Introduction: This morning I was in one of my favorite sections of Scripture–Isaiah 42. Why is it a favorite? Well, it is magnficent in its subject matter. It is about God’s unfolding covenantal purpose to bring the Redeemer, what the passage terms the Lord’s chosen servant.

Words matter. The reality of God’s choosing in Scripture is overt. The reality of God’s covenants in Scripture is overt. The reality of promise and fulfillment in Scripture is overt. And Isaiah 42 contains all of those.

Verse 1 of the chapter is straightforward: “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” (Isaiah 42:1, ESV).

Question: Why should we care? Well, how’s this for a start? Since God has spoken, we should listen. The alternative is that there’s no divine revelation, and you are just molecules in motion. How comforting. But honest people know the deal; they know they’re not just molecules in motion. That’s why laws are legislated; that’s why people vote for ‘justice’, despite how imperfectly they understand that term or its foundation/genesis. Honest people know.

Connection to Our Day: I was listening to a podcast recently of a woman who was raised in Islam, later fled for her life, embraced atheism for a season, then came to see to the despair of atheism, and has now been gripped by the gospel, and is a writer and Christian thinker. (Her name is Ayaan Hirsi Ali; she is easy to find on the social media of your choice.) In her being interviewed by an atheist host, I was impressed with her kindness and patience with the solipsism of her interviewer, with the ways in which he contradicted himself whilst remaining blind to it. It reminded me of how often we sinners do that. We complain of injustice, but we have scant idea of who defines justice and just how just holiness is.

Connection to the New Testament: Then my mind took me right to the glaring connections to the gospel. Just a few of the places that Isaiah 42 and the interview reminded me of follow. Remember now, God’s choosing, God’s servant, God’s covenant, and redemption:

• Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12, ESV).
• “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5, ESV).
• “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32, ESV).

Encouragement & Takeaway: Back in Isaiah 42, Scripture records these words of God: “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness” (v. 6a, ESV). And then this wisdom:

“Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of them.” (Isaiah 42:9, ESV)

God revealed the future in the past, in other words. He is the covenant-making, covenant-keeping God. He promised his servant, the suffering servant, the conquering servant, the servant-savior of sinners. And that promised servant and savior is also the redeemer, you see, and it’s why Christmas holy days are upon us, because Christ has come. He is the hero of the one coherent story.