Isaiah 49:1-12 (NIV)

Read by: Amanda Koch

Today’s passage brings us into a new section of the book of Isaiah. Even after being freed from Babylon, Israel’s heart remains hard. They just don’t trust God... and would rather decide for themselves what’s best. And so the road curves, the story shifts, and God decides to do something different. Unexpected. Israel will no longer bear the role of God’s servant, and instead a single figure emerges to carry the mission forward. Instead, he will be called Israel, and he will not only restore Jacob’s family, but he will bring all of God’s family back together. He will be a light to the Gentiles, to all nations, to the ends of the earth. This Servant sounds like someone we’ve met before though. He’s foreshadowed earlier in the book—remember the Messianic King? The root of Jesse? And yet there are new details, ways that his rescue and reign will look different than what everyone thought. He will suffer. He will be rejected. But through it all he will be obedient to the LORD, even... to the point of death. He will die for the sins of his own people—to pave the way for their restoration and the redemption of all.

----------REFLECT----------

1. What word or phrase stood out to you in the passage?

2. Israel’s vocation was to be a light to the nations, but their own interests kept getting in the way. The world needed someone whose only vision was to show the world who God was. In your life, how has God revealed himself to you? How do you know who he is?

3. As you look out into the world, and particularly into your world, who can you see who needs to know God? Who in your life has been given a distorted or incomplete picture of God? Pray for them. And as you are given opportunities, ask the LORD to help you show them who He is.

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Bible Project: Isaiah 40-66 >>

Bible Project Blog: Isaiah and the Suffering Servant King >>

InterVarsity Press Selections: Isaiah >>

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