It’s Jesus, let me tell you that up front. The greatest Evangelist the planet has ever seen. (In fact He is both the Message and the Messenger!)
And in today’s Bible Text, Isaiah 49:6 we have God the Father speaking to God the Son, a Trinitarian Dialogue, if you please.
Here they speak, as recorded in our King James Version. “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”
Wow!
The Father says to Jesus, I paraphrase … “I am giving You an assignment. It is both voluntary and necessary!” (That’s possible with God, I’d say) “The assignment is in two phases, Jesus.” (Something about the Jews then something about the Gentiles!) “One aspect of this world-wide aspiration might be considered easier (‘lighter’) that the other. But when blended, it’s an awesome (‘heavy’) job!”
Please don’t be offended at my wording above. I am just trying to convey the verse in more understandable terms. Here’s the sweet King James Version again: “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”
Wow again!
A single Verse explanation of all world history! I mean past, present and future!
Yes, Jesus is God’s Servant!
He successfully fulfilled that Position, while Israel failed in that Role. (Isaiah 49 begins by talking about Israel the Nation being God’s Servant. But it evolves into talking about Jesus God’s Son being that Servant!) Remember Isaiah’s four great “Servant Passages,” each talking about Messiah Jesus? (Sections of Isaiah 42 and 49 and 50, and then all of chapter 53!)
“Light” here means “slight” only in this sense, not as “heavy!” It nearly means “trifling!”
As in: “Jesus, my dear Son, if merely saving Israel is not a ‘heavy enough’ job, ministry … let’s add saving the Gentiles as well!”
Glory to God!
Amazing, thrilling!
Then look at the quartet of verbal acts used here: “to raise up, to restore,” and then “to be light” followed by “to be salvation!”
All these depict old sinners being miraculously “born-again,” to use New Testament parlance.
And when will this happen? When will Servant Jesus be such a ‘Light” to the whole world?
During the MILLENNIUM, of course!
Simeon quoted part of today’s Verse when he first saw Baby Jesus in the Temple long ago: “For mine eyes have seen thy SALVATION, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a LIGHT to LIGHTEN the GENTILES, and the GLORY (something not lightweight, but rather heavy) of thy people ISRAEL.” Luke 2:30-32
Sounds like “God gave Jesus … to be Salvation” to this old sin-cursed world! In fact, Isaiah 49:6 talks a lot like John 3:16 … “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Hallelujah!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
One last time today, Isaiah 49:6 … “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.”
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