THE CHOSEN

 

March 12, 2024

Isaiah 42: 1-9 


Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them.”

THE CHOSEN

In the preceding chapters, God through the prophet Isaiah has been building a case; God says that though people pursue false idols, these idols continue to mislead, enslave, and ultimately fail. Here in this passage of Isaiah 42, God’s chosen “servant” is called to bring about justice and free those bound in “the dungeons” (v. 7). This was the lesson for Israel, yet it remains the lesson for us today as well.

The Bible talks about Idols or Idolatry frequently. For me, that must mean that idolatry creates a problem for us in our spiritual life, in all of life really. The nature of idolatry is that we worship and serve that which does not deserve it. Central to the Christian message, however, is that Jesus “the Chosen One,” who truly deserves our worship, has served us first.

I am sure that if we paused for a moment and jotted down the things in our lives that have been or are idols, we would have quite a varied list of those things that mislead, enslave, and ultimately fail us. God’s lesson here through Isaiah is that our creator has something much more life giving and secure than those undeserving things that we worship.

So, idolatry is a problem for us. How can we begin to replace the idols in our lives with true worship?

In verses 1-4 of our reading, we are taught to “Behold” the one in whom God himself “delights.” To behold means to both see and consider. So here, Isaiah calls Israel to see and consider the Lord through his servant; appointed by God and supported by his Spirit. In beholding this servant, we are able to distinguish what is real and life giving, from what is counterfeit and consistently fails us. This discernment leads to a Spirit-filled servant who has come in the flesh.

Here is the good news, this servant, who “pitched his tent among us” (John 1:14), knows that we are wounded and always on the verge of losing hope and we are told he will complete his task of healing and restoration with the gentleness of a friend (v. 3). The Gospel is that our “dungeons will flame with light; and our hearts will be free.”


Here is our invitation today, Behold the joy the Son found in serving the Father even unto death, for you. Then, “delight” in Jesus and be free.

LET US PRAY



God, We delight in you for sending a servant-king, Jesus, who truly has “set the captives free” (Luke 18:4). In Christ’s Name, Amen.