Greetings everyone and thanks for joining me for this edition of our Sunday School preview. This Sunday’s lesson is entitled “God’s Just Servant” and is found in Isaiah 42:1-9.
Isaiah is the first of the major prophets in both order in the bible and time of writing. The first 39 chapters deal primary with pre-exilic Judah and Israel, their unrighteousness which led to the captivity and God’s call for repentance.
The rest of the chapters (40-66) are more prophetic and speaks to and about a time when God will expand His influence, reach and offer of salvation beyond Israel to the rest of the world.
Today’s lesson focus is on God’s Servant. The Servant Isaiah speaks of is not named. Some scholars believe it refers to Jesus and others say Israel. It is important to keep in mind that the word servant carries with it the meaning of relationship as that of Master and slave.
The servant then is one who is in complete obedience to God. The servant has a mission to accomplish even at the cost of his own life for the master. God has a special relationship with His servant.
First and foremost, God loves His servant. He has equipped His servant by His Spirit to carry out his task. That task is to connect God’s people who are and have been separated from Him back together with Him. That task is the Servant’s task in the text, it was Jesus’s task and it remains the task of the Church today.
The methods the Servant was to use is and was one of gentle persuasion. The Servant is to proclaim liberty to all of God’s captive people. He is to inform them of who God is that is calling them. God is the Creator period. There is no other like Him.
He is the giver and sustainer of all life. He is a covenant keeper with His people. He is a forgiver of pass sins so that His followers can walk in newness of life. He proclaims things before they happen so that when they do happen, people will know who He is.
Isaiah didn’t name the Servant in this passage today because I believe the Servant is not any one individual, but a personification of everyone who is doing what the Servant is doing. The Servant, while showing the world what justice is and what is looks like, is proclaiming the good news of salvation, mercy and forgiveness to all who are predestined to receive it.
In this proclamation, the Servant is telling the world about our mighty Creator to whom every living thing owes its existence. It is a beautiful thing and thought to be the Servant Isaiah is speaking of in the passage.
We, who are the people of God, are on a mission to proclaim the majesty of God and to connect all of God’s children with Him. Some of you may not be able to attend or have Sunday School because of meeting restrictions impose on the churches. We intend to live stream our Sunday School and BTU beginning at 9:00 am and all are welcome to join us if you can’t attend your own.
The stream will be on our Facebook page, Youtube channel and website. Well, I hope you will be able to attend SS this coming Sunday and share your thoughts with your class. If you have any comments or questions, be sure to place them in the comment section of this preview. So, until next time remember to fear God and keep His commandments.
Pastor Jordan
