Isaiah 42:1 - Behold my servant

42:1

We now get the first of the “servant songs” in Isaiah. We have just had two chapters filled with promises and declarations of the greatness of God and of His love for His people. People so often get upset about the greatness of God, objecting to the call to worship Him. But have you noticed who the prime beneficiaries of God’s greatness and glory are? Us! It should certainly be a delight to worship God.

We see here some key characteristics of the servant. There are arguments about whether the servant refers to Israel or to Jesus. In some places things seem obvious (especially Isaiah 53), but there is also a deliberate ambiguity. For Jesus is the man we were all meant to be, and the one we are to become like. The nation of Israel should have been a beacon to the world, but failed miserably, repeatedly sinning against God, as have we all. So Christ is the only full representation of the servant, but the descriptions are also a promise, an indication of our destiny in Christ, of what He is transforming us into.

So back to the characteristics of the servant outlined in this verse. First he is the servant of the Lord. We need to remember that, the church needs to remember it. We are to serve the world, but we are not servants of the world. We are servants of the Lord and are to take our instructions and guidance from Him. 

God upholds His servant. We do not live dependent only upon our own power, but knowing that God actively upholds us. We are chosen by the Lord. Jesus told His disciples that they did not choose Him, but He chose them. We are chosen by the Lord. Moreover, this was not done reluctantly, for the Lord delights in His servant, He actually delights in us!

He puts His Spirit in us. With Christ this was seen at His baptism, but all of us have received the same Spirit. And we should expect God to give us more of His Holy Spirit. Things will happen, and He will do things for us that go beyond anything we can comprehend or imagine.

Jesus is the Lord who brings justice, but He works through His faithful church. When we walk in step with the Spirit we will find that God works through us to bring justice to the nations.