For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Isaiah 42:1-4     

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 smouldering 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 teaching the islands will put their hope.’

A. Find Out:

1. How does the Lord describe His servant? v.1a,b
2. What does He say He will do for him with what result? v.1c,d
3. What will the servant NOT do? v.2
4. What 2 things will he also NOT do? v.3a,b
5. What will the servant do? v.3c,4b
6. What will he NOT do until he achieves that? v.4b

B. Think:

1. What is the job of the servant revealed here?
2. What about his character is revealed here?
3. How did this all apply to Jesus?

C. Comment:

In 41:8 the Lord addressed Israel as his servant. Now again He speaks of a servant but not identifying the servant as Israel.  This servant we suggest is Jesus.

The servant’s calling and equipping (v.1): he is called by God and equipped by God’s Holy Spirit.

The servant’s task (v.1c,3c,4b): it is to bring justice to the world.  How can you do this?  You either make sure everybody behaves perfectly, or you ensure that their sins are adequately punished.  Jesus did the latter by taking them on himself on the Cross, thus every sin of the world has been dealt with by the Son of God.  Justice has been done!

The servant’s character or approach (v.2,3): the way he goes about his work will not be to go the way of the world and come as a rabble rouser to stir up people (v.2).  He will not come harshly demanding obedience(v.3), but instead will come with loving acceptance, and so where someone is bruised and bent by the ways of life, he will love them, not break them. Where the life spirit is almost out and they are just smouldering, he will breath life into them again, not snuff them out.

The servant’s endurance (v.4): he will not let anything put him off until he has accomplished his task. This is Jesus!

D. Application:

1. Jesus came to bring justice over your life.  It is finished.   Thank him.
2. Jesus came to love and accept you.  Receive his loving acceptance.

Passage: Isaiah 42:5-7

5 This is what God the Lord says –
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from 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.

A. Find Out:

1. How does the Lord identify himself? v.5
2. How does He say He has called the servant? v.6a
3. What does He say He will do? v.6b
4. What does He say He will do with the servant? v.6c-e
5. What will the servant do for 3 groups of people? v.7

B. Think:

1. Why do you think the Lord identifies Himself here as He does?
2. What do you think covenant means here?
3. How would you summarise the servant’s work described here?

C. Comment:

The Lord continues to speak about the servant here, but before He does that, He identifies Himself again as the God who has created all things and who gives life and breath to mankind. The terms used indicate that He did these things carefully and thoughtfully and with purpose. It refers to the whole world,  not just one small nation.   So, we find it being revealed that God’s intention is to the whole world, to “the people” and “the Gentiles” (v.6).  God’s heart is for the whole of mankind, which includes every one of us.

Then He speaks of what He has done with the servant (called you), and will do (take your hand, and do things with you). The reference to righteousness means that for the Lord to maintain His own righteousness, it was essential for Him to bring the servant. Having given man free will and allowed Sin in the world, God as Creator HAS to do something to enable man to get out of sin, if He is to maintain His character of love.  To remain in ‘right standing with Himself’ (righteousness) He has to do this. What does He do?  Send one who will act as the basis of a new agreement (covenant) between God and man, who will stand out to the whole world and who will, through his work, let people see the truth, set people free who are slaves to Sin, and bring them out of spiritual darkness.  When we see all this, we see the work of Jesus who came to do all these things.

D. Application:

1. Jesus has come to deliver us out of Sin.  Rejoice in that!
2. Jesus came to reveal the truth to us. Receive it.

Passage: Isaiah 42:8-10    

8 ‘I am the Lord; that is my name!
    I will not yield 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.’

10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
    you islands, and all who live in them.

A. Find Out:

1. What does the Lord first proclaim? v.8a
2. What does He say He will NOT do? v.8b,c
3. What does He say He is now doing? v.9a,b
4. When does He say they will come? v.9c
5. What does He call to happen? v.10a,b
6. Who is He saying this to? v.10c,d

B. Think:

1. How does verse 9 fit with all that has just gone?
2. Why do you think the Lord emphasises who He is?
3. How is verse 10 supposed to be a natural reaction?

C. Comment:

The Lord has just been speaking in the previous verses of chapter 42 about the servant who will come as a covenant to the people. In the present verses there is a seal on the declaration, a summary of the declaration and a song to be sung in response.

The SEAL: The Lord declares who He is – “I AM”.   Note that He uses His covenant name printed LORD meaning “I AM” (see Ex 3:14 ,15 and notes).  So He is declaring over all and He is saying, “This is coming from THE I AM, the eternal, almighty God.” This comes like a seal or a stamp on the declaration that determines its authority.

The SUMMARY: basically what He is saying is, “What has happened (Israel’s history with God) has happened.  That’s the past.   Now I’m doing something that will appear completely new to you.”  That summarises all that has gone in the previous verses of the chapter.

The SONG: singing is a natural response to joyful or good news. When we feel happy we sing. So, says the Lord, let a new song come from your lips, for the news is good. Indeed, let it be sung by everyone. Everyone here includes those on the mainland, those who live far off (the islands) and even Creation itself (the sea). This new thing that the Lord is doing will affect the whole world – those who are near (Israel), those afar of (all Gentiles), and even Creation itself.

D. Application:

1. Are we rejoicing over the good news of Jesus?
2. Does it still produce a song within us?

Passage: Isaiah 42:11-13    

 11 Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;
    let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
    let them shout from the mountaintops.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
    and proclaim his praise in the islands.
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,
    like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry
    and will triumph over his enemies.

A. Find Out:

1. What are the four “let”s of verse 11?
2. What is the fifth one of verse 12?
3. How will the Lord go out? v.13a
4. What two things will He do? v.13b,c
5. With what end result? v.13d

B. Think:

1. What do you think is the significance of the word ‘let’?
2. Why will the people be doing all this?
3. How does this fit in with all that has gone before?

C. Comment:

We concluded above by noting that the natural response to all that the Lord had been saying and was going to do, is to sing.   The song that is sung is a song about the Lord and His activity, but it is, as noted above, a natural response.  Hence the word used five times, ‘let’, meaning allow the natural responses to come forth.   There are two aspects of the instruction to ‘let’ the people sing.

First to note are the areas mentioned: these are people who are non-Jews in the surrounding districts. What is going to happen is going to have a much wider effect than just upon Israel.

Next to note is the way they will sing: they will lift their voices, rejoice with joy and shout. This all says that this singing will be a strong response to a wonderful message. There will be nothing half-hearted about this.

Then comes a picture of what the Lord is going to do, another picture to pile on top of all the words that have been spoken so far about the Lord who is coming to do something new. He will be coming like a warrior, again not half-heartedly but with expectant, triumphant zeal that is sure of victory. If there had been any doubt in any of the listeners to Isaiah’s prophecies up to now, that must surely be banished. These words convey a clear, strong sense of purpose that WILL be achieved and no one will be able to hold back the Lord from His purposes!

D. Application:

1. What the Lord decrees He will do! Praise Him!
2. The Lord is God and none can withstand Him! Worship Him!

Passage: Isaiah 42:14-17

14 ‘For a long time I have kept silent,
    I have been quiet and held myself back.
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
    I cry out, I gasp and pant.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills
    and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
    and dry up the pools.
16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
    and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
    who say to images, “You are our gods,”
    will be turned back in utter shame.

A. Find Out:

1. What has the Lord done? v.14a,b
2. But what is now happening? v.14c,d
3. What will He do? v.15
4. Who will He do what for? v.16a,b
5. What more will He do for them? v.16c,d
6. Who will be turned back in shame? v.17

B. Think:

1. Who, here, will the Lord NOT help?
2. Who, by contrast, do you think are the blind being referred to?
3. So what is verse 15 all about?

C. Comment:

We keep getting different facets of the same thing; that’s what happens in prophecy, the Lord keeps repeating the message until we’re able to take in the wonder of what He is saying!

He’s just said He’s going to do a new thing that will release a new song of joy and praise in His people. Now it’s as if He steps back and gives a wider perspective. This has been something that’s been on His heart for a very long time (v.14) and He’s been waiting for the right time. Now He’s like a women in labour, the time has come to bring this new thing into being.

Then it gets a bit confusing because He speaks of devastating the earth, but perhaps what follows will shed light on it.  He is going to lead the blind. Who are they? Presumably people with a heart for Him but who cannot see the way. What is it that produces a good heart cry for God? The desire to know Him and be led by Him, but a personal inability to do that, a recognition that we need the Lord to lead us.

They are contrasted by idolaters who will get no help from the Lord, so these must be faithful seekers, these ‘blind’ people. So what is the Lord going to do for them? Clear away all obstacles (v.15), making rough paths smooth (v.16) and turning darkness into light. Surely, isn’t this what happens in salvation through Jesus?

D. Application:

1. The work of salvation is all the Lord’s work, pure grace and mercy.
2. We are blind and only the Lord can lead us on into life. Thank Him.

Passage: Isaiah 42:18-22

18 ‘Hear, you deaf;
    look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind but my servant,
    and deaf like the messenger I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant with me,
    blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
    your ears are open, but you do not listen.’
21 It pleased the Lord
    for the sake of his righteousness
    to make his law great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered and looted,
    all of them trapped in pits
    or hidden away in prisons.
They have become plunder,
    with no one to rescue them;
they have been made loot,
    with no one to say, ‘Send them back.’

A. Find Out:

1. Who does the Lord now directly address? v.18
2. Who does He say is blind and deaf? v.19
3. What does He say has happened? v.20
4. What had the Lord done? v.21
5. But what had happened to His people? v.22

B. Think:

1. Why do you think the servant must be Israel?
2. What had been God’s intent for them?
3. What instead had been their outcome?

C. Comment:

Our confusion when we come to these verses may be over the description, ‘servant’.  In the first part of the chapter, the servant is seen as a saviour, and it is difficult to see how those descriptions could possibly apply to Israel as a nation, only to Jesus.  But now the description of the servant is one who is blind. We would suggest that this is the nature of the prophetic word from heaven. Sometimes it is obvious, sometimes it needs wisdom to understand. It is almost as if the Lord speaks in ways that only those close to Him will understand.

The call seems to come to all who are spiritually deaf and blind (the whole world). You’re in good company, He seems to say, for just look at my servant Israel who are the most privileged people in the world. I’ve spoken to them and revealed my will and purpose to them, I’ve given them my Law to help them become a most glorious nation, but to what end? Look at them, they are down-trodden and oppressed by their enemies. That’s not how it was supposed to be but that’s how it has become because of their blindness.

This is the reality of the situation, this is the reality of the need for the Lord to come (40:3,9).  Israel has made a mess of things, the rest of the world makes a mess of things, they NEED the Lord to come in saving power. Their spiritual blindness has meant that even as a privileged nation they need a new covenant (42:6), they NEED this!

D. Application:

1. Make no mistake, we NEED a saviour.
2. Spiritual blindness is a clear sign of Sin.

Passage: Isaiah 42:23-25

23 Which of you will listen to this
    or pay close attention in time to come?
24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
    and Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the Lord,
    against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow his ways;
    they did not obey his law.
25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,
    the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand;
    it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.

A. Find Out:

1. What 2 questions does the prophet now ask? v.23
2. What does he ask about Israel? v.24a,b
3. What was his answer? v.24c,d
4. What reason does he give for that having happened? v.24e,f
5. So, again, what had the Lord done? v.25a,b
6. Yet what is his complaint against Israel? v.25b-

B. Think:

1. What had happened to Israel according to these verses?
2. Why had it happened?
3. So why is Isaiah saying all this?

C. Comment:

From verse 18 the prophetic call was to the deaf and blind to hear and see. It’s basically like Isaiah is saying, “For goodness sake, Israel, wake up, come to your senses, can’t you see what has been going on!”   He starts out in these verses now, again asking who will pay attention to what is being said and what is about to come.  It is frustrating as a prophet to see the decline of a nation, to see the enemy plundering it and to find that no one seems to be taking any notice of what is happening.

Look, he says, Israel has been handed over to marauding nations.   Who did that?  Was it just chance?  No, it was the Lord, because we have sinned against Him, he says. We rebelled against Him and would not follow His lead and we refused to obey the Law He gave us, so He allowed (or brought) war on us and the land was scourged with it, yet we didn’t understand.

Initially, in the light of chapters 36 to 39, this must have applied directly to their time scale. It seems likely that it would also apply to the time of the exile, which was yet in the future. This has happened, says the prophet, but the awful thing is that as a nation we have not understood that this has been the hand of the Lord bringing this upon us. This has been the judgement of God!

D. Application:

1. Wars don’t just happen. They are the result of sin and judgement.
2. We need to open our eyes to spiritual realities in our world.