October 19 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

Isaiah's God is the Holy One of Israel. In God's presence we have to be morally clean. God has chosen his Servant, who will rule in righteousness in a kingdom of peace.

Bible Reading:

Isaiah 42:1–4

Bible Text:

''Here is my servant ... he will bring justice to the nations. He will not

shout or cry out" (lsa. 42:1–2).

Devotional:

The mission of the servant of God is "to bring justice to the nations." It is his task to teach the world the right way of doing things. Just as Moses (who is also called the "servant of the Lord") gave God's law to Israel, so this servant brings the truth to the whole world. And "in his law the islands [or: "coastlands"] will put their hope" ( 42: 4). Through the instruction of this servant of the Lord the people of this planet will learn right from wrong.

The servant is Jesus, the Messiah of Israel. On one particular day God repeated the words of this text. "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations." It was the day of Jesus' baptism in the Jordan. While God put his Spirit upon him, the voice of God proclaimed: "Here is my son whom I love."

The prophecy of Isaiah tells us that the mission of the servant is to teach the world the law of God. The prophet also says something about the manner of his teaching. He's not going to blare out a dictator's decree on the world's television screens: "He will not shout." Rather, he will teach with pastoral patience, and he will not despise the weak. Even "a bruised reed he will not break."

With gentle but unconquerable force God's servant brings the justice of God to the whole earth.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.