Week 3 Helps

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Chapter 42

II. The ratification and confirmation of this grant. That we may be assured of the validity of it consider, 1. The authority of him that makes the promise (v. 8): I am the Lord, Jehovah, that is my name, and that was the name by which he made himself known when he began to perform the promise made to the patriarchs; whereas, before, he manifested himself by the name of God Almighty, Ex. 6:3. If he is the Lord that gives being and birth to all things, he will give being and birth to this promise. If his name be Jehovah, which speaks him God alone, we may be sure his name is jealous, and he will not give his glory to another, whoever it is that stands in competition with him, especially not to graven images. He will send the Messiah to open men’s eyes, that so he may turn them from the service of dumb idols to serve the living God, because, though he has long winked at the times of ignorance, he will now maintain his prerogative, and will not give his glory to graven images. He will perform his word because he will not lose the honour of being true to it, nor be ever charged with falsehood by the worshippers of false gods. He will deliver his people from under the power of idolaters because it looks as if he had given his praise to graven images when he gives up his own worshippers to be worshippers of images. 2. The accomplishment of the promises he had formerly made concerning his church, which are proofs of the truth of his word and the kindness he bears to his people (v. 9): “Behold, the former things have come to pass; hitherto the Lord has helped his church, has supported her under former burdens, relieved her in former staits; and this in performance of the promises made to the fathers. There has not failed one word, 1 Ki. 8:56. And now new things do I declare. Now I will make new promises, which shall as certainly be fulfilled in their season as old ones were; now I will bestow new favours, such as have not been conferred formerly. Old-Testament blessings you have had abundantly; now I declare New-Testament blessings, not a fruitful country and dominion over your neighbours, but spiritual blessings in heavenly things. Before they spring forth in the preaching of the gospel I tell you of them, under the type and figure of the former things.” Note, The receipt of former mercies may encourage us to hope for further mercies; for God is constant in his care for his people, and his compassions are still new.

The New American Commentary on Isaiah 40-66 by Gary Smith

The specific purposes of the servant (42:7) go far beyond anything that the sinful people of Israel or the pagan nations could do for themselves. Israel is repeatedly seen as sinful and blind (6:10; 29:18; 42:18; 43:8), and the idol worshippers among the nations need to have their eyes opened so that they will reject idolatry (44:18). In earlier messages Isaiah announced that God (35:5) or a righteous king (the Messiah) would accomplish the task of removing the blindness from the eyes of people so that they can see (35:3). Then they will see the light in all of its many meanings. It is not insignificant that the servant functions in this same role (suggesting a common identification), and it is not insignificant that this is a role that could not possibly be fulfilled by many of the candidates that commentators have identified as this servant (i.e., Moses, Isaiah, Cyrus, or the whole nation of Israel). One should not be quick to identify this servant who “frees captives from prison” with King Cyrus simply because he released the Israelites from the suffering of exile (42:22; 49:9), for there is no indication that the Israelites were ever in prison during the Babylonian exile. Those who identify Cyrus here take a very literal interpretation of these words about “freeing captives,”292 but Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles (29:1–20), Ezekiel, Daniel, and Ezra do not portray the people in exile living in dungeons. In addition, these promises of freedom and the opening of eyes do not apply just to Israel; they apply to all the nations and most of them were not in Babylonian exile. Therefore, the best approach is to interpret these phrases as metaphors of God’s deliverance of people from the prison of spiritual darkness (blindness) and ignorance (9:2; 42:19–20; 43:8; 44:18–19) through the work of the servant. Another means of enlightening the nations will be through the teaching of God’s word (42:4; 2:1–4).

42:8–9 The introduction to these verses is parallel to 42:6 (“I am the Lord”), but the words in these verses address the prophet’s listening audience, not the servant as in 42:6–7. Now the author focuses attention on God’s distinctive name, character, and the key principles that will guide his plans for the future. Possibly some people in Jerusalem were still confused about who God was and what God was doing. Now God provides another reminder that he, the covenant God named Yahweh, is the real power that controls the world and his covenant people (another answer to the question in 41:2). He assures them that they can be confident that everything the servant does will be accomplished through the direction and power of Yahweh; this is the name of Israel’s God and the God who rules the world.

God’s ultimate purpose in revealing himself and his name is to assure that his actions will bring glory (kābôd) to his name (41:16; 48:11) and not let people give credit to other supernatural beings who have not predicted the future or done anything that demonstrates their power. Baal prophets might make false claims about Baal’s power or people like Rabshakeh might claim that the gods of his foreign army have given them victory in war (36:18–20), but the prophet has repeatedly announced that these gods are really nothing in comparison to God (40:15–26; 41:24). They cannot do anything good or bad (41:23); they cannot predict the future or show how the present is based on past predictions (41:22). God does all of these things; therefore, his name should be glorified for he truly is God Almighty. When the servant comes and enlightens the eyes of the blind people of the earth, then Israel and all the nations of the earth will finally understand who God is and honor him as they should.

42:9 One of the proofs that Yahweh is the only true God is his ability to predict the former things that have already happened, just as he said he would. This idea interlinks with the themes already expressed in the dispute in 41:21–29. Unfortunately, there is no hint in this text that would help identify exactly what these earlier events (“the former things”) in Israelite or world history were. Consequently, this has led to speculation concerning what the prophet had in mind. This statement indicates that one of God’s earlier prophecies has already been fulfilled, but that specific event is never identified. J. D. W. Watts suggests the “earlier things” refer to “the coming and victory of the Assyrians, the fall of Merodach-baladan’s Babylon” which Isaiah predicted long ago, while R. N. Whybray attributes the former things “primarily to the events of Cyrus’s career which preceded the composition of this passage.”295 Based on the setting assigned to these chapters in the introduction to 40:12–42:13, Watt’s view seems more likely, but the main theological point of this claim can be understood without identifying any specific event.

The new events surrounding the coming of the servant of God are presented as another new way for God to demonstrate his divinity, for God states “I” (implying no one else) “am declaring” to the people on the earth what will spring forth in the future. The idea of “springing up” (ṣmḥ) is used of plants growing (55:10), of people springing up like grass (44:4), the sudden appearance of righteousness/salvation in God’s people (45:8; 58:8), and the surprising springing up of the praise from the nations (61:11). In each case the idea is associated with the sudden introduction of something new (43:19) that is connected to God’s eschatological work of transforming humanity and nature. The use of “spring forth” in association with this servant’s role suggests that his work is connected with these future events. It may not be accidental that the noun form derived from this root (ṣmḥ) refers to the “Branch” of the Lord (4:2; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8), a messianic term for the Davidic Messiah. The “new things” refer to what God will do through his servant, but the ultimate purpose in sending this servant is not just to open people’s eyes and free them from the darkness of their ignorance. The ultimate purpose is for these enlightened people to glorify God, for now they know for certain that he alone has the power to accomplish what he has foretold. These factors demonstrate to every reader that all praise and honor should be lifted up to honor this glorious God. He can open the eyes of the blind to experience the reality of his power by transforming the hearts and minds of all people through the revelation and accomplishment of his words and through the work of his servant.