Isaiah Chapters 42-43/Commentary

Isaiah Chapters 42-43 “The reader’s attention is now directed away from the idols of heathenism toward the coming of Jehovah’s servant, the Messiah. Christ, as the incarnate Son of God, took upon Himself the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7)” (Jackson p. 82).

42:1 It is clear that these verses apply to Jesus for they are quoted in reference to Him in Matthew 12:17-21. The Father will both uphold and delight in this servant. “I have put My Spirit upon Him”: (Matthew 3:16; John 3:34; Acts 10:38; Isaiah 11:2). “He will bring forth justice to the nations”: His entrance into this world would also bring blessings to the Gentiles; the extent of His rule would be universal (Matthew 28:18).

42:2 “He will not cry or raise His voice”: “The Messiah’s conversion methodology would not be sensationalistic; rather, He would persuade with truth (John 8:32)” (Jackson p. 82). The idea is not that Jesus would never raise His voice, but rather “He shall not come with loud, noisy showmanship” (Harkrider p.

99). Much of Jesus’ teaching was done in private and when He spoke He was in control and very deliberate.

42:3 “A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish”: Here people who are downtrodden and weak are likened to bruised reeds and a smoking wick. Instead of ignoring them, or writing them off, Jesus will lift them up. Compare with 2 Timothy 2:24-26. Unfortunately some have interpreted this statement as meaning that Jesus never rebuked anyone.

God’s view of how to deal with bruised reeds and man’s is not the same. Jesus encouraged the woman in adultery, and such encouragement included the admonition not to sin any one (John 8:11). The above verse was never intended to teach that Jesus overlooked sin, for He did not (Matthew 16:23), and He set the standard high (Matthew 5-7). Instead the verse is teaching that Jesus was patient with anyone who wanted to change—but He was stern with those who were looking for excuses (Matthew 23) and who did not want to change. To put it another way, Jesus worked with people who knew they were broken and who wanted to be fixed (Matthew 11:28-30; 9:13), and was very pointed with people who refused to own up to the fact that they needed help (Luke 18:9-14).

42:4 “Others, faced with what He would have to experience (chapter 53), would falter; but His faithfulness sustains Him in the pathway of obedient service” (Gaebelein p. 255). In spite of much opposition, He would faithfully fulfill

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everything that the Father intended to be accomplished (John 17:4). “It might appear from the human vantage point that the Christ could not succeed, but such will not be the case. He will establish a system of justice in the earth and the Gentiles will be beneficiaries of His law” (Jackson p. 82). Notice that this Servant would bring a Law for all men (Hebrews 8:10). “Wait expectantly for His law”: Men like Cornelius in Acts 10 were the type of people who are earnestly looking for something better than the current cultural traditions and explanations.

Gentiles who were eager for the truth would be rewarded. And yes, there are still people today who are waiting expectantly for someone to bring them the truth.

42:5-6 The same God who promised to assist His Servant is the same God who created the entire universe. Carefully note that man possesses a spirit (Ecclesiastes 12:7). “Appoint You as a covenant to the people”: Jesus would bring with Him a new covenant (Hebrews 8:6). This covenant would include the Gentiles who were in desperate need of spiritual light (Acts 26:18).

42:7 “To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon”: “The result will be that those who are spiritually blind will see and those captivated by sin can be set free” (Jackson p. 82). What a wonderful promise! Jesus offers deliverance for all who are imprisoned by sin. How many people today need to have their eyes opened? How many are imprisoned by various sins? We have the cure and what are we doing with it? “Ancient Near-Eastern prisons were extremely dark; but of course the verse teaches that He gives liberty as well as light” (Gaebelein p. 255).

42:8 “I am the Lord, that is My name”: “His name is the Lord (Jehovah, Yahweh), but this means much more than how to pronounce it vocally! His name is His bond, the assurance that what He promises will come to pass” (Harkrider p. 99). “I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images”: “The glorious work that Heaven will accomplish through the Messiah will not be shared with false gods” (Jackson p. 82). What this also means is that God will not share the praise that is due Him with any other false god. God will not accept worship that is directed to some idol. The idea that people on the earth are really all serving the same God is not true. The true God rejects worship that is ascribed to some other god. There is no sharing in relationship to service, praise, or worship. It is either directed specifically to Him or it is an insult and an abomination.

42:9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass”: “Once more, the Lord appeals to the evidence of fulfilled prophecy as an argument for His credibility.

We can, therefore, trust Him to do as He has promised” (Jackson p. 82). Former prophecies that were fulfilled by Isaiah’s day include the promise of land and a great nation to Abraham, and to the prophecy of the coming Assyrians and their defeat. “Now I declare new things”: This would include the coming of Cyrus (44:28), and the Messiah (53). “Before they spring forth I proclaim them to

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you”: These new things are just as certain of being fulfilled. Let us remember that God has already proven His worth and reliability! (2 Peter 3:4-10) 42:10-13 As a result of God offering salvation to all, everyone, including people who make their living by sea commerce, those who live in the islands, or those in the desert, should praise the Lord. “The sea and the desert probably find special mention because they are great areas with few people. Even in such places, however, there are islands and oases; and the people who live there are encouraged to join the universal song of praise. Even from mountaintops, where perhaps only a wandering shepherd is to be found, singing voices are to be heard” (Gaebelein p. 256). Notice that God does not feel that there are places on the earth too remote for the gospel and thus incapable of being saved and praising Him. 42:14 “I have kept silent for a long time”: “As Judah has suffered in captivity, it appears that God has been silent. Eventually, though, like a woman in the labor of birth, Jehovah will cry out (and His people will be released)” (Jackson p. 83).

Consider that God is very aware that from a human and earthly perspective that there are times when it seems like He is silent and distant. And note that during such times, God has restrained Himself until the time is right for action.

Compare these verses with Acts 17:30 and Romans 3:25.

42:15-17 Such actions will result in salvation and judgment upon those who worship idols. “Laying waste the mountains, etc., represents Heaven’s judgmental activity against the forces of evil (15). God will bring the blind out of darkness into light; He will not forsake those who seek Him (16). Those who have trusted in false gods, rather than Jehovah, will be put to shame (17)” (Jackson p. 83).

42:18-19 “Who is blind but My servant”: This is not a reference to the Messiah, but rather Isaiah returns to the unfortunate condition of the Jewish nation, who was supposed to be God’s messenger to the surrounding nations (Deuteronomy 4:7-8). Instead of being a light, they had become blind and deaf to God’s word. “This passage, depicting Israel as blind and deaf in her sin, stands in stark contrast to verses 1-7, where the perfect Servant of the Lord is depicted. Clearly we have been brought back with a jolt from the future’s perfection to the present’s lamentable failure. A person who is both blind and deaf can hardly function as a servant at all” (Gaebelein p. 257).

42:20 “You have seen many things, but you do not observe them”: God and the prophets had not failed Israel, for the nation had heard a lot of preaching, but no one was paying attention. “These people had observed the operation of God in many instances, but they were acting as though they had neither heard nor seen” (Jackson p. 83). “Your ears are open”: That is, the problem was not a physical inability to hear. All the physical machinery was in place, but they still did not hear. 42:21 God had given a great and glorious Law to the nation of

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Israel (see Romans 7:12). “It was the Lord’s will that His righteous law should be magnified in the lives of His people, but they had miserably failed” (Jackson p.

83). Therefore, anyone who reads and Old Testament and is not impressed by the wisdom behind the laws given, is spiritually blind. 42:22 Yet, because of their sins, the status of the nation in captivity would be far from glorious, just as God had said through Moses (Deuteronomy 28:49-53). Carefully note that God’s people only are light and salt when they are obeying His word.

42:23-25 Lest anyone would still be confused as to why God gave His people over to foreign captors, the answer is clear, because of their rebellion. Yet even in such a situation many people would still remain blind to such facts. God has this instruction written down so that years later during the Captivity, God’s people could understand why they were removed from the Lord. The answer was the sins of the nation, rather than unbelieving comments such as “God lacks the power to protect us”, “Maybe our God is not the true God after all”.

Chapter 43 43:1-7 After the stern rebuke in the previous chapter, words of comfort are given. Israel is not to fear because God will redeem them from the captivity (that is those who are faithful and want to serve Him). The nation is His creation and He will not forsake them. Even though they pass through flood and flame (great difficulties) He will save them. As a reward for releasing His people God would give into the hands of the Persian empire, Egypt, Cush, and Seba. Cambyses, the son of Cyrus the great, would conquer these territories in 525-522 B.C. Jews would also be gathered from the four points of the compass. “Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory”: “God shaped or formed Israel as a special reflection of His glory” (Hailey p. 362). Do we forget that Christians are people created for God’s glory in the New Testament (1 Peter 2:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)? How are we doing at glorifying God? What sort of message are we sending to unbelievers about the God whom we serve?

“Fear is banished as God’s nature, His activities, and His promises to His people are considered” (Gaebelein p. 260).

43:8-9 “God invited Israel, still spiritually blind and deaf, to be brought before the nations. God challenged the nations to bring witnesses to prove that they could predict the future” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1097). Are we confident in our God before an unbelieving world?

43:10 “Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me”: God did not evolve, and God is not one God among many, or one in a one line of Gods that have come and gone. God existed before any idols were created, and He will continue to exist long after the last idol perishes. Be impressed that non-Christians have nothing to offer in the way of a deity. Do we boast in our God? Are we effective in presenting His glory? Israel should have been an articulate and effective spokesman for God and the nation had really

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failed in this regard. How are we doing? (1 Peter 3:15) Be impressed that God has no problem in challenging the unbelieving world to present their case. All non-Christian religions are bankrupt and empty of any power!

43:11 “And there is no savior besides Me”: Compare with John 14:6 and Acts 4:12. This statement is very unpopular today in our pluralistic society that says that every religion is equally valid, but this statement was also very unpopular in Isaiah’s day as well, but it was the truth. 43:12 “There was no strange god among you”: At one time Israel had completely trusted Him, in contrast to their present flirtation with idolatry. God is the One who has spoken, acted, and delivered, no other “god” has done anything. Israel should have been able to testify that God indeed was the true God. He had delivered them often in the past and spoken to the nation at Sinai. The worship of other supposed deities was inexcusable. No other god had ever spoken to the nation, predicted anything, or delivered them.

43:13 “Even from eternity I am He”: Thus He never had a beginning. God was not created, and unlike the Mormon concept, God was never a man and did not evolve. From eternity, God has always been the same (Hebrews 13:8). “And there is none who can deliver out of My hand”: This is a warning to sinners.

If God judges, no one can stop Him and no one can reverse His decisions.

There is no court of appeal beyond God and no umpire that can intercede. “I act and who can reverse it?” It appears that man can naively think that God’s decisions or will can be set aside or reversed. The Supreme Court cannot reverse God’s decrees and neither can popular public opinion or the findings of scientists.

43:14-17 The mighty Babylonian Empire, once the captor, would now, because of God’s decree become the captive. “The ships of which the Babylonians are so very proud will become the means of their humiliating flight before their enemies” (Hailey p. 365). 43:18 “Do not call to mind the former things”: God is not saying, “Do not learn from the past” (Romans 15:4), but rather look to the future when God would do an even far greater thing than He did at the Exodus centuries earlier. 43:19-21 Instead of parting the Red Sea, God will put a river in the desert. Water that before had formed a barrier would now become a blessing. After the captivity God would provide a highway for His people to return and He would provide for their needs along the way. In addition, this section is probably also Messianic, when God would provide salvation for thirsty people.

The point needs to be stressed that God can overcome all obstacles in seeing that His will is accomplished.

43:22 “In spite of Jehovah’s concern for Israel and His desire to act on their behalf, the people have been indifferent to Him. He has power to deliver and provide for their needs, but they have not called upon Him. Instead they have become weary of His ways, and the exertion necessary to serve Him” (Hailey p.

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366). What about us? Are we tempted to be wearied by God’s expectations?

Has serving Him become drudgery?

43:23-24 The only thing that they had offered to God were their sins! The idea here could be that the nation had failed to offer God any sacrifices, or the sacrifices they were offering were not from the heart; or, “The Lord reminds them of how easy they have had it during the time of the Exile. Being away from Jerusalem, they had not offered sacrifices; they had not burdened themselves with ceremonial obligations. They had, however, burdened Jehovah with their sins” (Jackson p. 85). “You have wearied Me”: This is the perspective that more people need. Instead of reading the Bible and saying, “Wow, I cannot live up to these expectations”, one should realize, “If I do not change, I am doing nothing more than burdening God with my sins!” The burden has never been Scripture, the true burden is man’s rebellion and selfishness! People need to become Christians for the simple reason that they can stop being a burden to their fellowman and God! Every a sinner is a burden to someone!

43:25 Even though Israel had done nothing to deserve forgiveness, God would forgive the faithful for His own sake, simply because of His own nature. 43:26 Compare with 1:18. Once again we are back in God’s courtroom, where God challenges the unfaithful nation to review the past, consider His works, and then explain their rebellion in the light of such facts. The entire history of the nation, from forefather, to the current teachers of the law, had sinned. Even those who were supposed to be teachers of God’s Law were unfaithful. The “forefather” could be Adam, Abraham, or Jacob, or the point may simply be that the nation had been basically unfaithful from beginning to end. It was one sorry record of disobedience. Thus the nation would come under the ban, and be accursed in exile for seventy years. This is a tremendous verse that every unbeliever should read. “I want to hear your reasoning for not serving God in light of all that He has done for you!”

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