“God’s chosen one”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Monday, April 14, 2025
Isaiah 42: 1-9 (Forward, p. 75) CEV p. 735
With regards to today’s passage there has long been a furious debate, and yet it is not yet over. The debate concerns the identity of God’s servant as described here. Some suggest that it refers to the nation of Israel, others to a specific individual and some to both. It is the first of four Servant Songs found in the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-9: 49: 1-6; 50:4-11 and 52:13-53:12).
Certainly, it can be said, without any doubt or hesitation that Israel is chosen by God and is certainly an instrument used by God. After all, God’s promise to Abraham was that through his offspring the entire world would be blessed (Genesis 18:18). But whether Israel would bring justice to the world (see verses 1 & 4 of this passage) or bring prisoners out of the dungeon or open eyes that are blind (verse 7) is somewhat questionable.
As for being an individual, the character qualities said of this person are really quite remarkable. This person would not, in the least way, be outwardly flamboyant, or remarkable in always calling attention to Himself. No, He would quietly and faithfully go about doing His work. Indeed, His most salient characteristic would be compassion: “a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench” (verse 3). Many, many people are at the end of their wits, almost ready to give up, ready to say goodbye to it all, and this servant would be aware of it and rescue them in their extreme peril.
But this is not all: as we proceed along with these Servant Songs, we find them becoming more and more detailed as to what that servant will be like, and increasingly we find Him suffering vicariously for Israel, and for the sins and iniquity of Israel. As while Israel certainly has suffered grievously over the centuries, it must be a matter of intense debate as to whether it can suffer redemptively for its own sins.
And so the general conclusion from many sides is that it refers to an individual, and, as far as Christians are concerned, to Jesus. Indeed, is not compassion, compassion especially towards the most vulnerable in society, one of His most noteworthy characteristics? Indeed, He is the new thing that God promises to bring forth (verse 9). Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights” (verse 1a).
“We begin Holy Week with the poetry of Isaiah. There is great comfort in this poetry of the homecoming of the exiles from Babylon, a reminder that Jesus, too, was something of an exile.
“Just as the Hosannas of yesterday quickly disappear this week, this promise of protection fades as the week goes on. Jesus’s betrayal, arrest, trial, and torture lie ahead. Can we really believe the eyes of the blind will be opened and the prisoners will be brought from the dungeons? Can we believe that love will overcome hate and peace will prevail? With each day, we struggle more to believe that God’s plan for this hurting world will be enacted.
“I long to skip to the part of the story where ‘the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare’ (Isaiah 42:9). Hungry for justice, I will watch and wait, sharing in the pain of what lies ahead and struggling wearily to light the way.”
Moving Forward: “How will you walk with Jesus during this Holy Week?”