Isaiah 42:8

God speaks to us in Isaiah 42:8 and He says, “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” For those who want to serve the Lord and to bring glory to His name, this is an important truth to understand. We live in a day when people can obtain great acclaim for themselves as public speakers or as performers. Those who are in a “public ministry” can easily be pulled into the wrong motivation for what they are doing. It would be a great shame if they came to the end of their lives, stood before the Lord at the judgment, and found out that they had won praise to themselves for their human efforts, but they had not brought praise to the name of Jesus Christ.

There are at least two important Biblical principles that must be followed in order to bring glory to God’s name. The first principle involves one’s true motivation. Why do you do what you do? Do you do it for your own glory, or do you do it for the glory of Christ? The Bible says in First Corinthians 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” The second Bible principle that is important to follow to bring glory to God involves one’s speech: what one talks about or whom one talks about. Jesus said in John 7:18, “He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.” Jesus spoke of the Father instead of Himself because Jesus wanted to bring glory to the Father. If we want to bring glory to the name of Jesus, then we must speak of Him. Listen carefully to those who speak and who claim to speak for God. If they speak of themselves, it means clearly that they seek their own glory and not the glory of Christ.

In Isaiah 42:9 the Lord tells us one reason why we should praise Him. He says, “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.” The Lord God knows the future. No one else knows. The false gods do not know. The wise men and women of the earth do not know. No one knows what the weather will be. No one knows when peace shall turn to war, or war to peace. No one knows if the economy will get better or worse. No one knows when they will die. No one knows if they will live in happiness for the rest of their life or in sorrow and suffering. No one knows, but God. There is one thing about the future that God tells us that we can be sure of: God’s judgment is coming to this earth. The future of the world and the people who live on it can be assured of this: the judgment of God is coming. The Messiah has a plan: a plan involving judgment. Be saved through faith in Christ while you have time, because if you are not saved, you will enter into the time of judgment.

Concerning the future judgment, the Bible says in Isaiah 42:10-17, “Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands. The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.”

First we are told in the passage in Isaiah 42:10-17 to give praise to God. There are always many reasons to praise Him. We praise Him for the salvation that He gives us freely through faith in Jesus Christ. We praise Jesus that He was willing to come into this world and suffer and die for our sins. We praise Him that He loves us. Each of us who are saved should praise Him for visiting us and touching our hearts to call us to Himself. We praise Him for the beautiful earth that He has created. We praise Jesus for the gift of life and for the provision for life that He gives us each day. And now we see in Isaiah 42:10-17 that we can also praise God because of His plan for judgment that He has in place. Judgment will come assuredly. The wrongs will be righted. The punishments that are deserved will be handed out.

Our God is a very patient God. Because of His great love and His desire that people would repent and be saved, sometimes He waits centuries and even millenniums before bringing His judgment. That is why He said in Isaiah 42:14, “I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself.” But once Jesus does bring judgment to this earth, it will be terrible indeed. That is why in Isaiah chapter 42 He speaks of “war,” and He says “I will make waste mountains and hills.” He says in Isaiah 42:14, “I will destroy and devour at once.” And the Bible says in Isaiah 42:13 that God “shall prevail against his enemies.” Revelation chapter 19 also gives some details about this time of judgment that Jesus Himself will bring to the earth. It says in Revelation 19:11-21, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” Here is one of the reasons that Jesus does not want His followers to be vengeful. He has a plan for bringing judgment to this earth, and He will fulfill His plan. Woe to those who are in danger of His judgment. The Judge is coming, and He is bringing a true and righteous judgment.

The Bible says in Isaiah 42:18-25, “Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD's servant? Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not. The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable. But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come? Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, he against whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his law. Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.”

Isaiah 42:18 is an invitation. To speak of those who are deaf and blind is a symbolic reference to those who do not understand the truth and who do not perceive the truth that is in Christ Jesus. That is one of the reasons that Jesus healed the blind and the deaf in His ministry on this earth. There is nothing worse than being spiritually blind or spiritually deaf, but Jesus can heal those two great maladies. It says in Isaiah 42:21 that God “will magnify the law, and make it honourable.” The cure for spiritual blindness and spiritual deafness is found in the Word of God. The Bible is the written Word, and Jesus is the living Word of God.

Unfortunately, even the children of God often fail to take advantage of the truth that is available for them. That is why it says in Isaiah 42:23, “Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come?” Of course, we are looking at Old Testament passages and must be careful to notice the difference between law and grace. These children of God in the time of Isaiah were living under the law and were required to keep all the statutes of the law. Should they fail, the punishments were severe. It says in Isaiah 42:24, “neither were they obedient unto his law.” And so the punishments followed. It says in Isaiah 42:25, “Therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle: and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart.” Thank God that through faith in Christ we live under grace in this age of grace and we do not live under law. Here is something else to be thankful for each day: because of Christ we live in the age of grace instead of the age of the law.

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