Light for Di Nations

One small clay lamp dey for shelf. Im wick don almost burn finish. Di fire dey flicker, dey smoke, e wan quench. Plenty people go pinch am off and throw am away. But somebody bend down near am, e cover am with im two hands, e dey blow am gently, until e shine again.

Dis words come from di part of Isaiah wey dem talk give God people for one dark time, when dem dey far from home for Babylon, or when dem go soon dey there. Dem feel say dem don forget dem. Small. Useless. For dis chapters, God dey talk again and again about somebody wey e call my servant. Sometimes di servant na di whole people of Israel. But Israel dey always fail. And for some of dis passages, di servant na one person, somebody wey God go send to do wetin Israel no fit do. Christians dey call four of dis passages di Servant Songs. Today we go hear di first one, from chapter forty-two, and one line from di second one, for chapter forty-nine.

God talk, like king wey dey present somebody to im court. “See my servant, wey I dey hold up; my chosen one, wey my soul dey delight for. I don put my Spirit on top am. E go bring justice to di nations.” Chosen. Supported. God dey happy with am. God Spirit full am. And im work big well-well: justice for di nations. No be only for Israel. For everybody. You go expect say person like dat go arrive with trumpet and army, dey shout orders for street. But listen. “E no go shout, e no go raise im voice, e no go make people hear am for street.”

“Reed wey don crack, e no go break am. Lamp wick wey dey burn small-small, e no go quench am.” One reed for river side, wey don crack and bend. One flax wick inside lamp, wey dey smoke small. Tins wey most people go break and throw away. Di servant no go do am. E dey gentle with di weak, di people wey dey pain, di people wey don almost give up. But e no weak imself. “E no go fail and e no go discourage, until e don set justice for di earth, and di islands go wait for im law.” Gentle, but nobody fit stop am. Then God, di Creator wey spread di heavens and dey give breath to every person, talk to di servant direct. “I go hold your hand, and I go keep you, and I go make you covenant for di people, as light for di nations; to open blind eyes, to bring di prisoners comot from dungeon.”

For di second Servant Song, God talk am stronger. To restore only Israel, dat one too small. “I go also give you as light for di nations, so dat you go be my salvation reach di end of di earth.” God talk, “See, di former tins don happen, and I dey announce new tins. I dey tell una about dem before dem show.” Hundreds of years after, one old man wey im name na Simeon carry baby Jesus for di temple and e call am light wey go shine for di Gentiles. Matthew quote dis very song about Jesus when e quietly heal crowds of sick people: reed wey don crack, e no go break am. And when Jesus followers carry di good news go di nations, Paul and Barnabas quote chapter forty-nine. I don set you as light for di Gentiles.

Di flax wey dey smoke na picture from every house for Isaiah world. People dey light dia house with small clay oil lamps, wey shape like saucer with one mouth wey dem pinch. Dem dey fill am with olive oil and put wick wey dem twist from flax for di mouth. When di oil don low or di wick no good, di fire go dey burn small and dey smoke. Archaeologists don find thousands of dis lamps across Israel.

Light for di nations. You go find am for Isaiah chapter forty-two, verse one reach nine, and chapter forty-nine, verse six. One servant wey gentle enough for di weakest, and strong enough for di whole world. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Anybody dey wey be like reed wey don crack, wey don tire, wey you fit treat gently dis week?