My God is Gracious

We continue on studying Isaiah’s predictions of the day when Judah would go off into Babylonian Captivity. Why does God give predictive prophecy to His people?

One writer has said:

It calls people into obedience, realizing that there will be positive future consequences.

It encourages faith; God cannot be caught off guard.

It proves God’s trustworthiness when the predicted comes to pass.

God’s Gracious Servant

Isaiah 42:1–9 HCSB

1 “This is My Servant; I strengthen Him, this is My Chosen One; I delight in Him. I have put My Spirit on Him; He will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry out or shout or make His voice heard in the streets. 3 He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick; He will faithfully bring justice. 4 He will not grow weak or be discouraged until He has established justice on earth. The islands will wait for His instruction.” 5 This is what God, Yahweh, says— who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk on it — 6 “I, Yahweh, have called You for a righteous purpose, and I will hold You by Your hand. I will keep You and appoint You to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations, 7 in order to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those sitting in darkness from the prison house. 8 I am Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols. 9 The past events have indeed happened. Now I declare new events; I announce them to you before they occur.”

This is clearly a prediction that God would send Jesus, Messiah

God would give a gentle, servant Messiah to establish Justice on the earth 1-4

Justice in the OT is more comprehensive that just establishing righteousness and punishing wicked. It is broader and includes the thought of setting things in right order. Jesus does this by showing grace to those who receive him, and by eventually judging and punishing those who do not.

God would empower this Servant because he has all power. 5-7

God would not let any other “god” get the credit or the glory that belong to God alone. 8-9

Mankind’s Glorious Song

Isaiah 42:10–17 HCSB

10 Sing a new song to the Lord; sing His praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea with all that fills it, you islands with your inhabitants. 11 Let the desert and its cities shout, the settlements where Kedar dwells cry aloud. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy; let them cry out from the mountaintops. 12 Let them give glory to the Lord and declare His praise in the islands. 13 The Lord advances like a warrior; He stirs up His zeal like a soldier. He shouts, He roars aloud, He prevails over His enemies. 14 “I have kept silent from ages past; I have been quiet and restrained Myself. But now, I will groan like a woman in labor, gasping breathlessly. 15 I will lay waste mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation. I will turn rivers into islands and dry up marshes. 16 I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on paths they have not known. I will turn darkness to light in front of them and rough places into level ground. This is what I will do for them, and I will not forsake them. 17 They will be turned back and utterly ashamed— those who trust in idols and say to metal-plated images: You are our gods!

Isaiah taught that when realize the God is willing and able to do something about your sin problem and desires to show you love, you SING ABOUT IT!

In Isaiah’s theology, the singing of a new song was not something to be met with disdain. Quite the opposite was true. God was at work. He was doing something worth singing about.

Isaiah didn’t want God’s people to sing familiar old songs with sentimental attachment to the past, but a new song sung as heartfelt worship for what God was doing in the present.

Isaiah insists that this new song should be sung for at least three reasons.

Because God prevails over His enemies

Because God leads His people

Because God rules over idols.

Judah’s Godless State

Isaiah 42:18–25 HCSB

18 “Listen, you deaf! Look, you blind, so that you may see. 19 Who is blind but My servant, or deaf like My messenger I am sending? Who is blind like My dedicated one, or blind like the servant of the Lord? 20 Though seeing many things, you do not obey. Though his ears are open, he does not listen.” 21 The Lord was pleased, because of His righteousness, to magnify His instruction and make it glorious. 22 But this is a people plundered and looted, all of them trapped in holes or imprisoned in dungeons. They have become plunder with no one to rescue them and loot, with no one saying, “Give it back!” 23 Who among you will pay attention to this? Let him listen and obey in the future. 24 Who gave Jacob to the robber, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the Lord? Have we not sinned against Him? They were not willing to walk in His ways, and they would not listen to His instruction. 25 So He poured out on Jacob His furious anger and the power of war. It surrounded him with fire, but he did not know it; it burned him, but he paid no attention.

Please hear this: We have a tendency to want to claim the OT promises given to Israel, but skip the OT judgments and condemnation.

As we read what God does for His people in the OT whether good or bad, we need to see the universal character of God, and the universal plight of mankind.

These verses make it clear that God didn’t show kindness to Judah or to us because they or we deserve it. He has some pretty harsh things to say.

Grace is undeserved.

Wrath is deserved.

Grace is unmerited favor.

Grace is God’s righteousness at Christ’s expense.

God is willing to redeem you, to save you from your sins.. You haven’t done something that put you out of reach of the cross. You need to turn to Him.

Application.

Thank God for Jesus, His Servant that was sent to save us us.

Worship Him (Sing… stay consistent.. choir)

Look at your sin honestly. If you hide it God will reveal it.. If you confess it God will cleanse it!