Isaiah 42:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

God continually wishes for this, but you have not aligned with His desire; instead, you have turned to oppressing others and speaking disrespectfully.

He declared, "I rescued them from the harsh grip of the Egyptians; I liberated those who had served as laborers for others, guiding them to an understanding of God through the law, and provided them with Moses as a steward of righteousness. For I, the Sovereign of all, intended to shape Israel into doers of justice and advocates of good deeds, that they, recognizing the gifts bestowed upon them by Me, might offer ongoing praise, continually honoring Me as the source of all their blessings and the One who enriched their lives. However, they, lacking any awareness of this, repaid the Lord’s goodness with wickedness, casting off His burden only to become enslaved to the adversary.

The Sovereign Lord desires that His law be honored and exalted for the sake of His righteousness. If you come to Me, I will embrace you, and I will bring judgment upon those who violate the law.

The inability of those who can see to grasp the truth of their own condition is clarified by the statement, “You have seen many things, but have not perceived” (Isaiah 42:20). It has also been noted previously that “You will hear with your ears and not understand, and you will look with your eyes and not see. For the heart of this people is calloused” (Isaiah 6:9-10). It is evident that these remarks pertain to the circumcised nation. Nevertheless, it pleased the Lord, in His righteousness, to honor and exalt His law (Isaiah 42:21). Yet, they yielded to the enemies of their souls, becoming a people devastated and despoiled, trapped in the prisons of their spirits, and confined within their own homes (Isaiah 42:22). In these deliberations, which they concealed from Christ while choosing their own paths, lies their captivity... and there is no one to rescue them, no savior, no one to proclaim, “Restore what has been taken!” (Isaiah 42:22).