Isaiah 41:21-42:9 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Isaiah 41:21-42:9. Let’s go!
Isaiah 41:21-29 (NIV)
21 “Present your case,” says the LORD. “Set forth your arguments,” says Jacob’s King.
22 “Bring in [your idols] to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come,
23 tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear.
24 But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; he who chooses you is detestable.
25 “I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes– one from the rising sun who calls on my name. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay.
26 Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so we could say, ‘He was right’? No one told of this, no one foretold it, no one heard any words from you.
27 I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look, here they are!’ I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good tidings.
28 I look but there is no one– no one among them to give counsel, no one to give answer when I ask them.
29 See, they are all false! Their deeds amount to nothing; their images are but wind and confusion.
On verses 21-29: Here Isaiah shares another way that the idols of the nations cannot compare to the LORD: the idols of the nations are useless in helping their worshipers discern the future (v21-23). Thus these idols are “detestable” (v24), false (v29), and reduce those who worship them to “less than nothing” (v24), leaving their worshippers with “no one among them to give counsel” (v28).
In contrast, Isaiah speaks of how the LORD has enabled him to know what is coming in the future (v25-27) and to be to Jerusalem “a messenger of good tidings” (v27). Specifically, Isaiah speaks of “one from the north” (v25) that God has stirred up. Many scholars believe that this again is a reference to Cyrus King of Persia, who would indeed conquer many nations in the ancient Near East. Cyrus is both “the one from the east” (see 41:2) as well as “the one from the north” (v25), in part because his large kingdom would be both to the east and to the north of Babylon and Israel. (But can Cyrus be fairly called “the one from the rising sun who calls on my name” (v25), even while he will later be called one who “does not acknowledge me” (45:4)? We’ll look at this question together when we study Isaiah 45 in a future GAME sharing.)
What can we learn from this? It is God who knows the future. You are much better off seeking God than you are seeking idols.
Isaiah 42:1-7 (NIV)
1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.”
5 This is what God the LORD says– he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
On verses 1-7: In these verses the servant God speaks of is the Messiah. He is the One God delights in and puts His Spirit in (v1). He will bring justice to the nations (v1) through gentleness (v2) and faithfulness (v3). The nations (“islands”) will put their hope in Him (v4). In addition to bringing the nations justice (v1), this servant is called by God in righteousness (v6) – once again we see Isaiah’s favourite pair of words for the Messiah: justice and righteousness. This Messiah will be a covenant for the people (v6) and a light for the Gentiles (v6). He will give sight to the blind, set captives free and bring light to the darkness (v7), much like Isaiah 61 will later describe.
What can we learn from this? Isaiah sees a picture of the Messiah and what the Messiah would do seven centuries before Jesus would walk this earth.
Isaiah 42:8-9 (NIV)
8 “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”
On verses 8-9: What can we learn from these verses?
– The LORD refuses to allow idols to steal His glory (v8).
– Isaiah is emphasizing how God reveals through him knowledge about events that will happen in the future (v9).
God, You are the One who holds the future in Your hand. Thank You for sending Jesus the Messiah to be a covenant for us, to bring justice to the nations and light to the darkness. Thank You that whereas Isaiah saw a faint picture of Jesus, we can know Him personally and intimately. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
