Isaiah 42:1-4

The Voice

42 Eternal One: Look here, let Me present My servant;
I have taken hold of him. He is My chosen, and I delight in him.
I have put My Spirit on him; by this he will bring justice to the nations.

This poem is the first of several Servant Songs. God’s special Servant is described in various ways. In this song (42:1–9), the Servant is portrayed as one who faithfully establishes justice in the world and serves as a light for the nations. In the second song (49:1–13), the Servant is called from the womb and ordained to restore the nation of Israel and take salvation to the ends of the earth. In the third song (50:4–9), the Servant is portrayed as a teacher, intimately in touch with God, yet brutally beaten and disgraced by his enemies. In the fourth song (52:13–53:12), the suffering and rejection of God’s Servant takes priority over his other tasks; yet even in his suffering God is working to repair the world from the harm done by sin and evil.

²Eternal One: He will not scream or yell,
        crying out for all to hear.
³    What is bruised and bent, he will not break;
        he will not blow out a smoldering candle.
    Rather, he will faithfully turn his attention to doing justice.
⁴    And though he faces obstacles, resistance, and great pressure,
        he will not crack; he will not give up until things are set right.
    Even the coastlands wait patiently for his instruction.