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We meet these people on a regular basis—those who have been beaten down by events in their life. How do we treat them? Are we willing to even recognize them?
Isaiah chapter 42 contains what is referred to as a Messianic prophecy.
A Messianic prophecy is one that tells us something about Jesus before He came to earth.
This particular prophecy tells us about how He will minister to the people.
We know that Jesus is a pattern for us to follow, so let’s consider the things listed in this passage to see how they might apply to us.
2 He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his law.
Isa 42:2-4
V.2 is about publicity.
V.3 is about protection.
V.4 is about perseverance.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
Isa. 42:2
We have grown up with promotional advertising.
Everyone wants to get their product or idea or service to be in the forefront of our thinking.
Advertising definitely helps to sell things.
I was working at a building supply store, which was part of a family chain of seven stores.
The owner would have the tv people come out to film him promoting a product and the local store.
One Spring, he came to advertise our garden tools.
The set up was in front of our concrete statuary.
The next day, we sold out of our concrete statuary even though the ad was for wheelbarrows and rakes and hoes.
Advertising works.
You would think that once you gained a major corner on the market, you could back off of your advertising, but that is not the case.
Coke and Budweiser continue to advertise even though both are household words around the world.
How many people know of 7-UP?
What would happen for 7-UP if they began to advertise more aggressively?
If you want people to know about you, you find as many ways as you can to get your name or your brand out into the public.
Jesus didn’t do that.
In fact, we read seven times in the Gospels where He explicitly said to tell no one what had happened.
Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Mat 16:20
Jesus tried to avoid publicity, yet His message is still heard around the world today.
Our passage in Isaiah says that He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street.
Once again, we can see that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts.
Advertising our ministry is paramount to getting noticed in this day and age.
Could it be that following the ways of the world for ministry is contrary to God’s desires?
For promotion comes neither from the east,
nor from the west, nor from the south.
But God is the judge:
he puts down one, and sets up another.
Psa 75:6-7
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Luk 14:11
I am not saying that it is somehow wrong to advertise and promote what you are doing.
However, it seems as if without advertising the message is not able to get out.
The best and cheapest advertising, though, is still word of mouth, just as it was in Jesus’ day.
And Jesus charged them to tell no one.
But the more he charged them,
the more zealously they proclaimed it.
Mar 7:36
People always like to share something good that they have found, whether it’s a new restaurant, grocery store, movie or whatever.
People talk.
That is advertising of the best kind.
Since there is no record of Jesus rebuking anyone for talking about Him, we can assume that He knew what would happen.
The point, though, is that He did not promote Himself.
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips.
Pro 27:2
Next is the idea of protection in His ministry.
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
Isa. 42:3
When we look at the world around us without judgment, we can see things that should break our heart.
Homelessness, drug addiction, alcoholics, battered women, abandoned children and things like these are all symptoms of a sickness of soul.
People afflicted in this way are weak, and have been made weaker by the things which have happened to them.
Sadly, sometimes the thing that has happened to them came from a Christian.
It is so easy to be judgmental, especially when we come from a place of victory, of having overcome our own weakness in some area.
This passage concerning Jesus says that He is gentle, especially to the bruised, battered and broken.
Whatever life there may be left within one of these, He will not quench or snuff it out.
We should learn that however weak the attempt may be on the part of one of these, it is enough of a spark for the Lord to fan into a flame.
How do you get a smoldering wick to burn brightly?
You remove the charred portion and give it oxygen.
We need to be able to see past the coarse language, or the body odor, or the unwillingness to look us in the eye and see that there is a tiny spark there.
It may take time, but we can help to remove those charred portions of their life.
We should recognize that change—any change—is not going to happen overnight.
I have a friend in PA who just went to court for his 5th DUI.
I first met him in Bible College before he got married.
He has been struggling for years, especially after one of his boys died from an overdose of illegal drugs.
He was fearful going into the hearing, especially since he was already on probation and this last offense happened in another state.
The Lord has given my friend a reprieve with an extremely light sentence and fine.
Do we simply write someone like this off as a hopeless alcoholic and let them suffer the consequences of their choices?
Or, do we try as best we can to be like Jesus when He said to the woman, “Neither do I condemn thee.”
It is not until we are confronted with a situation that we will ever know the answer of how we will respond.
However, we can begin to see the world around us through the eyes of love, mercy and compassion, rather than the eyes of judgment and justice.
Let us purpose in our heart that we will not break the already bruised, nor quench the last bit of life which comes before us in the form of a person who has been battered by their circumstances.
Finally, there is the idea of perseverance.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth;
Isa. 42:4
It is said that Jesus would not grow faint or be discouraged in the ministry to which He had been assigned.
How easy it is for us to grow weary and just give up when things are not going the way we expected.
How often do we throw up our hands after the second or third relapse?
How long do we stand with a person through all their trials as they attempt to get free from their bondage?
The answer is simple—
AS LONG AS IT TAKES
We had some friends at a church we attended in PA, who had two growing boys.
The parents were continually asking for prayer for one of their boys because of the choices he would make.
This past week, he graduated from the NJ police academy.
His proud mother posted this comment—
“He could have been a statistic, a kid who fell through the cracks, but today when I hugged him I got to cry happy tears because God answered my prayers for his life. My teenager who made some “bad life choices” is now a strong, proud, serving, honorable, dedicated man who made it! He will be able to speak into the lives of others and encourage them with his own story.”
We generally don’t give up on our kids.
Neither should we give up on any of those whom the Lord brings into our life.
Jesus did not give up on you.
Who has the Lord brought into your life that especially tries your patience and tenacity?
Will you commit yourself today to sticking with them until they make it?
Practical Bible Teaching 