Isaiah 42:18-20

Isaiah 42 is a ‘servant song’, about the coming Messiah. At least the first 9 verses are. It then turns to promising help from God to Israel. At this stage they have been taken captive by Babylon, and so their distress would be great. At this stage they have been taken captive by Babylon, and so their distress would be great. What does God say to them?

‘Hear, you deaf;

And look, you blind, that you may see.

Who is blind but My servant,

Or deaf as My messenger whom I send?

Who is blind as he who is perfect,

And blind as the LORD’s servant?

Seeing many things, but you do not observe;

Opening the ears, but he does not hear.” (Isaiah 42:18-20)

Here He calls them His servant, which they were. But He also calls them blind and deaf. Unresponsive to His message. Unresponsive to His will for them. In the context it refers to their failure to recognize the Truth of the coming Messiah – lack of belief in God’s plan. But it would be also right to see this as aimed at us.

We are God’s servants, His chosen. He has called us, just as He called the nation of Israel. But sometimes I think we are blind. We are not blind in the same way the Israelites were. We know and believe in Jesus, the Messiah. We have the sight that God gives us through the Holy Spirit. But sometimes I think we choose not to listen to Him. Sometimes I think we choose not to observe those things that He lovingly shows us. Let’s not make that grave mistake. All that He does, He does for our good. If we are going to ignore Him, then our lives will only be the worse for it.