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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Isaiah 42:1 - 42:9
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The True Servant of the Lord
v. 1. Behold My Servant, the designation here used in its most restricted sense, of the Messiah, whom I uphold, having established Him in His office, the Lord is now also confirming Him, standing behind Him with the fullness of His divine power; Mine Elect, chosen or selected for a special purpose, in whom My soul delighteth, whom He regards with unmixed pleasure, Mat_3:17; Luk_9:35; 2Pe_1:17; I have put My Spirit upon Him, Isa_11:2. He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles, namely, the rights and the privileges of the New Covenant, of the Gospel of mercy in Jesus Christ, for it is in this message that God declares us to be righteous in and through the merits of our Savior.
v. 2. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street, the expressions being heaped in the form of a climax, in order to emphasize the meekness and humility of Jesus of Nazareth, which He applied throughout His work.
v. 3. A bruised reed, the fragile stem of a plant which has been bent to the point of breaking off, shall He not break, and the smoking flax, a wick which is at the point of becoming extinguished, shall He not quench, not put out entirely, that is, the Savior would make use of true pastoral mildness in dealing with hearts which are broken and contrite, not only by not driving them to despair, but by seeking them and caring for them with His full Savior's love. He shall bring forth judgment unto truth, bringing it to the Gentiles, making it known to them in deed and in truth, working faith in their hearts.
v. 4. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, not give way to weakness in all the great work which lie has undertaken, till He have set judgment in the earth, till His righteous cause gains the victory; and the isles shall wait for His Law, the longing of the heathen for a deliverance from this present world, unconscious and inarticulate as it is, being satisfied only in the redemption earned and offered by Christ. That this entire paragraph was fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus is plainly stated Mat_12:18-21.
v. 5. Thus saith God the Lord, the covenant God, He that created the heavens and stretched them out, like an immense curtain suspended on nothing; He that spread forth the earth, for man's use and delight, and that which cometh out of it, all its plants and products of the soil; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, Act_17:25, and spirit, reason and personality, to them that walk therein, to all its inhabitants:
v. 6. I, the Lord, have called Thee, namely, the Messiah, whom He here addresses in words of encouragement, in righteousness, in His zeal for the salvation of Israel, in the merciful expression of His love for fallen mankind, by virtue of which the true righteousness is imputed to all believers, and will hold Thine hand, take a firm and reassuring grasp, transmitting His divine power, and will keep Thee and give Thee for a covenant of the people, as the Mediator of the covenant made with the patriarchs, for a Light of the Gentiles, to bring true spiritual light to the Gentiles;
v. 7. to open the blind eyes, those stricken by the blindness of the natural sinfulness and enmity against God, to bring out the prisoners, those held by the fetters of sin, from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, namely, in the darkness which fills the heart of all men by nature, Eph_5:8, out of the prison-house. All of this was fulfilled in Jesus, as the New Testament so abundantly testifies, this section being quoted or used by the evangelists and apostles at least fifteen times. That this work of the Servant of Jehovah will be carried out successfully is vouched for by the name and the honor of God Himself.
v. 8. I am the Lord, Jehovah, the Unchangeable One; that is My name, Exo_3:14; and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. The honor of His holy name, over against the false claims of the idols and their servants, demanded this solemn pledge. If He does not send the promised Mediator of the covenant to bring salvation to Jews and Gentiles alike, then He has lost the right to be called Jehovah and to be adored as the true God.
v. 9. Behold, the former things are come to pass, namely, the deliverance of Israel at the time of their passage through the Red Sea, Exodus 14, 15, and new things do I declare, the fulfillment of former promises being the guarantee that those herewith uttered will also come to pass; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. "All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. " 2Co_1:20.