42 “Behold, My Servant, whom I [a]uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the [b]nations.
2 “He will not cry out or raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3 “A bruised reed He will not break
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 “He will not be disheartened or crushed
Until He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His [c]law.”5 Thus says God the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its [d]offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it,
6 “I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness,
I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
8 “I am the Lord, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to [e]graven images.
9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass,
Now I declare new things;
Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
Sing His praise from the end of the earth!
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it.
You islands, and those who dwell on them.
11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices,
The settlements where Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud,
Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The Lord will go forth like a warrior,
He will arouse His zeal like a man of war.
He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry.
He will prevail against His enemies.
This is a remarkable passage, in part because it speaks of the coming Messiah–or in our case today, the Messiah (Jesus) who came to this earth already and fulfilled these things. God first describes Him, before all else, as “My Servant”. We see this echoed by Jesus, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
Remembering that Jesus is also the Son of God, it is shocking to think that He should be a servant to us, but so He is, because He has chosen to be. Jesus did not come holding his authority and greatness over their heads, but on the contrary, “even a bruised reed He did not break, and a dimly burning wick He did not extinguish…”
As we continue into the next section, we see that God called Jesus to be a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, and to release prisoners from darkness and oppression. Yet here’s the most remarkable bit of this all. We can look at all of this and say, “Yeah, Jesus was, and is, amazing. Look at all the things He did to fulfill this passage!”
Yet as one commentator aptly stated, “By extension, these promises also belong to us. Jesus prayed, As You send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world (John 17:18). We are sent as Jesus was sent and can receive these same promises as belonging to us.” Jesus left this earth, so that the Spirit of God could come dwell in us, and told us, “the works that I do, he (you) will do also; and greater works than these he (you) will do; because I go to the Father.”
Jesus was our ultimate and perfect example, so the in the same way, we are called to be servants first. We are to be God’s hands and feet on this earth, doing His work. He didn’t save us and call us to sit on our hind parts in comfort and ease. God also doesn’t leave us to our own devices, but gives us the same promise, “I have called you, and will hold you by the hand, and watch over you…”
Certainly, some will “insult you, and persecute you, and tell lies about you” and yet Jesus still calls you blessed (Matthew 5:11-12). Ironically, so they did to the prophets like Isaiah. Yet that isn’t the last word, as each of us is to be “a light to the nations”, so that many will “Sing to the Lord a new song…” This section rightly ends with the praise and joy, the shouting and singing that will accompany the works that God has put before us. So sing His praise also, from the ends of the earth, let God be glorified in your life and mine!