A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break

By Sarah Brady

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up His voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wicks He will not quench; He will faithfully bring forth justice. 

Isaiah 42:1-3

Have you ever felt worthless?  Defeated?  Like life had dealt you such a blow that you could never recover—or that, even if you could, you would still be unlovely and unlovable because of your once-broken state?

In Isaiah 42, we find one of many descriptions the Lord gives of the then-coming Messiah.  Speaking through Isaiah, He says, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up His voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wicks He will not quench; He will faithfully bring forth justice” (Isaiah 42:1-3).

There’s a lot of information about Jesus Christ, our Messiah, in this passage, but let’s hone in on just a couple of phrases: “A bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench.” What does that mean?  Why are we talking about wicks and reeds?  Good question.

How do we make use of reeds?  The first utilization that comes to my mind is that of using a reed to play a musical instrument, such as a clarinet or an oboe.  In that context, a bruised reed would be one that’s already dented or damaged—one that could very easily be destroyed by any mishandling.  What about a faintly burning wick?  Well, have you ever had a candle that was burning but giving off a lot of smoke? What did you do with that flame?  If you’re like most people, you probably blew it out. According to this passage, Jesus has a different response:  He doesn’t get rid of the flame.  He lets it keep burning.

You may be thinking, “Fascinating. But what does that have to do with me? I’m not a reed or a wick!” In God’s way of looking at things, maybe you are. Let’s think about it this way: both a reed and a wick are highly important, yet fragile and often overlooked, objects. The beautiful music a clarinet produces would be impossible without the reed; the ambience-giving glow—and sometimes smell—of a candle would be unachievable without a wick. If these seemingly insignificant objects are damaged, the beauty and enjoyment brought by the clarinet and the candle are gone.

We sometimes feel insignificant as women—unappreciated, misunderstood, and more. How much our insecurities grow if we’ve been broken or bruised. Maybe the bruiser is a parent that, even today, is constantly critical of our words and actions; maybe it’s a spouse who physically mistreats us; maybe it was a friend who took advantage of us in the past. Whatever the reason, we—who already felt so insignificant—feel marred beyond use. Bruised. Faintly burning. We’re just waiting for the next blow to break us, to put out our flame.

But there’s good news: God has a different view. He says He won’t hurt us. He’ll be gentle—so gentle that He won’t harm what would be destroyed in others’ hands. In fact, He’ll bring forth justice. Healing justice. Restoring justice. No, He won’t take away the marks, the evidence we have of being nearly broken; but He will lovingly shield so that we’re not utterly destroyed and so that we can grow strong again. So the next time you feel broken and battered by the circumstances of your life, remember that God is working—working to make your wounds into beauty marks that tell His story.

 

Sarah Brady is an assistant professor and a writer. She is married to a wonderful man who is currently in medical school. They enjoy serving together at church, where he teaches a Bible study class and she sings in the choir and in an ensemble. In her free time (what little there is), she likes to read, write, act, and go hiking.  If you would like to comment on this article, feel free to email writers@blessedlady.com.

Lovely Ladies