Day 249: Isaiah 42- These are The Things God Does

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.
5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. 9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

Sing to the Lord a New Song
10 Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants. 11 Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; let the habitants of Sela sing for joy, let them shout from the top of the mountains. 12 Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare his praise in the coastlands. 13 The Lord goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes. 14 For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant.


15 I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. 16 And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. 17 They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal images, “You are our gods.”
Israel's Failure to Hear and See 18 Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see! 19 Who is blind but my servant, or deaf as my messenger whom I send? Who is blind as my dedicated one, or blind as the servant of the Lord?

20 He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear. 21 The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness' sake, to magnify his law and make it glorious. 22 But this is a people plundered and looted; they are all of them trapped in holes and hidden in prisons; they have become plunder with none to rescue, spoil with none to say, “Restore!” 23 Who among you will give ear to this, will attend and listen for the time to come? 24 Who gave up Jacob to the looter, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned, in whose ways they would not walk, and whose law they would not obey? 25 So he poured on him the heat of his anger and the might of battle; it set him on fire all around, but he did not understand, it burned him up, but he did not take it to heart.

Meditation
Do you struggle to claim the promises of God’s redemptive work for yourself? God has been doing a deep work in my heart marked by several redemptive wrestling matches I have had with the Lord. Through Isaiah 42 God pins me on the mat with His grace, blessing my soul with a new song of freedom. 

There is always hope for restoration in the Lord’s covenant faithfulness. God will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick (3). Hope is found in the servant of God who is strengthened by the Spirit of God, and leads by the Word of God, to bring restoration to the people of God (1-4), all for the glory of God (8, 12). Jesus is the Servant and He comes to restore, making all things new.

God calls His people to join all creation in singing a new song (10). The pain we feel from redemptive wrestling gives birth to new life (14). The blind have a guide and can see (6-7, 16), prisoners can be free (7), and those in darkness experience the marvelous light of God’s salvation (8, 16). “These are the things I do,” declares the Lord (16). He will make our rough places smooth (17)!

Do you believe the restoring and redemptive promises of the Lord are for you, strong enough to make all things new? These are the things God does! And He calls us to hear (18) and take His word to heart (25).  

Richly Dwelling
-Do you struggle to apply the promises of the gospel to your worst ways, your sinful struggles of pride, self-righteousness, and performance?

-Redemptive wrestling is pleading with God in prayer, plunging into the depths of His grace with the brutal honesty of your depravity. Is God’s grace big enough to redeem your worst ways?

-Restoration is found in Christ alone who offers a new heart, doing a new thing, to give His people a new song. This is what God does! How can you turn to Him and experience the depth of His redeeming love for you?

Key Verse
16 And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.

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