Servant of God

Read Isaiah 41:8-13

Context: Isaiah is written in two parts, The Book of Judgment and the Book of Comfort. This is from the Book of Comfort, where God tells the Israelites who are exiled to Babylon that things will get better.

Text:
8 "But you, O Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
9 I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, 'You are my servant';
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11 "All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
13 For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you. (NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

In the first two verses, God refers to Israel as his 'servant'. Taken out of context it could be read in a way that makes you think God created his chosen people to be his personal servants, to serve his needs.

In context and in the original language, the word servant here is really a "title for one who occupies a special position in God's royal administration of the kingdom, as in 'my servant, Moses'." (NIV Study Bible)

Either way you look at it, the Israelites, and now the Gentiles, were chosen to help God implement his plan.

Have you ever been chosen by someone to work on a special project? While the position may require a lot of hard work, it is an honor to be selected. The position requires certain talents and capabilities, and the people pulling it together realize that you have the 'right stuff' to do the job. They trust you, and in return you will do whatever it takes to make the project a success.

In the same way, God selects us to do his work. He knows our abilities better than we do ourselves, and he puts special projects in our way because he trusts us to do a good job. In the process he will strengthen us and hold us up...he wants us to be successful.

What job has God given you today?