You can have peace even when God’s timetable doesn’t match yours
By Dean Collins
The people of Judah needed a clear and direct instruction. Hope had waned. Exile had crushed their spirits. Home seemed far away and hard to remember. Normal was now exile. The prophet Isaiah spoke with clarity and provided a new vision. When we feel stuck we need to see a better path and hope for the future.
Scholars debate who Isaiah referred to when he introduced the imagery of the suffering servant. (Scholars debate a lot of things.) Some scholars talk about Isaiah as the servant, some say the people of God represented the servant, while many say it was prophetic about Jesus. History bears out the third option. Neither the prophet Isaiah nor his first hearers knew what we know. We have the Gospel records, and when you read the six different passages in Isaiah about a suffering servant, you consistently see the Jesus of the Gospels.
Good news then and forever
Yes, Isaiah was bringing good news of the ending of the exile and of a new way of life back in Judah. We have trouble getting a clear picture of post-pandemic life while we are just a year and a half into it. Imagine the 70 years of waiting and the difficulties a Jewish man, woman, or child had trying to imagine a post-exile world!
But Isaiah also spoke of a time hundreds of years later when Heaven would meet earth in the person of Jesus. God’s Son, the Messiah, anticipated through the centuries, was being described. While Isaiah’s audience might not have realized what we do, these words still likely brought hope and comfort.
Listen to what Isaiah said about this coming suffering servant:
God’s spirit is upon him.
He will bring justice to the nations
He will not cry aloud or lift his voice
He will be bruised but not broken
He will be faithful in bringing justice
He won’t grow faint or discouraged till he has established peace and brings justice for all
God’s people were not looking for a servant. They were ready for a king, better yet, a warrior king. One that could turn things around and keep them turned in their favor. To be fair, we usually want the same when we are in need of rescue. We like heroic rescuers. Someone with the strength to crush the oppressors, eliminate the obstacles, deliver instant solutions, heal the diseases, and do it without breaking a sweat. Isaiah described the servant rescuer who would bring justice and peace for all, but do it with meekness.
A timetable written by God
But Isaiah said God would uphold his chosen. He will give support to the chosen of God. He will defend the chosen. He will even elevate the chosen. But all according to his timetable. That’s the thing, isn’t it? His timetable? Those in exile then and those in the pandemic now would prefer to set the timetable. Everyone in trouble of any kind wants to set the rescue timetable. We are sure we know best.
God was present in the exile. His chosen people would see former things pass away and new things come. So will we. So have we all. The suffering servant’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross has established victory for all time. And we can embrace his love, his mercy, his strength, and his glory when we step toward him. It might not be exactly how you imagined, but in time we find it is more and better than we could have imagined.
Let Jesus take you by the hand today. He will keep you in perfect peace as we keep our minds and hearts focused on him.
Your time with God’s Word
Isaiah 42:1-9 ESV
Photo by Erik Odiin on Unsplash
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