Word at Work May 1, 2010
May 1, 2010Word at Work May 3, 2010
May 3, 2010SUNDAY, MAY 2
Scripture: Isaiah 42:1-3
Whenever doing a topical study it is good to remember that none of the New Testament preachers had a New Testament to preach from. So whenever a passage is quoted it is important to go back to the original source they were using when they were ministering. When studying Matthew 12 we look to Isaiah 42:1 as the source: “’Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.’” Now we see a bit of a difference between Matthew 12’s account, “He will declare justice to the Gentiles…” versus Isaiah’s “He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles…” Is there a difference between declaring and bringing forth? There is a big difference! One can be released by speaking while the other includes doing. So when Isaiah says “He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles…” the Hebrew word is mish-pawt. Mish-pawt is the prophetic pronouncement of a shaw-fat/judge. When we look at Genesis 18:19 we discover God’s whole purpose for man culminated in the Hebrew word mish-pawt. Verse 19 says, “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice (mish-pawt), that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” Now this puzzle of different verses begins to come together to form a picture. God expects every believer to do justice. How did Abraham do justice when he was faced with Sodom and Gomorrah? That is a reasonable question based on what we face in our nation.