Something breaks and we pick up the pieces, determining whether it can be repaired, or whether we will have to throw it out. Often something cannot be fixed, and it is now useless. For many people they look at their lives, both currently and in their past, and because of mistakes or circumstances they are in, they feel broken and useless. They feel no good to anyone, and especially to God. If that is how you feel today, the prophet Isaiah has a message from God for you, about how the Messiah feels about broken people. Let’s take a look!
Our passage today from Isaiah contains one of several “Servant Songs” Isaiah wrote, referring to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. The first three verses refer to when Jesus came the first time, and was quoted in the Gospel of Matthew, (Matthew 12:18-21). God delighted in Him, and put His Spirit upon Him. When Jesus came that time He had a quiet, submissive spirit. One of the main characteristics of Jesus, both at that time, and definitely also today, is that He brings comfort and encouragement to the weak and oppressed. In verse 3 we read how Jesus will not break a bruised reed, nor quench a smoking flax. In ancient times, reeds (tall, grasslike plants found in wetlands) were used for thatching roofs and other construction. They were also sharpened at one end and used as writing instruments. Damaged or broken reeds could not be used, and were discarded. Strings of flax (a plant that is used for textile fibers from its stalk) were often used as wicks in oil lamps. If the wick caused a lot of smoke, it would start to smell, and it would need to be put out and replaced.
Damaged and useless, needing to be tossed out. That’s how we may feel about our lives. Maybe we got into sin, or our bodies are sick or crippled, and now we feel we are useless to the Lord. If we come to the Lord Jesus with our broken lives, and lay them at His feet, Isaiah says here that He will not break us, He will not quench us. Jesus doesn’t take and discard us like pieces of trash. Instead, He loves us, and restores our brokenness. Jesus is gentle and encouraging. When we are broken, bruised, and worn out, He won’t berate us, cast us out or aside, but instead He will pick us up in His love. He can use us as we yield ourselves to Him.
As we continue on in our passage we see how Jesus was God’s covenant to His people (vs. 6). Jesus is the Mediator of a better covenant than the one given to Moses (Hebrews 8:6). Jesus was also a light to the Gentiles. He showed this by ministering, not only to the Jews, but also to several Gentiles during His time before His crucifixion. Jesus ministered to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4-29), healed a Roman centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1-10), and cast a demon out of a Canaanite woman’s daughter (Matthew 15:21-28), and He commissioned His disciples to bring the Gospel to the ends of the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). Through Jesus everyone has the opportunity to share in salvation!
Isaiah predicted that the Messiah Jesus would bring sight to the blind and set prisoners free from the prisons they were in (vs. 7). As we read throughout each of the Gospels, Jesus brought healing to multitudes, especially restoring sight to the blind. He also brought freedom from spiritual captivity. We can be held captive to various addictions, debt due to bad spending, captive to bad relationships, etc. Through prayer Jesus can set us free. It was prayer that set Peter free from the actual prison in Acts 12:3-11. Prayer can deliver us, too, from spiritual captivity and spiritual blindness. Prison bars can’t hold fast against the power of God.
As our passage closes, we read a very important statement in verse 8. The Lord Yahweh is the one and only God there is. God will not share His glory and worship with any other false gods. Some people may feel that it is okay and acceptable to mix their faith in Jesus with any of the many other false religions in the world. As Yahweh spoke through Isaiah here, we are not to share God’s worship and glory with any other. Let’s be sure that we give all praise and glory to the Lord God and His Son, Jesus, only.
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