Isaiah 42 - Heartlight

¹“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold,

My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights.

I will put My Spirit on Him,

and He will bring justice to the nations.

²He will not cry out or raise His voice,

nor make His voice heard in the streets.

³A bruised reed He will not break

and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish;

He will faithfully bring forth justice.

⁴He will not grow weak or discouraged

before He has established justice on the earth.

In His law the islands will put their hope.”

⁵This is what God the LORD says —

He who created the heavens

and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth and its offspring,

who gives breath to the people on it

and life to those who walk in it:

⁶“I, the LORD, have called you

for a righteous purpose,

and I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and appoint you

to be a covenant for the people

and a light to the nations,

⁷to open the eyes of the blind,

to bring prisoners out of the dungeon

and those sitting in darkness

out from the prison house.

⁸I am the LORD;

that is My name!

I will not yield My glory to another

or My praise to idols.

⁹Behold, the former things have happened,

and now I declare new things.

Before they spring forth

I proclaim them to you.”

¹⁰Sing to the LORD a new song —

His praise from the ends of the earth—

you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,

you islands, and all who dwell in them.

¹¹Let the desert and its cities raise their voices;

let the villages of Kedar cry aloud.

Let the people of Sela sing for joy;

let them cry out from the mountaintops.

¹²Let them give glory to the LORD

and declare His praise in the islands.

¹³The LORD goes forth like a mighty one;

He stirs up His zeal like a warrior.

He shouts; yes, He roars

in triumph over His enemies:

¹⁴“I have kept silent from ages past;

I have remained quiet and restrained.

But now I will groan like a woman in labor;

I will at once gasp and pant.

¹⁵I will lay waste the mountains and hills

and dry up all their vegetation.

I will turn the rivers into dry land

and drain the marshes.

¹⁶I will lead the blind by a way they did not know;

I will guide them on unfamiliar paths.

I will turn darkness into light before them

and rough places into level ground.

These things I will do for them,

and I will not forsake them.

¹⁷But those who trust in idols

and say to molten images, ‘You are our gods!’

will be turned back in utter shame.

¹⁸Listen, you deaf ones;

look, you blind ones, that you may see!

¹⁹Who is blind but My servant,

or deaf like the messenger I am sending?

Who is blind like My covenant partner,

or blind like the servant of the LORD?

²⁰Though seeing many things, you do not keep watch.

Though your ears are open, you do not hear.”

²¹The LORD was pleased, for the sake of His righteousness,

to magnify His law and make it glorious.

²²But this is a people plundered and looted,

all trapped in caves or imprisoned in dungeons.

They have become plunder with no one to rescue them,

and loot with no one to say, “Send them back!”

²³Who among you will pay attention to this?

Who will listen and obey hereafter?

²⁴Who gave Jacob up for spoil,

and Israel to the plunderers?

Was it not the LORD,

against whom we have sinned?

They were unwilling to walk in His ways,

and they would not obey His law.

²⁵So He poured out on them His furious anger

and the fierceness of battle.

It enveloped them in flames,

but they did not understand;

it consumed them,

but they did not take it to heart.

— Isaiah 42

(BSB)

Related Resources from Heartlight

There are 22 resources related to this passage:

Isaiah 42:3-4

Devo: Today's Verse

"In faithfulness [God's Servant] will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will..."

Isaiah 42:8-9

Devo: Today's Verse

""I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another. ... See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring...."

Shout Praises from the Mountaintops!

Devo: Passion for Praise

"Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands...."

Justice for All Nations

Illustration of Isaiah 42:3-4

Inspirational illustration of Isaiah 42:3-4 -- 3 A bruised reed he will not break,and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;4 he will not falter or be discouragedtill he establishes justice on earth.In his law

New Things

Illustration of Isaiah 42:8-9

Inspirational illustration of Isaiah 42:8-9 -- I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another... See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being.

God's Spirit Is on Him!

Devo: God's Holy Fire

"[God said:] "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.""

He Gives Breath to Everyone

Devo: Passion for Praise

"God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone..."

Isaiah 42:6

Devo: Today's Verse

"I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles."

The Whole World

Devo: Passion for Praise

"Let the whole world glorify the Lord; let it sing his praise."

God's Promise, Our Future

Illustration of Isaiah 42:16

Inspirational illustration of Isaiah 42:16 -- I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth

What kind of people are we to be?

Illustration of Isaiah 42:6

Inspirational illustration of Isaiah 42:6 -- 6 I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.

Who Thanks God for This?

Article by Bill Sherrill

How can you see so clearly when your eyes have no sight? Bill Sherrill talks about Fanny J. Crosby, the great Christian song writer, and her ability to see acutely even though she was blind.

Pool of Mercy

Article by Cathy Messecar

Have you offered sight to the blind? Cathy Messecar draws us into the story of the man born blind that was healed by Jesus in John 9 and reminds us that we are here to continue Jesus' ministry of healing and mercy.

New Things

Article by Tom Norvell

Don't give up on the New Year quite yet, God has new things in store! Even though the holidays are over and gone, this can be a year God shows us new things!

God is God

Article by Bill Brant

He just said Isaiah signed up for the task without knowing what it was: proclaim calamity and destruction. But he also got to proclaim a very special message: "God is God."

Connected

Article by Bill Brant

What are you connected to the most? We are connected to our iPhones, iPads, iTouch, iTunes, iMac, iChat, but have we lost the connection to the I AM?

Cross References for Isaiah 42

Cross References Provided by Open Bible

The Berean Standard Bible

The Berean Standard Bible (BSB) is a modern, clear, and faithful translation based on the best available Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Ideal for reading, study, and sharing, it entered the public domain in 2023. For more information, visit berean.bible.