Behold, I have made him a witness to the nations, a leader and commander of the peoples.Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples.Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples.
4 sermons cite this verse
… First, the faithful witness, the faithful witness. Isaiah 55, verse 4, prophesied the Messiah as a witness to the peoples, a witness to the people, and to witness to the truth. Listen to John 18, 37. Jesus said this, "'To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, I should bear witness unto the truth. The word witness is martyres, which has exactly what you heard in me saying the Greek word, overtones of martyrdom. Those who were faithful witnesses very often ended up dead. And while Christ did not die as a mere martyr, He certainly was martyred for speaking the truth. He was a witness to the truth of God, and he was a witness all the way to death. In Pilate's judgment hall, he didn't back off the truth. He didn't deny that he was the Son of God. He affirmed the truth. He always affirmed the truth no matter the cost. He couldn't deny the truth no matter what the price because he was faithful as a witness unto death. …
In tracing out the parallel, let me now draw your attention, first, to the leader who commanded the voluntary homage of good and valiant men. And then to the recruits who joined themselves to him, of whom we find a graphic description it our text. I. THE LEADER, whom we regard as a type of our Lord Jesus Christ, was David, the son of Jesse. And in tracing out some points of analogy, we begin by noticing that like David, our Lord was anointed of God to be the Leader of His people. Hence the words of prophecy concerning Him, "I will make an Everlasting Covenant with You, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given Him for a Witness to the people, a Leader and Commander to the people." The Spirit of God is upon Jesus of Nazareth, for Him has God the Father anointed. "Unto Him shall the gathering of the people be." We may well be ready to follow a Leader whom God has appointed and commended to us with such high praise! "I have laid help upon One that is mighty; I have exalted One chosen out of the people. I have found David My servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him: with whom My hand shall be established: My arm also shall strengthen him." The Lord, in His own Sovereignty, with wisdom and prudence, has been pleased to fix His choice upon the Man Christ Jesus to be our federal Head, our King and our Commander. What other justification do we need for following Christ than that God Himself thus sets Him forth? To this choice of God our soul agrees. Never be afraid, young man, of acknowledging Christ! Never let any of us blush to acknowledge the blessed impeachment that we are followers of the Lamb! It is an honor to follow One who has the highest sanction of Heaven in taking the command and exercising the authority that pertains to Him! …
3. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Only think of a Covenant made with needy sinners, thirsty sinners! God striking hands with guilty men in the Person of Jesus Christ. It is a sure Covenant, too—not made up of "ifs" and "buts" and "perhapses," but a Covenant sealed with blood and signed by Him who gives an oath with it that He will never turn from it, that you may have "strong consolation." 4. Behold, I have given Him for a witness to the people, a Leader and Commander to the people. [See Sermons #2534, Volume 43—THE GREATEST GIFT IN TIME OR ETERNITY and #2787, Volume 48—CHRIST'S TRIPLE CHARACTER.] He who is our greater David comes to us to bear witness to the Immutable Love of God and to be to us our Captain and our King! Happy are the souls that accept this David to be their Leader. You remember how David, in the Cave Adullam, gathered to himself "everyone that was in distress, and everyone that was in debt, and everyone that was discontented, and he became a captain over them." Even so, the great Antitype, David's Son and David's Lord, is willing now to gather to Himself those who are spiritually bankrupt, discontented and weary with the world, and God says, "I have given Him for a witness to the people, a Leader and Commander to the people." 5. Behold, You shall calla nation that You knownot, andnations that know You notshallrun unto You because of the LORD Your God and for the Holy One oflsrael; for He has glorified You. What joy this gives to you who love Him! Jehovah has glorified His Son, and given to Him the power to call to Himself a people that He knew not in a saving sense, and He shall so call nations that knew Him not that they shall run unto Him! We do not preach the Gospel at hapha-zard—we are sure of results. If we speak in faith, in the name of Christ, men must be saved, they must run to Christ. It is not left to their option—there is a Divine hand that secretly touches the springs of the will of men so that, when Christ calls them, they run to Him! Oh, that He would just now call them, even those that are furthest off, that they may run to Him and that He may be glorified! A Savior without souls saved by Him would be only a Savior in name. A head without a body would be a very ghastly thing. A shepherd without sheep would be a man without occupation. A Christ anointed to save the lost, and yet no lost ones coming to Him—where would His Glory be? But sinners, drawn by His Almighty Grace, run to Him, and so God glorifies Him! …
"Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God." Isaiah 50:10. "Behold I have given him for...a leader " Isaiah 55:4. I DESIRE to speak to you, dear Friends, not only of Jesus as our Leader, but of following Him in the dark. Can you see Jesus in the dark? Yes. We sometimes see Him better in the dark then in the light. If you will go outside in the daytime and look up, you will not be able to see a single star. But if you will get into the bucket of a well and go down into the darkness, very soon you will behold the stars. To descend may sometimes be the shortest way to ascend. Certainly, to suffer is the road to the land where there is no suffering—and to be in present darkness may be the nearest way to eternal light. All light, but that which comes through Christ, Himself, hinders rather than helps our sight of Him. He is best seen by His own light. Begone, sun! Begone, moon! Begone, you candles! He is the Sun of Righteousness and where He is, there is light enough! All earth-born light hinders the vision of His face. I fear that many, trusting in the greatness of their mental light, have become blind to the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Blessed is he who sees Christ by Christ—the Crucified in the light of His five wounds—the Risen One by the brilliance of His own life! …