Day 5 — Isaiah 42:10-25 Blind Servant, Righteous God
Opening prayer
Heavenly Father, please give me ears to hear your word and eyes to see your purposes. Expose my spiritual blindness, and lead me into the joy of your saving work in Jesus. Amen.
Headline
The world is called to sing because God is doing a new thing, but God’s own servant people must first face their blindness and sin.
Isaiah 42:10-25
10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
you islands, and all who live in them.
11 Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
and proclaim his praise in the islands.
13 The Lord will march out like a champion,
like a warrior he will stir up his zeal;
with a shout he will raise the battle cry
and will triumph over his enemies.
14 “For a long time I have kept silent,
I have been quiet and held myself back.
But now, like a woman in childbirth,
I cry out, I gasp and pant.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills
and dry up all their vegetation;
I will turn rivers into islands
and dry up the pools.
16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake them.
17 But those who trust in idols,
who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’
will be turned back in utter shame.
18 “Hear, you deaf;
look, you blind, and see!
19 Who is blind but my servant,
and deaf like the messenger I send?
Who is blind like the one in covenant with me,
blind like the servant of the Lord?
20 You have seen many things, but you pay no attention;
your ears are open, but you do not listen.”
21 It pleased the Lord
for the sake of his righteousness
to make his law great and glorious.
22 But this is a people plundered and looted,
all of them trapped in pits
or hidden away in prisons.
They have become plunder,
with no one to rescue them;
they have been made loot,
with no one to say, “Send them back.”
23 Which of you will listen to this
or pay close attention in time to come?
24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot,
and Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not the Lord,
against whom we have sinned?
For they would not follow his ways;
they did not obey his law.
25 So he poured out on them his burning anger,
the violence of war.
It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand;
it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.
Comment
Yesterday we met God’s perfect Servant. He is gentle, Spirit-filled, faithful, and determined. He will bring justice to the nations and be “a light for the Gentiles” (v.6). So what should happen next?
Singing.
Isaiah says, “Sing to the LORD a new song” (v.10). That is exactly the right response to the “new things” God has announced (v.9). If God is sending his Servant to bring light to the nations, then the whole world should burst into praise.
And that is exactly what Isaiah calls for. The sea is to roar. The islands are to rejoice. The wilderness, the towns, the villages, and the mountaintops are all summoned to give glory to the LORD (vv.10–12). The mission of the Servant is not a small, private, local thing. It is good news for the whole creation.
But then the song turns into battle music. The LORD is pictured as a warrior: “The LORD will march out like a champion, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal” (v.13). This may sound surprising after yesterday’s description of the gentle Servant. But God’s gentleness towards the bruised reed does not mean indifference to evil. If justice is to be established, then oppression, idolatry, blindness, and darkness must be confronted.
God himself now speaks. For a long time, he says, he has kept silent. But now he will act with the intensity of a woman in labour (v.14). New life is coming, but not without pain, effort, and upheaval. He will lay waste the mountains, dry up the pools, lead the blind by ways they have not known, and turn darkness into light before them (vv.15–16).
And then comes one of the most beautiful promises in the passage: “These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them” (v.16).
That is grace. God’s people have not deserved his faithfulness. They have often refused to listen, failed to see, and turned aside to idols. But the LORD will not abandon his purpose. He will not forsake his people.
Yet before they can fully receive this joy, they must face their shame. From verse 18, the language of blindness and deafness changes direction. The nations need light, yes. But so does Israel. God’s own servant people are described as blind and deaf: “Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send?” (v.19).
That is a painful diagnosis. Israel had received God’s law. They had been given his word, his promises, his covenant, and his calling. They were meant to be a light to the nations. But instead, they had failed to listen and failed to obey. Their exile was not an accident of history. It was the result of sin: “Who handed Jacob over to become loot, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned?” (v.24).
Isaiah is not rubbing their noses in failure for the sake of it. He is acting like a pastor. He wants God’s people to see the truth so that they might repent. Shame is not the final destination, but sometimes it is a necessary doorway into grace.
The contrast with Jesus is unavoidable. Israel is the blind and deaf servant. Jesus is the perfect Servant. Israel fails to be a light to the nations. Jesus becomes the light of the world. Israel suffers for its own sin. Jesus suffers for the sins of others.
Why does God want me to hear this today? Because I can be very slow to see my own blindness. I can rejoice in God’s mission to the world, while ignoring the ways I have stopped listening to his word. But God’s diagnosis is mercy, not cruelty. He exposes sin so that I will stop trusting myself and start trusting his perfect Servant. In Jesus, God has not forsaken me. He brings light to my darkness, forgiveness to my shame, and joy that is worth singing about.
Reflect
- Where might I be spiritually blind or deaf to God’s word at the moment?
- Why is it important to hold together both the joy of God’s salvation and the shame of our sin?
- How does Jesus, the perfect Servant, give hope to failed servants like us?
Closing prayer
Almighty God, thank you that you do not forsake your people. Please forgive my blindness, deafness, and disobedience. Thank you for Jesus, your perfect Servant, who brings light to the nations and mercy to sinners. Help me to hear your word, turn from my sin, and sing with joy at your salvation. Amen.
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