Matt. xii. 18 — 21. Behold, my servant ivhom I have chosen; my beloved in ivhom my soul is well pleased : I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive nor cry ; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
ONE might gather almost as complete a character of Christ from the Prophecies, as from the Gospels themselves. Not only the great incidents relating to his life and death were foretold, but his spirit and
conduct were most minutely delineated. He had just withdrawn himself from the Pharisees who sought to destroy him ; and had strongly enjoined his atten- dants not to make known his miracles. This conduct appeared strange to those who were expecting him to erect a temporal kingdom. But the Evangelist declares that these very things had been made the subject of prophecy many hundred years before. The passage quoted by him from Isaiah is recorded, not with literal exactness, but according to its true import. It declares,
I. The commission given to Christ —
Christ was the Father's ambassador to our ruined world —
[However, in his divine nature, Christ was equal to the Father, yet, in his mediatorial capacity, he was the Father's servant. The office assigned him was to shew judgment, that is, the way of righteousness and salvation both to Jews and Gentiles; and for this he was qualified by an immeasurable communication of the Spirit to him''.]
In this view the Father exceedingly delighted in
him —
[The Father doubtless regarded him as his beloved for his own sake; but was peculiarly pleased with him as having under- taken the work of man's redemption. In him he saw, as it were, all his own perfections glorified, and the thrones of apostate angels occupied by sinners of the human race. Hence in triumphant exultation he declares his acquiescence in him, and calls every human being to " behold" him.]
The prophet further specifies,
II. The manner in which he should execute it — He was to accomplish his work,
1. Silently —
[There was to be nothing in him ostentatious, conten- tious, or clamorous: together with firmness and fidelity, he exercised continued gentleness and meekness^. Would to God that many who bear a similar commission would learn of him to execute it in a similar way !]
2. Tenderly—
a John iii. 34. Isai. xi. 2, 3.
^ His conduct, as related in the context, strongly illustrates this.