“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, and I am pleased with him. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will reveal justice to the nations.” - Isaiah 42:1
Isaiah may have wondered about the identity of this servant. Some say Isaiah was writing of the Jewish people in exile; some say the prophets. Others say the servant was Cyrus, king of Persia, whom the Scriptures acknowledge as an instrument used by God on Israel’s behalf (Isaiah 45:1).
However, most commentators agree that the role of the servant in this verse is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The servant is described as upheld by God even while God lays a charge upon him, as masters do with faithful servants. Christ is elected for the service to which he came, and he dwells deeply in God’s love. Peter describes Christ Jesus as a chosen cornerstone of God’s building (1 Peter 2:6-7). “This is my beloved Son,” God announced at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:17). “He is precious to God who chose him,” Peter wrote (1 Peter 2:4).
Is God’s servant, Jesus Christ, precious to you? Or is he merely a name in a book, a founder of a church, a historical character, or a nice idea? If Jesus is chosen and precious to God, then it follows that he should be chosen and precious to you.
How personal is your relationship with Jesus Christ? You can’t have a relationship with God without first loving Jesus, who is “the way” (John 14:6). Once you begin such a relationship, you will spend the rest of your life realizing that you too are chosen and precious to God. What a wonderful way to live!
For Further Study: Isaiah 42:1-17
Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Women, Copyright ©2000 by Jill Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
For more from Jill Briscoe, please visit TellingtheTruth.org.
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