Isaiah 42:2 "He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street." I need to have a explanation of what it means. If I speak in the street of New York the Word of God it means that I’m not doing the will of God and if I raise my voice to speak the word of God in the street, it means I'm not doing the will of God. What is the Word trying to explain?
Answer
Unless you are the Messiah that Isaiah 42:1-4 is talking about, it doesn’t apply to you. Read the fulfillment of this prophecy. “Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; And charged them that they should not make him known: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.” (Matthew 12:14-21)
If you are going to speak the word of God, be sure you can distinguish what applies to everyone, and what applies to one man. Otherwise you may end up building an ark and waiting for rain. Especially if it is in one of the books of prophecy, which were written to a Jewish nation about to go into captivity, you must look for the passages that talk about its fulfillment. Context is vital to understanding God’s word. Otherwise you end up like those who take Revelation out of context and try to make it apply to today’s political situation. You not only make those who know the word of God despise you, you also make God despise you. Always study when it was written, to whom, and for what purpose.