Exposition by Max A Forsythe
One of my favorite scenes in Shakespeare's play Henry V is the one described by the playwright as a touch of Harry in the night. In that scene, the King has donned a hooded cape and makes the rounds of his camp listening to and talking with his troops. Certainly, his main purpose was to get a feel for morale as he planned the battle of the morrow. But it would seem that even as he measured and encouraged their resolution, the troops gained strength through guessing that the king had been in their midst. He even walked the muddy lanes of Normandy and suffered the same diet and diseases. This shared suffering forged a bond between nobles and commoners in the first modern missile army of our era.
In another example of what we are getting at today, there was a story of an ant king. It was a children's book about a boy who so loved and cared for his ants in their glass universe that he found a magic way to go to them in their form and tell them how much he cared for them. Is it any surprise that we can see an outline of the gospel story here? Certainly we can see "the second servant song" in verses one to seven. But there is more in this chapter; verse six is sometimes called the great commission of Isaiah's prophecy. Paul and Barnabas even quote the last two lines of that verse to indicate their sharing of the task of being a "light for the Gentiles". But even as we might meditate on the means of our sharing that ministry, we may well wonder how we can be of any particular use to the Lord God of the universe.
As I begin to try to answer that question, I would hope that you would all agree that if we are to reflect the goodness and glory of God the Father, we would do well to imitate the life, words and work of His Son Jesus Christ. In order to accomplish that calling we need to know from the mind of God what He intended to do through Jesus. His intention we find in Isaiah 49: 6: "I will make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." By this we may know that just as God has certainly created our earth, so He has a purpose that will be accomplished within His sovereign will. If you still have your outline of Isaiah you may note that today we move beyond the chapters which detail Isaiah's revelations concerning the Sovereignty of God in, over and above His creation.
In today's chapter we move into the study of salvation as it is revealed through our prophet. Our verses here certainly describe the suffering servant who we know as Jesus Christ. In the first of these verses we see the eternity of Christ's calling, and in the second we see that there is a purpose in that calling. That purpose is revealed in verse three. There we see that the servant is to reveal God's glorious splendor. And that splendor, we are told in our text, is that God's Son will become the light to enlighten the Gentiles. This enlightenment, or shining forth, which better describes the process, lifts us from the common religious searches for truth and philosophical debates, such as the Veritas forum coming our way in a few weeks.
We are lifted, instead, by a restoration accomplished by God Himself. This is the reality of the truth that John says will save us from sin in John 8:32. The second section of Isaiah forty-nine describes this help which is promised from the Lord. The "you" here and throughout our passage is Jesus Himself. Look carefully at lines four and five of verse eight: "I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people." This is to be the final means of restoration for God's people. This New Covenant is to be the means of salvation for those who are captive and those who are in the darkness of sin. "Be free!" declares the Servant of the Lord.
And as the captives leave Babylon or sin behind, Isaiah is promised that the captives will be fed and watered by the Lord in their journey. Just as we must see here that the Lord will indeed guide Israel back from Babylon, we must also comprehend that we, as part of the Gentiles, are also in mind. The thoughts of David's twenty-third psalm are also here in this passage as we hear echoes of still waters and such. We must also see the promise of the fulfillment of verse six as well in the coming of the Lord's elect from afar. The word translated as the region of Aswan might also be an allusion to China. So the calling is to the ultimate southern or eastern ends of the earth in Isaiah's time.
Verse thirteen is a call to acclamation, to shouting for joy because the Lord through His amazing mercy is calling His people home. But how do the Lord's people respond? In verse fourteen we see Zion's attitude. "The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." Well may we echo these statements in the declining culture of our day. Our cultural understanding gives a certain irony to the next verse. Read verse fifteen in wonder. "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?" Even if such a wicked and perverse thing is being accomplished, God will not forget His own people. Like many of my students who have longed for the phone number of that special someone, God writes our name on the palms of His hand. Even our wayward children may be called back as well in the midst of the wasted worldlings who are going the opposite direction.
Like Abraham of old we are encouraged to lift up our eyes and look around at those who are coming into Christ's kingdom with you. Generation by generation, the kingdom increases. Some families have a Christmas habit of adding an ornament to their tree each and every year that they celebrate our Lord's birth. By old age, the tree is well decorated by loving memories, each of which reminds them of a Christmas past. Like Abraham, we may look forward to the future, when the results of our witness is multiplied by the passage of time. Even the greatest missionaries were witnessed to by someone else acting on behalf of our God and King. Even though Israel or America may be ruined and made desolate, the children of the promise who will come after will not fit in the promised land. Well may Israel exclaim "where have they [all] come from?"
In verse twenty-two the Lord answers Israel. God has called, He has raised up His banner and to that Christ has come the elect of every clime and nation. By this coming will true Israel know that God is indeed the Lord. God's very rescue of the Jews from Babylon, as well as the rescue of Gentiles from pagan faiths, is indicative that our God is a saving God. And because of His salvation to some, the worldly will turn upon themselves, eat their own flesh and drink their own blood.
May we be fortunate to know of God's plan in this life. May we by His grace understand that the very God of heaven took on the form of the Servant to reveal Himself. And may we be willing to humble ourselves in the face of the Lord and admit our need for the Covenant in Christ's body and blood. If we will not know that, then we would be lost not only for the present, but for all time as well. May we count it a blessing this day that the Lord has brought us to Himself through Jesus Christ.
Resources Used:
Ellis, Charles..
The Wells of Salvation.
Thomas, Derek..
Welwyn Commentary Series: God Delivers.
Young, Edward J.
The Book of Isaiah.
Youngblood, Ronald F. The Book of Isaiah: An
Introductory Commentary.
The Holy Bible.
New International Version (1984 Edition)
NOTE: I am not able to automatically
recommend any future editions.
Christ Covenant Reformed (Presbyterian Church in America) -
Box 13926 - Columbus, OH 43213
(c) 2001
16 October 1994
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.