January 16, 2019: Day 46 – Isaiah 42

Once again a very significant chapter in Isaiah.  This is the Scripture that Jesus read while he was in his home synagogue in Nazareth.  There is talk about liberating the poor and the oppressed in this chapter.   There is talk in this chapter that would automatically label the person saying it as a bleeding heart whose only concern is pie in the sky.  But it is Scripture and it is powerful and it leads us to reconsider, I hope, the priorities that we have set as a culture.

This is also considered a suffering servant Scripture.  There are number of them in Isaiah that describe a suffering servant that is supposed to be predictive of who Jesus came to be.  I find it fascinating the way in which the Messiah, Jesus, was portrayed.  He was seen in vs.1-4 as someone who has the Spirit of the Lord upon him.  Now notice this progression of thought.  He is seen as someone who brings justice to the nations, so by default our mind goes to someone who is strong and governs with strength.  But then it is followed up with he will not cry or lift up his voice.  It states that a bruised reed he does not break.  He will not even quench a dimly burning wick.  His meekness is exemplary, and yet in vs.3 it concludes that thought by saying that he will faithfully bring forth justice.

How does someone who doesn’t speak loudly, someone who is not boastful, someone who doesn’t toot their own horn, someone who doesn’t make other people look bad, someone who doesn’t insist on their own way govern effectively?  Don’t you have to be pompous and strong, and braggadocios in order to get something done?  Don’t you have to insist on your own way if you want to get anything accomplished?  Apparently the Christly example that we have which actually works says all of those things are self defeating.   We could potentially be seeing it played out right now in our historical moment in which we find ourselves.  

Servant leadership is seen as the way to lead in all avenues of life.  What a thought.