“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, ‘You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off’; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:8-10
Look at the wonderful identity statements in this short passage:
- My servant
- My chosen
- My friend
Then look at the actions of God that produced these conditions:
- I took
- I called
- I said
Finally notice the promises God makes based on our identity as His people:
- I will not cast you off
- I am with you
- I am your God
- I will strengthen you
- I will help you
- I will uphold you
It is important to notice that these are unconditional statements and promises. This is not always the case in Scripture. The Mosaic covenant, for example, promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. It was a conditional covenant. If Israel would keep God’s Law, He would bless them. If they failed to keep His Law, He would discipline them.
But the Mosaic covenant rests upon the Abrahamic covenant, which was unconditional. God made promises to Abraham that Isaiah mentions here, over 1,000 years later. Even though discipline was coming for Israel in the form of the exile into Babylon (fulfilling the Mosaic covenant), the Abrahamic covenant still applied – God was still committed to His people only because of His promises to them.
This is so important for us to get right in our own relationship with God. Identity produces ministry, not the other way around. We serve God because we belong to Him. We do good works because we are His children. If you flip the order you don’t have Christianity anymore you have every other religion. Religions depend on specific works to establish your final condition and identity. You pray and serve and give and fast and 1,000 other works in the hope that – at the end of your life – it will be enough to earn God’s acceptance, to reach paradise, to “be saved.” But the gospel demolishes the false doctrines of religion:
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Titus 3:4-7
As we study Isaiah and reflect on what it means to be the servant of the Lord, don’t fall into the trap of religious self-salvation. Don’t think for a second that your efforts to serve the Lord are what establish your identity as a beloved child of God. Instead, rest in the truth that you are a child of God – 100% because of God’s grace to you in Jesus – and let that identity be what moves you into service. Because once the gospel takes root in our hearts, once we realize the truth and wonder of all God has given us in Christ, it cannot help but change how we live.
Look at how a deeply rooted identity should propel us into ministry:
“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.”
Isaiah 42:1-4
And don’t miss the important New Testament application of this passage to Jesus. His identity as the beloved son of God was established at his baptism before he started his public ministry. Based firmly on this identity, He served – giving everything in ministry.
“Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah…”
Matthew 12:15-17
The mind-blowing truth of the gospel is that because we are in Christ, we are already established in that same identity as beloved children of God. We did not earn it in the first place and our good works don’t add any merit to our standing, they simply confirm the reality of the change that has already taken place.
Yes, the good news of Jesus really is that good!