Mar 20, 2019
In Isaiah 42:10-17, the prophet offers up a song of praise to God, sung in response to the news of Yahweh’s future restoration of the people of Judah. God has promised to send His servant, a clear reference to the coming Messiah, who will rescue and restore the people of God. This prophetic word from God, received while Judah was surrounded by Assyrian troops and still reeling from the news of the coming Babylonian invasion, was just what Isaiah needed to hear. He was beside himself with joy and gratitude to God for His gracious offer of future redemption. Yes, God was still going to punish His people for their rebellion against Him, but He was also going to redeem His people and crush their enemies one. Not because they would somehow deserve or earn it, but simply because God is a covenant-keeping God. In a sense, God was going to give the people of Judah what they deserved: Judgment for their sins in the form of the Babylonian invasion of their land and their exile as captives. But God was also going to give them what they didn’t deserve: Their future restoration to the land and to their place as His chosen people. And for Isaiah, that was news worth singing about.