04 Where Is Justice In a Broken World? (Isaiah 42:1-9)

Speaker: Good morning. This is the Wednesday in the Word podcast, and I'm Krisan Marotta. Thank you for downloading. Today we are studying Isaiah chapter 42, verses 1 through 9. This is the fourth talk in our series on the Servant Songs from the Book of Isaiah. If you'd like to follow along with the lecture notes, you'll find them at wednesdayintheword.com slash Servant Songs 4. Thanks so much for joining us. One of the things that I loved about college was the dinner conversations. We were young and full of ourselves back then, and we would solve all the problems of the universe over dinner, or at least we thought we did. I remember one particular evening we had the opportunity to explain the gospel to a student from Pakistan. Actually, my roommate's boyfriend explained the gospel. I was such a baby believer at the time that I doubt I could have explained anything, but I listened and I nodded at the appropriate times. Well, after hearing us out and agreeing that yes, we were all sinful, that we need a savior, and that savior is Jesus Christ, he said, I agree with you on everything except the part about Jesus. If Jesus is God, where is justice and why did he not bring it? Well, how would you answer that question? Where is justice to be found? Where is justice to be found when terrorists plan attacks on tourists and innocent bystanders? Where's justice when ISIS commits systematic atrocities and genocides? Or where is justice here at home in the face of school shootings and other senseless acts of violence? If God is truly sovereign, where is justice? Well, that's the question Isaiah is going to answer for the Jewish exiles in Babylon in this first servant song. You'll remember that the nation of Israel is in exile, or at least he's writing to them as if they are in exile, even though he wrote these prophecies before the exile began. But he's writing to those who are in exile in Babylon, their temple is in ruins, Jerusalem's burned to the ground, their God is mocked, their people are slaves in a foreign land, and they're facing the question, how long will this continue? How long will the Davidic throne be lost to the sands of Babylon? When will God vindicate his people and bring justice to bear? Well, we learned in chapter 40 that yes, God has a future for his people, that he intends to bring them home, that the exile will end, they will find comfort because all their sins have been pardoned and paid for. Further, they can have absolute confidence that God will fulfill his promises because he is the God who rules over all of history and all of creation. He is the God who measures the oceans and the palm of his hand, and he is too great to fail, and he cares for his people by name. Well now Isaiah reveals that this bright future is going to come about through God's servant, and that this servant will not only bring justice to God's people, but to all the nations. Before we look at chapter 42, I want to set the stage for you briefly from chapter 41. You'll recall that in chapter 40, Isaiah contrasted the glory of the Lord with the glory of their nations, their rulers, and their gods, and he reminded us that human beings and all our efforts and all our kingdoms are fleeting. Even the biggest and strongest empire is like frail grass before God. And as the creator and master of all of history, the word of God will stand forever. His promises are sure, he controls history and can blow away even the most impressive human kingdom with one puff of his breath. Chapter 41 builds on those same ideas, only in that section he addresses the Gentiles and their gods. Chapter 41 begins, Coastlands, listen to me in silence. And coastlands is generally a reference to the ends of the earth. It's metaphorically used to describe the Gentile word. I think some translations translate it nations. It's the same point, just not as literal. And he turns to address the Gentile nations. And he says, Throughout all of human history, from the first to the last, all of it has been ordered according to God's divine will. His promises can be trusted because he is the one in control of history. So it's the same themes we saw in chapter 40. Then to cinch his argument, Isaiah proposes a test. It's not enough to claim that Yahweh is in control of history. All gods can make that claim. Well, how do we know that we can trust the Lord Yahweh's claims? Well, we know we can trust that he is in control of history if he predicts an event and that event happens, that prediction is fulfilled. That would demonstrate that he is in fact in control of history, and that is a test that no idol has ever passed or can pass. So you see in chapter 41, this is verses 21 and 22, set forth your case, says the Lord, bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome, or declare to us the things to come. So there's the challenge. Tell us what is to happen. The challenge to the idols is, if you are God as you claim to be, then predict the future. Tell us how history is going to unfold. Or if you can't predict the future, how about something easier? Explain the flow of history, explain the meaning of past events. Can the idol gods discern the patterns of history and predict where they will lead? Can they foretell the future by understanding the past, or can they predict anything at all? Of course, the idol gods are silent because our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is the only one who can predict history. He interprets it, he creates it, he writes it, and he clarifies its meaning. In 4125 he says, I stirred up one from the north and he has come from the rising of the sun, and he shall call upon my name, he shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay. Now most scholars understand this to be a reference to the Persian king Cyrus, who will eventually be the one who will conquer Babylon and in the exile of Israel, and Isaiah will later predict Cyrus by name in chapter 45. But for the purposes here in chapter 41, the point is not who is going to come, but that the person is coming because God so orders it. Then he goes on, this is 41, 26 through 29. Who declared it from the beginning that we might know, and beforehand that we might say, He is right. There were none who declared it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your words. I was the first to say to Zion, Behold, here they are, and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good news. But when I look, there is no one. Among these there is no counselor who, when I ask, gives an answer. Behold, they are all a delusion, their works are nothing, their metal images are empty wind. So that's his conclusion on the idols. They are all a delusion, their works are nothing, their metal images are empty wind. They are false, they cannot predict the future, they can't proclaim what's going to happen, they have no answer to Yahweh's questions, their images are but wind and confusion. And then in contrast to our passage today, the next 42 starts, behold my servant. So look, the idol gods are false, they are nothing but wind and confusion, they can't predict the future, they can't explain the past, but behold my servant. By contrast, Isaiah is writing these words about Christ about 700 years before Jesus was born. So not only can the God of Israel pass the test in chapter 41, he directs the course of history, he tells us a servant is coming who will bring justice to the nations, and that servant has come. So that brings us to the first of the servant songs, and I just have to warn you, this song will not answer all your questions about who the servant is and what he does and so on. The book of Isaiah has a kind of a spiral outline, and we're going to see that in the servant songs, because he tends to return to the same themes over and over again. But each time he comes back to a theme, he gives a little more detail on it, or he looks at it from a different perspective to flush it out a bit more. So the second time he comes back, you get a little bigger, clearer picture of it, and then he'll come back again and it gets clearer still. So it gives the book this kind of spiral progression where he keeps circling back to the same themes, and each time he gives us a little more information on them. So this is the first of the servant songs, it's one of the most vague, but as he comes back, he's going to give us more information. And just in case you're interested, the themes that you see over and over in the book of Isaiah are these. The people have forgotten God, and so God is going to come with discipline, first in the form of Assyria, and then Babylon. Second, Judah as a nation is going to be humbled but will not be destroyed. So the people have forgotten God, God's going to come in discipline. Judah as a nation is going to be humbled, but she will not be destroyed. Then third, Judah has a glorious future waiting because God's discipline will result in the people returning to God and becoming a truly righteous people. Well, I said Judah, but Judah and Israel, God's people. And then he says, therefore, live in accordance with that future. So we're going to see that same kind of spiral progression in the servant song. The first one is short, it's a bit vague, it leaves a lot of questions unanswered, but then he'll come back to it and give us more information. So I'm not sure how much of the song would have been understood by the original audience. For instance, I suspect Isaiah's first listeners would have had no clue who the servant is, and I'm not sure they were supposed to know who the servant is or was at this point. Because from their perspective in history, Isaiah's primary concern right at this moment is to tell them what he will accomplish. So for their time and place, what they needed to know was that a servant was coming who would bring justice to the nations. From our standpoint in history, we can ask the further question: well, who is the servant, who was the servant, and how do we know? And we're not going to answer those kinds of questions from chapter 42 alone. We'll have to look at other passages of scripture to fill out our understanding. Now, I am firmly convinced that the servant is in fact the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, and let's start there. How do we know that? Now I am only going to give you the barest summary of the debate. Whole books have been written on who is the servant and how do we know PhD dissertations have been written on the question. And that's a rabbit trail we could get lost in. I have to give you the disclaimer that this is the barest scratching of the surface of this debate, but it's just enough to give you the flavor of it. Basically, the debate is whether Isaiah is referring to my servant, the nation of Israel, or my servant, the one we know is the Messiah. And one of the questions frequently asked is how do we know Isaiah is not talking about the nation of Israel? In other scriptures, God does refer to Israel, the nation, as my servant, and couldn't this particular passage just be poetically referring to the nation of Israel and not to any one particular servant? Well, the answer to that objection, and again, this is the barest uh top scratching the surface of the debate. But just compare this passage to the one describing Israel as the servant of the Lord in chapter 41, just a few verses before this. So this is 41 verses 8 through 10. But you, Israel, my servant, and Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, my friend, you whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called from the remotest parts, and said to you, You are my servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you, do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Here, Israel, the nation, is called my servant. The nation is also called one who I am chosen, just like the servant in our passage. But in chapter 41, the servant is clearly identified as the people of Israel, as the descendants of Abraham. They are spoken to in the second person plural, and the point being emphasized is what God has done for them. He chose them, he called them, he's with them, he will strengthen them and unhold them. So it's second person plural and talking about what God is doing for them. Now look at 42.1. Behold my servant whom I'm uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have put my spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations. So you notice there's no reference to the servant being a people or a nation. There's no parallel with Israel and Jacob. He's referred to in the third person singular, and as he goes on in this song, the point that's being emphasized is what the servant is going to do. His role is active, not passive. He ministers to people and he suffers willingly. He will bring about justice and enact an everlasting covenant, which is not something we see the nation of Israel doing. Basic grammar indicates a switch in identity of the servant, but more importantly, the New Testament identifies the servant as Jesus. Matthew, in his gospel, specifically quotes these verses in their entirety and says they refer to Jesus. This is Matthew chapter 12. I'm going to read you 15 through 21. Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there, and many followed him, and he healed them, and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, and then he quotes, Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased, I will put my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench until he brings justice to victory, and in his name the Gentiles will hope. So given the fact that Matthew directly refers this passage to Jesus, I think we have it on good authority that Isaiah was describing the Messiah, and Jesus is that Messiah. And again, those are just the barest nuances of the debate. I've just given you the bearish start, but it's at least something to get you thinking about the issue. So we've seen there's a shift in grammar from second person plural to first person singular, and there's a shift in focus from what God will do for his servant Israel to what his servant will do for the nations, and then the New Testament identifies that servant as Jesus. So let's meet the servant, let's look at the song, and remember at this point Isaiah is not concerned with telling us who he is. His primary focus right now is to tell us what the servant is going to do, and he's telling us the servant is chosen by God and is given God's spirit to bring justice to the nations. So 42.1, behold my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have put my spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations. Well when given as a title, my servant is the highest accolade given in Scripture. The Old Testament uses servant to describe the relation of the Lord's people to the Lord. Individuals describe themselves as servants of the Lord, and people sometimes describe each other as servant of the Lord's. It refers to an honored individual, one who is chosen as an instrument to further the kingdom of God and usually one who serves God with his whole heart. We have this parallel term, I uphold. It gives this picture of a unique relationship between God and his servant. That uphold is a strong word, it means to grip fast, it carries the idea of being strengthened and placed in God's intimate protection. So God is the one who upholds and gives strength to the one being upheld. And this language echoes the calling of a king. The call of prophets were often done in private. There were usually no witnesses to a prophet's call, but a king was called and anointed in front of witnesses, and usually there was the language of behold, this is he or this is the one. The language, behold, my servant, could also be translated, this is my servant. It suggests a public calling before witnesses and suggests a royal calling of a king, not the calling of a prophet or a nation. So the servant is also called my chosen one in whom my soul delights. Chosen has the idea of being singled out to perform a task. This is the one God is designated to perform this task, and the designation makes the choice public. So, like the nation of Israel, this servant is uniquely chosen by God to bless all the peoples. But the nation of Israel failed in that assignment. God, however, is still faithful to his promises. Out of the ashes of the nation's failure, the Lord is creating something new through this new servant. This one will be everything Israel was intended to be. He will be a light to the nations, he will inaugurate a new covenant which will stand forever, and he will be righteous unlike Israel. Now this language is echoed at Jesus' baptism. This is Mark chapter one. I'm going to read you nine through eleven. In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opening, and the spirit like a dove descending upon him, and a voice came out of heaven. You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. So you again you have this, my beloved in whom my soul delights, or in whom I am well pleased. So Isaiah gives us next the servant's task. He says, I have put my spirit upon him, and he will bring forth justice to the nations. So he will bring forth a new kind of justice, freedom from sin and evil. The Hebrew word for justice is a really versatile word. It has several shades of meaning. It usually means a judgment at law, so the kind of justice that results from a trial and a verdict. So you have three parties: one being oppressed, one doing the oppressing, and a third party, a judge, who intervenes and judges the oppressor and frees the oppressed. So the judgment punishes the oppressor and frees the oppressed, and that is justice. That's the kind of justice. If you read the book of Judges, you'll see this kind of justice over and over again. God repeatedly delivers his people from their oppressors. In that book, you see this cycle where the people turn away from God, God disciplines them, usually through one of their enemies, they cry out to God for relief, and God sends them a judge to deliver them from their enemies. They rejoice, and then they soon forget God, and the cycle begins again. Over and over through judges, you have to you start asking the question what good is being accomplished? They're saved from their present circumstances, but since they're not saved from their wicked hearts, they simply rebel all over again and God has to judge them again. And given the plight of the exiles in Babylon, they probably expected God to destroy this pagan nation. That's probably the kind of justice they were hoping for, the kind from the book of Judges. It's what the zealots were hoping for in the days of Jesus. They were looking for a Messiah who would come and crush Rome. And I suspect the Jewish exiles were looking for that same kind of political freedom. But I think Isaiah has a different kind of justice in mind here. I think he's looking for one of the other shades of meanings of this word, which is the righting of wrongs. Because as we go on, you're going to see as we go into the other servant's songs that this is the establishment of a new kingdom, a new order, a just order, a freeing of the oppressed in such a way that all the wrongs are right and everything is put back in order. So it's that kind of justice, I think, that Isaiah has in mind. Isaiah says the servant will bring forth justice, the verb form. And the tents of bring forth have this nuance of birthing something new. In the Exodus, God brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt and birthed them as a new nation. Similarly, the servant will bring about a new kind of justice, a deeper and a richer justice, and he will create a new kind of nation. He's birthing something new. Now remember the context of chapter 41. In that chapter, Isaiah presents the Lord in a legal setting, examining the idols of the Gentiles and proving them worthless. And the verdict is that the Gentile God's claim to divinity as worthless is worthless, and Yahweh alone is God. But the Gentiles are still trapped and enslaved to their idols. The justice they truly need is not justice from a nation that might be oppressing them. They need to be free from the tyranny of worshiping what is only wind and confusion. So chapter 41 declared the idol gods are false. Now we see in 42 that the servant is going to bring justice by freeing them from the tyranny of their idols. And of course, the nations of Israel and Judah also worship idols. They mix that in with their worship of Yahweh. So I think he's looking to this righting of the wrongs aspect of justice. God has already shown the idols are false. He's established himself as the one true God, and now the servant is going to right all those wrongs by freeing the nations from their idolatry. Idols are the real oppressors of life. Idols enslave our hearts and our souls. And it's in this context they probably expect justice by destroying the nation of Babylon, but God's going to do something better and deeper. He's going to judge the idols and free his people from their oppression and invite the Gentile world to participate in that salvation. So the zealots wanted Jesus to destroy Rome, but Rome is too small an enemy. God has something bigger in mind for Jesus to accomplish, for the servant to accomplish. He wants the servant to free the human heart from its slavery to sin and idolatry. There's a story in the Gospels where once a man asked Jesus to arbitrate between him and his brother, who was oppressing him, and Jesus replied, Who appointed me a judge over you? Now think about that. The man was asking for a typical kind of justice in his dispute with his brother. He wanted his present circumstances resolved, and Jesus tells him, There's a bigger issue here than how to divide your inheritance. Jesus could have divided their inheritance, but it wouldn't solve the problem of their greedy, selfish hearts. No matter how he divided their inheritance, their hearts would still be greedy and unloving. There's a sense in which justice would not have been done while their hearts are still slaves to sin. And I think that's what's behind Jesus' question. He's not here to settle material disputes. He's come to solve the basic fundamental problem of humanity, which is slavery to sin. That's the kind of justice the servant is going to accomplish. The text also says, I have put my spirit upon him. The servant has the full measure of God's spirit, which is pretty astounding to think about. In Numbers eleven, Moses complains to the Lord that the burden of guiding the people is too heavy for him alone. So the Lord has Moses gather seventy elders from the tribes, and he takes some of the spirit that he had given to Moses and puts it on the elders. And we read this is Numbers eleven, twenty-four and twenty-five. So Moses went out and told the people the word of the Lord, and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. Then the Lord came down in a cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him, Moses, and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not continue doing it. Compare Moses, he had the spirit in such great measure that a mere portion of it caused seventy men to prophesy, but this servant is going to be greater. This servant will have the full measure of the spirit. Well, by the spirit given to Moses, Moses was the instrument to help give birth to the nation of Israel through the Exodus, and this servant is going to be greater than Moses still, for he is going to give birth, metaphorically, to a new nation of both Jews and Gentiles, who will have the law written on their hearts by the Spirit and will be freed from the tyranny of sin. Justice will come to the nations through the servant of the Lord, but his justice is going to be far deeper than the physical or material justice of this world. It will be the kind of justice that frees the human heart from idolatry. Let's look at Isaiah 42, verses 2 and 3. He will not cry out or raise his voice, nor make his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he will not break, a dimly burning wick he will not extinguish. He will faithfully bring forth justice. So this word shout or cry out or raise his voice, it suggests that which startles. It's a usually a cry from oppression. The cry out is an attempt to dominate, to shout down others. To make his voice heard is the self-advertisement of calling attention to yourself. The point is an emphasis on a quiet, non-aggressive service. He will not seek anything for himself, instead, he will seek to serve. We talk about this same idea in Philippians 2. If any man could claim superiority and excellence and put himself first, it was the man Jesus, because he was the visible representation of the invisible God. He had the right to claim authority and power and the right to call all the shots. He had the right to speak for God and to be Lord and Master and to expect us to serve him. Yet, quite the contrary, he served us. He didn't consider himself the equal of God, though in a sense, as the visible representation of God, he was equal to God. He didn't use that equality for his own personal gain, rather, he humbled himself to the point of death on a cross. And I think that attitude, that willingness to serve, is what these metaphors here in Isaiah are pointing to. Contrast that with the nation of Israel's reaction when they're under pressure. This is Isaiah 15, verses 3 and 4. It's in an oracle concerning Moab, and in their distress they cry out so loudly that their voices carry to the neighboring cities. In the streets they wear sackcloth, on the housetops and in the squares, everyone wails and melts in tears. Heshbon and Eliah cry out, their voice is heard as far as Jehaz. Therefore the armed men of Moab cry aloud, his soul trembles. So they're in distress, and their voice is heard all the way to Jehaz, about ten to fifteen miles away. But this servant does not cry out, because he is not seeking his own justice. He suffers in silence because he has a job to do. He's seeking justice for others. Verse 3 A bruised reed he will not break, a dimly burning wick he will not extinguish, he will faithfully bring forth justice. So instead of seeking his own justice, he will seek justice for others. The image of the bruised reed is that nothing is useless, even a bruised reed. And the smoldering wick carries the idea that nothing is too far gone, even a smoldering wick. Both those images point to the fact that he's going to lift up the spiritually poor and needy. No one is too lowly or too far gone. He won't even break a bruised reed. He won't lay a burden on you by snuffing out an already smoldering wick. Rather, he's going to take the burden on himself. He will not bring death to those already under a death sentence. Instead, he will liberate others by offering himself as the sacrifice. Look ahead to what we know from the New Testament. This is Jesus speaking as recorded in Matthew 11, 28 through 30. Come to me, all you are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. So he won't break the reed by adding additional burden. He takes the burden on his own back. He will give light and faith to those in darkless, so even a dimly burning wick will not be extinguished. I think that those metaphors speak metaphorically to people who have almost lost their faith and hope. So their faith is their light and hope, and it is dimly burning, struggling to go out, and the servant, rather than putting burden on them or s or snuffing them out, fans that faith into flames. He helps those who are hurting and encourages and strengthens them. In Mark 9, the father of a demon-possessed boy says to Jesus, If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us. In other words, he says, If you can, if you can, please help my son. Well that looks like dimly burning faith to me. Jesus responds, If I can? Are you seriously saying if I can? And then he says, All things are possible to him who believes. And the man responds, I do believe. Help my unbelief. There's a dimly burning wick. He's saying, I want to believe, I'm struggling to believe, I don't understand theology, I don't have this all figured out, but Jesus, just take me as I am, I believe, but help my unbelief, and that's exactly what Jesus did. He healed the man's son. He didn't rebuke him for his doubts, he didn't rebuke him for his lack of theological training or lay extra burdens on him or make sure he passed some theological muster. The man came to him with dimly burning faith, and Jesus healed him and his son. He says, Help my unbelief, and Jesus does. No added burden, no rebuke. This is the servant. He never seeks justice for himself. Rather, he remains silent in the face of his abusers. He seeks out bruised reeds and dimly burning wicks from among the multitudes and brings them true justice, freedom from slavery to sin. He will faithfully bring forth justice and he will do it through his own suffering. Look at verse 4. He will not be disheartened or crushed until he has established justice in the earth, and the coastlands will wait expectantly for his law. The servant will be successful. He will not be crushed until he brings about justice. He spent every ounce of his life and energy for us dimly burning wicks and crushed reeds, and he was successful in bringing about the very justice we need. The story of a thief on the cross is not really so much about last-minute conversions. That's always the way I hear it taught. Oh, even you can repent even on your deathbed. Look at the thief on the cross. Well, it's true, you can repent on your deathbed, but I think that story says something even more profound about Jesus, that even with his dying breath, in the very last minutes of his earthly life, he wasn't trying to vindicate himself or seek what was rightly his. He's still seeking a lost sinner. He turns to this petty thief, a rebel sinner who deserved nothing but death and condemnation, and yet the servant liberates him and takes him to heaven even with his dying breath. This is the servant we have. He's surrounded by dim, dimly burning wicks and broken reeds, the struggling and the broken, those of us of little faith, and yet he is not dimmed or crushed. He will establish justice in the earth. And I think that's a hint of the cross, that he will not be disheartened or crushed until he has established justice in the earth. He won't be crushed until he was crushed by the cross, but not until his work was done and he had brought forth the justice he was sent to establish. So the servant will establish justice for the nations. He will be successful, and this new justice is going to extend to more than the nation of Israel. It will extend to the nations. 41 2 he says he will bring forth justice to the nations. In three, he will faithfully bring forth justice, and in four, the coastlands wait expectantly for his instructions. And again, the coastlines is a reference to the farthest, remotest nations. The faithfully in 42 3 literally means according to the truth. In Hebrew, I think truth and faithfulness are very closely related ideas because truth stands forever. And I think this text is alluding to the everlasting covenant which Jesus will establish. There will never be a need for another sacrifice because what Jesus did at the deepest level was complete. It's done, over, and finished. And as we'll see as we go into the songs, he they actually use the covenant language. So finally, it's long awaited. The coastlands will wait expectantly for his instructions. Coastlands and islands were used to indicate the remote places of the earth from Israel's standpoint. The idea here is that there's this deep spiritual hunger among the nations. The Gentiles are also longing to be freed. They're waiting for the servant's instructions, not law and burden, but they hunger for spiritual freedom, not political freedom. They're looking to be delivered and to be healed of their sins. So to summarize, the servant is given by God Himself as the one who will bring universal justice to the nations. So the kind of justice that frees us from sin and the tyranny of sin. God fully equips the servant by giving him his spirit. The servant responds not by seeking his own justice, but by seeking justice for others. In this process, he suffers, but the oppression does not hinder his success. Instead, God uses that suffering to bring about perfect justice, a universal, everlasting justice that can be found nowhere else. Now God speaks to his servant. So in the first four verses he was speaking about his servant. Now he turns and directly addresses him. This is Isaiah 42, 5. Thus says God the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk on it. Again, Isaiah confirms this is the God of Israel. He's the one true God. He alone created heavens and earth and everything in it. He alone controls history and the universe and directs everything that lives on the earth. Then he goes on in 6 and 7, I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness. I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you. I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those who dwell in darkness from the prison. I think the idea there in 42.6 is I have called you in the service of righteousness. I have called you to bring about righteousness, returning to this theme of bringing justice to all the nations. And notice here he brings in the covenant language of I'm going to appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, and we get all this healing. Open blind eyes, bring out the prisoners, and bring those out who dwell in darkness. And that's where I've been pulling this idea of the kind of justice he is bringing is the kind that will free us completely from sin. Because of all the parallels, I think the people, the nations, the blind, the prisoners, those who dwell in darkness are all the same people. He's going to fix what is wrong and redeem his people. He says, I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations. That's a theme he's going to pick up again. God is going to establish a new covenant through the servant, and this one will be very different than the old covenant. Because this time it will work. Because of the work of the servant, God will pour out his spirit on all people and write the law in their hearts and free them from the tyranny of sin. I think that's what is behind the metaphors of opening blind eyes, bringing out the prisoners, and freeing those who dwell in darkness. Through this new covenant brought about by the servant, God will establish justice in the sense of righting all the wrongs and setting his people free from sin. He is going to fix what is wrong and redeem his people. Then in eight and nine, I am the Lord, that is my name, and I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things have come to pass. Now I declare new things, before they spring forth, I proclaim them to you. So he returns to this theme of how idols are worthless. They cannot control history or predict history or explain the history. Only God can do that. All the glory belongs to God, and God alone, graven images deserve no praise. So God is the one who is doing this new thing through the servant, and he alone is worthy of praise. So the challenge he set up in 41, he is now answered and he says, Behold my servant. They can't share any of my praise. I am doing this new thing through the servant, it is going to come about. So God declared the former things and they came to pass. All his previous prophecies have proven true. Now he's declaring this new prophecy about this new covenant, and it too will come to pass. One day the exiles will look back and see that God freed them from Babylon through the Persian king Cyrus. They will see that Isaiah predicts Cyrus by name. But as Isaiah writes this, it's in their future, but one day it will be the former thing that has come to pass. The prophecy of the servant would be in their future too, but it is in our past. We can look back and say, God did it. His word is true and sure. The servant Isaiah predicted hundreds of years ago has come into the world and accomplished the task that God set out for him. We need only trust and wait for the rest of his promises to be fulfilled. Thank you for listening to Wednesday in the Word, the podcast that explains not only what passive means, but also shows you how to figure that out. If you've been blessed by this podcast, please do me a favor and take two minutes of either reading or a review on Apple Podcasts. Reviews really do help more people by the podcast, and I would really appreciate it.