A Servant’s Character

“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,

My Elect One in whom My soul delights

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

He will not cry out nor raise His voice,

Nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

And smoking flax He will not quench;

He will bring forth justice for truth.

He will not fail or be discouraged,

Till He has established justice in the earth;

And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

Isaiah 42:1-4 (NKJV)



Several years ago, I was told I had a servant’s heart. I heard this from different people. When one person told me this, I didn’t know how to take it. How can we define a servant’s heart? When God spoke to Isaiah, he heard some benchmarks that apply to Jesus Christ and to God’s servants in today’s world. These are what I gleaned from studying this passage.



I have put My Spirit upon Him: The servant has God’s inner qualities. Our pastor tells the story of visiting a preschool class. At the end of his presentation, a little boy asked him, “Are you Jesus?” When we model Christ like qualities, we serve God in ways that reveal His love for others.



He will not cry out nor raise His voice, The servant does not draw attention to himself. He works for God. When God put His Spirit into the servant, the Father’s spirit permeates that servant. The servant has control of himself or herself.

Nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. The servant is not boisterous. He doesn’t retaliate in kind to upheaval. Jesus usually always spoke in gentle tones. Present day servants of God need to remember to approach as many situations as they can with a gentle voice. It says in Proverbs that “A gentle answer turns away wrath. . . .” (Proverbs 15:1)

A bruised reed He will not break. The servant of God is gentle. Jesus did not chide the woman who reached out and touched His garment. He didn’t mock the woman who was seemingly caught in adultery. Today’s servants of God attempt to apply Jesus’ example to their responses when they are faced with uncomfortable circumstances.

He will not fail or be discouraged. God’s servant will be certain of his path in life. Jesus knew he had to go to Jerusalem and He knew what awaited Him there. Once He allowed God to have His way, Jesus was assured of what had to transpire.