Commentary - Isaiah 42:1-13

Bird's-eye view

This passage is the first of Isaiah's great "Servant Songs," a series of prophecies that find their ultimate and perfect fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. Here, God the Father introduces His chosen Servant to the world. He describes the Servant's character, His divine empowerment, and the nature of His mission. The mission is twofold in its method. On the one hand, it is quiet, gentle, and restorative; He will not use the world's methods of bombast and coercion. On the other hand, it is an unstoppable, victorious mission that will not fail until it has established true justice across the entire earth. The Creator of the heavens and earth Himself commissions this Servant, defining His work as the establishment of a new covenant, the bringing of light to the Gentile nations, and the liberation of captives. The prophecy concludes with a call for the whole world, from the deserts to the coastlands, to erupt in a new song of praise in response to this work, recognizing that the gentle Servant is also Yahweh the conquering Warrior, going forth to triumph over His foes.

In short, this is a majestic prophecy of the person and work of Jesus Christ. It reveals the heart of His first coming, characterized by meekness and grace, and the certain outcome of that work, which is the total victory of His kingdom in history. It is a foundational text for a robust, optimistic, and Christ-centered view of the future. The gentleness of the gospel is the very means of its global conquest.

Outline

Context In Isaiah

Isaiah 42 marks a significant turning point in the book. The first 39 chapters focus heavily on the impending judgment upon Judah and the surrounding nations, culminating in the announcement of the Babylonian exile. But beginning in chapter 40, the theme shifts dramatically to comfort, hope, and restoration. The "Servant Songs" are the centerpiece of this new section. Israel, the national servant, had failed in its mission to be a light to the nations. Now God reveals His plan to accomplish that mission through a singular, ideal Servant. This Servant will succeed where Israel failed. He will not only restore Israel but will also extend God's salvation to the very ends of the earth. This first song sets the stage, introducing the character and global scope of the Servant's work, which will be elaborated upon in the subsequent songs (Isaiah 49, 50, and 52-53).

Key Issues

The Quiet Conqueror

We live in a loud, obnoxious, and boastful age. Power is associated with shouting, with self-promotion, with crushing the opposition. Political movements, advertising campaigns, and social media mobs all operate on the principle that the one who makes the most noise wins. Into this din, the word of God speaks of a different kind of power, a different kind of victory. The Father introduces His Son, the agent of cosmic restoration, and the first thing He highlights is His quietness. He will not get into shouting matches in the public square. His method is not coercion but quiet restoration. And yet, this quiet Servant will not rest until He has established justice over the whole earth. This is the central paradox of the kingdom. The gospel advances not through the methods of Caesar, but through the gentle, life-giving power of the Spirit. The world looks at the Church's means, preaching, prayer, baptism, the Lord's Supper, and sees weakness. God declares that this is the very power that will conquer the world.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul is well-pleased. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.

The curtain rises and God the Father Himself is the speaker. He commands our attention: "Behold." Look here. This is important. He presents His Servant. This is not just any servant, but One whom the Father personally sustains and upholds. He is the "chosen one," the Elect One, in whom the Father's soul finds complete delight. We hear the echo of this at Jesus' baptism and transfiguration. This Servant is endowed with the Spirit of God, the divine anointing for His task. And what is that task? To "bring forth justice to the nations." This is not just about a private, spiritual salvation. Mishpat, the Hebrew word for justice, refers to a right ordering of society. The Servant's mission is global in scope and comprehensive in nature. He is going to reorder the entire world according to God's standard of righteousness.

2-3 He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. A crushed reed He will not break And a faintly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will bring forth justice in truth.

Here we see the method. It is the opposite of worldly power. He is not a political demagogue, stirring up revolution. He is not a self-promoter, shouting His own praises. His strength is a gentle strength. A reed that is already bent and damaged, He will not snap. He will bind it up. A wick that is sputtering, barely giving off light and mostly smoke, He will not snuff out. He will tend to it, give it more oil, and trim it until it burns brightly again. This is a beautiful picture of His ministry to the weak, the failing, and the broken. He is a restorer, not a destroyer. But this gentleness must not be mistaken for a lack of resolve. The verse ends with the firm declaration that He will bring forth justice in truth. His gentle methods will achieve a true and total victory.

4 He will not be faint or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

This verse gives us the guarantee of the Servant's success. He Himself will not grow faint. He will not be crushed by the opposition. He has a divine stamina for His mission, and He will not stop short of the goal. And what is the goal? "Until He has established justice in the earth." Not in heaven, not just in the hearts of individuals, but in the earth, in history. This is a magnificent postmillennial promise. The work of Christ is intended to have a historical, global, and societal impact. The result of His work will be that the "coastlands," a term for the distant Gentile nations, will eagerly await His law. The word is Torah. The nations will desire to be taught the instructions, the wisdom, the law of God. This is a prophecy of the Great Commission and its ultimate success.

5 Thus says the God, Yahweh, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it,

Lest we think the promises of verse 4 are too grand to be believed, Isaiah reminds us who is speaking. This is not the idle wish of a minor deity. This is the declaration of Yahweh, the sovereign Creator of all that is. He made the heavens, the earth, and everything in them. He is the one who gives breath and life to every single person. The point is simple: if God has the power to create the entire cosmos out of nothing, then He certainly has the power to redeem it. His creative power is the foundation for our confidence in His redemptive promises.

6-7 “I am Yahweh, I have called You in righteousness; I will also take hold of You by the hand and guard You, And I will give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who inhabit darkness from the prison.

The Creator now speaks directly to His Servant. The call is "in righteousness," meaning it is a just and legitimate calling. The Father promises His constant support and protection. Then He defines the Servant's role in two monumental phrases. First, He will be "a covenant to the people." Jesus does not merely bring a covenant; He is the covenant. To be in relationship with Him is to be in covenant with God. Second, He is "a light to the nations." He is the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. Verse 7 describes what this light does. It performs the great work of salvation: opening spiritually blind eyes, and liberating those imprisoned by sin, death, and the devil.

8 I am Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.

Here is the ultimate motivation behind this grand redemptive plan. It is all for the glory of God. Yahweh declares His personal name, the name of the covenant-keeping God. He is jealous for His glory. He will not share it. The salvation brought by the Servant will not ultimately glorify the Servant in isolation, nor will it glorify humanity. It will bring all glory back to the one true God and will utterly demolish all idols and false gods. The success of the Servant's mission is the vindication of Yahweh's name in a world full of idolatry.

9 Behold, the former things have come to pass; Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I cause you to hear them.”

God appeals to His perfect track record. All His previous prophecies, the "former things," have come to pass exactly as He said. This historical fulfillment is the basis for our trust in Him as He declares "new things." The new thing here is this new phase of redemption through the Servant, the inclusion of the Gentiles, the establishment of a global kingdom. God does not just predict the future; He declares it. He announces history before it happens, proving that He is the one who is writing the story.

10-12 Sing to Yahweh a new song, Sing His praise from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, as well as its fullness. You coastlands, and those who inhabit them. Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices, The villages where Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud, Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains. Let them give glory to Yahweh And declare His praise in the coastlands.

What is the proper response to such a glorious revelation? Worship. A "new song" is required because God is doing a new thing. And this is not a song to be sung only in Jerusalem. The call goes out to the ends of the earth. The mariners on the sea, the distant coastlands, the desert tribes like Kedar, the rock-fortress city of Sela, all are summoned to join the chorus. This is a picture of the nations being converted. The mission of the Servant is so successful that global, joyful, and loud worship is the result. All peoples are to give glory to Yahweh.

13 Yahweh will go forth like a warrior; He will awaken His zeal like a man of war. He will make a loud shout, indeed, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies.

The song of praise culminates in this startling image. The gentle Servant who doesn't shout in the street is revealed to be none other than Yahweh Himself, going forth as a mighty warrior. The gentleness of the gospel is the strategy of His warfare. The war cry is the proclamation of the truth. His zeal is His passion for His own glory and the salvation of His people. There is no contradiction here. The quiet, steady, inexorable advance of the gospel is the means by which God wages war against the kingdom of darkness. And the outcome is not in doubt: He will prevail against His enemies.

Application

This passage ought to tune our hearts and minds to the way God actually works in the world. We are tempted to despair when we see the apparent weakness of the church and the loud, intimidating power of the world. We are tempted to adopt the world's methods of coercion and manipulation to try and build the kingdom. This passage forbids all such faithlessness.

The Servant, Jesus Christ, is not failing. His mission is not in jeopardy. He is patiently and persistently carrying out His work. He is binding up the bruised reeds in our churches. He is fanning the smoldering wicks of faith into flame. And through these quiet, gentle means, He is establishing justice in the earth. The nations are, right now, being taught His law. The prisoners are, right now, being set free. Our task is to align ourselves with His methods. We are to be a people of the Word, not the sword. We are to be gentle, because our Master is gentle. We are to be steadfast, because our Master is victorious. And we are to be a people of song, because the victory is so certain that we can begin the celebration now. The quietness of the Servant is the roar of the conquering Lion.