PODCAST
Awesome, Fearful Power
August 26th, 2019
Isaiah 42:1-9
We tend to think of power as force, authority, or influence. We often look for it in the realms of technological, military, financial, or political might. God’s servant, as revealed in Isaiah 42, displays a power so contrary to our expectations that we are not sure it qualifies to be called power. Nevertheless, it is this power that will “bring justice to the nations” (v. 1).
This power will be embodied in a single individual, the servant of the Lord. His power is derived from God’s anointing, God’s Spirit abiding on him. He will be quiet, gentle, and faithful.
On an otherwise unremarkable Sabbath, in the synagogue at Nazareth, this power was revealed when Jesus was handed “the scroll of the prophet Isaiah” (Luke 4:17). He read from related passages speaking of this servant (Isaiah 61 and 58). He closed the scroll and said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). The congregation was both amazed and afraid. The power had come.
Author: Duane Brush
