bruised reeds and dim flames

I guess I really got ahead of myself with that last post. I read through the whole chapter and that "people of the pit" idea really grabbed me. I'm still in Isaiah 42 though. In fact, I'm back in the first few verses. I still am stumbling through the amazement of reading this as prophecy written long before the birth of Christ. I'm also thinking over and over about the relational side of this. Isaiah 42 starts with God introducing the reader prophetically to his son. Then it tells me all about my Savior. 

"1Behold 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.

2He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, 

or make it heard in the street;

3a bruised reed he will not break,

and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; 

he will faithfully bring forth justice,

4He will not grow faint or be discouraged

till he has established justice in the earth;

and the coastlands wait for his law."

Pretty amazing stuff. I really like the first verse but I probably won't spend a ton of time on it. Suffice to say that God says that he "upholds" Jesus, he calls him his "chosen", his soul "delights in him", and he has "put his spirit upon him". This is deep concept. God knows that the death of his son is a part of the plan. He knows that he will turn his back on his son. The relationship between the Son and the Father is intense. And it is also a model of how my relationship with God should look. So God knew that the pain and suffering that he himself would inflict on Jesus was a part of what was best. Therefore this did not affect the agape love that is the basis of the relationship. This is important to understand concerning how we relate to God. He will cause me pain, and he will potentially bring suffering into my path. It is in keeping with Christian terminology to now say something like "but it is always for my good". I don't think we know what we mean when we say that though. It almost communicates that we think that God has our earthly best in mind. It is only when all hope for our earthly best is gone (when someone is killed instantly, or when the last possible medical solution fails) that we switch gears and begin talking about our eternal best. But God is concerned with the advancement of his kingdom and his will, which is our best if you believe in the reality of the gospel. Throughout all that, there is no gap, no break in the flow of agape love for us. That is deep. So this first verse is a unique view into not only the relationship of God to Jesus, but of God to us.

After this really intriguing verse, it moves into a prophetic description of Jesus. I'm presented with a few truths about him. First, "He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street;". A little research exposed a truth about my Savior that simply makes me feel like I want to know him more. My Savior is no loudmouthed blowhard. He is subtle. All wisdom is housed in his Spirit, but he's not driving through town with one of those vans with the speakers attached to it. He's sitting quietly, and when you engage him, you learn more than you had ever dreamed. The truly wise people I have known during my life do not run around excitedly shooting off their mouths and acting like a know-it-all, but when they are approached, they are more than willing to help and share their wisdom with you. That trait is so unbelievably attractive to me I really can't describe it, and it is the trait of my Savior.

I'm going to skip the justice part because it's kind of a theme throughout this whole thing, and look right at he part that says "a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench" This is probably the coolest part of my post today. Bruised reeds and faintly burning wicks. What or who are they? Us. People who are hurting, people who are struggling, people with problems. In short, everyone. No one has it all together. No one is self-sufficient. Mankind is messed up. We are people of the pit. Trapped, scared, hurting, lost, powerless, and broken. Jesus did not come to finish us off. He did not come to add more pain and suffering to our already wretched condition. He is here to bring us relief and salvation. This is awesome! He is a tender Savior. He loves us. My immediate thought was that all will not receive him though, and to them he will bring judgment. I was thinking about a lot of my coworkers and the conversations we've had about faith. I realized something. They don't believe they're in the pit. They don't believe that they are bruised reeds or dim flames. They won't admit their need of a Savior. This is sad because it is the only way out. This is my job and my calling. Expose people to their condition and the good news of Jesus.

Lastly, my Savior is committed to the mission. "He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth". A catchphrase at my church is "mission forward". It is intended to be the motivation for all activity. It is designed to keep us focused and oriented to the person of God and the reality of the gospel. If you find yourself busied by something that doesn't impact the kingdom, you've become distracted, so make sure that you are mission oriented and spending your life in the service of God. Mission forward. According to this verse, Jesus stands before us as a perfect example of focus and dedication to the mission. This is deepened when we consider that he knew the whole time what his mission would cost him.

Throughout all this is the concept of justice. To be honest, I don't always understand it. How far do I take it? Some spend their lives fighting for justice for all. Does this mean that? Or does it mean that the world was once just, before it was destroyed in Eden by sin, and that the mission of Jesus was to redeem a piece of that and create a future way for us to live as God intended? What I do know is that justice is in line with the nature of God, and I will strive to do all I can to live as he lived and to do whatever he would have me to do.

This was a relational experience. I learned some really intense, somewhat personal information about my God and my Savior. I need more of this. Head knowledge is not enough. I want to know Jesus this way. I need to know my Savior this way. Thank you God for a glimpse of the character of your Son, written long before he was born.