Isaiah 42:5-7 (NIV): This is what God the Lord says– he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
When God sent Jesus to serve on the earth for a time, He had a very broad job description, given to Him before the foundation of the world, and foretold through Isaiah. Through these prophecies, God revealed that Jesus was no fluke – he was sent as an intentional act by our God who created and sustains all things.
- · He revealed that Jesus would do nothing on His own, but would walk in total submission to God, carrying out His sovereign will in all righteousness. (Cf. John 5:19)
- · He revealed that Jesus would actually become a new covenant for the people of the world; a covenant that would stretch far beyond the Jews to impact all of the nations of the gentiles with God’s love and grace. (Cf. Luke 22:20; Acts 1:8)
- · He revealed that Jesus would open the eyes of the blind – not just giving physical sight (Cf. John 9:6-7), but opening spiritual eyes as well. (Cf. Luke 24:45)
- · He revealed that Jesus would free those who were oppressed and held captive by satan, and trapped in sin. (Cf. Mark 1:23-26)
All of these things that God revealed, Jesus fulfilled to the letter. And He is still able to do all of those things through the lives of His people today!
Father, I can clearly see these prophecies, as well as how Jesus fulfilled them all. And I see how He is still fulfilling them through my life, and through the lives of Your people all over the world. Lord, keep working through us; fill up in us all that is left undone of Jesus’ life and ministry, until the whole world has been set free. Amen.