In our last blog, we mentioned that Isaiah 42:1-9 is the first of four Servant Songs that appear in Isaiah 40-55 (Is. 42:1-9; 49:1-7; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12). They are songs that prophesy a coming individual who will accomplish Yahweh God’s purpose for the redemption of the world.
Israel as a nation was called by God to be the servant of the LORD (Is.42:19), but through repeated idolatry and disobedience, they became spiritually deaf and blind, and were unable to bring God’s blessings to the world (Is. 42:18-25). They fell under the fires of God’s judgment (Is. 42:24,25). So God will raise up another Servant to do what Israel’s kings and people were unable to do. On Friday, we mentioned how this Suffering Servant figure resembles the promised Messiah King of Isaiah 7:14, 9:1-7, 11:1-9 and 32:1-5. The Christian Church believes that this Servant of the Lord/Messiah King is Jesus Christ.
Never Will I Leave You Nor Forsake You
Jesus is Immanuel, ‘God with us’. In Is.43:1-2, there is a promise for the repentant of Israel. When they pass through mighty rivers and fires of exile, the LORD ‘will be with them’. He will not abandon them. The exile of the kingdom of Judah into Babylon does not mean that Yahweh God has given up on His people. And it doesn’t prove that the Babylonian gods are stronger than Yahweh. God will open their spiritual eyes and redeem them from the judgment of exile (Is. 43:3-13).
God knows the beginning from the end, so He tells Judah ahead of time what is going to happen. No gods of the foreign nations can prophesy things ahead of time like Yahweh God can. God’s people are to be witnesses of theses fulfilled prophesies (Is. 43:9-13). It is like the false gods of the foreign nations are on trial before the true and living God (Is. 44:6-23). The man-made idols are blind and deaf, and whoever worships them becomes spiritually blind and deaf. They need to be carried by human beings, but Yahweh God carries His people and is able to bear their burdens.
Because of these truths, Israel is urged to trust the LORD. If they do, He will turn their deserts into fruitful ground, both physically and spiritually (Is. 44:1-5). The barrenness of exile was experienced by Israel in the first place because of their idolatry and disobedience. The LORD is able to make Jerusalem inhabited again (Is. 44:24-28).
The God Of Surprising Possibilities
This God of Israel is always full of surprises. In His power and wisdom, He is even able to use the Persian King Cyrus to accomplish His purposes (Is. 44:28, 45:1). Even though Cyrus does not know Yahweh, the LORD is able to use Cyrus as His servant. In God’s providence, He will move Cyrus to send His people back to Judah. Because Israel’s God is the Creator of the world, nothing is impossible with Him. He is sovereign and is able to fulfill His redemptive purposes for His people and for the world in a righteous manner (Is. 45:4-21).
In Isaiah 45:22-25, we have a great prophesy fulfilled by the LORD Jesus. In Is. 45:23, it says every knee will bow before Yahweh and every tongue will will swear or confess His name. These verses are directly applied to Jesus in Phil. 2:9-11: before Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is LORD. Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh! Wow! And how did He become the LORD and Savior of the world? It was through His servanthood while on earth and His sufferings on the cross (Phil. 2:6-8). This is totally congruent with the Suffering Servant songs prophesied in Isaiah 40-55, and to the prophesies of the Messiah King in Isaiah 7:14, 9:1-7, 11:1-9 and 32:1-5.
God certainly knows the beginning from the end. He is able to work all things to fulfill His purposes for you and I, and for the whole creation. Let us look to Him and place the full weight of our trust on Him.
QOTD: Are you fully trusting the crucified and risen LORD Jesus Christ for your life and eternity?