Bible Study for Today

Who is the “Servant” of Isaiah 42?

Others deserve the title “my servant” (v. 1), but this personal Servant of the Lord is the Messiah, who was chosen (Luke 9:35; 1 Pet. 1:20; Rev. 13:8) because the Lord delights in Him (Matt. 3:17; 17:5) and puts His Spirit upon Him (11:2; 59:21; Matt. 3:16; Luke 4:18). “He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.” At His Second Coming, Christ will rule over a kingdom in which justice prevails throughout the world. The millennial kingdom is not for Israel alone, though the Messiah will reign on the throne of David in Jerusalem, and Israel will be the glorious people. In fact, all the nations of the world will experience the righteousness and justice of the Messiah King.

“He will not cry out…in the street” (v. 2). The quiet and submissive demeanor of Christ at His first advent fulfilled this prophecy (Matt. 11:28–30; 1 Pet. 2:23). “A bruised reed…smoking flax” (v. 3). The Servant will bring comfort and encouragement to the weak and oppressed (Matt. 12:18–20). “Till He has established justice in the earth” (v. 4). Isaiah looked beyond the First Coming of Christ to His Second Coming. Jesus fulfilled vv. 1a, 2, 3 at His First Coming and will fulfill vv. 1b, 4 at His Second Coming, when He rules the earth in perfect justice with “a rod of iron” (Ps. 2:8, 9; Rev. 2:27).

“I, the LORD,…will…give you as a covenant to the people” (v. 6). The Servant is a covenant in that He personifies and provides the blessings of salvation to God’s people Israel. He is the Mediator of a better covenant than the one with Moses, i.e., the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31–34; Heb. 8:6, 10–12). “As a light to the Gentiles.” Simeon saw the beginning of this fulfillment at Christ’s First Coming (Luke 2:32). He came as the Messiah of Israel, yet the Savior of the world, who revealed Himself to a non-Jewish immoral woman by the well in Samaria (John 4:25, 26) and commanded His followers to preach the gospel of salvation to everyone in the world (Matt. 28:19, 20). Certainly the church, made up mostly of Gentiles grafted into the trunk of blessing (Rom. 9:24–30; 11:11–24), fulfills this promise, as does the future kingdom on earth when the Servant will use Israel to shine and enlighten all the nations of the earth (49:6; 19:24).

Reading for Today:

Isaiah 41:1–42:25Psalm 109:26-31Proverbs 26:3-4Galatians 3:1-29

Notes:

Isaiah 41:4 first…last. He existed before history and will exist after it (44:6; 48:12; Rev. 1:17; 2:8; 22:13). Iam He. It is legitimate to translate the two Hebrew words thus represented by “I am” (see also 42:8; 43:10, 13; 46:4), a messianic title appropriated by Jesus frequently as explicit testimony to His deity (e.g., Mark 13:6; 14:62; Luke 21:8; John 8:28, 58; 13:19).The title comes originally from the Lord’s self-revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:14.

Galatians 3:1 foolish. This refers not to lack of intelligence, but to lack of obedience (Luke 24:25; 1 Tim. 6:9; Titus 3:3). Paul expressed his shock, surprise, and outrage at the Galatians’ defection. Who…? The Judaizers, the Jewish false teachers were plaguing the Galatian churches. bewitched.Charmed or misled by flattery and false promises. The term suggests an appeal to the emotions by the Judaizers. clearly portrayed. The Greek word describes the posting of official notices in public places. Paul’s preaching had publicly displayed the true gospel of Jesus Christ before the Galatians. crucified. The crucifixion of Christ was a onetime historical fact with continuing results into eternity. Christ’s sacrificial death provides eternal payment for believers’ sins (Heb. 7:25) and does not need to be supplemented by any human works.

Galatians 3:2 Did you receive the Spirit…? The answer to Paul’s rhetorical question is obvious. The Galatians had received the Spirit when they were saved (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 John 3:24; 4:13), not through keeping the law, but through saving faith granted when hearing the gospel (Rom. 10:17). The hearing of faith is actually hearing with faith. Paul appealed to the Galatians’ own salvation to refute the Judaizers’ false teaching that keeping the law is necessary for salvation.

Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish?Incredulous at how easily the Galatians had been duped, Paul asked a second rhetorical question, again rebuking them for their foolishness.begun in the Spirit,…by the flesh. The notion that sinful, weak, fallen human nature could improve on the saving work of the Holy Spirit was ludicrous to Paul.

Galatians 3:28 you are all one in Christ Jesus. All those who are one with Jesus Christ are one with one another. This verse does not deny that God has designed for racial, social, and sexual distinctions among Christians, but it affirms that those do not imply spiritual inequality before God. Nor is this spiritual equality incompatible with the God-ordained roles of headship and submission in the church, society, and at home. Jesus Christ, though fully equal with the Father, assumed a submissive role during His incarnation (Phil. 2:5–8).