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The Heart of God 27
The latter part of Isaiah shows Israelite reflection on God’s desire for a relationship
with neighboring Gentile peoples. Isaiah 42:1-4 speaks of a Servant of
Yahweh who will have a global mission. It begins with the words, “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 [gôyim]” (v. 1). The passage
then concludes by observing, “In his teaching the islands will put their hope”
(v. 4). It may have startled some Jews to hear one of their prophets declare that
“islands,” which can also be rendered as “coastlands,” were going to hear the
message of Yahweh’s servant. The Hebrews were not much of a seafaring people.
To be sure, they fished in a body of water that they called a “sea” even
though it—the Sea of Galilee—is a great deal smaller than many of the world’s
lakes. On the other hand, the Jews rarely ventured out on the real sea to their
west, the Mediterranean. Yet, this passage in Isaiah pointed to a Hebrew messianic
figure who would become known and welcomed by the Gentile world
far beyond the shores of the Jewish homeland.
Isaiah 55:4-5 also develops this vision of God’s desire for mission to the
nations. Speaking on behalf of God, the prophet refers to an unidentified ruler:
“See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the
peoples” (v. 4). The Hebrew word translated as “peoples” in this verse is neither
gôyim nor ‘am. It is le’ōm, a word that encompasses the other two Hebrew
words, thus implying that God would have a future Witness whose work
would be with both Jewish and Gentile peoples. 7
Verse 5 continues, “Surely you will summon nations you know not, and
nations that do not know you will come running to you, because of the LORD
your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”
Since the author has returned to using gôyim, it is clear that this special Servant
was going to invite the world’s nations and people groups to enter into a glorious
relationship with Yahweh, Creator of all.
Calling God “the Holy One of Israel” may also be one more way for the
prophet to point to Israel’s calling to be a “holy nation” that would model for
all peoples what an adoring relationship with the Holy One should look like.
Isaiah 55:6-7 contains a gospel message for all the peoples of the earth: “Seek
the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked
forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the
LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”
The responsibility of God’s people to proclaim to the whole world Yahweh’s
coming work of restoration also appears in 60:1-3. There, the result of
God’s work among His people is said to result in additional nations and people
groups coming to the light. Isaiah concludes his book with a vision of God’s final
work of gathering peoples and nations from all the world: