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Thursday 5 April 2012

Isaiah 42:1-4 - Servant of the Lord

There are several "servant songs" in Isaiah. The servant is the means by which God's plan of salvation will be fulfilled. These are all fulfilled in Christ, but they also indicate what Israel was meant to be like, and what we, the church are meant to be like. God spreads the good news of the kingdom though us, and we are to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19,20).
We are given many characteristics of the servant. The first is that God delights in Him and He upholds Him. When Jesus was baptised a voice was heard saying, "this us my beloved son, with Him I am well pleased". we need to realise that God also delights in us as well.
Again, at His baptism, the Spirit descended upon Him. The Spirit is sent to enable His servant to fulfill God's purpose. While He is full of power, His servant is also full of gentleness. He does not make a loud noise for the sake of it, he is gentle with those who are struggling. This is both an encouragement for us when we go through difficulties and know we just aren't getting things right, and it is also a guide to how we should treat others (Gal 6:1-5).
The servant is determined to complete the task. He will overcome all discouragement and will not rest until his work is finished. Jesus went resolutely to the cross, at the end cried out "it is finished". We are to have the same attitude. 
And Jesus' teaching reaches to the farthest ends of the world.

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