How does Isaiah 42:12 connect with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19? \Isaiah’s Call: Global Praise for the LORD\ “Let them give glory to the LORD and declare His praise in the islands.” (Isaiah 42:12) • “Islands” points to the farthest coastlands—places beyond Israel’s borders. • The verb “declare” signals an active, verbal proclamation, not silent admiration. • The Servant Song (Isaiah 42 vv. 1–9) frames this verse: God’s chosen Servant will bring justice to the nations (v. 1) and become “a light to the Gentiles” (v. 6). • God’s mission trajectory is outward: glory must travel from Zion to the remotest peoples (cf. Psalm 96:3; Psalm 67:2). \Jesus’ Charge: Disciple All Nations\ “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) • “Go” echoes Isaiah’s “declare”—both demand movement and speech. • “All nations” parallels “islands,” widening the covenant blessings to every ethnic group. • Baptism in the triune Name makes explicit the revelation hinted at in Isaiah’s Servant: the Father sends the Son, and the Spirit empowers the mission (Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 3:16-17). • Teaching obedience (v. 20) ensures that God’s glory is not only announced but embodied. \Shared Themes Linking the Two Texts\ 1. God-centered aim • Isaiah: “give glory to the LORD.” • Matthew: discipleship culminates in worship (“in the name”). 2. Universal scope • “Islands” ➜ outer edges of the earth. • “All nations” ➜ every people group without exception. 3. Verbal proclamation • “Declare His praise.” • “Make disciples” involves preaching (Mark 16:15; Romans 10:14-15). 4. Servant-Messiah focus • Isaiah 42 introduces the Servant whom the coastlands await. • Matthew presents the risen Servant-King who now sends His followers. \From Prophecy to Fulfillment\ • Isaiah 42:12 sets the prophetic agenda: God’s fame must fill the earth. • The Great Commission is the fulfillment strategy: believers become the means by which that praise is broadcast. • Acts 13:47 cites Isaiah 49:6 (another Servant Song) to justify preaching to Gentiles, showing Isaiah’s Servant texts as mission blueprints. \Living the Connection Today\ • See every unreached people group as an “island” awaiting the sound of God’s praise. • Measure ministry success not only by conversions but by increasing glory given to the Lord (2 Corinthians 4:15). • Embrace both worship and witness; one fuels the other (Psalm 117:1-2; 1 Peter 2:9). • Depend on the promised presence: “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20) echoes the Servant upheld by the Spirit (Isaiah 42:1). Isaiah foretold the outward flow of God’s glory; Jesus enacted it. The same Spirit who empowered the Servant now empowers the Church to keep declaring His praise “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). |
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