“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights.  I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.  He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.  He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

Isaiah 42:1-4

There are very few in scripture who are distinguished as “chosen of God.”  Saul makes the cut, along with Moses and David – other than that, this phrase is used for the people of Israel as a whole, until we come to Isaiah.  In Isaiah the “chosen ones” are told of “My chosen one” who will be fully inhabited by the Spirit of the LORD, who will have the hand of God upon Him.  His significance cannot be overstated, nor can the significance of His calling.

Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it, “I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.  I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another nor My praise to graven images.  Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”

Isaiah 42:5-9

The chosen one will Himself be a covenant, a light to the nations, a standard of righteousness leading the captives to freedom.  He will be a standard and a banner of hope.  He will have all the rank and regard of one who bears the name and benediction of the LORD.

It would only be fitting for such a one to be received with great honor, for His coming to be heralded with crowded streets and cries of welcome, and for Him to be recognized at every turn.  And yet:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

Philippians 2:5-8

Christmas reminds us that, from the very beginning, Jesus came in all humility.  Born in a stable, laid in a manger, growing up in Nazareth…  It would be a humble beginning for any man called “My Servant” by God, all the more so for the very Son of God Himself.  Every step of Jesus life emphasizes the truth that He came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

The overwhelming truth of this small Child is not only that the Son of God would so tangibly dwell with His people, but that He would give up everything for you and me to be called the chosen ones of God.