Isaiah 42:1-17 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; my elect, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit on him… This is the language of the Eternal Father; but it contains a description of our blessed Lord and Saviour in His character, as the Redeemer of the world. Then the Spirit of God is represented as resting upon Christ, to qualify Him for that work of redemption; and thus in this one verse we have brought before us suggestions concerning the Father's sovereign will, the Son's willing obedience, and the Spirit's fulness of grace manifested in the Person of the Son, and the setting Him apart for His real work. I. THE SCRIPTURAL REVELATION CONCERNING THE TRINITY IN UNITY. 1. No one can doubt that Holy Scripture teaches the unity of God. 2. Yet Scripture speaks of this one God, this one Jehovah, Israel's Lord, as revealing Himself in three distinct characters and relations, and only three. 3. Then Scripture attributes works and qualities to each of these three Persons which could not be attributed to them justly if each of them were not truly God. 4. Then Holy Scripture teaches, notwithstanding, that these Three Divine Persons, each spoken of as God, are yet one God, and this without any difference or inequality. II. THE PRACTICAL VIEW OF THE TRINITY WHICH THIS PASSAGE CONTAINS. We gather from it that it is the will of the Eternal Jehovah that the glory of the Trinity should be specially manifested in connection with the Person and work of Christ. Observe the description of the Second Person in the blessed Trinity. 1. He is God's Servant. How can the Second Person in the Trinity be spoken of as the Servant of the Eternal Father? The very expression denotes the manhood of Christ. He cannot be a Servant except by creation, and His body was created in order that He might sustain the position of Servant to the Eternal God. "A body," we are told in the Epistle to the Hebrews, quoting from the Psalms, "hast Thou prepared Me... Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God." Here is the Son speaking to the Father. Then the expression God's "Servant" denotes the humiliation of our blessed Lord (Philippians 2:7). As God's servant we have to consider Him in connection with His office, as well as with His humiliation and with His manhood. The office which He had to sustain was to bring sinful men back again to God. 2. Then He is God's beloved — "Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth." 3. The Man Christ Jesus has the Spirit of God — "I will put My Spirit upon Him," that is, I will put it on Him as a garment. At the conception, and at His baptism and ordination to His work, this was specially manifested. Then Jesus had the Spirit for the special work which He had to perform as Mediator. There were three objects to be accomplished, if man was to have a suitable remedy. Man was ignorant of God's will through sin: he needed, therefore, a prophet to teach him, not only what to do, but the actual doing of it, and Jesus was anointed to be that Prophet. Then man was rebellious, and he needed, therefore, a king who should rule over his inward passions, and subdue them, as well as over his outward enemies, and quell them: and therefore Jesus was anointed, that He might sustain the office of King. And man was in a sinful condition, under the curse of the broken law, and therefore he needed a priest to sacrifice for him, and to make intercession for him, and Jesus was that Priest, anointed with the Spirit of God, in order that He might make that satisfaction, and offer that sacrifice, and present that intercession through which sinners may be brought nigh unto God. Thus qualified, the Saviour will "bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." (W. Cadman, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. |
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