Rev. David Holwick Third Sunday of Advent
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
December 14, 1986
Bruised and Flickering
Isaiah 42:1-4, NIV
Honesty test - how many of you left a messy house this morning? For the Holwicks it is a never ending battle. If our kids are left alone for fifteen minutes - total destruction. One solution is a maid. My mom had many maids over the years because we lived in places with cheap labor. Japan, Germany, Georgia. Something I never figured out - when the maid was coming, we were ordered to clean up our rooms. If I have to clean up, why get a maid to begin with? Only mothers can grasp their logic.
We have lost the battle over messiness. We can't keep up with the kids. Celeste's brainstorm was to get an Amish girl to live with us. She hears they only charge something like five dollars a month. But if it's such a great deal why don't you all have one? The answer is easy - we don't want that naïve Amish girl to see us running around in our underwear. Fortunately for Celeste, God has provided her with what I am too cheap to consider - a servant.
The book of Isaiah contains several passages that focus on the servant of God. It's actually one of the greatest themes in this great book. Just who is this servant and what does he do? Different passages give different answers. Turn to Isaiah 41:8 (the first "servant passage"):
"But you, O Israel, my servant...."
This sounds like it's a nation not just one person; but in chapter 52:13 the servant is definitely a person, a person who is beaten and despised even though he is innocent. After suffering greatly he dies but through his death guilty people are reconciled to God.
Isaiah 42:1-4 fits in with the second version of the servant, the personal one. In today's passage Isaiah is talking about an individual who will quietly, but firmly, bring justice to the earth. He will be the opposite of the "Rambo" dolls that will lie under millions of Christmas trees in two weeks. Instead of raw power and might he will transform the earth through truth.
The New Testament is very clear about who this servant is. As a matter of fact, this passage is quoted word for word in Matthew 12. The quiet servant of God is Jesus Christ. The image of being a servant was important to Jesus. Turn to Matthew 20:25. Jesus here contrasts the power-hungry style with his own style. The NIV translates it very clearly:
"Jesus called them together and said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Not to be served but to serve. And notice how this not only describes Jesus, but is also supposed to describe his true followers.
Back in Isaiah 42, many other predictions are made about the servant. Verse 1 says that God will uphold him and delight in him. God will also give him the Spirit. In Old Testament times, possession of the Spirit was limited to very few people. Many of the kings did not have the Spirit. We are then told why the Servant needs the Spirit - his duty is to judge the nations of the world. Modern translations say he will "bring justice." This carries the idea that he will right what's wrong. It's true, but the emphasis isn't here. The judgment of the nations means the conduct of our lives will be looked at. If we have been evil, we'll be condemned. If we were God-fearing and have the fruit to prove it, we will be saved.
Judgment is a very scary idea. Evangelists have used it for centuries to terrify people into repenting. We have good reason to be scared, too. Salvation is not something to rejoice in on Sunday and forget the rest of the week. I often hear people criticize Catholics for this - drunk on Saturday, in Mass on Sunday. Let me tell you - we're just as bad. In the name of Christ, anything goes these days. But judgment is coming.
God could damn everyone in this room and be justified in doing it. But that's not his character. Even though we expect judgment to be harsh and frightening, God's servant goes about it gently. This is probably the most significant truth in Isaiah 42. Instead of crushing us, God wants to save us (with as much love as he can). Verse 2 stresses the quiet nature the servant will have. It is fulfilled in Jesus, who didn't promote himself or try to make all the headlines. As a matter of fact, he pleaded with people to keep his miracles a secret. Jesus would not have made a good politician.
The climax of the passage is in verse 3:
"A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out."
A reed is a very delicate thing. It doesn't take much of a windstorm to smash them to the ground. People are a lot like reeds. On the outside we project an image of strength and contentment, but we bruise very easily and it doesn't take much to break us.
When I get to know people in a deeper way I almost always find bruises. Everyone has dreams of what they want to accomplish in life. As the years go by we fail to measure up. I know people who hate their jobs. (It is nothing but a paycheck.) Each year their resentment grows like a cancer.
We can also be bruised by those who are closest to us. Any psychologist will tell you people get married so their own needs will be satisfied. So we search for someone who's good looking; successful and well-liked, or least the closest to that we can find. Once you're married, you discover that the other person doesn't exist just to make your every wish come true. They want their needs met. What starts out as a misty-eyed match made in heaven can degenerate into a cold, cruel hell.
Nothing can be more bruising than criticism from someone who is close to us. Why? Inside, we suspect it's all true. Nothing can tear us up like our family. Since Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves I suppose he could really put the screws on us, but he doesn't. He wants to ease our hurts, not deepen them.
The verse goes on to say he will not quench a smoking flax. The picture is of a wick that has almost flickered out. It probably means much the same thing as a bruised reed. It's a symbol of the weakness of our humanity. But many times in the Bible the light of a wick stands for personal faith. Jesus himself told us we are the light of the world and we shouldn't hide it under a bushel.
There are different ways to look at faith. One aspect of faith is when we believe in God and accept his love for us. (Believe Jesus died for us) Another aspect of faith is believing God is watching over us day to day for our good. I find many people have the faith to believe in God but they doubt he is close to them. Their wick doesn't blaze forth like it used to. They've begun to flicker a little.
Some people see flickering faith in others and criticize them for not having more. Jesus looks at what you've got and tries to fan it, build it into something bigger. I myself get frustrated when I see people backslide. I take it personally, but I know that God never gives up on them. No matter what you've done, God will accept you back.
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Typed on June 28, 2005, by Sharon Lesko of Ledgewood Baptist Church, New Jersey
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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