Isaiah 42:1

Isaiah 42:1 says, Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.  The emphasis here seems to be on the Messiah, Jesus Christ, even though it spoke of Cyrus during that time.  We do know that even though he may have done great things for the people of Israel in his day that Cyrus was not the elect of God, but Jesus Christ is.  What Cyrus was doing mainly benefited the Jews of that day, but what Jesus Christ did on the cross and at His resurrection from the dead benefitted everyone from all ages, including the Gentiles.  That includes all of us who were not born as a Jew. 

Verse two adds, He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.  Jesus Christ did not come with mighty power but with meekness, which at times disappointed His disciples.  They wanted an immediate earthly victory over Rome, but this was not Jesus’s purpose.  We should not be looking for powerful military victories in the world today as Christians, but we should be looking to reach out to the world with the meekness that Jesus displayed. 

Verse three continues, A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.   Isaiah said that even though Jesus would be bruised, He would not be broken.  The Jews of that day thought they had broken Jesus forever when He died on the cross, but He was only bruised by death and not defeated. 

Verse four concludes, He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.  Isaiah said that Jesus would not be discouraged, and He would set judgment on all the earth, not just Israel.  Though He died on the cross, He was never discouraged by having to die that all who put their faith in Him might live.  We now just need to live by faith in Him and obey His laws.

Verse five states, Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:  Isaiah reminded the people of Israel once more of God’s great power.  He not only created the heavens and the earth, but He created mankind and breathed the breath of life into man, giving all people a spirit to walk on the earth.  This separates us from every other creature on the earth.  Not only did God create people to be spiritual as well as physical beings, He created them to have a personal relationship with Him while at the same time giving them the free will to choose not to. 

Verse six adds, I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;  Matthew Henry says this applies to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, but I believe it is a call to all Christians.  Isaiah said God had called the people of Israel to righteousness through a covenant relationship with Him, and so it is to us.  Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the new covenant that we put our faith in to be saved.  They were never righteous of their own merit, and neither are we. We become righteous as Christians because of our covenant relationship with God when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Isaiah said that the Jews in that day because of their covenant relationship with God were then to be a light to the Gentiles, calling them into that same covenant relationship.  We as followers of Christ are mostly Gentiles, and we are to be a light to the rest of the world today. 

Verse seven continue, To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.  Jesus Christ did come to restore sight to the blind, but I believe this is spiritual sight to those who were spiritually blind and not physical sight.  He also came to set those who were imprisoned free, but again I believe that this was spiritually being a prisoner of sin and not a physical prison.  Jesus did heal physical blindness and at times those who were imprisoned for their faith were set free, but these were always temporary things, and I believe that this refers to the everlasting spiritual sight and freedom from the penalty of sin that we receive when we put our faith in Him.  Until we do, we are spiritually blind and under the power of sin. 

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