Introduction
You and I a fairly used to responding appropriately at certain events or on certain occasions. For example, when you are at a sporting event and your team scores in the final seconds to win the game, you cheer loudly and maybe even stand to your feet. Or if you are at a concert, you clap at various points in the performance and may even give a standing ovation at the end. When you are waited on at a restaurant, you pay a gratuity to the wait staff for serving you.
It seems we are used to responding appropriately within our culture, but often our response to God for who He is and what He has done lacks an appropriate response.
The Servant We Need (Isaiah 42:1-17)
Introducing The Servant (1-4)
It almost sounds like He is pointing to someone as He speaks about His servant. And that is essentially what He does by using words to describe certain features of the servant.
He is using the singular to refer to him whereas later He uses a plural reference to Israel as servant.
Uphold & Chosen
God had said the same thing about upholding and choosing Israel, His servant, back in 41:10b. This coming servant is chosen and upheld by God to accomplish God's set purpose.
Delight
To delight in something is the have extreme satisfaction in. God has extreme satisfaction in this servant. And as you discovered this week, the reason is that this is God the Son, the one whose life perfectly exemplified God's purpose and perfectly reflected God's glory.
He took on the form of a servant in order to fulfill the eternal plan of God to redeem His people.
God's delight in Him was not just due to his perfection as God's servant, but that mutual delight has existed eternally between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Which leads to our next point of introduction.
Spirit On Him
God says that He will put His Spirit on him. Notice that this is the Father speaking about the Son on whom He would pour out His Spirit. Though the Bible never mentions the word Trinity, the doctrine is no less a part of Biblical doctrine. God being one God and yet three “persons” within the Godhead.
After Jesus' baptism by John the Baptizer, the Spirit of God descended on him in the form of a dove. The sign to John that this was the one spoken of.
Jesus life of 32 years was a model of dependence on the Father for all that He did. He submitted perfectly to God's will, thus fulfilling all God's servant, Israel, could and did not do.
His life was a light to the world reflecting the glory of the Father. He was the Word of God in flesh proclaiming the truth of God to the blind and deaf. And he carried out this task in perfect faithfulness (verse 3) and without faltering or becoming discouraged (verse 4).
Meekness & Gentleness
Verses 2 & 3 reflect the idea that this servant was gentle and mild. He didn't run around yelling in the streets or cry out, but he spoke with authority and grace. He didn't water down the truth, but when he spoke, he was not trying to draw attention by his exuberance but by the revelation that his words would bring.
The fact that a reed would not be broken or a smoldering wick snuffed out refers to the idea that he recognized the fragility of those he would be addressing. He was aware of the fact that all power was his, yet man is frail and weak and he treated men that way. Those whose faith was weak, he taught through parables. And he explained as not to put out any hope they might have in him. To fan the embers of faith and not snuff them out.
I remember a man who used to come onto campus while I was attending Colorado State University. He would stand with his Bible open and yell out, “You are a sinner and you are going to die and go to hell!” I don't think he had many people approach him to find out what he meant. This is not what Jesus was like throughout His ministry, however.
Justice & Hope
He was faithfully bringing forth justice.
Ever since the fall of man, God had been forgiving people for sin – those who turned to Him in repentance and faith were saved by His grace. Salvation has always been the same, by the grace of God through faith. No one ever earned it.
But also, the sins that God forgave, were awaiting the justice of God. God's justice demands payment for sin. He can't overlook sin and sweep it away without a cost, an infinite cost. And so, up until the time of the servant, Jesus, sin had gone unpunished.
Paul puts it this way in Romans 3:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
And so this servant of God came to bring the justice of God, not only to the Jews who had faith, but also to anyone who had faith in Him. All God's people, Jew or Gentile, are justified by faith in Jesus, God's perfect servant.
The end of verse 4 points out that the islands will put their hope in his law. A law that is written upon the hearts of men.
This Is A New Thing (42:5-9)
This new thing, this coming servant and all that accompanied him, was announced by and brought about by God. This was all His doing and part of His eternal plan. It never was that this would not happen, but God chose this time to foretell it.
Called, Guided, and Kept (5-6)
Covenant & Light (6b)
All these words are quite familiar if you are familiar with the New Testament. This idea of Jesus being a covenant for the people harkens to the last supper. Jesus, taking the cup said, “this is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
These were God's words, from Christ, through Paul, to the Corinthians. They are very familiar to us when we observe the Lord's supper. We are remembering that our fellowship with God is bound up in the blood of His servant, shed on our behalf.
Once again, he is a light to the Gentiles. We who are Gentiles or Jews are in fellowship with God due to the light He sent into the world – Jesus the Messiah.
Sight, Sound, Salvation (42:7)
Jesus came healing the blind, deaf, and sick. Yet these acts were not an end in and of themselves. As the Gospel writers told us, they were signs that pointed to a greater spiritual reality. Certainly they showed that Jesus had all power as God the Son and that his authority had no limit. But he also used these signs to point out the truth that apart from Him, all people are blind, deaf, and bound in prisons of darkness.
Spiritual sight, the ability to see ones lost condition, is a work of God alone. To hear the message of the gospel and receive conviction is a work that God alone can do. And as Paul says to the Colossians:
Colossians 1:13
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
To God's Glory (42:8-9)
This is to God's glory and can be credited to no other. He alone is worthy of honor, praise, and glory.
And that is how our lives should be characterized in response to this work He has done.
A Song Of Praise (42:10-13)
Ends Of The Earth
The Deserts
Joy, Shouts From The Mountaintops
Glory & Praise From The Islands
People of all nations, Jew and Gentile, receive freedom from captivity in Christ and the natural response? Sin His praise, give the Lord glory, proclaim His praise throughout the earth.
Wasn't this what Jesus called all of his followers to do? “Go into all the world and preach the gospel...”
The Enemy Defeated
This singing and rejoicing in the Lord rings true to all who have received God's forgiveness of sin and a new life in Christ. Our enemy, sin, has been conquered. We are no longer slaves to sin but are free to live a life of service to our King. His law is our delight where once the law of sin reigned.
Lead By God and His Word (42:14-17)
Principle:
God's Servant took, for God's people, what God's justice demanded.
God's people have every reason to glorify God.
Applications:
How have you responded to the light of revelation through God's Son?
Is God's servant your justifier or will He be your judge?
In what ways is your life a “song of praise”, glorifying God?
The Servant In Need (Isaiah 42:18-44:5)
From Words to Wars (44:18-25)
The very thing the Great Servant came to heal (blind, deaf, and bound), is the indictment against God's servant people, Israel.
They were to be a light to the world. Not that Israel was great, but that God was great. Israel was small and powerless, but the work of God in their midst was to be a beacon to the world.
They had the sole repository of God's special revelation, Torah, and yet they saw, heard, but didn't heed it.
The Law Not The Problem (21)
God's Law was great and glorious and if adhered to, would reflect that glory to the world. It was a reflection of the righteous character of God.
The problem was not the Law but the law-breaker – the sinner.
And sadly enough, often those with most exposure to the truth, if they ignore it, become the worst perpetrators of error. Certainly they are more responsible for the light they have been given.
Trapped, Imprisoned, Plundered (22)
As a result of their rejection of God's law, they are in a predicament. God uses word to point out that since they rejected the freedom that accompanied obedience, they were allowed to go into bondage.
And certainly this is true in a spiritual sense as well. Often people feel as if they are liberated when freed from the “bonds” of God's restraints when in reality they are resisting the only true freedom there is.
Sin is a bondage, salvation is freedom from the enemy, sin, death, and the devil.
But the exile to Babylon was also in view here. Since the word of God was rejected, he turned them over to war and captivity.
And yet, as the end of verse 25 points out, “yet they did not understand; … they did not take it to heart”.
A Dangerous Place
You and I are in a very dangerous place, do you realize that? Not that somehow our western civilization will come crumbling down, although that might happen. We are studying the Bible each week. Day in and day out we are exposed to the truth of God's word. But we can get “lulled to sleep” in the process.
Are you nodding your head in affirmation of the truths in Scripture but not asking God to reveal to you where you need pruning? I'm afraid I too often am that way.
Are you experiencing conviction but failing to turn in repentance to the only One who can save you? Are you hearing and seeing what ought to be and stubbornly resisting?
Continue down that path too long and your eyes will glass over and ears become deaf. Eventually the Bible will become nothing more than an interesting novel that you can put down whenever the story gets too uncomfortable or boring.
Call on the Lord while He may be found. Before you find yourself in a pit.
[My Life Story (Be Brief!)]
But Now...A Savior (43:1-13)
After pointing out the unfaithfulness of His servant, in spite of man's rebellious nature and fallen state, God declares redemption for His people. The steadfast love of God remains true in spite of man's bent toward sinning.
God's People Are Precious To Him (1-7)
Look at what God says about those who belong to Him:
Created you
Formed you
Redeemed you
Summoned you (by name)
Own you
Am with you
Protect you
Save you (you Savior)
Ransomed you
Value you
Love you
Will gather you
Created for God's glory
Do any of God's people deserve that? Do you and I deserve to be considered in such a way by God?
God Alone Saves and His People Are Witnesses (8-13)
As God had said, Israel was blind and deaf, but here He points out the fact that He will lead them out of Babylonian exile. He is referring once again to the courtroom scene where there are no other gods of the nations that knew this would happen.
God alone foretold it to His people so that when it did happen, they would be able to attest to the fact. With patience, God declared, long before, that this would happen, so that future generations would see and know that God alone is God, there is no other. And that He alone is savior – there is but One.
Have you noticed that many people in our day are quick to concur that there is but one God. But there are so many definitions of Who or what that God is, on that point, it is hard to come to consensus.
Many too will state that there is one god, but there are many paths to that one god. That all religions ultimately lead to the same god. They are almost correct. Very close. All paths, but one, lead to the same god. To a god made in man's image. The god of this world.
But only one path leads to the LORD God, the Holy One of Israel. The only savior of His people.
There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.
Attributes of Note (11-13)
God alone is LORD – there is no other God beside Him, He is exclusively God and thus all are singularly answerable to him.
The only savior – since He alone is LORD, He alone has the power to save – to provide what is necessary to save.
Reveals – in verse 12 He says that He reveals and proclaims, not some other god among the people. God is omniscient.
Eternal – He refers to from ancient days I am God. In other words, from before time, I am eternally God.
Omnipotent – The end of verse 13 reveals that there is no power that can overcome God's power – His acts cannot be reversed by anyone.
God's Mercy (14-18)
You could almost get jet lag in this section. Or whip-lash with all the various time frames mentioned.
He starts by referring to the freeing them from Babylon in verse 14-15. Then He moves on to describe himself in terms of the redemption from Egyptian captivity, in verses 16-17. Then He goes back to the return of the exiles (and other later spiritual fulfillment) in 18-21. And in 22-24 back to Hezekiah's day and beyond.
But rather than look at the time frames and marvel, let's look at the nature of God the Savior of His people. How He describes himself both in words and actions. Especially against the backdrop of a wayward nation.
Holy, Redeemer, Creator, and King (14-15)
He starts this marvelous passage with His holiness and His relationship to Israel.
In 14 He says Holy One of Israel. We have seen this over and over. The fact that God being Holy by nature and separate from sin, is still in a relationship with a people who are characterized by sin and need for a redeemer.
The idea here and in verse 15 is that Israel had nothing to do with their salvation and standing with God. And the same is true with anyone who has a relationship with God.
We have no claim on achieving that relationship. God is Holy. Man is not. Not unless God does something to make man holy.
In verse 15 the Lord describes himself as Holy again, Israel's Creator and King. He is responsible for the fact that they are a nation. And that they remained a nation. They were in situations that should have crushed them and would have, had it not been for God.
So the redeemed of God have no part in that redemption, period.
Acts Of Redemption For His Glory (16-21)
In 16 He uses His act of redemption out of Egypt to describe himself.
It was God who opened the sea, drew in the chariots and horses and armies, and snuffed them out. He did these things for the sake of His people (as talked about in verse 14).
And then He tells them to forget that and look to the act He is about to do. The “new thing”, where streams will run in the desert.
He is doing this act so that, “they may proclaim my praise.” (verse 21).
God is glorified when He redeems a people. When, by His Spirit, He regenerates a heart that is a wasteland. Certainly God is praised and glorified by all He has created, but how much more should the redeemed be actively participating in praise.
Not just songs of praise, but lives that praise through obedience to His word. Lives that desire to find out what He requires and then carry that out in His power.
Lives that are quick to attest to the greatness of God, but with gentleness, like the Great Servant. With meekness and humility, realizing that were it not for the grace of God, we would be just like the lost.
The Condition Of Man (22-28)
Back to the present time. God speaks of the condition of His servant, Israel.
In this poetic passage He uses couplets to describe the condition of the unfaithful:
Not called on me, Not wearied yourself for me – in other words, you are not depending on me. Not seeking my direction and will. Not sincerely looking to me for your guidance.
Not brought burnt offerings, Not honored me with sacrifices – Not only did they not seek God's direction, they were not seeking His fellowship and forgiveness. They were neglecting His covenant with them.
Not burdened with grain offerings or incense – God had not put demands on them that were burdensome.
No incense and sacrifices, just a lot of sin and offenses – God did not want empty sacrifices, he required true repentance. But in exchange He received only the offense of their sin, over and over again.
Those who were to be a light to the Gentiles, revealing the glory of God, were in fact an offense to God and an opportunity for the nations to scorn God.
No body else is any different. All men are the same way. We all are an offense to God by our sin. There is none righteous, no, not even one. We all do evil before God. And even our acts of righteousness are as filth before God. They are a sin in themselves if we think they somehow appease God.
We can't please Him. There is but One Savior, there is no other.
I can't save you and you can save me. We can't save ourselves, no one can.
But it is only God who can blot out sin, forgive transgressions, and remember it no more. It's for His sake that He does this. His glory is revealed in the redemptive work He does for the undeserving.
The Spirit's Work (44:1-5)
This beginning part of chapter 44 reveals what was eluded to in all the previous references to water on a wasteland. God was revealing the work of His Spirit in regeneration.
Here God fasts forward to the Book of Acts where the Spirit was poured out on God's chosen people. That it was God's fulfillment of this promise to bring streams to the dry and barren landscape of man's heart.
But this could only happen after the Great Servant completed His work. Jesus told His disciples that unless He went to the cross and then ascended, the comforter, the Spirit of truth, could not come. He had to complete the work of redemption in order that God could pour out His Spirit on His chosen ones.
Not until justice was complete could sinners be declared justified. So Jesus death bore the penalty for sin on behalf of God's chosen people.
And we who are in Christ are grafted into the true Israel. We are recipients of the new covenant in His blood and God has poured out His Spirit on us, the true offspring of Abraham.
Look at the descriptive words used of those who the Spirit indwells:
We are blessed
Grow like well watered trees
Belong to the LORD
Are descendants of Jacob
Marked (sealed) as if on the hand, as belonging to the LORD
Principle:
Familiarity with God's word is no substitute for faith in God.
Applications:
How much impact has the study of Isaiah had on your life this year? What changes are you seeing in your life?
Are you finding the application or personal question difficult to answer?
How active are you in expressing your gratitude to God for redeeming you?
The God We Need (Isaiah 44:6-23)
Time may be a great healer,
but it's a lousy beautician.
Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember, amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic.
Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels so good.
Talk is cheap because supply exceeds demand.
Politicians and diapers have one thing in common.
They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.
An optimist thinks that this is the best possible world.
A pessimist fears that this is true.
In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday.
I plan on living forever.
So far, so good.
If marriage were outlawed,
only outlaws would have in-laws.
It's frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time,
but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
Brain cells come and brain cells go,
but fat cells live forever.
Age doesn't always bring wisdom.
Sometimes age comes alone.
Life not only begins at forty,
it also begins to show.
You don't stop laughing because you grow old,
you grow old because you stopped laughing.
A Rock and Redeemer or a log and a lamb chop.
A Rock and Redeemer or a tree and a t-bone.
And so it is with all man-made substitutes for what God alone can provide.
A Definitive Characterization (44:6-8)
God makes some final statements regarding who He is that leave absolutely no room for negotiation:
He is the LORD Almighty.
He is first and last – was there before time and will be there after time – eternal, never ending, infinite
No God apart from me – without me, there is no God (not to mention, no way to express it or anyone to hear it apart from Him)
No one can explain the redemptive history of Israel but God alone. (no one comes forward)
He is the only Rock.
There is no power, no eternal, no infinite, no God, no redeemer, and no Rock, save God himself. He alone is LORD over all.
But of course, that's just God's view of things. Man, in his great wisdom, may see things a bit different. May say that's one way of looking at it, but I have my own way.
God may be glorious, but I have a bit of glory of my own.
The Irony of Idols (9-20)
God goes into great detail, outline the absurdity of idolatry. How it is so prevalent and yet so degrading to the person and so offensive to God.
It's man's best effort to produce his object of worship. And his toil reveals his frailty.
And the ironic thing is that man is greater than the object he is creating to worship. And he is using his mind, will, and emotions, along with materials that God has supplied.
His roast meat strengthens him so that he can build an detestable object from the second half of his fuel. His choice, eat and keep warm, or make a god.
But we don't often see the irony when we are the ones doing the worship.
We often see our allegiance as innocent diversions. Modern convenience. Deserved respect due to my status. Etc, etc, etc.
That is until we become obsessed. Until the object of worship controls us. Determines how we think and what we think about.
Until our spare time is consumed with that thing to the point that we are owned rather than the owner.
A substitute for what God alone can provide is nothing short of a lie.
God's Reminder For Israel (21-23)
Remember you are my servant and I have made you my servant.
And I will always remain faithful, I cannot do otherwise.
Also, remember the contrast between who I am and the best that man can do. Don't make a mockery of me by turning away to other gods.
Note: It was no mistake that the first of the Ten Commandments were that there were to be no other gods before YHWH. He is jealous for His glory, and rightfully so. He is truth.
When God redeems sinners, His glory is seen in His mercy that is shown. Nothing on the part of the sinner – he deserves wrath – but instead, the character of God shows forth so brilliantly against the backdrop of sin's darkness.
His glorious light shines in the salvation He offers His own. Should we not join with all of creation, singing the praises of this merciful and loving God?
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