{"id":25964,"date":"2023-04-19T22:00:45","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T05:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/isaiah-60-copy\/"},"modified":"2023-04-04T11:51:28","modified_gmt":"2023-04-04T18:51:28","slug":"isaiah-61","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/isaiah-61\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus Did It All"},"content":{"rendered":"

Isaiah 61\u00a0 \u00a0Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Isaiah 61.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Isaiah 61:1-4 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The Spirit of the Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0is on me, because the\u00a0LORD\u00a0has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0to proclaim the year of the\u00a0LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0and provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0for the display of his splendor.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1-4:\u00a0 Who is speaking in Isaiah 61:1?\u00a0 It\u2019s the Servant, the one whom God will send to deliver His people from their captivity to sin.<\/p>\n

According to Luke 4, one day Jesus went to the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth.\u00a0 He was asked to read Scripture and was given the scroll of Isaiah.\u00a0 So Jesus found Isaiah 61 and read out verses 1-2, stopping right after reading \u201cto proclaim the year of the LORD\u2019s favor\u201d.\u00a0 Then he said, \u201cToday this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.\u201d\u00a0 What did Jesus mean by that?\u00a0\u00a0 Jesus was saying that Jesus and His ministry are the fulfillment of Isaiah 61.<\/p>\n

Indeed Isaiah 61 is a wonderful and accurate description of what Jesus would do.\u00a0 Some scholars believe that Jesus was very deliberate in stopping his reading after \u201cto proclaim the year of the LORD\u2019s favor\u201d and not reading \u201cthe day of vengeance of our God\u201d (v2).\u00a0 These scholars think Jesus at that time was making a distinction between what he would do at his first coming (show God\u2019s favour) versus what he would do at his second coming (exercise judgment).\u00a0 That\u2019s an interesting take and might be true.\u00a0 Keep in mind that the rest of Isaiah 61 is also an accurate description of what Jesus would do at his first coming.\u00a0 In fact, you could say that, like one coat of paint placed on top of another, Jesus\u2019 first coming and second coming will both accomplish what Isaiah 61 describes, the second doing so with even more finality than the first.<\/p>\n

Whichever way you cut it, Isaiah 61 is a picture of Jesus\u2019 ministry.\u00a0 Notice that not only does Jesus bind up the broken-hearted, free captives, and comfort the grieving, but even more he makes them into a blessing to others.\u00a0 As verse 3 says, the very people that Jesus heals will be called \u201coaks of righteousness, a planting of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0for the display of his splendor\u201d.\u00a0 Continuing with the theme of rebuilding what was ruined (58:12), verse 4 says that the people whom Jesus restores will become restorers themselves: \u201cThey will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

It shows that\u00a0Jesus doesn\u2019t just want to bless you, save you and restore you.\u00a0 Jesus blesses you\u00a0so that<\/em>\u00a0you can be a blessing.\u00a0 He saves you\u00a0so that<\/em>\u00a0you serve in His kingdom.\u00a0 He restores you\u00a0so that\u00a0<\/em>you can restore others.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If, as many scholars suggest, the theme of Isaiah 60-62 is the New Jerusalem (which we discussed yesterday in Isaiah 60), then Isaiah 61 shows that the centrepiece of this New Jerusalem, the one who will make this New Jerusalem possible, is the Servant Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Without this Servant, there is no new city that God\u2019s people can live in forever.\u00a0 It\u2019s for this reason that some scholars consider Isaiah 61 to be the climax of Isaiah 56-66.<\/p>\n

Isaiah 61:5-6 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0And you will be called priests of the\u00a0LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 5-6:\u00a0 Why would aliens and foreigners be in charge of shepherding flocks and working the fields?\u00a0 Pastor David Pawson suggests that it is because the Jewish people will serve the aliens and foreigners as priests in the New Jerusalem, and so that is how the division of labour will work.\u00a0 That\u2019s an interesting take.\u00a0 However, it seems to run counter to the idea preached in the New Testament that in God\u2019s kingdom all of us, whether Jew or Gentile, are priests (Revelation 1:6; 1 Peter 2).\u00a0 So perhaps verses 5-6 are not making a distinction between believing Jews and believing Gentiles but between believers and unbelievers.\u00a0 Perhaps what Isaiah is saying is that one day God will cause unbelievers (aliens and foreigners to God\u2019s kingdom) to serve the believers (the priests and ministers in God\u2019s kingdom).<\/p>\n

Isaiah 61:7-9 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“For I, the\u00a0LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the\u00a0LORD\u00a0has blessed.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 7-9:\u00a0 After the Servant speaks of what He will do in verses 1-7, the LORD says two things in verses 8-9: first, He reaffirms who He is, a God who loves justice and hates injustice (v8a).\u00a0 Second, He promises to make an everlasting covenant with His people that others will recognize as God blessing His people (v8b-9).\u00a0 Once again, just like in Isaiah 59:21, we encounter the idea of God making a new covenant with His people.<\/p>\n

Isaiah 61:10-11 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I delight greatly in the\u00a0LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 10-11:\u00a0 It seems that Isaiah himself may be speaking at this point.\u00a0\u00a0Isaiah proclaims in verses 10-11 what we as Christ followers can all proclaim:<\/strong>
\n\u00a0 –\u00a0 \u00a0that we delight and rejoice in the LORD;<\/strong>
\n\u00a0 –\u00a0 \u00a0that He has clothed us in garments of salvation and robed us in righteousness with as much glory as a couple getting married;<\/strong>
\n\u00a0 –\u00a0 that His plan is for all nations to see His righteousness and praise Him.\u00a0<\/strong>
\nAll of this we can proclaim along with Isaiah because of what Jesus the Servant has done for us.<\/p>\n

Thank You Jesus for being the Servant who fulfilled Isaiah 61 for the benefit of all people and all nations for all time.\u00a0 Thank You that I can rejoice in You today and that because of You I too get to be clothed in salvation, robed in righteousness, with a double portion of Your favour, and everlasting joy. Thank You for serving me so that I can serve in Your kingdom too.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs!<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Isaiah 61.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!
\n\u00a0
\nIsaiah 61:1-4 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0The Spirit of the Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0is on me, because the\u00a0LORD\u00a0has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,
\n2\u00a0\u00a0to proclaim the year of the\u00a0LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
\n3\u00a0\u00a0and provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0for the display of his splendor.
\n4\u00a0\u00a0They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
\n\u00a0
\nOn verses 1-4:\u00a0 Who is speaking in Isaiah 61:1?\u00a0 It\u2019s the Servant, the one whom God will send to deliver His people from their captivity to sin.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nAccording to Luke 4, one day Jesus went to the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth.\u00a0 He was asked to read Scripture and was given the scroll of Isaiah.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25966,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25964"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25967,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25964\/revisions\/25967"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}