Isaiah Lesson 52

Upholds the law which this is expected to make the Supreme Court. But with the Mississippi one going on how much are they gonna gonna hear. But there's a lot lot going on. Sometimes they'll collapse cases together.

Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. Now this one was also interesting. There are a couple of professors That are involved in this. One of them is I think Stanford. I'm trying to remember where they're from. The mantra of diversity equity and inclusion or DEI Has becoming increasingly dominant in higher education.

But two professors have created an alternative to DEI called merit fairness and equality or MFE. MFE would evaluate university applicants based on their merit and Qualifications alone and treat them as individuals rather than members of a group like DEI does.

The two professors told a college fix in an email. Professor Dorian Abbott at the University of Chicago and professor Irvin Marinovich of Stanford both teamed up together. So this is this is. This is the counter movement.

The one guy was scheduled to be a featured speaker at MIT.

Hmm.

Not because of MFE but because of his particular specialty. But MIT found out about his involvement with MFE and said no. But Princeton took him on and it's a virtual and the they had to expand the zoom Capacity for the number of people that want to hear this guy speak.

So, what does MFE stand for again?

Merit. Merit fairness and equality.

Okay, as opposed to diversity equality. Yeah, you notice how they changed it from D-I-E to D-E-I. All right, John, would you open us in prayer? We'll get into Isaiah. Dear Father God.

We see so much happening in the world around us and we do rejoice in places where your truth seems to be Standing up, but we know Lord that in the time of Isaiah truth was proclaimed The very very truth of you.

You are the cornerstone you you are the you are our rock Lord as we open up Isaiah's path Through Jeff teaches us this morning bring it into our hearts. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

Israel’s Calling to Bless the Nations

As.

You go sharing the gospel at times you'll encounter Jewish people who do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah. So, where would you go? First of all in the scripture to teach them about the Messiah Jesus 53.

I knew everybody would say that and that is probably the best place to go of all the places that where scripture has led Unbelieving Jews to faith in Christ. Isaiah 53 has got to be the top among them, but did you know?

That Genesis would be good. Yes start from the beginning. Yes, there's Trinitarianism in Genesis 1 26 to 28, did you know that Isaiah 53 is actually the fourth servant song. Hmm there are actually four servant songs in Isaiah and 52 13 through the end of 53 is the fourth.

The first one is the one we turn to today. So we get our first servant song the next two and three are 49 1 to 13 and then 54 to 11 and then the fourth servant song of Isaiah is The famous one Isaiah 53 where all of us would go to share the gospel with an unbelieving Jew.

But this morning we go to 42 now before we dive into that. Why was Israel created? What was God's intention in the creation of Israel, of course? His overall intention includes the full plan that he had.

Even the rejection of most Jews of their own Messiah was all planned.

I see a twofold purpose first to glorify himself. Amen.

Second to have a family. To have a family. Okay good.

I think they're also commanded to share.

And bring that news to the nations and to bring that news to the nation. It's very good. And that's where I was going with it. Israel was created To mediate blessing to the ends of the earth that the entire earth would be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God.

As the waters cover the sea now when when Israel was created Genesis 12 they were to Mediate that blessing to the nations. Did they ever fulfill that as a people? No, they never did they would always fall short and remain insular.

In fact, if you go to Exodus 19, which we studied last week on Sunday morning You have God appearing to Moses to give the law and he tells Moses that he's choosing Israel as his children as his people because The whole earth is mine.

He says the entire earth is his but he's choosing a special people that through Abraham would mediate blessing to the nations. So this was to be Israel's role now. Israel, however Was made up of sinners and so at every point of Exodus 20 where the law is given Israel falls short and fails to bless the nation so what we have in the fourth sermon Psalms is Regarded by the Jewish unbeliever as referring to Israel even Isaiah 53 where it gets really hard to maintain because the the singular pronouns and and many Contextual issues there that don't look like Israel per se.

However, there's something right about what they're seeing Israel was to mediate blessing to the world but failing to do that as God knew they would Always intended that he himself would come in the person of Christ as the ideal Israel as The true Israel and keeping the law perfectly Jesus himself Then would do what the people failed to do and couldn't do so we will see kind of this twofold Interpretation where the Jewish person is saying no, this is only about Israel.

We're not to say no that has nothing to do with Israel. But rather we're to see deeper layers of meaning and Israel the ideal Israel can only be fulfilled in Christ. Christ is the ideal Israel now, you will see some clues in here, especially in verse 5.

No, I'm sorry verse 6 of Isaiah 42 when we get to it, you're gonna see it's already using a singular pronoun. So the you there is I think already referring to the Christ. Let's get into it. So here is the first Servant song.

John, would you just read it through for us so we can hear the reading of God's Word? Paul tells Timothy devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture. So let's just read it through and then we'll just pause it Just tonight 42 1 to 9.

Yeah, that's the servants on behold.

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 aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street a bruised reed.

He will not break and a family and a faintly burning wick. He will not quench. He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth and the coastlands wait for his law.

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 on it and spirit to those who walk in it. I am the Lord.

I have called you in righteousness. I will take you by the hand and keep you. I will give you as a covenant for the people a light for the nations to open the eyes That are blind to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon from the prison.

Who's those who sit in darkness? I am the Lord that is my name my glory I give to no other nor my praise to carve. I'll behold before the thing former things have come to pass and new things I now declare before they spring forth.

I tell you of them.

Justice to the nations. A light to the nations. This was to be Israel. When do you think was the closest that Israel got to fulfilling this role? Being a light to the nations. A Magnet that the peoples would come and see the light during King Solomon's.

King Solomon's rule undoubtedly. Yeah, that's the high point. You know as David hands off the kingdom of course Solomon there falls into sin and and errors and before long the kingdom is divided and The the light to the nations becomes almost like a long-lost dream.

Now interestingly through Christ you see that accomplishment when Christ comes into the world. The world is in darkness. The Roman Empire is a wicked pagan empire over the earth. But Christ himself comes and his people like a mustard seed grow and bring light wherever the gospel goes eventually conquering Rome and then all of Europe and Western civilization is built on on Christ and The law of God and then to the new world.

And then as missions go now to the ends of the earth you see this Role being fulfilled through Christ and his people. But Israel has never accomplished that purpose. So Christ then is the true ideal Israel in verse 1.

Let's take it one at a time and each of these verses has just incredible Prophecy about the coming Messiah, so we want to look at our Savior through the eyes of an Old Testament prophet. First behold my servant.

My servant. Four things about a servant. One servants are there to do the will of another. Two servants are there to please another. Third servants do work assigned by another. And fourth Servants are there to glorify another.

A servant is building the house and the name of the master not his own name. So let's look at Jesus as a fulfillment of the first servant song. Somebody fine for me. John. John 434. Lori, would you mind.

And Then if we'll just go around Barb, do you want to do John 530? Carol would you want to do John 17 for? Kristen John 1331. We'll just take one of the Representative verses. Let's hear about Jesus and how he was that true servant that was prophesied.

Yes.

Finishes work. Do you not say there are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you lift up your eyes and look at the fields for they are already white for harvest.

Very good. Just right there is perfect. Yeah. Yeah right there is wonderful. And then the first sentence there that you read his food is to do the will of his father. Jesus comes as a servant of the father.

So we have him doing the will the will of his father. Secondly a true servant is there to please another John 530.

Or by myself. I can do nothing I judge only as I hear and my judgment is just for I seek not to please myself. But him who sent me.

It's the heart of a servant he's there to please not himself But his father Carol to do the work assigned by another John 17 for How does he bring glory by doing Everything you told me to do. He's not doing his own work.

He's doing what was assigned to him by the father. He's a servant hearted leader. And then lastly John 1331 to glorify another we also saw that in John 17 for glorifying the father. But Kristen when he was gone, Jesus said now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him.

Amen, so in the glorification of Jesus, he is glorifying his father. He's there to glorify the father in the work that he's called to do. So John presents Jesus as a servant doing the will of another glorifying another doing the work Of another and pleasing another and of course that other is none other than Yahweh.

So if we go back to Isaiah 42 verse 1 The father is speaking and he says behold my servant whom I uphold. He's the servant of Yahweh. He's there for the will and the pleasure and the assignment and the glorification of his father Whom I uphold my chosen in whom my soul delights I Have put my spirit upon him.

He will bring forth justice to the nation's. Immediately when I read those words my mind went to the baptism of Jesus. Because there as he's brought under the water and comes out a light from heaven and then the spirit descending upon him like a dove and moreover the father speaks and says This is my son in whom I Am pleased and that was the prophecy of the coming servant.

I put my spirit on him and it says here in whom my soul delights. Let's read that from Luke 3 22. It's in the notes rich. Would you want to read that for us? Yeah, you can turn there or read in the notes it's Luke 3 22.

And the voice came from heaven you are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

Okay, and so we go on to verse 2 so already just the very first verse of the servant song. The parallels to Jesus as the servant the one who pleases and God pronounces that pleasure over him at his baptism.

Identifying him as the servant and the spirit coming upon him. It says I have put my spirit upon him.

How can these Jews think it refers to them when all these personal pronouns are right?

Yes, the pronouns in the singular. Yeah now they would say that Israel is referred to as As a man. Yeah. Yeah, the man is a kind of personification of the nation. So just like Israel could be referred to as the bride and therefore you use the singular or as the wife.

Really Israel is always referred to as a wife and an unfaithful wife of that in Hosea. But yeah, you could use the singular pronoun of the nation. So that's how they answer that.

What would really actually be interesting then is if they say this is us? Hmm how they can defend their performance against the verses that are going to come?

Yeah, not quite. No, not quite. Israel has never looked like this. No. So in verse 2 John, would you read that for us?

He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street, okay.

Interestingly in the work that Jesus did in his three years He was never Trumpeting or boisterously calling attention to himself. In fact, he took pains To keep what was called the messianic secret. By the nature of the things he was doing the nation would have coronated him as king within the first year of his ministry.

But he would tell people not To make it known yet because it was all in God's time. So let's actually look back because Matthew refers to this very scripture the first servant song. I'm going to keep repeating it because that gets us in the more times we hear something the better we remember.

Isaiah 53 is the Fourth servant song. This is the first one. So let's turn to Matthew 12.

Verses 18 to 20 and Karen, would you want to read that?

I will put my spirit upon him and he shall show justice to the Gentiles. He shall not strive nor cry neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break and smoking plaques shall he not quench till he send forth justice.

Into victory.

Very good and In his name the Gentiles will hope again the likes of nations, but what prompted Matthew? To quote Isaiah. That's the question that the exegete has to answer. What was met what was Matthew reciting in the telling of the story.

That's it made him say in verse 17. This was to fulfill What was spoken? So where do you go for that answer? Yes, he that's his he takes pain. I think there's 65 quotes at least in the book of Matthew from the Old Testament.

Well that includes the references as well as the direct was but if you were to go back To the nearest antecedent in the flow of the text you find out what this is. So go back to verse 15 and 16 the nearest antecedent meaning the Flow of the text that came immediately prior to that statement.

This was to fulfill. What is that? Jesus aware of this Meaning the desire of the Pharisees to kill him and as he gains popularity Withdrew from there and many followed him and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known.

Okay, so I think there's two things there. One is that final order to not make him known and I would think that this prompts Matthew in the writing to say He's not pro. He's not quarreling or crying aloud.

He's not Gonna fight the Pharisees to prove who he is at this point He's gonna let his teaching and his actions speak for themselves, but he's not going to get out there and demand that people believe in him.

He's not quarreling. He's not crying out. But secondly notice what he's doing. He's healing them all and Many followed him and he healed them all this I think pictures the The bruised reed he will not break the smoldering wick.

He will not quench until he brings justice to victory and in his name the Gentiles will hope. So his healing ministry the Spirit is upon him. He's proclaiming justice. It could have something to do with that.

But I would say the main point that triggered the mind of Matthew to quote the servant song is this he's not quarreling. Instead he's doing the opposite. He's keeping it. He's telling people and ordering them not To make him known.

So that's it that's a point there. Yeah.

And I think.

Probably.

Yeah, certainly like in John 6. I think when when the crowds got so big that they were just wanting the physical like they wanted bread. Yeah, he would give them the hardest teachings then and almost kind of thinned the crowd By doing that.

Because.

Yeah.

Yeah, this was revealed by the father and really the knowledge of the son is always revealed by the father. That's John 6 44 Unless the father draws him he cannot come. Yeah, John 6 37 and then he says when the father draws him I will raise him up on the last day.

So this is taught by the father. Okay, so that's what I think triggered Matthew to quote it. I think there's in. In verse 2 of Isaiah 42 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street.

That doesn't mean he's not teaching publicly. It means he's not trumpeting and boisterously trying to assert it before it's time. He's keeping a lid on it to some degree. What? Yeah, no John the Baptist was.

He was trumpeting. Yes very much so. But this prophecy that Matthew quotes goes on so let's look at some of the other parts of that in verse 3 and 4. John would you read that part again. A bruised reed?

He will not break in a faintly burning wick. He will not quench. He will faithfully bring forth justice and he will not grow faint or be discouraged. Till he has established justice in the earth and the coastlands wait for his law.

Okay, you notice the word justice twice here and. You already saw it once in verse 1, right? So it begs the question What is?

Justice and.

Never has that question been so important as today. There is a biblical definition of justice. It is giving people what they're due. It is not Giving people what they need. It's not giving people what they need.

Okay, and The gospel hangs on this distinction. I put in your notes Romans 3 26 Which says it was to show meaning the propitiation of Christ was to show His righteousness at the present time so that he God might be just and The justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

From Romans 3 26 we understand Giving people what they do it our do is justice. Think about the gospel and.

Our need.

Do we in our deadness and sin need? Justice from God. We do He he will be just. But what do we need from God? Justice of mercy. We need mercy. Justice will be given right and in order for God to be just he must punish sin.

He has to give sinners what they're due. The very heart of the gospel Romans 3 26 hangs on this distinction that grace by definition Cannot be demanded. You need grace. Every one of us needs desperately needs grace, but justice Does not demand it.

In order for God to be just he must give sinners What they're due not what they need. So the gospel hangs on this distinction. God is just because he gives what the sinner is due which is punishment. Only Christ unites himself to us dies the death that we deserve so his death is credited as our death.

His resurrection is our Justification. God remains just and the justifier of us who have faith in him. A Lot of words there. God is just meaning he does punish sin and he justifies us because he's paid for our sin.

So that's justice and all of that is grace. It's not that he has not that justice demanded that he do like we had some claim like God I'm gonna go to hell for all eternity. You have to see my need and step in to rescue me.

Or else you're not just. Is that a claim we can make on God? No, we cannot make that claim. Justice demands the penalty of sin. All right, so that I think is very instructive. We'll take a moment just to diverge into the cultural issues of our day.

The essence of Marxism is a need based theory of justice philosophically that if people have a need whether it be health care or housing or education. All of these things are based on a person's need.

A need-based theory of justice means it must be given To that person and you can demand it which means you can take from somebody else. To give that to them the government does not bear the sword in vain.

Under a need-based theory of justice the government can bear the sword to forcibly tax the people under threat of going to jail. To extract money from other people to meet the needs of those that they say are entitled to it.

But on what basis are they entitled to it? Well, they need it. They need health care. They need food. They need housing. This need-based theory is the essence of Marxist this need-based theory of justice.

In truth.

People have no claim on the private property of another. There's no claim however. Christians ought to be generous with our Our possessions and we ought to give from our heart, but it cannot be demanded.

It's it's charity. Charis is the root of grace that that word grace in the Greek is charis from which we get charity. Yeah, it cannot be demanded. It's given freely as a gift. Yes, and so there's the distinction between Marxism and Capitalism.

Is the Bible indifferent to those two economic systems capitalism and Marxism. The reason Western civilization was built the way it was on capitalism is not arbitrary. It's not just because the country came about by different historical circumstances.

It was driven from the law of God. Private property thou shalt not steal thou shalt not covet even the possessions of your neighbor. This is the basis of the economic system that built America. Yes, yes, yep the invisible hand yeah, right absolutely that's not just in an Arbitrary, you know, you could take this or that that's biblical.

That's the biblical economic system, so we're here in verse 3 and 4 of Isaiah 42 and the Messiah will establish.

Justice and.

He'll see the smoldering wick and will not snuff it out. He'll see the wounded reed and will not break it off. This is because Jesus Christ alone is Fully just and Full of grace. He's establishing justice in his blood on the tree.

He justly pays the penalty of sin and in his mercy He atones for us covers our sin and heals all of our wounds. Now some of that healing comes in the afterlife right. And sometimes as a token of what's coming in the future He'll extend himself and heal the leper and the blind man.

So let's look at just a couple of these. Let's look at John.

418 and.

The same person can also read 426. Bob would you like to do that? Sure. John 418 and 426. Okay, what is that? Sue? That's you there. Yeah, I wasn't sure. You were hiding so and then John if you could do John 811 suit.

Okay, John for yes.

For yeah, 18 and then 26.

The fact is you have had five husbands and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.

And then give me 426.

Then Jesus declared I who speak to you am me.

Okay, this is Jesus declaring himself as the servant of the Lord the Messiah. Standing before a smoldering wick a bruisery. What would justice demand he do to the woman at the well? Yeah, and even as the Stoner killer.

Yeah, this would be the law, but how can he justly establish justice as we see, right? Establish justice on earth and Yet be merciful. He's her sinner. Yeah, he will take her Disobedience upon himself and he'll wear that and take it to Calvary and bear the just Desserts of her sin in his body on the tree and in mercy.

Tell her now go and sin no more as in the words of John 8. So sue would you read for me John 8 11?

Do you want me to read from 10? Yeah, you can read 10 and 11 as well. Then Jesus stood up again and said to her. Where are your accusers? Even one of them condemn you. No, sir. She said and Jesus said neither do I go and sin no more.

The woman caught in adultery Smoldering wick a bruisery. He could have stoned her alongside the pious Israelites Instead in mercy in love in grace undeserved. He says neither do I condemn him. He'll wear her sin to the cross take that and establish justice on earth and Give her healing the bruisery.

He doesn't break the smoldering wick. He doesn't Clench, so it's a beautiful picture of he alone can do this. Can Israel do this for the world? Can he atone can Israel as a nation atone the sins of the world?

No, so the Jewish apologist who says oh, this is just Israel. They have no atonement for sin. They have no justice on earth. They have no mercy and grace. Only God himself can bridge that gap and bring that all together mercy.

Yeah, they only have one yeah, but they themselves can't keep the law. So beautiful picture here of the coming servant of the Lord, okay. Verses 5 and Through 8. John if you read those of me.

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 on it and the spirit to those who walk in it. I am the Lord.

I have called you in righteousness. I will take you by the hand and keep you. I will give you as a covenant for the people a light for 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 carve items.

Dear God, I think it's still some people cut off the servant song in verse 4. I think 5 to 9 is still Father speaking to son. He says to him I will make you a light to the nation's. Jesus comes and says I am the light of the world.

Jesus is receiving this but what's so that the main point in 5 to 8 is that God Yahweh. It's using the covenant name of God the tetragrammatron LORD the four letters YHWH he's identifying himself by his covenant name and setting himself apart as unique Over the idols over all the false gods of the nation.

There's only one God. No one can claim to be him. But what's so amazing about this is That when Christ comes He begins to claim to be I am. I Am the light of the world. I am the vine I am the bread from heaven I am the door I am the Good Shepherd.

I am the way the truth in the life I am the resurrection in the life and then John 8 58 the Jews are ready to stone him. Who do you think you are greater than our father Abraham? What kind of click they know exactly what he's saying and he takes it to that next level and says before Abraham was born.

I.

Am.

And that's just ego a me in the Greek it just means I am he's saying He's making the claim of the tetragrammatron that comes from Exodus 3 When Moses is before the burning bush and he learns the name of God, of course.

That's not the first place that it's used in the Bible. Because Moses will write the first five books having already heard the name and he'll write that back into Genesis. So even as early as Genesis 2 Moses is saying the Lord God was in the garden.

So you have the tetragrammatron Yahweh because it's been revealed to Moses and he's the one receiving the graphic that inspired writing From the father as the spirit carries him along. So he uses that name as early as Genesis 2 this is the covenant name of God and In it, I think in a special way it refers to Jesus even in the Old Testament.

I Think it was Jesus who walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden When the Lord God appeared. What does it mean. Yeah, yeah salvation is of the Lord yes, I am salvation. Yeah. Yeah Yahushua in the Greek.

Yeah, so It's an amazing Revelation here in verses 5 to 8. He's reiterating. I am the Lord. That is my name. And Jesus comes claiming to be Yahweh is salvation Jesus. Yahushua. That is his name. So when you think of the name Jesus Christ This is his revealed name in the New Testament, but it corresponds perfectly with the tetragrammatron Yahweh.

From which we get Jehovah. So Jesus is Jehovah. He identifies himself in that way. Beautiful absolutely. Yeah, and then lastly this is again. We talked about this last week, but we'll close here in verse 9 we will see what marks The true God over against those who make that claim.

So he's claiming to be the true God. Well, how do we know? What's the mark that were to I used to identify? The true God who is Yahweh who is the one true God and that answer is he speaks not only the former things But even future things and everything he says comes to pass.

We know him by his word what he says. So John would you read verse 9?

Behold the former things have come to pass and the new things. I now declare before they spring forth I tell you of them.

The Jewish people who do not believe that Jesus is their Messiah. Like the Pharisees Jesus encountered them and in John 5 39. He said You search the scriptures Me that's right. You got it because in them you think you have eternal life, but these are they that testify of.

Me.

Jesus says that the things that were written in the Old Testament are pointing to him and. This is a theme that you see Peter in first. Peter 1 will draw that out Romans 3 21 about the law and the prophets which testify of Christ.

Again, and again, we'll see that the way that we know the gospel. The epistemology under the way of knowing is that it's according to the scriptures first Corinthians 15 Verses 3 and 4 that Christ died for our sins.

According to the scriptures and that he was buried and that he rose on the third day. According to the scriptures, that's the according to that's how we know what we know. And God not only said that in the New Testament.

But he said it before he did it in the Old Testament at the end of this first servant song. He marks it like take note of this. I'm telling you of things to come as well as former things former things.

Genesis 2. Jesus was there. Who said earlier that there was. I think it was Christian in Genesis 1 26 to 28. You already have plurality there. That's because Father Son and Holy Spirit are already there in the beginning the creation of the world.

I will make man in Our image in our likeness. Yeah.