This passage is a Messianic prophecy. It talks of a “servant of the Lord” who is a reflection of our Lord Jesus. The Israelites have been living in oppression and exile, like a lowly tribe among mighty empires of the world. However, this word of the Lord brought a message of hope and deliverance. This hope is for you and for me, and to those at the very ends of the earth. The ends of the earth are not just the Gentiles, but those we may never have imagined God saving. The gospel is often considered offensive not because of those it excludes, but because of those it welcomes.

Jesus spent his limited time on earth with those on the margins of society including the lower class, women, the sick and demon possessed, children, racial minorities, outcasts and public sinners. The gospel very quickly became a message of salvation to all people because God’s heart and love extends to all who are suffering and feel excluded. Such grace was offensive to those in power, but it has power to change the world.
Application: Father, thank you for extending grace and salvation to me. May this grace overflow and expand in my heart to the very ends.
One Word: God’s salvation reaches to the ends.