The Sad Present State of God's Servant, The Seed of Abraham (Isaiah 42:18-25).
The glory of the future is now brought down to earth by a recognition of the present condition of God's servant. In contrast to the glorious future depicted for the Servant, ‘his' present condition is seen as disastrous. The advancement of God's purposes through Abraham have almost come to a halt. Abraham is not advancing forward triumphantly in his seed, instead they are stumbling along blindly (what a contrast to Isaiah 42:16) unable to help themselves, never mind others. God's Instruction is not being magnified, it is being ignored.
“Hear you deaf ones, and look you blind, that you may see.”
So God calls on the spiritually deaf and blind to recognise their true situation. Let them hear. Let them see. For only then can His purposes can go forward.
“Who is blind, but my servant?
Or deaf as my messenger whom I send?
Who is blind as my dedicated ones?
And blind as Yahweh's servant?
You see many things but you do not observe them.”,
His ears are open but he does not hear.'
The sad present state of ‘the servant' as represented by Israel is being brought out as God addresses the world. It is done in such a way as to emphasise to the world why they have no messenger, while at the same time stressing to the servant his true condition, that he is culpably blind.
He first speaks to the world. His servant is blind, His messenger is deaf. Of what use is a blind servant, a deaf messenger they may well ask? God has a message to send to the nations, but the messenger is deaf, he will not hear it. How then can he pass it on? And he is blind, how can he even come to them or reveal anything to them?
Then he turns His attention to His servant. The sad truth is that though they are His dedicated ones, (they still claimed that, for they were dedicated ‘in Abraham'), they are blind, and though they are His servant, they are blind. Note the deliberate emphasis on blindness. No word of deafness here. They are blind, blind, culpably blind. ‘You see many things, but you do not really ‘see' them.' In other words, your minds are blinded because your hearts are hardened.
Then comes a further comment thrown out to the world. ‘His ears are open but he does not hear.' This very divorcing of the deafness from the previous comment reinforces the message of blindness as spoken to the servant. Yes, the Servant is deaf, wilfully deaf. That is why he cannot speak to the world, because he does not hear God's words. But his central root problem is his blindness. He does not even comprehend. His eyes are closed.
‘It pleased Yahweh for his righteousness' sake,
To magnify the Law (Instruction) and make it honourable,
But this is a people robbed and spoiled.
They are all of them snared in holes and hid in prison houses.
They are for a prey and none delivers.
For a spoil, and none says, “Restore”.'
God's purpose for the nations was that His Law, His Instruction, should be magnified before them and revealed as honourable, as glorious, so that His righteousness might be upheld. But the purpose has been held up. The servant who should have been revealing it to the nations has been robbed by the roadside and despoiled. They are cowering in holes, they are hidden in prison houses, they are treated as a prey. No one delivers them. For they have turned from the One Who could.
So the servant has been handed over to spoilers because of sin and disobedience. He was in no condition to deliver God's message, and indeed had had no intention of doing so. That is why he has been despoiled. Some were hiding in holes out of fear of the enemy. Others had been taken and put in prison houses. Many were in exile. All were a prey, victims waiting for the lion or bear to do his will. They are themselves the spoil, for everything has previously been taken from them. No one demands their restoration. They are friendless. Abraham's representatives are in a parlous condition. But why has this happened?
‘Who is there among you who will give ear to this?
Who will hearken and hear for the coming time?
Who gave up Jacob to the spoilers?
And Israel to the robbers?'
The question is now put as to who will listen to the explanation of why, if they are Yahweh's servant, they are in this predicament. Why are Jacob in the hand of spoilers, why are Israel in the hands of robbers? It is important for the sake of the time to come. The problem needs to be sorted out.
‘Did not Yahweh? He against whom we have sinned,
And in whose ways they would not walk,
Nor were they obedient to His Law (instruction).
That is why he poured on him the fury of his anger,
And the strength of battle.
And it set him on fire round about, yet he did not know it,
And it burned him, yet he did not lay it to heart.'
The answer is given. It was Yahweh Himself Who has done it, for they had sinned against Him and would not obey His Law. That is why all that has happened, has happened to them.
Note how Isaiah does not exclude himself from the sins of the people. ‘ We have sinned.' Since his inauguration in chapter 6 he was ever aware of his own sinfulness. But then he distinguishes his own walk from theirs. It was they who would not walk in His ways. He at least sought to walk with Him and be obedient to His Law.
So it is because of their sin and rebellion that they are experiencing the fury of His anger being poured on them, (rather than receiving His Spirit (Isaiah 32:15)). This is why they have had to face fierce battle. And yet although they have been set on fire round about, and burned, they still do not face up to what they have done, they still do not lay it to heart. What is to be done?