Isaiah 61.

Just a few weeks ago, I began a journey through Isaiah. I have read the book of Isaiah several times, but I wanted to approach this time differently. I wanted to read it like I had never read it before. We all know how it feels to read a story or watch a movie for the first time. It is exciting! We are on the edge of our seats, anticipating what is going to happen next. Even if it becomes our favorite movie that we watch every free weekend or we appreciate the novel so much that we decide to read it every summer, it is different because we are already familiar with the story line. We hear all the time and read in Hebrews 4:12 that the Word is living and active. In just my few weeks in this book, I can definitely attest to Hebrews 4:12. I have seen new things within passages and seen things differently in the very familiar passages.

Every day I am amazed by God’s omniscient power. In reading the pages of Isaiah, the amazement grows. He calls Isaiah (whose name means "The LORD saves") in the first few chapters and reveals occurrences to come. Babylon is going to take Judah captive for 70 years. It has not even occurred yet, and will not for about a century and a half, but God already starts revealing how He will rescue Judah. Oh, but also within the passages of rescue, God is revealing what is coming in the much later future—the Messiah—the One who will eternally rescue His people.

We see several instances of foreshadowing and prophecies that are fulfilled by Jesus’ birth, life, and death, written hundreds and hundreds of years prior to Jesus coming to earth (mind-blown?). Several verses within Isaiah prophesy the birth of Christ; an example would be Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Thanks to Matthew 1:18-23, we know that came true.  Other passages cover his death. One whole chapter is Isaiah 53 and with our accounts of the arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection in the gospels, we know of whom this is speaking.

In addition, there are many passages that talk about the freedom after being taken captive in Babylon for years that foreshadow something we have yet to see in full. Which leads me to chapter 61 of Isaiah.

“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;

to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

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.

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.

Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;

foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 a robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,

and as a garden causes what it sown in it to sprout up,

so the LORD God will cause righteousness and praise

to sprout up before all nations.”

Before we go any further, let’s look at Luke 4:16-21. Scripture says, “And He (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”

Before Judah had even been captured by Babylon, before the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt, before sin had entered the world, God had ordained a Rescuer for His people: Jesus. He is the One who will continue to bring Isaiah 61 to fruition. He already is working Isaiah 61 within our lives even now. We already have the blessing of seeing the miracles of Christ in our daily lives.

Jesus brings good news, binds the brokenhearted, proclaims freedom to the captives, frees the prisoners, proclaims salvation and tells us He is coming back, comforts those who mourn, brings beauty from ashes, makes us glad, gives a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit, plants us as oaks of righteousness so that He may be glorified. He rebuilds, He restores, He repairs devastations. He gives us everlasting joy.

Praise Him for allowing us to see glimpses of this perfection in our world, in our loved ones' lives, in our own souls! I can assure you what is to come, the completeness of Isaiah 61, will be beyond even our wildest dreams. It will be even better than the snapshots we have now of Christ's glorious power that brings beauty from ashes. After all, at times our lives still look like ashes, our hearts still break, our spirits still grow faint, we still mourn, we are still tempted to being taken captive, and we are still devastated. 

The glorious rescue is still taking place, yet to be completely fulfilled. The day is coming when the Redeemed will be able to look at Jesus and say without hesitation, without fear, and without a doubt, “I delight greatly in the LORD! My soul rejoices in my God! He has clothed me in salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, like a groom decks himself like a priest and a bride adorns herself with jewels. He causes righteousness and praise to spring up before all nations!” Oh, what a day!

“What a day that will be, 

when my Jesus I shall see, 

and I look upon His face, 

the One who saved me by His grace, 

when He takes me by the hand, 

and leads me through the Promised Land! 

What a day, glorious day that will be!”