Grow Guide | Dec 11, 2022

People of the Promise 

Isaiah 42:1-9

Connecting Questions

What is bringing you hope this week?

Have you experienced feeling far from home, or dealt with life transitions that left you feeling rootless or drifting? Who or what comforted you in those times?

Context

This week is our fourth Sunday in a 5-week worship series called “People of the Promise.” We will be focusing on the stories of prophets and servants who rely on God’s promises (even if they are also warnings). December 11 is also the third Sunday in the season of Advent, when we’ll remember the ways the prophets looked to the future, speaking words of judgment and hope. We too wait for our Savior during Advent—both the birth of Jesus and his return when all creation will be restored.

This week we focus on the book of Isaiah, who is a major prophet in the Old Testament. Isaiah has the most complex history of the prophetic books; it was written by multiple people over many years. First Isaiah (chapters 1-39) addresses the time before the Babylonian exile, Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55) was written for those in exile, and Third Isaiah (chapters 56-66) was written for those returning from exile. Isaiah contains withering judgments from God as well as some of the most comforting and beloved passages of Scripture. This week’s reading is part of Second Isaiah and contains the first of four “servant songs” that talk about an individual who takes on the suffering of the nations to bring them back to God.

Look at the Book

• Read Isaiah 42:1-9.

  • This text was written to give comfort and hope to people living in exile after a devastating defeat by the Babylonians. How does it provide comfort and hope?

  • Does it comfort you? Why or why not?

• Look closely at verses 1-4.

  • What does God think of the servant (vs. 1)?

  • Describe the servant. What qualities does he have?

  • Do you think he is powerful? How does he use power?

  • What are the priorities of the servant in vs. 1-4?

• Scholars have tried to identify the servant for many years.

  • The servant may be an individual or he may represent the nation of Israel.

  • Christians read Isaiah through a particular lens and recognize that Jesus has many qualities in common with the servant. What connections do you see between the servant in Isaiah and Jesus?  

• Look closely at verses 6-7.

  • What does the Lord want the servant to be and do? Who and what does God prioritize in these verses?

Taking it Home

The servant’s identity in Isaiah may be vague so that we see ourselves in his image. Anyone can be God’s servant and carry out God’s vision! In baptism, we’re called to let our “light so shine before others that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.” In what ways does this text inspire you to live out your baptismal identity and be God’s servant?

How are you watching for God’s new things (Isaiah 42:9) this week and keeping alert to God’s work in the world?