BEHOLD MY SERVANT, WHOM I UPHOLD

Passage: Isaiah 42:1-25

Key verse: 1

NIV

The Servant of the Lord

42 “Here is my servant,(A) whom I uphold,
    my chosen one(B) in whom I delight;(C)
I will put my Spirit(D) on him,
    and he will bring justice(E) to the nations.(F)
2 He will not shout or cry out,(G)
    or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed(H) he will not break,(I)
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.(J)
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;(K)
4     he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice(L) on earth.
    In his teaching(M) the islands(N) will put their hope.”(O)

5 This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens,(P) who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth(Q) with all that springs from it,(R)
    who gives breath(S) to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called(T) you in righteousness;(U)
    I will take hold of your hand.(V)
I will keep(W) you and will make you
    to be a covenant(X) for the people
    and a light(Y) for the Gentiles,(Z)
7 to open eyes that are blind,(AA)
    to free(AB) captives from prison(AC)
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.(AD)

8 “I am the Lord;(AE) that is my name!(AF)
    I will not yield my glory to another(AG)
    or my praise to idols.(AH)
9 See, the former things(AI) have taken place,
    and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
    I announce(AJ) them to you.”

Song of Praise to the Lord

10 Sing(AK) to the Lord a new song,(AL)
    his praise(AM) from the ends of the earth,(AN)
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,(AO)
    you islands,(AP) and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness(AQ) and its towns raise their voices;
    let the settlements where Kedar(AR) lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela(AS) sing for joy;
    let them shout from the mountaintops.(AT)
12 Let them give glory(AU) to the Lord
    and proclaim his praise(AV) in the islands.(AW)
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,(AX)
    like a warrior(AY) he will stir up his zeal;(AZ)
with a shout(BA) he will raise the battle cry
    and will triumph over his enemies.(BB)

14 “For a long time I have kept silent,(BC)
    I have been quiet and held myself back.(BD)
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
    I cry out, I gasp and pant.(BE)
15 I will lay waste(BF) the mountains(BG) and hills
    and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
    and dry up(BH) the pools.
16 I will lead(BI) the blind(BJ) by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light(BK) before them
    and make the rough places smooth.(BL)
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake(BM) them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
    who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’(BN)
    will be turned back in utter shame.(BO)

Israel Blind and Deaf

18 “Hear, you deaf;(BP)
    look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind(BQ) but my servant,(BR)
    and deaf like the messenger(BS) I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant(BT) with me,
    blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
    your ears are open, but you do not listen.”(BU)
21 It pleased the Lord
    for the sake(BV) of his righteousness
    to make his law(BW) great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered(BX) and looted,
    all of them trapped in pits(BY)
    or hidden away in prisons.(BZ)
They have become plunder,
    with no one to rescue them;(CA)
they have been made loot,
    with no one to say, “Send them back.”

23 Which of you will listen to this
    or pay close attention(CB) in time to come?
24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
    and Israel to the plunderers?(CC)
Was it not the Lord,(CD)
    against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow(CE) his ways;
    they did not obey his law.(CF)
25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,(CG)
    the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames,(CH) yet they did not understand;(CI)
    it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.(CJ)

Read full chapter
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Lord's Chosen Servant

42 (A)Behold (B)my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen, (C)in whom my soul delights;
(D)I have put my Spirit upon him;
    (E)he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
    or make it heard in the street;
3 (F)a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
    (G)he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged[a]
    till he has established justice in the earth;
    and (H)the coastlands wait for his law.

5 Thus says God, the Lord,
    who created the heavens (I)and stretched them out,
    who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
(J)who gives breath to the people on it
    and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 “I am the Lord; (K)I have called you[b] in righteousness;
    I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you (L)as a covenant for the people,
    (M)a light for the nations,
7     (N)to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
    (O)from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord; that is my name;
    (P)my glory I give to no other,
    nor my praise to carved idols.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
    (Q)and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
    I tell you of them.”

Sing to the Lord a New Song

10 (R)Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise from the end of the earth,
(S)you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it,
    (T)the coastlands and their inhabitants.
11 Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice,
    the villages that (U)Kedar inhabits;
let the habitants of (V)Sela sing for joy,
    let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord,
    and declare his praise in (W)the coastlands.
13 (X)The Lord goes out like a mighty man,
    like a man of war (Y)he stirs up his zeal;
he cries out, (Z)he shouts aloud,
    he shows himself mighty against his foes.

14 For a long time I have held my peace;
    I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out (AA)like a woman in labor;
    I will gasp and pant.
15 (AB)I will lay waste mountains and hills,
    and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn the rivers into islands,[c]
    and dry up the pools.
16 (AC)And I will lead the blind
    in a way that they do not know,
in paths that they have not known
    I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
    (AD)the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I do,
    and I do not forsake them.
17 (AE)They are turned back and utterly put to shame,
    who trust in carved idols,
who say to metal images,
    “You are our gods.”

Israel's Failure to Hear and See

18 Hear, you deaf,
    and look, you blind, that you may see!
19 Who is blind but my servant,
    or deaf as my messenger whom I send?
Who is blind as my dedicated one,[d]
    or blind as the servant of the Lord?
20 (AF)He sees many things, but does not observe them;
    (AG)his ears are open, but he does not hear.
21 The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness' sake,
    to magnify his law and make it glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered and looted;
    they are all of them trapped in holes
    (AH)and hidden in prisons;
they have become plunder with none to rescue,
    spoil with none to say, “Restore!”
23 Who among you will give ear to this,
    will attend and listen for the time to come?
24 Who gave up Jacob to the looter,
    and Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned,
    in whose ways they would not walk,
    and whose law they would not obey?
25 So he poured on him the heat of his anger
    and the might of battle;
it set him on fire all around, (AI)but he did not understand;
    it burned him up, (AJ)but he did not take it to heart.

Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Isaiah 42:4 Or bruised
  2. Isaiah 42:6 The Hebrew for you is singular; four times in this verse
  3. Isaiah 42:15 Or into coastlands
  4. Isaiah 42:19 Or as the one at peace with me
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Isaiah calls Israel to behold God’s servant, the coming Messiah, whom God upholds and in whom he delights. The Messiah will gently minister to people who are like bruised reeds and smoldering wicks, faithfully and successfully carrying out his mission to the end by the power of the Spirit. Jesus came to restore God’s right order on earth by accomplishing his redemptive purpose for the world through his life and ministry. God is the Creator and the Giver of life; he made Jesus a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles. Whoever believes in him is set free from the prison of sin. Their spiritual eyes are opened to see the kingdom of God in him. Indeed, Jesus is the only hope of all nations and true justice will prevail in his hand. 

Isaiah calls all the nations to give praises to the LORD, for God will do new things for his people in the future. God will go out like a warrior, triumph over his enemies, and lead his people out from captivity as he declared. But those who trust in helpless idols will be put to shame. God’s covenant people became blind, deaf, plundered, and looted. God wants them to listen to him and realize that they were in exile because they didn’t follow God’s ways and didn’t obey his law.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for Jesus’ beautiful life and ministry. Help me to behold Him, not my situation, and follow his example to help and encourage the weak and lead them to put their hope in Jesus. 

One Word: A light for the Gentiles