Adult Class
December 2006-May 2007
Isaiah
Lesson 17: The Coming Servant Brings Comfort
With the transition that takes place chapters 36-39, one phase of Isaiah’s oracles comes to a close and another opens. We step from dark shadows of doom and judgment to bright hope of a new day in Israel. And this coming day is not just for Israel, but for all the people of the entire world. In contrast to Isaiah’s call in chapter 6 when he was commanded to go and “tell this people,” he is commissioned to “comfort my people,” and to “speak tenderly” to those who have suffered.
Isaiah 40: Comfort my people
God opens this section with a new commission for Isaiah to pronounce comfort for the suffering people of Jerusalem. God has decided that the people have suffered enough. And now a new message is heard; a message of hope and joy that begins with a herald announcing the coming of the Lord. John the Baptist and all four of the gospel writers understood that John was, indeed, the herald of the coming Lord. While he preached that the coming of the Lord was at hand, the rest of the section in Isaiah shows clearly that in response to this message, it was the business of the people to prepare themselves for that coming. When He comes, He will be revealed to the entire world, not only Israel.
The certainty of this promise is shown by the contrast between the temporary nature of people and the eternal nature of God, an idea illustrated by Peter in 1 Peter 1:24-25 when he quotes this verse. The coming servant is powerful, yet is gentle, like a shepherd caring for the weakest among the flock.
God calls for a decision concerning who has power and wisdom to bring about world events. In point of fact, all the people of all the earth have nothing whatever to contribute to God’s wisdom and power. In terms of power and wisdom, humanity is no more significant than a drop in a bucket or the dust upon a scale. And since that is obviously true, how should God be compared?
Every idol is an attempt to represent transcendent deity, so it must be a lie. The only reason someone might try to sculpt an idol to represent God is because he has a terribly inadequate idea of what God is. God is powerful and far above us. He is absolutely without competition of any kind. In reality, it is God who makes everything possible. He sees and knows everything. He does not suffer from fatigue or inattention. He provides strength for those who trust in Him.
Isaiah 41: God’s direct challenge to idols
God addresses the idolatrous nations directly, challenging them to present themselves and render a verdict on themselves. God reveals a prediction about the future: a conqueror is coming out of the east and from the north. Now, who might be responsible for his rise and conquest? Who gives him victory at every turn, having planned all this long before this generation was born? It is only God, the One who has been active from the beginning and to the present day. The idolatrous fear this prediction and turn to their idols, carefully nailing them in place so they won’t fall down!
But it is God, the Living God, who is the helper and protector of Israel. He chose the nation from all other people. He protected and sheltered this tiny and helpless group, this worm among empires. And He will continue to intervene for the nation. The poorest and most distressed will be rescued and saved by God. He will make deserted areas fertile and wealthy. The purpose for all this is so that people will consider that all that blessing is only possible by the hand of God.
Now, when God can do all that, and provide health and healing and strength and protection to a tiny, rather insignificant nation, it would seem to be proof positive of the reality and truth of God. And in the face of that proof, God returns His attention to the problem of idolatry and those who would trust in them.
God demands that the idols declare what will happen and reveal their purposes in manipulating world events. He demands that they do something, anything at all, in order to demonstrate that they exist in any way. Then He perfectly truthfully announces that they are “less than nothing.” If they were only nothing, then they could do no harm to human beings. However, when people entrust their lives to such emptiness, they destroy themselves—therefore, the idols they serve are less than nothing; they are harmful.
The proof of God’s power is shown by the outworking of His plan. The conqueror, Cyrus the Persian, is coming and he will be completely victorious. Now, which idol foretold that? What priest or devotee of any idol saw that coming?
Isaiah 42: The Greatest Servant Is Coming
This section applies to the Messiah, the specially chosen servant of God to bring about redemption and salvation to all the earth. This servant will bring justice, not judgment, to the nations and he will do so unlike the conqueror. Cyrus would bring God’s judgment by sword and fire—the coming Servant will arrive in quietness and gentleness and will bring justice even to the Gentiles who formerly served their idols. He will not merely bring a covenant, He will be a covenant, with all the sacrifice, hope and trust that implies. He will bring light and freedom to the oppressed.
For a long time God had remained silent in the face of the provocation of the idols. Although Isaiah’s language tends to place people in two camps, the faithful and obedient against the rebellious and idolatrous, in fact we must remember that God loves them all. He delayed His judgment so that people would have opportunity to repent, to see His works in the world and recognize that He alone is God. But now He’s had enough and He will act.
Beginning in 42:18 the nation of Israel is God’s servant; He is no longer talking about the Messiah. The nation of Israel should have seen and heard but is instead blind and deaf to God’s word. Because they have been blind and deaf, they have suffered and been oppressed. Had they listened and obeyed God, they would have been blessed and protected. It is God who has been responsible for the punishment of Israel at the hands of her various enemies. Now a verdict is demanded of the entire world: If God would act against His chosen people, Israel, in that way, will He not act as forcefully against those who would worship and serve idols?
God has much more to say about His servants, Cyrus and the Messiah. He is active in the world and is working out His plan for the redemption of mankind. And both Cyrus and the Messiah will have important roles in His future.