Christmas 2019: Behold My Son, in Whom I am well pleased, part 15.

Thursday January 23, 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."

 

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,

 

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,

 

Jesus was the only Man who faithfully responded to the Father’s call.

 

EXO 3:10 Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."

 

EXO 3:11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?"

 

EXO 3:12 And He said, "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain."

 

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,

 

ISA 42:7 To open blind eyes,

To bring out prisoners from the dungeon,

And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.

 

Israel was called to be a faithful servant, but she was anything but.

 

Israel was not faithful, but Jesus was. He fulfilled what none of us could. 

 

If those who were called by God, loved by God, and blessed by God would not be a faithful servant then there is no reason to go looking for faithfulness in any other people.

 

ISA 41:5 The coastlands have seen and are afraid [judgment is on the horizon];

The ends of the earth tremble;

They have drawn near and have come.

 

ISA 41:6 Each one helps his neighbor,

And says to his brother, "Be strong!"

 

The neighbors encourage one another, but not with God’s promises or in reference to God.

 

So, do they repent and turn to God?

 

ISA 41:7 So the craftsman encourages the smelter,

And he who smooths metal with the hammer encourages him who beats the anvil,

Saying of the soldering, "It is good";

And he fastens it with nails,

That it should not totter.

 

ISA 41:8 "But you, Israel, My servant,

Jacob whom I have chosen,

Descendant of Abraham My friend,

 

ISA 41:9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,

And called from its remotest parts,

And said to you, 'You are My servant,

I have chosen you and not rejected you.

 

ISA 41:10 'Do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,

Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

 

ISA 41:11 "Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored;

Those who contend with you will be as nothing, and will perish.

 

ISA 41:12 "You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them,

Those who war with you will be as nothing, and non-existent.

 

ISA 41:13 "For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand,

Who says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'

 

ISA 41:14 "Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel;

I will help you," declares the Lord, "and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

 

Despite these wonderful promises, the majority in Israel were not faithful; some were, most weren’t. Yet, God is not One to throw in the towel. His covenant promises will be accomplished by Him.

 

The second Servant Song in Isaiah is in ISA 49:1-6.

 

The spiritual need cries out for remedy and the Servant is described as a Spirit-endowed agent of divine revelation for whose teaching the earth waits, and as one whose mouth the Lord had prepared, whereby He calls the whole world to hear.

 

In none of the songs is the Servant a political figure. He does not free our hands and feet so much as He frees our minds, souls, and hearts into the freedom of that which is life indeed.

 

The first song is a biography, the Father’s word to the world about the Servant. The second song is an autobiography, the Servant’s own testimony of how the task given from the Father has fallen upon Him.

 

ISA 49:1 Listen to Me, O islands,

And pay attention, you peoples from afar.

The Lord called Me from the womb;

From the body of My mother He named Me.

 

MAR 9:7

Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!"

 

The Servant addresses the world as only the Lord would address them. Would that Israel had seen this and wondered if this promised Servant had an as yet undisclosed relationship with Yavah Elohim.

 

ISA 49:2 And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword;

In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me,

And He has also made Me a select arrow;

He has hidden Me in His quiver.

 

Preparation for a chosen target, both near (sword) and far (arrow).

 

ISA 49:3 And He said to Me, "You are My Servant, Israel,

In Whom I will show My glory."

 

Israel (ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom) are in exile. They are not capable at the moment of living up to what it means to be Israel. Either the Lord must acquiesce in failure of His plans and promises or He must find a true and worthy Israel.

 

The Servant claims to be Israel, and to be in His own person to be the Lord’s covenant (vs. 8) and salvation (vs. 6) - not just to be the preacher or revealer of these things, but to actually be them Himself.

 

How could Israel be her own covenant and salvation? If that were true, God would be completely excluded from both, but both of them depend entirely upon God.

 

ISA 49:8c And I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people,

 

How can the Servant be Israel when “You” is given “for a covenant of the people?”

 

ISA 49:6cd I will also make You a light of the nations

So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.

 

ISA 49:3 And He said to Me, "You are My Servant, Israel,

In Whom I will show My glory."

 

“In Whom” - singular - “I will show My glory.” Not said of any other prophet or king. Singular “You” is a unique thing said to a unique Person.

 

This Servant is much, much more than any prophet or king ever was. The statement “I will show My glory,” is unique here in that it is used for a singular person (“in Whom” is singular) and not for what God does for the nation (plural). This is never said of any other prophet, or individual, or to Israel. It is a unique thing said to a unique person. He is life, faithfulness, fulfillment, power, and salvation; and He is a man and God who has given these things freely to His brethren. Explaining Him fully is like pouring the ocean into a bucket.

 

ISA 49:4 But I said, "I have toiled in vain,

I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity;

Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the Lord,

And My reward with My God."