This is going to be a pretty ambitious sermon today, so let's dive right in. Isaiah 42:1:
(1) LOOK! My servant, [Isaiah 41:8, 9; 34:10; 44:1, 2; 45:4], I am upholding him, [Isaiah 41:10]
my chosen one [Isaiah 41:8, 9; 43:10; 44:1, 2; 45:4], my soul/inner being has delighted in [or: "shown favor toward"].
I have placed my spirit upon him; [Isaiah 44:3; 48:16; 59:21; 61:1]
justice/judgment for the nations/Gentiles he will produce/bring forth [Isaiah 51:4].
In our passage today, the prophet opens up a new section by inviting his audience to look, and see someone. This someone, is Yahweh's servant.
Now, when you crack open the commentaries, you see a lot of debate about who this servant is, and how this servant relates to the other mentions of "servant" in Isaiah 40-55.
A very famous OT scholar, Bernard Duhm, isolated out four sections of these chapters that describe the servant (in 1892, I think). He called them the "servant songs," and argued that these songs weren't written by Isaiah, or Second Isaiah, but by some other unknown person. And that designation, "servant song," has stuck for well over a hundred years. People debate the outer edges of some of the "songs," but classically, the four are Isaiah 42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-9, and 52:13-53:12. If you crack the commentaries, sometimes you'll see them called "servant poems," but usually, "servant songs." And if you google that, you'll see all kinds of hits. And what Duhm argued, and he's been followed by many (including evangelicals, in a way), is that these four servant songs have nothing to do with the rest of 40-55. If you want to understand these songs, you need to pull them out from the book, separate them, and then read the four together.
Now, more recent scholarship has pushed back pretty hard on parts of this in at least two ways. First, there's nothing in these verses that's more lyrical, or more poetic, or more metaphorical, than anything else we've read. Today's verses, for example, feels much the same in Hebrew as chapters 40 and 41 did. It doesn't feel like all of a sudden, we switched from reading Metallica, to reading Taylor Swift. It all feels the same. So there's no real reason, stylistically, to pull them out and treat them separately.
Second, much of the language in these so-called servant songs is found elsewhere in these chapters, including some key words: servant, chosen one, spirit, justice/judgment, Gentiles. The themes and language are the same. So there's no real reason, linguistically, to pull them out and treat them separately.
Without trying to be super snarky, this is what many scholars have done: they've pulled these sections of Isaiah 40-55 out of their context, set up them up like ducks in a row, in isolation from the chapters, and then said, "These chapters are mysterious, and deliberately open-ended. And specifically, they say, 'It's a huge mistake to ask who the servant is, because that's not the focus of these songs.'"
Just take a second, and reread Isaiah 42:1. Keep these words in mind: "servant," "chosen," "uphold." Now, let's turn back to last week's passage, and read Isaiah 41:8-10. As you look for these words-- and they'll jump out at you-- ask yourself "who" the servant is:
(8) while you-- Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen you,
Offspring/Seed of Abraham, my friend--
whom I have seized/taken hold of/strengthened from the ends of the earth,
while from its edges I have called you,
and I have said to you,
"My servant, you [are] ["my servant" is focused].
I have chosen you,
and I haven't rejected you.
(10) May you not fear,
because with you, I [am]. ["with you" is focused]
May you not be frightened,
because I [am] your God/Elohim.
I will strengthen you (different word, sometimes used in parallel with the first; Isa. 35:3; Job 4:4);
also, I have helped you;
also, I HAVE TAKEN HOLD OF YOU (TAMAK) with the right hand of my righteousness.
It's pretty obvious, right?
Anyone reading/hearing Isaiah was just told that Israel is God's (1) chosen (2) servant, whom God (3) upholds. This is the most straightforward cluster of related words, but if you do a word search, you'll see this language found throughout these chapters outside of the "servant songs," and the language is used consistently for Israel (and I put references in the translation).
So if we read this chapter in context, chapter 42 after chapter 41, we know who the servant is. It's not complicated, or mysterious. The servant is God's people.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[And this was obvious enough to the translator of the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, that this is how he translated the verse (Lexham English Septuagint translation):
42 Jacob is my child, I will help him; Israel is my chosen one, my soul has accepted him. I have given my spirit upon him; he will bring forth judgment upon the nations.
He translated it like an NLT/NIV would-- adding some helps to make sure readers understood who the servant was-- and this translation was far before Jesus was born.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So picture the prophet standing on a street corner somewhere, and he's speaking to all of you, and he says, "LOOK! My servant."
Who do you look at?
You look at yourselves. You know the prophet is talking about you. I don't think it's really reading anything into this, to imagine the prophet opening up his arms toward all of you, and saying, "Check yourselves out!" See yourselves, the way that God sees you. These verses are an invitation to use God's perspective as a mirror, to see yourselves differently. Or, perhaps, if God needed glasses, we'd say, this is an invitation to try his glasses on, and see what you look like through his eyes.
Are we tracking? Let's reread verse 1:
(1) LOOK! My servant, [Isaiah 41:8, 9; 34:10; 44:1, 2; 45:4], I am upholding him, [Isaiah 41:10]
my chosen one [Isaiah 41:8, 9; 43:10; 44:1, 2; 45:4], my soul/inner being has delighted in [or: "shown favor toward"].
I have placed my spirit upon him; [Isaiah 44:3; 48:16; 59:21; 61:1]
justice/judgment for the nations/Gentiles he will produce/bring forth [Isaiah 51:4].
So "you" are God's servant. God is upholding you. God has chosen you, and this choosing hasn't changed, even though you're in exile (Isaiah 41:8-10). God has delighted in you. And God has anointed you with his Spirit to accomplish his purpose. You are like the heroes of old-- Gideon, Samson, David. You're special. You're beloved. You're valued. And you have a mission. To what end, has God anointed you with his Spirit?
"To produce justice, or judgment, for the nations."
Now this should raise all kinds of questions for you.
What is justice, first of all? "Justice" is like "the" word of today. Again, without trying to be terribly snarky, everyone today thinks they are oppressed, and marginalized, that the cards are stacked against them, and that they deserve help. Everyone knows they deserve "justice." Everyone longs for a certain kind of judgment on their behalf.
What is justice?
People hear this word "justice" in very different ways, and those ways, honestly, have very little to do with the way the Bible talks about it.
The second question we should find ourselves asking, is this: How will God's people produce justice, or judgment, on the Gentiles?
Will it look like Samson, swinging a donkey's jawbone, killing 1,000 Philistines (Judges 15:16)? Will it look like King David, killing tens of thousands of Philistines (1 Samuel 18:7)? Is the anointing of God's people, like the anointing of Samson or David? Is justice brought violently, harming Gentiles? Is it a reenactment of the conquest of Canaan, promised to God's people stuck in Babylonian exile? Does it look like our passage from last week, Isaiah 41, where God hands over nations to mystery dude, and he drives back nations and is constantly victorious in battle?
Justice is a big word today. And it's a big word in the OT. For now, let's just put two question marks in our passage. (1) What is justice? (2) How is justice produced by God's people? And let's see if the next three verses answer our questions. But let's do them slowly, one at a time. Verse 2:
(2) He won't cry out,
and he won't lift up, [Numbers 14:1; h/t Shalom Paul]
and he won't make heard in the street his voice.
Here, we find ourselves focused on "how" God wants his servant to operate. What the servant does, he does with a quiet voice. Sometimes, we're tempted to think that the best approach is the one that's loud, and strident. You win arguments, and persuade people, by shouting them down. This isn't what God wants. God wants his servant-- his people-- to speak at a normal volume. Perhaps what we need to say, can be said at a conversational level. Perhaps our words are persuasive, because they are sensible, and wise, and leave room for people to make their own decision. Our tone matters to God; He wants this done in a particular way.
Verse 3a:
(3) A crushed/oppressed (Dt. 28:33) reed he won't break,
while a dim/weak wick he won't extinguish.
The first half of verse 3 can be summed up, perhaps, in one word: "Carefully." God wants his servant to be careful. Lots of people are damaged goods. They've been hurt. They've had hard lives. They find themselves just barely hanging on. God wants his servant-- his people-- to be careful, and gentle. You treat people with kindness, and mercy, so that you don't break what's damaged. You don't snuff out what's dim.
Verse 3b:
Toward the goal of faithfulness (Gen. 24:27)/trustworthiness (Isaiah 43:9) /stability (DCH: Isaiah 39:8; Jer. 14:13; Esther 9:30), he will bring out judgment/justice. [Isaiah 59:8, 9, 14, 15]
What's the goal of the servant's ministry? There's quite a few nuances to this Hebrew word (and I find myself really liking the idea of "stability" here), but I think the overall idea is something like this: the establishment of a society where people live with integrity, where they respect each other and each other's stuff, where people keep their promises to each other, and honor the contracts they make with one another. What I'm describing, is a society that functions the way it should. I can frame this in a way that makes a really obvious connection to the NT. God's servant is supposed to create a place where people speak the truth-- where their yes is yes, and their no is no. Where they keep not just their hands, but also their eyes, off of other people's spouses. Where they not only avoid stealing, but also avoid envy. Where they forgive each other when they fail to do any of this, just as God has forgiven them, so that they can live in peace with one another.
That's the end goal. And how is this accomplished? By producing that tricky word again, "justice." Somehow God's people produce "justice," and this leads to a well-ordered, stable society.
Verse 4:
(4) He won't be dim/weak, [Deuteronomy 34:7]
and he won't be crushed/oppressed until he establishes on the earth justice/judgment,
while for his teaching/torah, the coastlands will wait [Isaiah 51:4].
Verse 4 describes a service done in weakness. God's people are weak, and almost-- but not quite-- crushed. We've already seen that God wants them to be gentle toward the fragile. And now we learn that they are, in some sense, fragile themselves. So the ministry of God's people looks wildly different than the ministry of mystery dude from the east/north. Mystery dude waves a sword, kills lots of people, terrorizing the nations. God's servant serves from a place of vulnerability. And they do this, to what end? What are they establishing? We find that same tricky word a third time: "justice."
Now, let me reread the last line of verse 4:
while for his teaching/torah, the coastlands will wait [Isaiah 51:4].
What does teaching have to do with any of this? How is teaching connected to "justice"?
We find the same idea in Isaiah 51:4. Let's turn there (NRSV is helpful because it translates the same word "torah" as "teaching" here):
4 Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation,
for a teaching will go out from me
and my justice for a light to the peoples.
Teaching and justice seem to be closely connected things. They are used in parallel poetic lines. They almost seem synonymous. How can that be? What does "justice" mean?
One of the meanings of this Hebrew word "misphat" is "rules." Basically, God has expectations for how people ought to live toward himself, and toward each other. God desires that people live in a particular way. There is a way of life that God wants to see. And that way of life is called "misphat."
------------------------------------------------------------------
I might have to circle back to this, and make a rabbit trail sermon on this, based on Isaiah 59. A monster sermon already. On "misphat":
Swanson, DBL: 6. LN 33.333–33.342 law, regulation, prescription, specification, i.e., a spoken or written command which is to be obeyed, often with penalties for non-compliance (Ex 21:1); 9. LN 41.25–41.28 custom, practice, i.e., a behavior which is more or less fixed and accepted as a normal practice (1Sa 2:13);
DCH lists as references where it means "ordinances"/"rules" Exodus 21:1; Lev. 26:46; Num. 36:13; Deut. 4:45; 6:1; 12:1
Isaiah 59 is perhaps the best commentary on this meaning of misphat. A society where misphat exists, is one where people live faithfully toward God, and live in peace and harmony with one another, respecting each other's rights (the "truth"; vs. 15), respecting each other's stuff, respecting each other as human beings. A Sermon on the Mount kind of people.
"Israel's service is to bring justice, the true way of life, to the rest of the world. Misphat, here translated as justice, represents the conception of a rule or law for life. So it points to the idea that God has revealed the right way for men to live together as brethren in peace and concord . . . Misphat certainly does not mean 'religion' in the modern sense of the word, for nowadays the word religion describes only one area or department of human life, in spiritual element, as modern man supposes, over against the everyday material affairs that occupy his attention. The word is used at Ex. 21:1 and at Deut. 12:1, for example, to mean a collection of laws" (G.A. F. Knight, Servant Theology, 44).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've deliberately tried to mess with you a little bit to help you see that this passage is more complicated than it first seems. But now that I've hopefully unsettled you, let me try to help you and put this all together very simply.
In these verses, God is commissioning his people, anointing them, for the purpose of teaching people. There are "rules" that God wants all people, all nations, to live by. There's a better way of life out there, where people can live faithfully, and truthfully, toward each other. Where I respect that your stuff belongs to you, and you respect that my stuff belongs to me. Where we speak with integrity. Where we honor commitments, and treat each other with gentleness, and respect. And where we seek forgiveness, and forgive each other, when we fail to do all of that.
And what God wants, is for his people to teach the nations about all of this. His people will model this behavior, and they will gently, carefully, respectfully, tell people about how to love the one true God, and how to love each other. They will be a light in the darkness, and the nations will find themselves seeing reality-- seeing the world through God's perspective-- for the first time.
God's people may never have much earthly strength. They may always serve from a posture of weakness. But God will give them enough strength to endure. God will make sure they are successful.
With this, we come to verses 5-7. These verses cover much the same ground, but from a different perspective. We've been invited to look at God's servant, and see ourselves from God's perspective. But now God's people are directly addressed. Now, it gets real simple. Real straightforward (except for the super debated expression "covenant of people" in verse 6; NRSV: "Hebrew uncertain"):
(5) Thus has said the God/El Yahweh, The One Creating the heavens,
and the one stretching them out; [Isaiah 40:22; 44:24; 45:12; 51:13]
the one spreading out the earth and its offspring, [Psalm 136:6; Isaiah 44:24]
the one giving breath to the people upon it, [Genesis 2:7]
while a spirit/life (Psalm 104:29-30) to the ones walking in it:
(6) "I [am] Yahweh.
I called/summoned you in/with righteousness, [Isaiah 41:9]
and I grasped your hand, [Isaiah 41:9, 10, 13]
and I created you, [Isaiah 44:2, 21; 49:5]
and I appointed you [Jer. 1:5] as a covenant people, [Isaiah 49:8]
as a light for the nations/Gentiles, [Isaiah 49:6; 51:4]
(7) to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out from the prison/dungeon prisoners,
from the house/place of confinement/imprisonment the ones dwelling in darkness.
In verse 6, God tells you, that everything He's done for you has two main goals. The first, is that you would be a covenant people. The Hebrew here is complicated. The expression here is probably an inverted construct, and if you find yourself really curious about what that means, and how it works, I'm happy to tell you later.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shalom Paul, Isaiah 40–66: Translation and Commentary, Eerdmans Critical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2012), 189:
“A covenant people”—The expression ???? ?? is a reversed construct and should be understood as ?? ???? (“a people of the covenant”); cf. ????? ???? (Lev 2:13) and ???? ????? (Num 18:19); ?????????? ??? (Exod 30:23) and ???? ?????????? (Cant 4:14). (See Y. Avishur, “The Reversed Construct Structure in the Bible, Qumran Scrolls, and Early Jewish Literature,” Leš 57 [1993]: 278–86 [Heb.].) The servant was chosen by God for a dual task. The first mission is a national one, to be a “covenant people”; see also Isa 49:8: “I created you and appointed you a covenant people.” For the 1QIsaa variant ????? ????, “an everlasting covenant” (documented also in a number of medieval Hebrew manuscripts), see 55:3: “And I will make with you an everlasting covenant”; 61:8: “I will make an everlasting covenant with them,” which, in turn, was influenced by God’s eternal covenant with the Davidic lineage, “He made an everlasting covenant with me” (2 Sam 23:5).
ME: Avi Schmidman notes several other examples: "the angriness of his voice"= "his angry voice" (Job 37:2), "evil of your deeds"= "your evil deeds" (Isaiah 1:16) ; Isaiah 2:11; Psalm 65:5; Exodus 15:16; 39:28; Psalm 119:66, "the good of discernment" ="good discernment"; "good of her neck"= good/fair neck (she has a nice neck, lol); "a nakedness of thing"= "a naked thing."
https://www.academia.edu/71033319/Hebrew_Piyyu%E1%B9%AD_and_its_Byzantine_Greek_Influences_The_Case_of_the_Inverted_Construct_Form
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most translations here will have the phrase, "a covenant FOR people," as though God's people are a covenant offered to the nations. The idea would be that they embody the covenant (Genesis 17:4). Kind of like how Jesus doesn't just make life and resurrection possible, but he is life. He is the resurrection. So the idea in this verse would be that God's people don't just offer a covenant to all nations. They are a covenant. All of that's a little mind-bending, but it's possible. But I think the more likely solution here, is that God is simply saying, "You are a covenant people." God made all of you, together, into a covenant people for himself. You have been bound together, like a husband and wife, into a special relationship with Him, where you and God both have responsibilities, and commitments, to each other. God will be a good God to you. You will be a good servant to God. So our calling, at its core, is a calling to a corporate relationship with God. We, as a group, are God's people.
Let's reread that line about appointing again, verse 6:
and I appointed you [Jer. 1:5] as a covenant people, [Isaiah 49:8]
as a light for the nations/Gentiles, [Isaiah 49:6; 51:4; Acts 13:46],
The second half of your calling is to be a light for the nations. So God's people, sixth century B.C., Israel, was appointed to be God's covenant people, and it was appointed to be a light for the nations. So the covenant was never supposed to be exclusive. There was always supposed to an open door, and an invitation, to the nations (Genesis 12:2). To us. There was always room for us, in God's people.
So the idea is that the Gentiles walk in blindness, and darkness, and slavery (Ephesians 2:1-4). And God's people can give Gentiles light, so that they see the truth about God and life, and they can come to God, and come to God's covenant people.
Verses 8-9:
(8) I [am] Yahweh.
That [is] my name,
while my glory, to another, I will not give, ["to another" is focused]
nor/while my praise to the idols. [also paired in v. 12; h/t Shalom Paul]
(9) The former things, LOOK! They have come, [Isaiah 41:22; 44:7; 45:21; 46:10; 48:3]
while the new things I [am] declaring ahead of time. [Isaiah 43:19; 48:6]
They will sprout up/come about.
I will cause you to hear [them].
So the day is coming when God will do this new thing (verse 9). God's covenant people will be a light for the Gentiles, who are ready for this teaching, waiting for it (Isaiah 42:4). New things will sprout up.
I think that's us.
So Yahweh works in a way that gives himself glory, and praise. People from every nation will become part of God's covenant people. They will use the light to turn, and come to God, and his people. They will join in the praise of Yahweh, Creator of all.
Now, I feel like I cheated a little bit here and there (hermeneutically). But let me try to draw the line a little bit more carefully from God's people in 6th century B.C. Israel, to us.
How did God move from Israel in Babylonian captivity, to Gentiles entering into covenant with God, and worshipping him together every Sunday morning?
In Isaiah 42:1-4, God encourages his exiled people to see themselves the way that He does. They are a chosen, beloved, covenant people, who God has appointed to be his servant, to shine as a light to the Gentiles. Their ministry looks nothing like the ministry of Mystery Dude from the east, who we read about last week in Isaiah 41. God's people are called to speak quietly, reasonably. They are called to serve gently, in a way that understands that people are damaged, and vulnerable. Theirs is to be a careful ministry, to be done in kindness, and mercy, and grace. And they are told that the Gentiles are eagerly awaiting this new teaching about "justice"-- about "God's rules for life." There's a better way to live. There's one Creator God, who made them, who they should join themselves to. And what they need is someone to teach them.
Does Israel do this? Does it accept its calling?
If we turn to the NT, we find that Israel has PARTIALLY fulfilled its calling. In the book of Acts, we see lots of people called "God-fearers" walking around. These "God-fearers" are Gentiles (like Cornelius) who have turned from sin, and from idolatry, to serve the one true God. Most of the early Gentile converts came from this group. And this group came into being through God's people Israel. Israel's teaching about the Creator God, and God's covenant expectations, was attractive. The thought of a day off-- a Sabbath-- is attractive. The thought that a chunk of metal or gold can't actually be a god, makes sense. The thought of entering into a covenant with God, was attractive. So lots of Gentiles do this. They join God's people. But most, obviously don't.
Into this, Jesus enters. Jesus knows Isaiah well. And Jesus, as an Israelite, as a Jew, as the Davidic king, understands his calling. He understands that Israel hasn't finished its ministry. Jesus is a member of God's people, and his calling is to gently, carefully, free people from slavery and captivity, to make the blind see (and not only spiritually, as one would expect from Isaiah, but also physically. Jesus gives sight, both ways, John 9). Jesus' calling is to bring justice to the world, not through a sword, but through his teaching. And if "justice" means "God's desired way of life," then Jesus teaches this in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is creating a kingdom of justice, where people live rightly toward God and toward each other.
So Jesus fulfilled God's calling to Israel, to be a gentle servant, who shines a light to all people (Matthew 12:18-21). At the same time, when Jesus ascends to heaven, the job is not yet done. The Gentiles still need to be reached. God still wants his people to serve him, and tell others about God's desired way of life.
And what we see, is that we, the church, God's people, pick up this calling to be a light to the Gentiles. Jesus passes the baton to us. We are still appointed to be God's covenant people. We don't lose the first part. But our job, is to finish the job, working with Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. So we shine as a light for the Gentiles.
There's two places in Acts that I know of, where this calling in Isaiah 40-55 is very clearly shown to the calling not just of Jesus, but of the church. Acts 13:46-48 (this is maybe NIV, no reason), which quotes from Isaiah 49:6:
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded US:
“‘I have made you[f] a light for the Gentiles,
that you[g] may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’[h]”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
Acts 26:19-23 (NRSV updated, no reason):
19 “After that, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision 20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would take place: 23 that the Messiah[f] must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim LIGHT BOTH TO OUR PEOPLE AND TO THE GENTILES.”
Our calling, as God's covenant people, is to work with Jesus, to finish the job. We are to shine as lights to the Gentiles. We are to teach them about "justice"-- about "God's desired way of life." And we don't just teach this; we model it.
--------------------------------------------------------------
A simpler way to describe this, perhaps:
God gives the baton of service/ministry to his people Israel in Babylonian exile.
Israel never really picks up the baton. Half-drops it, at best.
Jesus sees it lying there, in Isaiah 40-55, unfulfilled, and picks it up, and runs with it. He fulfills the baton ministry, as Davidic/Israelite king.
Jesus then passes that baton to us. We serve, with Jesus ("I am with you always"), through the same Spirit.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Picture, if you will, a church that has caught this vision, this dream, for how God desires people to live. Imagine a society that isn't rigged against certain groups of people. Where everyone has the same, equal access to housing, education, transportation, employment. Where there's a fair court system for all, regardless of their political party. Where decisions are made, based on their merit-- on whether nor not they are a good idea. Where people respect property rights, and don't steal. Where people respect marital boundaries, and keep their hands and eyes off each other's spouses. Where people are patient with other, hardly ever angry. And where that anger doesn't spill over into murder, or even nasty words. Where people show each other grace. And where, when people fail to any of this, they seek forgiveness, and they are forgiven. A people who live in harmony with each other.
The idea, is that this is God's kingdom on earth. This is the church. But even beyond this, this is how God wants human society structured. And the idea is that the servant teaches people all this. This isn't teaching just for the church. It's for outsiders. It's for the world. Part of our calling, as God's servant, is to point people to all of this. We do this gently, with grace, and kindness. We do this, remembering that we are speaking to a broken, blind world. And if we shine as lights, we will find that people are eagerly awaiting this teaching.
When we tell the world, "I have a dream of a better looking society," it resonates with people because they see God's wisdom in it. Martin Luther King made sense. And he taught in a way that showed that God's way makes sense.
Now, this is something that makes some evangelicals nervous. We worry that this is "moralism," or "works righteousness." We worry that it's a distraction, because "we should only talk about Jesus and individual salvation."
But reflecting on these verses should make us rethink all of this. When God's people fail to teach "justice"-- fail to point people to "God's desired way of life"-- you end up with a New York City, where squatters have rights over landowners. You end up with Chicago or San Francisco, where organized gangs commit organized crime, and businesses can't stay open.
When we look at the U.S., we should see that outsiders are ready for Jesus' teaching on justice. The vast majority of people understand that this is not working. There has to be a better way.
God's desired way of life has huge societal implications, and part of what draws people to God, is that his way of life resonates with people as being wise, and attractive. That's what caused Gentiles, first century, to become God fearers. And so when Jesus gives the sermon on the mount in the hearing of non-disciples, that's the idea (Matthew 7:1, 28. Outsiders are drawn to God, God's people, Jesus, through our actions, and our teaching. A bit of sanity, in a crazy world.
So let me give you two practical things to maybe rethink. Many of you have coworkers who aren't Christians, who have kids. They are good parents, and they want their kids to grow up to be wise, kind, truthful, hard-working, respectful human beings. They know just enough about Christianity, and the Bible, to know that we teach these things (because we've been shining like lights). They see that we are a group, a little people, who work well together, who help each other, who show grace to each other and to them. When they've wronged us, we've forgiven them. When we wrong them, we seek forgiveness. We live in peace with those around us. Our kids, do the same thing.
And these coworkers want this for their kids. They want their kids to look like our kids. They want their kids to grow up to be good people. And so, what they want to do, is give their kids-- in their words-- "a little religion."
If you find this happening to you, don't poo poo this. Don't be concerned that it doesn't sound quite right theologically. Celebrate it. Your coworkers have seen enough light, to eagerly desire Jesus' teaching. They are being drawn to God, and to Jesus, through the Sermon on the Mount. When newcomers join us, it's often because they've heard this aspect of the good news.
The second practical thing, that we could maybe rethink, goes like this: Part of shining as lights in the world, is gently, carefully, telling people about "justice"-- about God's desired way of life. When your coworker comes up to you and talks about how a state is allowing partial birth abortion, he knows that this is messed up. He knows this is a terrible evil. He's coming to you, because he knows you agree with him. And that's an opportunity to gently, and humbly, teach about how God values human life, and how God is the one who should get to decide when people live or die.
When a coworker comes up to you, appalled at looting, that's an opportunity to gently, and humbly, teach about how it's important to God that property rights are respected.
When a coworker talks about the pornographic books in the children's section of the library, you can talk about how God warns in the Song of Solomon about awakening love before it's ready. What God thinks, is that there's value in waiting to expose kids to sexual things. It's damaging, to expose kids to things before it's necessary.
When you do things like this, you are shining as lights. You are evangelizing. You are shining light on things that your coworkers know are darkness.
I think what I'm trying to encourage you to do, in a very wordy/messy way, is think about evangelism bigger. And when you shine as lights, know that God is upholding you, that you are his chosen people, that God delights in you, and that God has placed his Spirit upon you to empower you for service. You do this with God.
Translation:
(1) LOOK! My servant, [Isaiah 41:8, 9; 34:10; 44:1, 2; 45:4], I am upholding him, [Isaiah 41:10]
my chosen one [Isaiah 41:8, 9; 43:10; 44:1, 2; 45:4], my soul/inner being has delighted in [or:"shown favor toward"].
I have placed my spirit upon him; [Isaiah 44:3; 48:16; 59:21; 61:1]
justice/judgment for the nations/Gentiles he will bring forth.
(2) He won't cry out [in distress/pain; Exodus 5:8; 2 Kings 4:40; Genesis 27:34],
and he won't lift up, [Numbers 14:1; h/t Shalom Paul]
and he won't make heard in the street his voice.
(3) A crushed/oppressed (Dt. 28:33) reed he won't break,
while a dim/weak wick he won't extinguish.
Toward/for the truth, he will bring out judgment/justice.
(4) He won't be dim/weak, [Deuteronomy 34:7]
and he won't be crushed/oppressed until he establishes on the earth justice/judgment,
while for his teaching/torah, the coastlands will wait.
(5) Thus has said the God/El Yahweh, The One Creating the heavens,
and the one stretching them out; [Isaiah 40:22; 44:24; 45:12; 51:13]
the one spreading out the earth and its offspring, [Psalm 136:6; Isaiah 44:24]
the one giving breath to the people upon it, [Genesis 2:7]
while a spirit/life (Psalm 104:29-30) to the ones walking in it:
(6) "I [am] Yahweh.
I called/summoned you in/with righteousness, [Isaiah 41:9]
and I grasped your hand, [Isaiah 41:9, 10, 13]
and I created you, [Isaiah 44:2, 21; 49:5]
and I appointed you [Jer. 1:5] as a covenant people,
as a light for the nations/Gentiles, [Isaiah 49:6; 51:4]
(7) to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out from the prison/dungeon prisoners,
from the house/place of confinement/imprisonment the ones dwelling in darkness.
(8) I [am] Yahweh.
That [is] my name,
while my glory, to another, I will not give, ["to another" is focused]
nor/while my praise to the idols. [also paired in v. 12; h/t Shalom Paul]
(9) The former things, LOOK! They have come, [Isaiah 41:22; 44:7; 45:21; 46:10; 48:3]
while the new things I [am] declaring ahead of time. [Isaiah 43:19; 48:6]
They will sprout up/come about.
I will cause you to hear [them].
