# Isaiah 42 š: The Servant of the Lord
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#š Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#š Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#š§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#āļø Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#š Key Principles / š Life Application]]
> [[#š¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#āļø Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#š Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#š Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#š Internal Notes]]
## š Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### The Lord Commissions His Special Servant
[[#Verse 01.]]Ā āHere is my servant whom I support,
my chosen one in whom I take pleasure.
I have placed my Spirit on him;
he will make just decreesĀ for the nations.
[[#Verse 02.]]Ā He will not cry out or shout;
he will not publicize himself in the streets.
[[#Verse 03.]]Ā A crushed reed he will not break,
a dim wick he will not extinguish;
he will faithfully make just decrees.
[[#Verse 04.]]Ā He will not grow dim or be crushed
before establishing justice on the earth;
the coastlandsĀ will wait in anticipation for his decrees.ā
[[#Verse 05.]]Ā This is what the true God,Ā theĀ Lord, saysā
the one who created the sky and stretched it out,
the one who fashioned the earth and everything that lives on it,
the one who gives breath to the people on it,
and life to those who live on it:
[[#Verse 06.]]Ā āI, theĀ Lord, officially commission you;
I take hold of your hand.
I protect youĀ and make you a covenant mediator for people,
and a lightĀ to the nations,
[[#Verse 07.]]Ā to open blind eyes,
to release prisonersĀ from dungeons,
those who live in darkness from prisons.
### The Lord Intervenes
[[#Verse 08.]]Ā āI am theĀ Lord! That is my name!
I will not share my glory with anyone else,
or the praise due me with idols.
[[#Verse 09.]]Ā Look, my earlier predictive oracles have come to pass;
now I announce new events.
Before they begin to occur,
I reveal them to you.ā
[[#Verse 10.]]Ā Sing to theĀ LordĀ a brand new song!
Praise himĀ from the horizon of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and everything that lives in it,
you coastlandsĀ and those who live there.
[[#Verse 11.]]Ā Let the wilderness and its cities shout out,
the towns where the nomads of Kedar live.
Let the residents of Sela shout joyfully;
let them shout loudly from the mountaintops.
[[#Verse 12.]]Ā Let them give theĀ LordĀ the honor he deserves;
let them praise his deeds in the coastlands.
[[#Verse 13.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ emerges like a hero,
like a warrior he inspires himself for battle;
he shouts, yes, he yells,
he shows his enemies his power.
[[#Verse 14.]]Ā āI have been inactiveĀ for a long time;
I kept quiet and held back.
Like a woman in labor I groan;
I pant and gasp.
[[#Verse 15.]]Ā I will make the trees on the mountains and hills wither up;
I will dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn streams into islands,
and dry up pools of water.
[[#Verse 16.]]Ā I will lead the blind along an unfamiliar way;
I will guide them down paths they have never traveled.
I will turn the darkness in front of them into light,
and level out the rough ground.
This is what I will do for them.
I will not abandon them.
[[#Verse 17.]]Ā Those who trust in idols
will turn back and be utterly humiliated,
those who say to metal images, āYou are our gods.ā
### The Lord Reasons with His People
[[#Verse 18.]]āListen, you deaf ones!
Take notice,Ā you blind ones!
[[#Verse 19.]]Ā My servant is truly blind,
my messenger is truly deaf.
My covenant partner,Ā the servant of theĀ Lord, is truly blind.
[[#Verse 20.]]Ā You seeĀ many things, but donāt comprehend;
their ears are open, but do not hear.ā
[[#Verse 21.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ wanted to exhibit his justice
by magnifying his law and displaying it.
[[#Verse 22.]]Ā But these people are looted and plundered;
all of them are trapped in pits
and held captiveĀ in prisons.
They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;
they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, āBring that back!ā
[[#Verse 23.]] Who among you will pay attention to this?
Who will listen attentively in the future?
[[#Verse 24.]]Ā Who handed Jacob over to the robber?
Who handed Israel over to the looters?
Was it not theĀ Lord, against whom we sinned?
They refused to follow his commands;
they disobeyed his law.
[[#Verse 25.]]Ā So he poured out his fierce anger on them,
along with the devastationĀ of war.
Its flames encircled them,Ā but they did not realize it;
it burned against them, but they did not take it to heart.
## š Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
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###### Verse 05.
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###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
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###### Verse 15.
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###### Verse 22.
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###### Verse 25.
## š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Isaiah 42:1-4 (or 1-9) is called the first Servant Song. The others are found in 49:1-6, 50:4-9, and 52:13-53:12.
2. Matthew 12:18-21 quotes 42:1-4 to explain Jesus' quiet ministry of healing.
3. The Father's words at Jesus' baptism, in whom I am well pleased, echo 42:1 (Matthew 3:17).
4. A bruised reed (42:3) was nearly useless, and a smoldering wick was about to go out.
5. The coastlands waiting for His instruction (42:4) means even distant nations will look to the Servant.
6. Simeon called the baby Jesus a light for revelation to the Gentiles (Luke 2:32), echoing 42:6.
7. God says He will not give His glory to another (42:8), a line repeated in 48:11.
8. Kedar and Sela (42:11) represent desert peoples joining the new song.
9. God is pictured both as a mighty warrior (42:13) and as a woman crying out in labor (42:14).
10. The servant Israel is described as blind and deaf (42:19), in contrast to the faithful Servant of 42:1.
## š§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## āļø Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the Servant in whom God delights, who will not break a bruised reed (42:1-3). Matthew says Jesus fulfilled these words (Matthew 12:17-21), and the Father's voice at His baptism echoes 42:1 (Matthew 3:17).
## š Key Principles / š Life Application
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## š¬ Discussion Questions
1. The Servant will not break a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick (42:3). How has Jesus been gentle with you in your weakness?
2. The Servant is a light for the nations, opening blind eyes and freeing prisoners (42:6-7). How does the church carry on this mission?
3. Israel saw many things but did not pay attention (42:20). Where are you seeing but not truly paying attention to God?
## āļø Key Verses to Remember
- š verse 1: Here is My servant whom I support, My chosen one in whom I delight.
- š verse 3: He will not break a crushed reed or extinguish a dim wick.
- š verse 6: God makes His servant a covenant for people and a light to the nations.
## š Related Passages/Cross Reference
- š [[Matthew 12#Verse 15.|Matthew 12:15-21]] - Jesus fulfills Isaiah's Servant prophecy.
- š [[Matthew 03#Verse 16.|Matthew 3:16-17]] - This is My beloved Son.
- š [[Luke 02#Verse 29.|Luke 2:29-32]] - A light for revelation to the Gentiles.
- š [[Luke 04#Verse 18.|Luke 4:18]] - Freedom for prisoners and sight for the blind.
- š [[Matthew 11#Verse 28.|Matthew 11:28-30]] - I am gentle and humble in heart.
## š Devotional Reflection
š SOAP: [[Isaiah 42 - SOAP|The Promise Keeper]]
## š Internal Notes