A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
A bruised reed shall he not break. "It pleased the Lord to bruise Him" (Isaiah 53:5; Isaiah 53:10; Genesis 3:15); so He can feel for the bruised. As Isaiah 42:2 described His unturbulent spirit toward His violent enemies (Matthew 12:14-16), and His utter freedom from love of notoriety, so Isaiah 42:3 His tenderness in cherishing the first spark of grace in the penitent (Isaiah 40:11).
Reed - fragile; easily "shaken with the wind" (Matthew 11:7). Those who are at best feeble, and who besides are oppressed by calamity or by the sense of sin.
Break - entirely crush or condemn. Compare "bind up the-broken-hearted" (Isaiah 50:4; Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 11:28).
The smoking flax shall he not quench - "flax" put for the lamp-wick, formed of flax. The believer is the lamp (so the Greek, Matthew 5:15, "Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel;" John 5:35): his conscience enlightened by the Holy Spirit is the wick. "Smoking" means dimly-burning, smouldering, the flame not quite extinct. This expresses the positive side of the penitent's religion, as "bruised reed," the negative. Broken-hearted in himself, but not without some spark of flame lighted from above. Christ will supply such a one with grace as with oil. Also, the light of nature smouldering in the Gentiles amidst the hurtful fumes of error, He not only did not quench, but cleared away the mists and added the, light of revelation. See Jerome, ad 'Algasiam,' Quaestio 2.
He shall bring forth judgment unto truth. Matthew 12:20 quotes it, "He shall send forth judgment unto victory." Matthew, under the Spirit, gives the virtual sense, but varies the word, in order to bring out a fresh aspect of the same thing. Truth has in itself the elements of victory over all opposing forces. Truth is the victory of Him who is "the truth" (John 14:6). The Gospel judicial sifting ("judgment") of believers and unbelievers, begun already in part (John 3:18-19; John 9:39), will be consummated victoriously in truth only at His second coming. Isaiah 42:13-14, here, and Matthew 12:32; Matthew 12:36; Matthew 12:41-42, show that there is reference to the judicial aspect of the Gospel, especially finally: besides the mild triumph of Jesus coming in mercy to the penitent now (Isaiah 42:2), there shall be finally the judgment on His enemies, when the "truth" shall be perfectly developed. Compare Isaiah 61:1-3, where the two comings are similarly joined (Psalms 2:4-6; Psalms 2:8; Revelation 15:2-4; Revelation 19:11-16). On "judgment," see note, Isaiah 42:1.