Read
The Lord's Servant
1 Here is my servant!
I have made him strong.
He is my chosen one;
I am pleased with him.
I have given him my Spirit,
and he will bring justice
to the nations.
2He won't shout or yell
or call out in the streets.
3He won't break off a bent reed
or put out a dying flame,
but he will make sure
that justice is done.
4He won't quit or give up
until he brings justice
everywhere on earth,
and people in foreign nations
long for his teaching.
5 I am the Lord God.
I created the heavens
like an open tent above.
I made the earth and everything
that grows on it.
I am the source of life
for all who live on this earth,
so listen to what I say.
6 I chose you to bring justice,
and I am here at your side.
I selected you and sent you
to bring light
and my promise of hope
to the nations.
7You will give sight
to the blind;
you will set prisoners free
from dark dungeons.
8My name is the Lord!
I won't let idols or humans
share my glory and praise.
9Everything has happened
just as I said it would;
now I will announce
what will happen next.
Reflect
Justice! Justice for God’s people who feel like a “faintly burning wick” or a “bruised reed.” Where will this justice come from? From God’s servant.
Remarkably this servant will open the eyes of the blind and bring prisoners out of dungeons, but he will not be like an invading army. He “will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,” he will be careful of the “faintly burning wick” and the “bruised reed.” Moreover, the servant will be given “as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations.” Clearly, this servant isn’t the military conqueror Cyrus talked about in the last chapter. Just as clearly, this isn’t Israel who is herself in need of justice.
As so often happens in Scripture, a prophecy will have a meaning for the present situation and a fuller one for the future. God’s people did indeed come out of their captivity in Babylon but it wasn’t until Jesus brought justice through the cross that we received him as a covenant, and the “new things” sprang forth.
Justice is good news for the downtrodden. It is never good news for the oppressor. Here the Servant brings justice to “the nations,” and to the “bruised reed” and “faintly burning wick.” There is a day envisioned here where even the coastland who faced judgment in Isaiah 41 will “wait for [the servant’s] law.”
Most of us, at one time or another, feel like a “faintly burning wick.” God cares for you in these circumstances and even in the spiritual battle for justice, he is mindful and careful to see us safe and restored.
Respond
Heavenly Father, Thank you for your Servant Jesus Christ who brings justice for me and the nations. Your atonement for my sins on the cross satisfied the requirements of your justice without extinguishing this “faintly burning wick.” I receive Jesus as a “covenant for the people” and myself. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Rick Hiemstra
Rick Hiemstra is Director of Research and Media Relations at the EFC. Prior to coming to the EFC, he served as a Wesleyan pastor and as a high school mathematics and computer science teacher. Rick speaks on Canadian church and cultural trends, including the new Renegotiating Faith research about emerging adulthood and faith formation. He has recently contributed to Canadian studies on Bible Engagement, local church missions engagement and emerging adulthood and faith formation. Currently he is leading a study on small evangelical churches and another on parental discipleship of children in the home. He holds a BMath from the University of Waterloo, a BEd from Ottawa University and an MTS from Tyndale Seminary.