“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.” Isaiah 42:1
August 16, 2022
Comfort! Do we need it? We do, as did Israel at the lowest point in her history as a nation. Exiled from her promised land, at the mercy of a marauding nation, Babylon, and confronting the specter of covenant chastening. In the movement of God’s kingdom-redemptive plan, we can find ourselves longing for the good news of a divine deliverer. Our present world scene sees the armies of godlessness marching toward seeming triumph. God gave Israel four soul stirring trumpet sounds of a coming deliverer in Isaiah 42 -53 (The first of these is Isaiah 42:1-7). This Deliverer was not the nation of Israel but one who comes out of Israel. Hold on to your seat. He is called God’s Servant. Yes, Jesus Christ in Isaiah. He will bring truth from heaven itself to the nations in the power of God. Here is the one who has never worshiped false gods. The nations united in their unbelief do not stand a chance against God’s Champion, a Servant who is gentle and compassionate, who renders just verdicts in all His decisions, one who will be empowered to do His wonderful work. He cannot fail. Is this the way we look at our world? Listen not to the false prophets disguised as political pundits, intellectual elites, the ruling class, pompous political prognosticators. Take heart, dear child of God. Don’t be ashamed to call men and women from their idols to the living God. History is bending toward the Second Coming of God’s Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose story is written in the blood of the Lamb of God. H
A time to pray: “O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, clear my mind of the world’s idea of success. Keep my eyes fixed on your Servant, Jesus, that I will live to have a burning zeal for your glory.”