In The Word
Read: Isaiah 42:1-43:13
God’s Promise concerning His Servant
42 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry out nor raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3 A bent reed He will not break off
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not be disheartened or crushed
Until He has established justice on the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”
5 This is what God the Lord says,
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:
6 “I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness,
I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to idols.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
Now I declare new things;
Before they sprout I proclaim them to you.”
10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
Sing His praise from the end of the earth!
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it;
You islands, and those who live on them.
11 Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices,
The settlements which Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud,
Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The Lord will go out like a warrior,
He will stir His zeal like a man of war.
He will shout, indeed, He will raise a war cry.
He will prevail against His enemies.
The Blindness of the People
14 “I have kept silent for a long time,
I have kept still and restrained Myself.
Now like a woman in labor I will groan,
I will both gasp and pant.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills
And wither all their vegetation;
I will turn the rivers into coastlands
And dry up the ponds.
16 I will lead those who are blind by a way they have not known,
In paths they have not known I will guide them.
I will turn darkness into light before them
And uneven land into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will not leave them undone.”
17 They will be turned back and be utterly put to shame,
Who trust in idols,
Who say to cast metal images,
“You are our gods.”
18 Hear, you who are deaf!
And look, you who are blind, so that you may see.
19 Who is blind but My servant,
Or so deaf as My messenger whom I send?
Who is so blind as one who is at peace with Me,
Or so blind as the servant of the Lord?
20 You have seen many things, but you do not retain them;
Your ears are open, but no one hears.
21 The Lord was pleased for His righteousness’ sake
To make the Law great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered and pillaged;
All of them are trapped in caves,
Or are hidden away in prisons;
They have become plunder, with no one to save them,
And spoils with no one to say, “Give them back!”
23 Who among you will listen to this?
Who will pay attention and listen in the time to come?
24 Who gave Jacob up for spoils, and Israel to plunderers?
Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned,
And in whose ways they were not willing to walk,
And whose Law they did not obey?
25 So He poured out on him the heat of His anger
And the fierceness of battle;
And it set him aflame all around,
Yet he did not recognize it;
And it burned him, but he paid no attention.
Israel Redeemed
43 But now, this is what the Lord says, He who is your Creator, Jacob,
And He who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Since you are precious in My sight,
Since you are honored and I love you,
I will give other people in your place and other nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
And gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring My sons from afar
And My daughters from the ends of the earth,
7 Everyone who is called by My name,
And whom I have created for My glory,
Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
Israel Is God’s Witness
8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,
And those who are deaf, even though they have ears.
9 All the nations have gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled.
Who among them can declare this
And proclaim to us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses so that they may be justified,
Or let them hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
11 I, only I, am the Lord,
And there is no savior besides Me.
12 It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And I am God.
13 Even from eternity I am He,
And there is no one who can rescue from My hand;
I act, and who can reverse it?”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
For God so loved the world, He had to do something to save it from His own wrath. He sent His only Son to be our Savior and King; Christ came as the prophecy proclaimed. The Spirit of God was upon Him to serve and heal all who would believe in Him. Jesus was full of kindness, truth, and love; He reached out to those that were hurting, lost, and struggling. He offered them a new life through reconciliation with our Father, to a new and better covenant. However, as the prophecy proclaims, the only way to be saved is through the Son of the living God, Yahshua. There is no other way for a new life.
He also came to destroy the enemy of your soul. One side of Him is loving like a caring father, a tender mother, and a good shepherd. Another side of Him is aggressive like a fierce warrior, a man of war with a battle cry. He came to destroy the works of the devil, sin, and flesh. He was victorious!
The only way for you to have a new life is through Christ. Look to no other, for there were none before Him, and there will be none to take His place. He is not just the better way, He is the only way. Look to Christ to help you, because He is a loving father, a tender mother, and a good shepherd. He has destroyed the enemies of your soul and will empower you to live victoriously. Reach out to Him, for He is reaching out to you. He says to you, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!”