The one to come…

God has shown He is stronger than any nation on earth –

He hands nations over to him
and subdues kings before him.
He turns them to dust with his sword,
to wind-blown chaff with his bow.  Isaiah 41:2

And Israel still has a special place in God’s heart. Always has done. He called these people. Chose them. Never turned away from them. Never rejected them.

For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.  Isaiah 41:13

Israel, little Israel, may have been seen as a lowly worm by other nations, but God is turning this special nation into a threshing sledge, a heavy piece of machinery that is rolled over harvested grain to crush it. When the grain is tossed up into the air, the chaff blows away and the grain falls to the ground to be collected in. Great imagery, isn’t it?

God will provide for His people. As He has always provided. Water, food, protection, shade. And why?

so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.  Isaiah 41:20

It’s all about pointing people towards God. Making sure that everyone knows that it is God who has provided. Giving the glory back to God – the glory that was only ever His all along. Up to now, it has been God’s people who have been given this role. Now an individual is emerging – a servant who will bring justice to the nations.

‘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.
He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.’  Isaiah 42:1-4

This is one who will bring justice. Who will bring forth justice. Who will establish justice.

And yet he is quiet. He does not shout about it. He does not draw attention to himself. He will be gentle. He will be kind. He will be compassionate.

Something inside me melts when I read those words. We are all sensitive souls. The world is pretty harsh most of the time. Those close to us unintentionally hurt us in so many little ways every day. There’s not enough kindness in the world. Not enough gentleness. We don’t even know how to be kind to ourselves.

God has a plan for this individual –

I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.  Isaiah 42:6-7

A plan that is set out again in Isaiah 61, from which Jesus reads in Luke 4 and says –

Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Luke 4:21

Just in case we are in any doubt that it is Jesus God is referring to here. Jesus is the one who is going to bring healing, freedom, light, a new relationship with God.

Doesn’t it make you want to praise God? Imagine how the people of Israel must have felt when they heard these words. No wonder the next section is a song of praise.

Except look at verse 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.  Isaiah 42:13

Is this what they are expecting? When God promises a deliverer, is this the image they have in mind? He’s made it clear that the coming one will not be like that – we saw that before. He will be different from any other leader who has come before. He will be quiet. He will be gentle. They are setting themselves up for disappointment if this is what they are expecting. They may not even recognise God’s special servant at all when he comes.

Sometimes we do a version of this. We pray for something and in our heads, we already have a view of what the answer to that prayer will need to look like. If we do not get the answer we expect, we see it as unanswered prayer. As proof that God is not listening. That God does not care. But maybe God has answered and just because that answer was different from what we were expecting, we did not recognise it as an answer. Maybe when we pray ‘Your will be done’, we should pray that with an open mind and expect to be surprised by the answer.

We don’t want God to be able to say this of us –

You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
your ears are open, but you do not listen.  Isaiah 42:20

Open your eyes. Open your ears.

See God. Hear God.