Who is Isaiah 42 1 referring to?
In almost all of their ancient translations from the Hebrew and Aramaic, they insert between the third and fourth words of Verse 1 the word Messiah: "Behold, My Servant, Messiah..." So, before Jesus came, the Jews knew to whom this verse referred.
This chosen servant is none other than Jesus Christ, and Isaiah 42:6-7 is a prophecy regarding God's plan to use his servant to bring salvation to his people. The first declaration of the prophecy is that God's presence will be with his servant. He who has called him will not leave him to the task alone.
The expression is equivalent to saying that the Gentiles would be desirous of receiving the religion of the Messiah, and would wait for it (see the notes at Isaiah 2:3).
The prophet speaks of the great things Christ would do. A central theme is that he will bring forth justice to the nations (verses 1, 3, 4). God's judicial righteousness is demonstrated in the gospel. There is not so much justice seen in anything as in God not sparing his own Son, but giving him for sinners.
In Matthew 12:17–21, Isaiah 42:1–4 is cited as a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecies in the life and work of Jesus Christ: And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "Behold!
Isaiah 42:7 Meaning and Commentary
of sin, Satan, and the law; being under which, they were in a state of darkness and ignorance as to things divine and spiritual. The allusion is to prisons, which are commonly dark places.
We believe that Isaiah's “servant” initially referred to an individual living in Babylon, whose vicarious suffering explains why Israel deserves forgiveness for the grievous sins that caused its exile. Placed in the broader narrative of Isaiah 40–55, where the prophet speaks of “Israel my servant” (41:8; cf.
Isaiah 42:8 Tells Us to Flee from Idolatry
God alone deserves our worship, so we should flee every form of idolatry. Yet when we hear, “nor do I give my praise to carved idols,” often times we can just start to think okay, wooden idols or kind of pictures that we might have of idolatry in the Old Testament…
This means that no one ever gets away with any sin. One way or another, anything amiss, dishonest, unrighteous, out of balance, or evil in any way will be corrected. Christ, while loving, was faithful in bringing forth justice, even in being the “just and the justifier” (Ro 3:26) of those who would believe.
Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one committed to me, blind like the servant of the LORD? You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing."
What is the meaning of Isaiah 42 1 9?
This passage in Isaiah shows God speaking into the pain of exile to send a servant who will bring justice, and not to Israel only but to all nations.
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
(1) I will instruct you, (2) I will teach you in the way you should go, (3) I will counsel you with my eyes on you. It is the Lord's desire to teach His children in the way in which He would have them to go according to His way of submission and obedience to His Word and His authority.