Isaiah 42:1-9, 18-25

To this reader, it is not clear if the servant in the opening verses is Israel or perhaps Cyrus. I’m not sure if we’ve discussed the idea of two “servants,” both Israel and Cyrus, and how they relate to each other in their different roles as God’s servants. The repeated references using the male pronoun “he” and “him” without a designation of Jacob or Israel indicates – to this reader – that this is Cyrus and not Israel. In fact, as the passage progresses, the implication seems to be that Cyrus is God’s enlightened servant and Israel is Yahveh’s beaten down, disobedient servant (kind of like Cyrus’ dumb-a-s kid brother – excuse my irreverence).
The broken reed and smoldering wick which “he will not crush” and “he will not extinguish,” respectively, refers perhaps to Israel, damaged and beaten as a consequence of the exile. “He” would appear to be Cyrus. Therefore, Cyrus will have sympathy for the wounded Israel and will treat her justly.
If so, it is Cyrus who will establish “a justly order for the nations” (repeated in 42:1 & 42:3) and a “just order on the earth” (42:4). This seems to match the historical events. After all, at this time, Persia, under Cyrus, ruled the area; Israel had not and would not be returning to independence. Therefore, it’s sensible that Cyrus/Persia would need to set up “a just order for the nations.”
The pronoun used by Yahveh, the apparent speaker, changes to the 3rd person in 42:5-9, but the language is similar to that of 45:1, which is explicitly about Cyrus:

This is what Yahveh says about his anointed one, Cyrus:
“I have grasped him by the right hand,
to beat down nations before him.”

Compare this to 42:6:

“I Yahveh, have summoned you in righteousness,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I preserve you and present you
as a covenant for the people,
a light unto the nations;

Usually, “a light unto the nations” would refer to Israel. Designating Cyrus in this way seems very unusual. I'm not familiar enough about the Hebrew Bible to declare it unprecedented.

Section 42:18-25 returns to the male second-person but the servant referred to here is no longer Cyrus, but Israel, the downtrodden, disobedient servant. There seems to be a correlation or a referring back to the blind and imprisoned mentioned in 42:7-9. Those referenced thus in 7-9 are explicitly referred to as Israel, the blind, deaf, downtrodden and imprisoned servant in 18-22.
The last section of this text has an ironic turn with Yahveh following his lament of Israel’s situation with his declaration that he is the responsible party:

Who delivered Jacob to the despoiler,
Israel to the plunderers?
Was it not Yahveh, against whom they have sinned?
They were unwilling to follow his guidance
and heed his teaching (42:24).

As explained in the passage, it was because of Israel's intransigence that these calamities occured. This does precede Yahweh's announcement of Israel’s redemption in the next chapter, 43, so this stinging indictment is followed shortly by forgiveness.
Overall, I found this passage lacking somewhat in power, in poetry, compared to most of the other passages we have reviewed previously. I think it lacks some of the more interesting imagery of other chapters. Perhaps I just need a couple of shots of wheatgrass.