Day 363: Isaiah 61- Year Of The Lord's Favor

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,  and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness,  the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
 
5 Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; 6 but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;  they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. 7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion;  instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. 8 For I the Lord love justice;  I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense,  and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.


9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed. 10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.
 
Meditation
Things will not go on like this forever. There will be a day when evil will be utterly judged and God’s people will rejoice in total salvation, a time of the Lord’s favor and a day of vengeance of our God (2).  Our “Sovereign Lord” (1,11) will accomplish this through His servant-messiah, Jesus Christ.
 
The servant-messiah speaks in 1-7, unpacking the year of the Lord’s favor with beautiful and hopeful descriptions. Jesus takes these words and applies them to Himself in Luke 4:16-20. Through Jesus alone can we find the favor and blessings of the Lord.
 
The Lord summarizes His motive, stating His love for justice and His hatred for robbery and wrong (8-9). Evil will receive recompense. The righteous, those whose trust is in the servant-messiah, will receive covenant love and generational blessing. Jesus is the greatest enemy of evil and the fullness of God’s covenant blessing, His steadfast love.
 
Those who believe will sing a song of salvation (10-11), greatly rejoicing and exulting in the Lord our God. Beautifully dressed in garments of salvation as if for a wedding, covenant love will be celebrated. The Lord will cause praise to spout up from all nations and for all generations.
 
God wins. The servant dies and is resurrected, defeating death and the curse for all who believe. The servant is the messiah, the fullness of God’s promises and covenant love. Jesus is the servant-messiah and those who trust in Him will celebrate the Lord’s favor and blessing!
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you have hope that things will not go on like this forever? How does this hope fuel you in the present?
 
-Which promises of the year of the Lord’s favor in 1-6 resonate with you deeply?
 
-Are you singing the song of the Lord’s salvation, robed in the garments of His righteousness?  The sovereign grace of the Lord causes praise to sprout up… How can you cultivate this song in your soul!
 
Key Verse
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.