III. THE LORD'S CONSTANT CARE FOR ISRAEL (42:1- 43:28)
A. The Spiritual Servant Of The Lord (The Messiah) Will Bring Righteousness To The Jews And Gentiles (42:1-9)
(1) As in chapter 41, the greater part of this chapter is spoken by Jehovah. While the addressees are not specified, some commentators feel that this message is for all that will listen and take heed. Jehovah introduces His Servant. Who is this Servant? Some point to Cyrus, while others suggest the nation Israel, but the majority of the conservative commentators believe the Servant is Jesus Christ. Only He fulfills the mission of these first nine verses completely. Matthew settles the question for those of us that believe in the inspiration of the NT (Mt. 12:15-21). The Servant has been chosen for a special mission and God endowed Him with a special measure of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 3:16,17; 17:5). If God's throne is founded on justice and righteousness, then it follows that His Servant would come to rule in a way that is just and right. This rule will not be for the Jews alone, but also for the Gentiles who have long refused to have anything to do with God and His laws (Hailey).
(2,3) Three negatives are used to describe the way in which the Servant will accomplish His task: 1, He will not resort to sensationalism, rabble-rousing, or noisy public demonstrations; 2, He will not destroy a weak life, but instead strengthen it. The Servant is coming to bear witness to the truth and rule over a kingdom of truth (Jn. 18:36-38), yet He would do so in a spirit of meekness (Mt. 11:29).
(4) 3, He will not fail. He will overcome all obstacles, He will accomplish His task, and He will govern justly. His law will be a new law in which Jew and Gentile alike will find justice, redemption, and hope.
(5,6) The Servant will have the strength of Jehovah God the Creator. The prophet now speaks and calls attention to the incomparable greatness of Jehovah and to the words that are yet to be spoken by the Lord. God's personal name to His people is I, Jehovah or I AM. This name shows God's nearness to and concern for His people and the redemptive nature of His covenant. It is under the authority inherent in this name that the people are called in righteousness. Jehovah will sustain the Servant by: 1, holding His hand and keeping Him (Jn. 8:29); 2, giving Him for a covenant of the people (Israel); and 3, making Him a light for the nations (Gentiles). The new Israel of the Servant will include Gentiles as well as Jews.
(7) The mission of the Servant is spiritual. Those spiritually blind will be made to see and those in spiritual bondage will be released (Jn. 8:31-36; Gal. 4:8).
(8) The name of Jehovah is its own guarantee. His work belongs to Him, He will not share the glory or the honor with idols which can neither speak nor act.
(9) Besides defeating all pretenders (idols), all prophecies made by Jehovah have been fulfilled. Furthermore, all prophecies yet to be declared will be fulfilled as well. Our own trust in God relies on our faith in His prior accomplishments as a guarantee of His future promises.
B. A Hymn Of Thanksgiving For Israel's Deliverance (42:10-17)
(10) Marvelous things are being accomplished and Jehovah deserves the praise for them (Ps. 98:1). These new things call for a new song (Rev. 5:9,10). This new song is to be sung in every corner of the earth, wherever man is found. The blessings that will flow come through the Servant for the glory and praise of Jehovah.
(11,12) In addition to the places mentioned in verse 10, the wilderness and the regions to the south are also to sing the new song. The new song can only be sung when the Servant completes His work.
(13) After uniting the Jews and the Gentiles under the Servant, Jehovah will go forth as a mighty warrior. This spiritual warfare will be waged through the Servant as we will see in verse 17.
(14) Here are some of the new things that will come to pass after the Babylonian captivity and beyond: Jehovah will no longer hold His peace against the idols, their followers, and wickedness in general (Acts 17:30; Rom. 3:25).
(15) Jehovah will 1, lay waste mountains and hills, 2, dry up all their herbs, and 3, dry up the rivers... This appears to be speaking of a war versus spiritual forces, not human governments.
(16) When the idols are destroyed Jehovah will lead those formerly blind to Him along a Way previously unknown to them (1 Cor. 2:9; Ps. 23:3).
(17) All who have given themselves over to idols, both Jew and Gentile, along with the idols themselves, will be brought down, fall into disrepute, and ultimately pass away.
C. Israel Deserved Punishment For Its Blindness And Deafness (42:18-25)
(18) Jehovah returns now to the theme introduced in 41:8-16 - Israel the servant: its failure, punishmeent, and restoration. Their condition of unrighteousness was of their own free will. If they are to repent, they must change their will.
(19) None are more blind than Jehovah's own servant - Israel. They were deaf and blind to their own mission: to make the One True God known to the world.
(20) Israel had seen many things, but because of lack of understanding it was as if they were blind. Israel's ears were open, but they did not really hear, understand or respond.
(21) The righteousness and word of the Lord must be upheld. The law here embraces all of the teachings and regulations that Jehovah had given. This includes commands, promises, and penalties. Penalties are included because without them, the rules and regulations mean nothing. Having God as their source makes these rules and regulations superior to all other such laws.
(22) The state of the people is now depicted as a result of the deafness and blindness. They are shown to be victims of crime, trapped, homeless and bitter. While this may well refer to the impending Babylonian captivity, the application can be expanded to include the spiritual state of the people even in Isaiah's day and into the far distant future as well.
(23,24) The Lord poses two questions: 1, Who can see that the nations problems are a result of their past deeds; and 2, who might profit from those past experiences? The idols were just a symptom of the problem. It was Israel's rebellion against Jehovah, their disregard for His law, and their deafness and blindness concerning His mission for them that caused their exile. We must learn from Israel's mistakes and their triumphs (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:6, 11).
(25) When Jehovah was finally fed up, He brought His righteous indignation against Israel by bringing Babylon to carry the people away. Never would Israel understand that the Lord did all of this for their salvation. [TOP OF THIS PAGE]
D. But The Lord Will Be With Israel And Will Deliver His Own (43:1-28)
1. A renewal of the promise of Israel's deliverance (43:1-7)
(1) Here the tone changes from reproof and rebuke to encouragement and consolation. Jehovah shows Himself to be the Redeemer of the people. The people should not fear because: 1, they were His special creation; 2, He formed them from Jacob the supplanter; 3, He had already redeemed them from Egypt; and 4, He had called them to be His special servants and messengers.
(2) Jehovah is committed to protecting and caring for Israel, therefore, no matter what trials come their way, Jehovah will be with them.
(3) The Lord's very name stands as His guarantee. Jehovah - His personal name. Thy God - showing His power, strength and uniqueness. The Holy One of Israel - set apart from the sins of the people. Thy Savior - the deliverer, the One who will pay their ransom. He is prepared to deliver them from even the entire known African continent, if necessary.
(4) Israel's special position with God and the responsibilities that entails makes them a nation worthy of honor. Because they are worthy of honor, Jehovah has placed them above all the other nations.
(5,6) Again the Lord says, fear not... Note the promise to bring back the seed (not necessarily those that first hear this prophecy) from the four corners of the earth. All of His children are included here, no matter where they have been scattered.
(7) Those that will be gathered are spiritual Israel as well as those that are of the remnant in exile. This will ultimately be accomplished through the redeeming work of the Servant - Jesus Christ.
2. A challenge to Israel to serve as witness that He is the Lord, Your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, Your King (43:8-21)
a. A fresh challenge to Israel and the Nations (vv.8-13)
(8) Israel is called the blind and deaf servant, yet they have the ability to both see and hear if they only will take note of the wondrous works that Jehovah has performed.
(9) As Jehovah had called the idols of the heathen nations to court, He now calls the nations themselves. He challenges the nations to show the works of their gods and if there are not any, then to believe in Him. Then, as now, the honest heart can differentiate between spiritual truth and that which is false.
(10) Returning His address to Israel, God labels them His eyewitness. They can testify to His power and compare it to the lack of power of the heathen idols. As His witness they can come to know, believe, understand, and then testify all that is necessary to establish Jehovah as the One True God.
(11) Jehovah here emphasizes that He is the eternally existent and all-provident one (I AM). Those that find themselves in Babylonian captivity will realize that Jehovah is I AM (Jonah 2:9). If there is no other hope of salvation other than God, then to reject God is to sign one's own spiritual death warrant.
(12) Jehovah as already accomplished what He challenges the nations to do. He has predicted what He will do and then carried it out without a hitch. As He has already freed His people from Egypt, He will free His people from Babylon. Jehovah has always acted alone, He has never consulted any foreign god, therefore Israel is His eyewitness to His absolute Godhood.
(13) Godhood is eternal, all else is created. If He proposes to do or have a work done then no god or man can stop it.
b. Jehovah's power to remove obstacles in redeeming His people (vv. 14-21)
(14) Jehovah is consistent in all His ways. Babylon will be brought down, even though at the time of this prophecy it had not yet risen. The fleet of commercial ships that were once the pride of Babylon, will become the ships of their flight as they become refugees from their own homeland.
(15) Even while Israel is in exile, the Creator will not forsake them. When the time is right (according to Him), He will deliver them once again.
(16,17) Jehovah controls nature for His purposes as well. Armies only act upon His decree. Human forces can be extinguished by God like a man puts out a candle.
(18,19) Other than to learn from the warnings and examples, man must not dwell in the past. Jehovah will provide them with a new thing, a new path of deliverance. He will provide for the needs of the exiles as they return to their homeland.
(20,21) When man is punished, the animal world suffers as well. When man is blessed the animals reap blessings too. God's people will praise Him when they are delivered as they were created to do.
3. But Israel is indifferent to God's grace (43:22-28)
(22) The people have been indifferent toward God. They have not called upon Him, but instead become tired of His laws.
(23) The people have kept the ceremonial part of the law, but their sacrifices have been worthless because they have not been from the heart. They have seen sacrifice as a burden from the Lord, when in reality it is a means of having communion and fellowship with Him.
(24) This false sacrifice was a persistent problem in the people's history. The people burdened God with their sins, instead of offering Him the sweet cane that would satisfy Him.
(25) Jehovah would only use His omnipotence on behalf of the people if they were obedient to Him. Their transgressions could only be blotted out through God's grace, not their own merit. Yet, their heart and soul must be in tune with God's will for that grace to do its work.
(26) Jehovah reminds them that He must be foremost in their hearts. He is prepared to hear their case as to why they do deserve His grace. Even if they do not merit deliverance, God is prepared to deliver them based on His love for them.
(27) Israel cannot use their ancestry to save them, as all of their forefathers had sinned. Even Jacob obtained his birthright through deceit. The prophets, priest, and other instructors of the law had turned to false teaching. The example that had been set before the people from the beginning until now was one of transgression.
(28) But the blame for their apostasy lies on their heads. When faithful prophets and teachers did come, the people refused to listen. The punishment for their sins is exile to the unclean land of Babylon. Israel will be made a curse and a reviling. That is to say, physical Israel will be destroyed and will become an object of abusive speech. This of course took place under the Babylonian captivity but continues until this very day. [TOP OF THIS CHAPTER][TOP OF THIS PAGE]