The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has annointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
They will raise up the former devastations;
And they will repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
…For I, the Lord, love justice,
I hate robbery in the burnt offering;
And I will faithfully give them their recompense
And make an everlasting covenant with them.
Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them
Because they are the offspring
Whom the Lord has blessed.
I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,
My soul will exult in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
To spring up before all the nations.
Isaiah 61:1-4 & 8-11
Isaiah 61 is a great comfort right now. It seems weird talking about the favorable year of the Lord while we are all in uncomfortable situations. However, Isaiah was speaking to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. He was telling them that they would not be in exile forever and that God would have vengeance on their captives. He also told them that they would rebuild their nation and that all nations would know who they are and would glorify God. Throughout this passage, Isaiah is also prophesying concerning Jesus and how He is our salvation and “wraps us with righteousness.” This happens when we accept Him as our Savior. Isaiah then ends with the hope of spring, when the earth renews itself. So too, the nation of Israel will be renewed.
The exciting thing about this passage is that Jesus read Isaiah 61:1-2a in the synagogue and then said in Luke 4:21, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” That is to say, He was Himself, the favorable year of the Lord, the Savior come to save His people. Peter then extends the meaning of God’s people from only Jews to include Gentiles, that is, all His created people, when He references Hosea 6-10 in I Peter 2:9-10:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession; so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
There are so many parallels that we can compare in what was happening to Israel at the time of their Babylonian captivity and our “captivity” during the pandemic. I think all of us at one time have felt like captives in our homes as we weather the quarantine. Some of us have mourned the loss of loved ones to COVID-19, while others are filled with anxiety because of jobs lost and an uncertain future after the quarantine is lifted. I’m sure the Israelites in exile in Babylon felt the same things. However, Isaiah 61 gives us comfort because we know that God promises to comfort us, to turn our mourning to joy and we will be like the mighty oak, standing firm because God is with us through all of this. God is merciful and loves us, even when life seems bleak. We just need to trust Him, give Him our hand and He will guide us through.
Below this post is a form to fill out if you would like prayer during this time of uncertainty. Please fill it out with your email and I will pray for you and with you. Remember, you are not alone – you are loved.
Photo credit: Ref : jesuschristblog
