Have you ever messed up? Have you ever felt like you had wandered too far from God?

What do you think God thinks about that?

As we look at Isaiah we see that no one is ever too far for God.

Here the ”servant” referred to is Israel.

We are reminded of the promise of God to Abraham and his descendants.

God says, ”I have not rejected you.”

There is hope in hardship. Because God is faithful even if Israel is not.

Here we are reminded of the baptism of Jesus.

Now the ”servant” Isaiah refers to appears to be Jesus, we have further evidence of this in the next few verses of Isaiah 42.

The New Testament declares Jesus is this same servant here in Matthew as Matthew says this scripture is fulfilled in Jesus.

And while the first portion of this chapter describes Jesus, this section describes Isreal.

And so, who is the servant of the Lord?
Isreal? Jesus?

The answer is Both.

Isreal was and is the servant of the Lord. Called out and set apart among the nations to be different—be a light that shines the glory of God to the nations around it. But over and over again through out their history they fail to do this. They turn from God, and don’t listen to the prophets and their call to turn back to him.

And so God promises another, one who will not fail to bring them back to him, one who will bring salvation to Isreal. This other ”servant of the Lord” is Jesus, he succeeds where Israel has failed. He lives set apart, sinless, and his life and death glorifies God.

So, as we read about the servant of the Lord there is a both/and. The servant of the Lord is both Isreal, and Jesus.

In the midst of impending hardship, doom, destruction, desolation, and judgement for what Isreal has failed to do, and what they have done, we find that God has declares he will be with them, and he will send his servant to save them.

It is through this ”Servant of the Lord” that we find a promise in Isaiah, not only for Isreal but for all.

Again we are reminded of the servant Isreal and God’s original purpose in setting them apart: to display his splendor, his glory, in the earth.

And here we have another promise that he still plans to display his splendor through them.

“A light to the gentiles, that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.”

And here we see another promise, not only will God be with Israel through what is coming to them. Not only will he save them, and restore them.

God will also bring them back to him and not only Isreal, but this servant is to be a light to the gentiles as well—a promise that God’s salvation will go out to the ends of the earth. Available to all.

We know that Jesus is that Light. We know that salvation, forgiveness and freedom from our sins and mistakes, restoration to being in relationship with God, has come through Jesus’ death and resurrection and that it is offered to any who would believe in Jesus.

And here we see another promise, not only will God be with Israel through what is coming to them. Not only will he save them, and restore them.

This servant is to be a light to the gentiles as well—a promise that God’s salvation will go out to the ends of the earth. Available to all.

So in Isaiah we find the hope of Jesus that no one is too far gone for God.

As we read Isaiah today we find that the hope of salvation extended to all people unto the ends of the earth.

In the words of Isaiah 49, we find a call to action for each of us today as well.

Just as Isreal was set apart and called to be a light to the nations, just as Jesus was called to be a light, not only to Isreal but to the gentiles, His church is also called to be a light. To go out into our world, set apart in order to display the glory of God to others, that all might believe and be saved.