Isaiah: New Day. New Song.

Isaiah 42

If someone asked you to find verses in the Bible that spoke about Jesus, what book would you turn to? Let me go out on a limb and say that most of us would search for a passage in the New Testament, likely in one of the gospels. That would be a great choice. However, we need to remind ourselves frequently that Jesus is present throughout all of Scripture. The Bible is Christocentric. Whether we are in the Old Testament or the New Testament, they both point to Jesus the Christ (Heb: Messiah).

Martin Luther said, “The Scriptures are the swaddling clothes in which Christ is laid.”[1] The great nineteenth-century preacher, C. H. Spurgeon, said it like this:

Don’t you know . . . that from every town and every village, and every little hamlet in England, wherever it may be, there is a road to London? So from every text in Scripture there is a road to the metropolis of the Scriptures, that is Christ.[2]

Our passage today is Isaiah 42, one of many texts in Scripture that directs us to Jesus. Let’s dive in by first examining a few words Isaiah chooses to use.

At the end of Isaiah 41, the prophet uses the word “behold” to address the futility of idols (Isa. 41:29). Isaiah opens chapter 42 with “behold,” pointing us to Christ.

Isaiah frequently uses the word “servant” to describe Israel (Isa. 41:8; 42:19; 43:10-11; 44:1-2, 21; 45:4; 48:20). He also uses the word “servant” as a name for the coming Messiah. The context determines whether Isaiah’s usage of the word refers to Israel or Jesus. The context of Isaiah 42:1-4 clarifies that Isaiah is referring to the Messiah. Here’s why we can draw that conclusion:

• This servant is one in whom God’s soul delights (Isa. 42:1a). God said much the same about Jesus at his baptism (Matt. 3:17) and on the Mt. of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5). In both instances God said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
  
  
• God’s Spirit is placed on this servant (Isa. 42:1b).
  
  
• He will be gentle and faithful (Isa. 42:2-3; see Matt. 11:29).
  
  
• He will not fail to deliver justice to all the nations of the earth (Isa. 42:1c, 4).
  
  
• Matthew applies Isaiah 42:1-4 with slight variations to Jesus (Matt. 12:18-21).

This part of Isaiah is the first of four “Servant Songs” about the coming Messiah that we will encounter as we continue our study (Isa. 49:1-6; 50:1-11; 52:13-53:12).

God declares that he will be with the Messiah and usher in a new day (Isa. 42:5-9). The gods of the nations are empty idols. Yet the One who walks with the Messiah is the Creator of heaven and earth, who gives life and breath to all people (Isa. 42:5). He is the Lord and grants his glory to no other person or thing (Isa. 42:8). God promises to fulfill his righteous will through Jesus. He asserts, “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you” (Isa. 42:6). The past is the past. God says, “new things I now declare” (Isa. 42:9). The “new things” will be deliverance.

Isaiah 42:6b-7
I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

The light, sight, and freedom promised in these verses will take place in two fulfillments. The first fulfillment was to the nation of Israel and was realized as they were sent back to Jerusalem after their seventy years of captivity in Babylon.

The second fulfillment is for the deliverance of all sinners. Jesus is the light that allows our spiritually blinded eyes to see and releases us from the prison of sin’s darkness (see Isa. 61:1; John 8:32). God has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:13).

The “new things” God is doing call for a new song that people everywhere on earth will sing (Isa. 42:10-17). Certainly, there was a time when Israel was punished for her sins. God made it clear in the Mosaic Law that blessing would follow obedience, and discipline would follow rebellion (Isa. 42:21). God’s people had experienced the consequences; however, now he was going to bring them back home (Isa. 42:22-25).

This deliverance from captivity took place in history when Ezra led the first group of captives back to Jerusalem (Ezra 1-2). God used King Cyrus of Persia to enact the return.

And…the Messiah will enact a greater eternal return. For a long time, God “held [his] peace” and “kept still and restrained” (Isa. 42:14). But when the Messiah comes, things will change. He will never forsake his people (Isa. 42:16).

Our Anchor Point today is Isaiah 42:8-9:

Isaiah 42:8-9
I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.

Our focus in Isaiah has been to see God’s renewing work in our lives. God’s new things in these verses focus on the coming Messiah. I love the way God says, “before they spring forth I tell you of them.” And now, Jesus has come; he is here!

When we trust in Jesus, the old has passed away, the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17). Jesus has transformed our lives. For anyone in a spiritual rut, God is ready to “turn…the rough places into level ground” (Isa. 42:16). Let’s ask him to do his work and give us a new song to sing.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Isaiah 42. Read through our Anchor Point—Isaiah 42:8-9. Reflect on the former things—who you were—and the new things—your life that has been transformed by Jesus.

Talking to God: Ask God to turn the rough places in your life into level ground. Ask him to give you a new song.

Have Questions?
Be sure to send your questions to our team. We are happy to assist you as you explore God's Word. Submit your question below, and we'll reply soon. Let us know if you’d like to further explore a relationship with Jesus or if you desire spiritual counsel.

Every day is a day of spiritual renewal as we follow hard after Jesus.