Isaiah 41:21-29; 42:1-4

Introduction

When I was in high school, I loved going to courts to listen to court cases. My relative-in-law was a police officer. When he was on duty in the courts I would join him and gain free access into the court. I still enjoy watching movies or Television shows with courtroom scenes. The parts  I like the most are the cross-examination scenes. Sometimes the cross examiner would tear the evidence to pieces. Proverbs 18:17 is so right that in a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines (New International Version, 2011).

Isaiah 41:21-29 details a courtroom drama, a legal battle between the Lord and idol worshippers and their idol-gods. In this enacted drama, God is the prosecutor and judge, and the idolaters are the defendants. The issue of contention is the claim to divinity or deity. Who is the true God? God challenges them to prove their deity by discerning from historical events to predict or control future ones or by just acting to prove their divinity. Since these idol-gods were reduced to silence, God made an authoritative declaration that those idols are less than nothing, worthless, false, and their worshippers are delusional and detestable. Only God is in charge of historical processes.  However, God did not stop there. In His compassion, He decided that since the gentile world does not have this revelation that He is the only true God, He would send to them the bearer of this good news to carry this revealed truth to the humanity.

The Servant of The Lord Brings Justice

Isaiah introduces the Servant (Isaiah 42:1-4) not by his identity but by his tasks, one of which is to bring justice to the nations. But what is justice? It is a broad term, and its usage depends on the context of use. After the court case above, the task of the servant is to carry the verdict to the world, that there is only one God (Motyer, 1993, p. 319). Thus, justice expresses an authoritative decision such as a legal enactment (Exodus 21:1), a divine decision (Psalm 81:4), or a decision at law (Numbers 27:21). HarperCollins Dictionary further expands the concept as the yardstick for distributing benefits and penalties to citizens. It exists when relationships are right. It is grounded in God’s sovereignty as creator and His concern for the vulnerable. It is practiced through love and grace where benefits are distributed according to needs, with particular attention to the poor, needy, widow, orphans, foreigners, salaried workers, and people with disabilities. Their basic needs are rights. Justice is administered in the creation and maintenance of the wellbeing of a community, and removing conditions that promote injustice. Justice could also mean the righting of wrongs and the establishment of a just society in the millennium (Psalm 96:11-13).

The Task of The Servant

The task of the servant is to bring this divine revelation or truth to the world that there is only one God. Isaiah does not at this point tell us who the Servant is, but he is later revealed to be Jesus Christ. In his high priestly prayer Jesus prayed, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (New International Version, 2011. John 17:3). For the world to hear this truth, someone must bring it to them. Paul writing to the Romans asks, “And how can they hear [the good news] without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” (New International Version, 2011. Romans 10:14-15).

Idols in our Modern World

In our modern world there are idol-gods such as materialism, achievement, status, having a good body, and so forth, which claim aspects of divinity to satisfy our unfulfilled longings. However, unlike the Lord, these idols have never been able to control historical processes, predict or control future events. They constrict spiritually centered wholeness and as such, are inadequate to meet the spiritual needs of their worshippers, thus leaving them spiritually empty. The Lord is Spirit and only He can meet these needs. When Jesus started his ministry, he invited his hearers to contemplate the Lord’s kingdom, and the truths that govern the way of life of this kingdom. Thus, his call was a call of liberation from idol worship to a new life of serving the one and only true God. Isaiah 42:3-4 records that “in faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged.” According to Matthew 9:35, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” On his ascension to heaven, he committed in the hands of his disciples the task of taking this good news to the ends of the earth. “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (New International Version. John 17:18). Again, in John 20:21 he told his disciples he was sending them just as the Father sent him. In John 18:37, he stood before Pilate and testified to the nature of his ministry which was to bear witness to the truth.

Implications for God’s Servants

As God’s servants, how do we respond to this? We respond with praise that God has sent this good news to us (Isaiah 42:10-12). We appropriate this truth in our lives by living in conformity to God’s requirements, and we become envoys of this truth. We would do well to focus on teaching this truth rather than placing our focus on our identity, to be lifted up by men. When we complete our task, then we will receive God’s accolade as stated in Matthew 25:21, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”.

References

Motyer, J. A. (1993). The Prophecy of Isaiah. United Kingdom: InterVarsity Press

Powell, M. A. (Ed.). (2011). Justice. In HarperCollins Bible Dictionary-Revised and Updated edition. HarperCollins Publishers.

The New International Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/2011