“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 carved idols.” (Isaiah 42:6-8)
The words we read from Isaiah 42 lift our hearts up. They give us comfort because they speak of His compassion, might, and care. They encourage us for they promise us that the Lord will deliver us from every evil, sorrow, and suffering. The words bless us as they assure us that the Lord will help us to endure through the cultural chaos and violence of our days. There is an end to our suffering and pain.
This deliverance has come through the presence and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the message every Christian believer has been called to live out and to present to all those who do not profess the Name of Jesus. Our mission and purpose in life is to preach the gospel of faith with the word of God as well as with works of compassion and righteousness. This is the mission which God gave to Israel, to be a light of God’s love and truth to the world.
Isaiah had stressed this mission of Israel in the previous chapters, calling her the Servant of the Lord. But here, the Servant he prophesies of is Jesus the Messiah who came into the world to save us all from sin and darkness. Isaiah prophesies that when He comes, He will fulfill the mission Israel had been called to for Jesus, as Servant of the Lord, is totally committed to God’s will. He is determined to carry our His calling with gentleness, meekness, humility, and patience. And what Jesus did, He calls us to do: to enlighten those living in darkness; to free those trapped in the bondage of idolatry and sin; to uphold and fulfill God’s law.
We are not to copy the ways of the world. We are to value the principles of the Kingdom of God over all cultural, philosophical, political, and ethical ideals, over all that is trendy and popular among those who are outside of God’s Kingdom. We are to preach the good news that Christ came to heal and save all mankind. We are to and love those who are weak, powerless, and poor. As it was with Jesus, so it is with us. The message of salvation by faith in Jesus is meant to be shared with everyone.