Dear Members and Friends of our ELS:

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. (Isaiah 42:1).

Some men have brought about big changes on this earth. The tyrants naturally stand out: Stalin, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden. Individuals like these have used force, power, deception and terror to accomplish their goals. How different is the One mentioned in Isaiah chapter 42. He is the Servant whom the New Testament identifies as Jesus Christ (Matthew 12:18-21). Jesus Christ did not lead an army or start a war. The prophet calls him a "servant," a "slave." He does not break a bruised reed. He is gentle and caring. Yet, this Servant of the Lord founded a kingdom that will last forever.

Briefly note how Isaiah prophesied concerning this Servant:

I. He says that God calls him his "chosen one" in whom he delights. Isn't this reference to the time of Jesus' baptism and the time of his Transfiguration? The Father spoke: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."

Jesus Christ is God's chosen Servant because He is Himself God, but also because He carried out perfectly the work that God had wanted him to do-the work from Bethlehem to Calvary and the empty tomb. This work was still in the future when Isaiah wrote, but in time God brought forth his Son in righteousness "to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles." Jesus did not fail even in the slightest degree in the work that He was chosen to do. No wonder then that God delights in him!

II. Isaiah also records God saying, "I will put my Spirit on him." The Suffering Servant of God was anointed with the Spirit at His baptism for the work of His three years of public ministry. During His life on this earth, Jesus actively kept the Law of God in your place and mine as He fulfilled his functions as prophet, priest and king.
Do our sins weigh heavy on us? How can we escape God's judgment? Well, the One on whom the Spirit descended is the One in whom God delights. He has kept the Law of God perfectly in the place of us all. This brings us to the final point.

III. "He will bring justice to the nations." The Suffering Servant worked and brought justice for the nations. Justice had to be done. Sin had to be punished. Christ willingly laid down His own life as the ransom, freeing us from the dungeon of guilt and shame and paying the price demanded by God's holiness. "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17).

Take great comfort in this Suffering Servant of the Lord as we go about our daily lives and as we look to the end times. By faith, this humble King has made us members of an eternal kingdom. May many more hear of the big changes he has effected!

President John A. Moldstad
Evangelical Lutheran Synod