Passion Week: Isaiah 42:1-7

“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.

Personal Reflection

The word justice came to mind.  What is justice?  Where do we get justice?  Justice is a term used for what is right or “as it should be.  We get justice from you alone as you said you will bring justice throughout the earth.  

Why does injustice happen all over the world?  Why do those who love you and put their faith in you suffers?  Why do many who called themselves followers of you (myself included) ignore the fact that you are a God of justice.  

You did the greatest work of all, which is the forgiveness of sins through dying on the cross.  You are alive and at work today and you continue to open the eyes of the blind, free the captives from prison, and releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.  

Hebrew 8:8-13

8But God found fault with the and said:    “The time is coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of
Judah.    9It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took
them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful
to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.  10This is the
covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.  I will be their
God, and they will be my people.   11No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or
a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from
the least of them to the greatest.   12For I will forgive their wickedness and will
remember their sins no more.”  13By calling this covenant “new,” he has made
the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

MEDITATION
1. “New” and “Free” are two catchy words for any salesperson.  It also says
here that the old system of Law didn’t work (vv 7, 9, 13) and was “obsolete
and aging”.  The New Covenant provides total forgiveness for all our wicked
acts (v 12).  Because Christ has paid the ransom, God no longer holds us
accountable for our sins.  The Old Covenant engraved standards that men
were unable to meet on tablets of stone.  The New Covenant engraves
the desire to please God in our inmost being, and moves us to what Law
demanded, but could not produce.
2. When it comes to faith, “new!” means for people who have tried everything
else, and can turn to Jesus and find themselves forgiven and renewed.  And,
it is “free”.  The salvation offered us in Christ, costs us nothing.
3. Meditate the following paragraph:  We ought to be Christians in large type,
so that it would not be necessary for others to be long in our society, or to
regard us through spectacles, in order to detect our true discipleship.  The
message of our lives should resemble the big advertisements which can be
read on the street by all who pass by.  – F. B. Meyer
How big is my “Disciple billboard”? Pray that the Lord will enlarge it to
become more and more visible to those passing by.

Personal Note:
Christianity is not about following rules and regulations in order to go to heaven.  Our faith in Christ is our desire to follow Jesus Christ as our Lord and saviour.  It is a relationship with God.  God gave all of us a desire to worship Him.  We become who we are made to be when we worship God.