The Unfailing Servant of Jehovah
In Isaiah 42.4, we see the character of the Servant in relation to His own service – the unfailing Servant; "He shall not fail nor be discouraged". What did it mean for the Lord Jesus, Jehovah's perfect Servant, to be successful in His service, and to "not fail"? As He entered Jerusalem for the last time, and contemplated His imminent sacrifice, He said "Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again" (Jn 12.28). At the close of His earthly service, He said to the Father "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do" (17.4). These statements express His primary measure of successful service, that is, the Father's glory. His great desire was that Calvary's sacrifice, and His subsequent resurrection, would eternally glorify the Father, and that alone would indicate He had not failed in His service.
When men judge success versus failure, it is usually with a certain number being regarded as acceptable, and anything at that level or above is a pass. But, for the Lord Jesus, His success in service was not determined by the numbers of those who were healed, or fed, or even blessed with salvation. Whatever the number of sinners from amongst the sons of Adam who are ultimately saved, Jehovah's Servant has been successful in that God is eternally glorified in the death of His Son. At Calvary, all of God's righteous claims were satisfied, and His holy character was perfectly displayed. It is because of this Godward aspect of the death of Christ that we, as believers, have absolute assurance of eternal salvation. That eternal security is not ultimately depending upon our grasp and understanding of all that took place at Calvary, but rather upon all that God found in the death of His Son. Because the Servant did "not fail", we know God has been eternally satisfied and glorified, and thus we know our salvation is assured.
This theme of divine glory being the measure of ultimate success in His service is brought out further in Isaiah 42, in the words that God speaks to His Servant (vv 5-12). Jehovah declares Himself to be the mighty Creator of the heavens and the earth, who in His creatorial power "giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein" (v 5). He declares "I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images" (v 8), indicating that He is a jealous God who must have no rival, and that all praise coming forth from His glorious creation should be to Him alone. It is therefore Jehovah's desire that His creatures will give Him His rightful glory and praise, but it requires the service of His Servant to bring that about.
Thus, in verses 6-7, we read of Gentiles who will be enlightened and delivered from bondage by the service of God's Servant. In the previous chapter, Gentiles, referred to as "the isles", are encouraging one another in the futility of heathen idolatry, and human hands are busy manufacturing and serving powerless false gods of wood and metal (41.5-7). How wonderful that the Servant has been given "… for a light of the Gentiles, to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house" (42.6-7). Those enlightened Gentiles, delivered from the prison house of heathen idolatry, will then use their given breath and spirit to "Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth" (v 10). All who are blessed will "give glory unto the Lord, and declare his praise in the islands" (v 12). Truly, Jehovah's Servant did "not fail" in bringing praise and glory to the One who called Him to serve.
The Steadfast Servant of Jehovah
Further in Isaiah 42.4, Jehovah's Servant never became "discouraged" relative to the will and purpose of God His Father; He had a unique strength of character and purpose. At every point in His life we are impressed by His steadfast purpose to complete the work the Father had given Him to do. At His incarnation, His purpose was declared: "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God" (Heb 10.9). At the age of 12, He said "I must be about my Father's business" (Lk 2.49). As He went forth in public service, His determination to complete the mission committed to Him was unchanged; "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work" (Jn 4.34). If another pathway outside of the will of God was even suggested, such as by Peter ("Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee"), the steadfast Servant's immediate response was uncompromising; "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men" (Mt 16.22-23).
Discouragement can be very real for any servant of the Lord, and at times we may feel that we have very little to show for much labour spent. But we must have the same steadfastness and purpose of heart as the Lord Jesus, and ultimately we leave the outcome of our service with the sovereign God. Paul reminds us "neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase" (1 Cor 3.7). We have the immense privilege to be "labourers together of God" (v 9, Newberry¹), and we must have the same kind of strength of character and purpose that characterised the steadfast Servant of Jehovah.
The Righteous Servant of Jehovah
The opening verses of Isaiah 42, which detail the delightful character of the Servant when He first came in grace, also look forward to His future service, when He will be displayed as God's righteous Servant. We notice three references in verses 1-4 to the word 'judgment', linked with the Gentile nations; "He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles" (v 1), "He shall bring forth judgment unto truth" (v 3), and "till He have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law" (v 4). In a coming day, the Gentile nations will be blessed as they submit to His Person, acknowledge that He controls their affairs in accordance with truth and justice, and that He alone is worthy of all human praise and worship.
This word 'judgment' carries the idea of an administration of justice incorporating all nations, a righteous rule that He will establish according to truth, when "a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth" (Jer 23.5). In contrast to human authorities today, the administration of God's righteous Servant will be a time when sound moral principles and practices will be consistently upheld, and there will be no miscarriages of justice. It is characteristic of human rule that what may begin with righteous principles deteriorates with time, often ultimately leading to the exposure of corrupt practice. This will never be true of the Millennial rule of God's righteous Servant: it will be a consistent reign of perfect equity; "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever" (Isa 9.7).
The Lord Jesus assured His disciples that they would participate in His coming Kingdom (Lk 22.28-30). Believers in the Lord Jesus in this present Church age also have the blessed prospect of sharing in Christ's coming administration, and participating in His righteous rule; as "joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Rom 8.17), and "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him" (2 Tim 2.12). Given that we will be linked with such a reign of righteous judgment, we should display morally righteous principles in all our personal and assembly relationships, and in every aspect of our service for Christ. (To be continued …)
¹ Thomas Newberry, The Newberry Reference Bible.
