1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
5 Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them.”
Isaiah 42:1, 5-9
What will it take to bring peace on earth, when mankind seems committed to destroying one another? What will it take to free the children, the innocent, the weak, who are caught up in these struggles and suffer in bondage and captivity? The news is full of horrific stories of man’s inhumanity to man and far from any of them finding resolution, each day seems to bring a new conflict.
Fortunately for us, one of the great things Jesus Christ accomplished during His earthly ministry has to bring justice and free prisoners. His prophetic teachings offer more hope for universal peace than any political manifesto. And as a Redeemer who secured our salvation from sin, he dealt with the forces behind all injustice and human cruelty.
Among the prophecies of Isaiah are what have been called the Servant Songs, prophetic descriptions of the role and work God’s Messiah. Isaiah 42 is one of those Servant Songs, and verse 1 indicates the Lord is speaking of the One in Whom His soul delights, Who will bring justice to the nations. In verse 5, the prophet praises the Lord as the Creator of the Earth and everyone on it, giving Him both the power and the authority to remedy what is broken with His creation. Then in verses six and seven, the Lord Himself speaks, describing His Messiah, His Servant, Whom He has called, and Whom He promises to take by the hand and keep. And the Messiah’s role will be as
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
The Messiah is a Liberator unlike any other. He does not just free prisoners from dungeons, but He restores sight to the blind. He is a light, and He illuminates not just Israel, but the nations, in the ways of truth and justice.
Also in verse six we read that Messiah is to be given as a Covenant to the people. A Covenant is not just a promise, but a “bond in blood.” The Lord is indicating the means by which He is going to accomplish this great salvation, anticipating the cross of Christ. The New Testament gospel of Jesus Christ is not God’s Plan B, put into effect when He realized the laws of Moses were inadequate. Salvation from sin through Christ’s atoning sacrifice has been God’s plan all along, and He foretells it here, 750 years before Christ.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them.”
The Lord has seen the end from the beginning. He has sent us His Son (Isaiah 7, 9) to save us from our sins, but He will also free us from bondage and blindness, and will ultimately bring justice and peace. Praise Him!