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Daily Devotion: Isaiah 42:1-4

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Isaiah 42:1-4      "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.  (2)  He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.  (3)  A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.  (4)  He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law."

"Behold my servant!"  That exclamation mark is mine, but I believe this is the entire focus of the book of Isaiah. God says, "Behold my servant!"  Upon first reading this, I might be as the Ethiopian Eunuch who asked Philip, ".... of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?" (Acts 8:34)  The Eunuch was reading from Isaiah 53, but that chapter is a continuation of the first three words of Chapter 42: "Behold my servant." "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus." (Acts 8:35)  We often speak His name. We sometimes cry out to Him in desperation or sometimes in joy. But do we really stop to take an up close look at Jesus?

We can see certain things in these four verses, but these thoughts should only whet our appetite to want to know more about Him. First, we see this passage declaring this servant of God (Jesus) to be the Messiah. He is the chosen, the Christ of God, "... in whom my soul delighteth."  With these words, I think of the day John baptized Jesus.  "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:16-17) Yes, the Father delighted (was well pleased) with His servant - His Son. Next, we see Jesus going about the streets and countryside. He never drew attention to Himself; yet, there was usually a crowd following Him. He quietly went about His Father's business. He uplifted those that were hurting and He spoke truth against those who were self-righteous.  The greatest thing that I see about these verses is that Jesus "did not fail." He came to save His people from their sins and He finished that work on the cross. I encourage each of us to take time each day to "Behold" the servant, the Son, of God.

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