As the world falls apart, sabers rattle and heads roll, an ancient prophecy about Jesus gives me hope. Written 700 hundred years before Jesus came to this earth, the prophet Isaiah said the messiah would bring justice and help the oppressed. God called him to “demonstrate my righteousness.” Jesus is a “light to guide the nations.”(v6) So, I look to Jesus as my example of righteousness and a pattern by which to model my life. Jesus himself quoted from this passage when he spoke in the synagogue in his hometown.(Lk4) The Prince of Peace then demonstrated to us how to live as he encountered the people of Israel.
Isaiah 42:1-9(NLT)
42 “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen.
He is my chosen one, who pleases me.
I have put my Spirit upon him.
He will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout
or raise his voice in public.
3 He will not crush the weakest reed
or put out a flickering candle.
He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.
4 He will not falter or lose heart
until justice prevails throughout the earth.
Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.[a]”
5 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 who walks the earth.
And it is he who says,
6 “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness.
I will take you by the hand and guard you,
and I will give you to my people, Israel,
as a symbol of my covenant with them.
And you will be a light to guide the nations.
7 You will open the eyes of the blind.
You will free the captives from prison,
releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.
8 “I am the Lord; that is my name!
I will not give my glory to anyone else,
nor share my praise with carved idols.
9 Everything I prophesied has come true,
and now I will prophesy again.
I will tell you the future before it happens.”
