Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: Isaiah 42:1-4

By

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.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Colossians 1:25-26

By
Colossians 1:25-26    “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;  Even   the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:” In verse twenty-four, Paul has expressed his joy in bearing hardship for the church. It is of this church, the body of Jesus Christ, that he is made a minister. Since Paul used the phrase “made a minister” in verse twenty-three of this same chapter, it seems there is something important that he wishes to convey. The Greek word translated as “made” means “to cause to be.” It was the will of God (Col 1:1) that caused Paul to become a minister. God is always the cause of true ministry. Although our fathers may be ministers, if we become true ministers of the gospel it is  not  because our fathers are ministers. True ministers of the gospel do not take that path because they seek honor for themselves, or b...
Read more

Daily Devotion: Exodus 7:6-10

By
Exodus 7:6-10    "And Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them, so did they. And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh. And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent." Moses and Aaron had begun to doubt whether they were right for the job the LORD had given them. Here, it is evident that God granted them a renewal of their faith. Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded them. In my opinion, all truly successful outcomes in our lives begin with this. Moses and Aaron were not young men. Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three years old. Still,...
Read more

Daily Devotion: Ephesians 6:21-24

By
Ephesians 6:21-24     “But that ye also may know my affairs,   and   how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and   that   he might comfort your hearts. Peace   be   to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace   be   with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.” There seems to be a trend in congregations today to worship with one group of people and to socialize with an entirely different group. We don’t want our church family bleeding over into our friends circle and vice versa. This happens because our “Sunday selves” are much different from the way we live the rest of the time. Paul sets a very different precedent here for his relationship with the church. Paul says in effect “I want you to know how I a...
Read more