Advent Devotions: Sunday, December 16, 2018

Isaiah 42:1-9                                                            The Savior is Coming

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
   my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
   he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
   or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
   and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
   he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
   until he has established justice in the earth;
   and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

Thus says God, the Lord,
   who created the heavens and stretched them out,
   who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
   and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
   I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
   a light to the nations,
   to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
   from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord, that is my name;
   my glory I give to no other,
   nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
   and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
   I tell you of them.

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Before I could wrote this devotion, I had to do a little background on Isaiah. I knew he was a prophet that wrote the Old Testament book with his name but that is about all I knew. So, I checked out some sources on Google.com and found some interesting information.

The name Isaiah means “The Lord Saves” and the Bible verse Isaiah 42: 1-4 is one of the servant songs. Isaiah was called to his ministry around 740 BC.

When Babylon defeated and conquered the kingdom of Judah, destroying the temple and plundering Israel’s treasures, they took them into bondage. The Israelites were completely devastated….they felt as though God had abandoned them!

Theologians have argued over the centuries as to what is the meaning of these verses.  Does the verses reference to the servant mean the Israelites or do they refer to the coming of our Savior, Jesus the Christ.

When I read these Old Testament verses, they foretell the coming and promise of our Savior, not just our Savior as Christians, but the world’s Savior. Verse 1 says “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight;” This sounds very familiar doesn’t it?? When Jesus was baptized the voice from heaven said the same thing, perhaps different words, but essentially the same. Jesus came into this world quietly as a new born babe, and His ministry did not “shout or cry out, nor did He raise His voice”. Jesus never trod on a bruised reed (human being with faults/defects) but He was ever “faithful” in His efforts as man and God to bring forth justice to the world.  Isaiah 42:5-6, reminds us that “he who created the heavens and stretched them out…..has called us in righteousness.” Verse 8, reminds me of the First Commandment, where the LORD says, “I am the Lord thy God, thou shall have no other Gods before me!” Finally, verse 9, says to me past things are past, but there is a new beginning (very similar wording in Revelations). This new thing/beginning is the promise of a Savior for all the nations, Israelites, Gentiles and ALL of God’s beloved. We are All beloved children of God and Christ was sent to save us ALL!  Jesus is the Savior, I believe, His coming was foretold in Isaiah 42:1-9.

Heavenly Father, this Advent, please, be with all your creation and help us to prepare our hearts and minds for a thankful, loving celebration of the gift of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Kathie Ruhs is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Brewster, NY