happens that is outside of His control, even though sin and evil exist. Everything will come to justice.

 

So, God says, “Thus I say …” and nothing could overturn what He says or make any part of it untrue. Why? He made everything. Everything comes from Him, and so how could anything not be in accordance with His purpose? Though God’s purpose in a given situation may be difficult to determine at the moment, we know that in all things He will accomplish His good pleasure. So, when He says that He has called Jesus in righteousness, and He has elected us in the same way, to not walk in righteousness in His world would be downright foolish. How could anything outside His righteousness work out for good in His world? And when we do commit to righteousness, He promises that He will hold us by the hand and protect us, and in His world, can anything get in His way?

 

So, He moves from creation in vs. 5 to providence in vs. 6.

 

ISA 42:6 "I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,

I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you,

And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people,

As a light to the nations,

 

The Father did not call the Lord Jesus and then leave Him to His own devices. Jesus became like us in every way yet without sin. To express His deity during the incarnation would be to infinitely distance Himself from us. This He choose not to do. The King lived just like His subjects; in their temptations, their weakness, their frailty, their finite existence, facing their problems and issues, and by so doing, He can invite us into a kingdom that is made for men; men who have overcome the world and the flesh through Him. We are not to just exist in that kingdom, but to live and move and function in that kingdom in conformity with its substance, which substance is Christ, who was blood, flesh, and bone of humanity. We would have no place in a kingdom made for deity.