Isaiah 42
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
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Isaiah 42:1 says, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him.” God commands us to look upon Christ. The Lord condemns all those who do not look to him. All those who look upon Christ rightly are sure to follow that look. It is a source of great thanksgiving to hear the Lord say, “You are not your own, but bought with a price.”
Isaiah 42:1 is fulfilled at Jesus baptism when the Spirit of God came down and rested upon Jesus. The Father spoke from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17). God is well pleased with all who are united to Christ; they are in a good way, both body and soul. They lack nothing but a further revelation of the Son of God. -Chris Shelton |
Isaiah 42:4-7:
4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
5 Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
5 Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
Isaiah 42:8-9:
8 I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. 9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. |
The end of Isaiah 42:8 makes me shudder. The creator of the universe, the force that commanded the flood; The deliverer of Israel, the consumer of Sodom and Gomorrah is
acknowledging the heresy of the counterfeit. We must be careful what we put above God in our lives. He recognizes idols and has no regard for them or their worshippers. Yet, for those of us who choose to praise Him, those praises are a commodity to The God of gods. HE WILL NOT SHARE. Until the “Son” part of the trinity was born, No one could reflect the glory of His Father. He would never share the splendor of Who He is with anyone other than Jesus. Verse 8 is His endorsement and his warning. 9;Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth, I proclaim [them] to you.& Declare and proclaim are similar in our English language, but in the Hebrew translation “Declare” means to make conspicuous or make obvious and “Proclaim” is making it known. For example, I can tell someone that I am hungry. That is a statement. Until I make them aware that I need to eat right now, they may feel no urgency. In verse 9, Isaiah is relaying: “Behold, the former things have come to pass.” In other words, this is a call to Israel: the things that have happened in the past, the ways things were done will completely change with the birth of this new seed. Describing that those fresh, new things have never been seen and will abundantly grow from this sprout. (tiṣ·maḥ·nāh) -Southern Gospel News |
First, we pray, "Hallowed be your name, may your kingdom come, may your will be done," before we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." God's glory ought to weigh down all before it; it must be preferred before our dearest concerns. Christ preferred his Father's glory before his own as he was man. "I honor my Father, I seek not my own glory." John 8:49, 50. God's glory is that which is most dear to him; it is the apple of his eye; all his riches lie here. As Micah said, "What more have I" (Judges 18:24)—so I may say of God's glory, what more has he? His glory is the most orient pearl of his crown—which he will not part with. "My glory I will not give to another." Isaiah 42:8. God's glory is more worth than heaven, more worth than the salvation of all men's souls. It is better that kingdoms be demolished, better men and angels be annihilated—than God lose any part of his glory! We are to prefer God's glory before our nearest concerns. But before we prefer God's glory to our private concerns—we must be born again. The natural man seeks his own personal interest before God's glory. He is "of the earth, earthly." John 3:31. Let him have peace and trading, let the rock pour out rivers of oil—and let God's glory go which way it will, he minds it not. A worm cannot fly and sing as a lark. Just so, a natural man, whose heart creeps upon the earth, cannot admire God, or advance his glory, as a man elevated by grace does.
― Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
― Thomas Watson, The Lord's Prayer
10 Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
11 Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. 12 Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands. 13 The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. 14 I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. 15 I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. 16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. 17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods. 18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. 19 Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord's servant? 20 Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not. 21 The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable. 22 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. 23 Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come? 24 Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. 25 Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. |
In Isaiah 42:18-25, Isaiah is speaking about Israel enslaved to sin. Though Israel is the servant of God, she is blind and deaf to the glory of God (verses 18-20). The same language was used in Isaiah 42:6-7 of the Gentile nations throughout the world. Isaiah, like Paul in Romans chapters one and two, accuses Israel of being no more righteous than the pagan nations around her.
The Lord had magnified his “law,” or his revealed will to Israel (Isaiah 42:21). God’s word and his ways are glorious, but Israel rejected God for the idols of the nations. In our prosperity we are not so aware of the sinfulness of sin, so the Lord frequently uses afflictions to teach his children the evil that is in sin. But though Israel suffered (verses 22-23), she did not see the hand of God in the afflictions (verse 24). |