In The Word
Read: Isaiah 61:1-63:6
Exaltation of the Afflicted
61 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord anointed me
To bring good news to the humble;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
4 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.
5 Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
6 But you will be called the priests of the Lord;
You will be spoken of as ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations,
And you will boast in their riches.
7 Instead of your shame you will have a double portion,
And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion.
Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,
Everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 For I, the Lord, love justice,
I hate robbery in the burnt offering;
And I will faithfully give them their reward,
And make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 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.
10 I will rejoice greatly in the Lord,
My soul will be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a groom puts on a turban,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth produces 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.
Zion’s Glory and New Name
62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,
Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness,
And her salvation like a torch that is burning.
2 The nations will see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory;
And you will be called by a new name
Which the mouth of the Lord will designate.
3 You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
And a royal headband in the hand of your God.
4 It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,”
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;
But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”
And your land, “Married”;
For the Lord delights in you,
And to Him your land will be married.
5 For as a young man marries a virgin,
So your sons will marry you;
And as the groom rejoices over the bride,
So your God will rejoice over you.
6 On your walls, Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;
All day and all night they will never keep silent.
You who profess the Lord, take no rest for yourselves;
7 And give Him no rest until He establishes
And makes Jerusalem an object of praise on the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn by His right hand and by His mighty arm:
“I will never again give your grain as food for your enemies,
Nor will foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored.”
9 But those who harvest it will eat it and praise the Lord;
And those who gather it will drink it in the courtyards of My sanctuary.
10 Go through, go through the gates,
Clear a way for the people!
Build up, build up the highway,
Remove the stones, lift up a flag over the peoples.
11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth:
Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation is coming;
Behold His reward is with Him, and His compensation before Him.”
12 And they will call them, “The holy people,
The redeemed of the Lord”;
And you will be called, “Sought Out, A City Not Abandoned.”
God’s Vengeance on the Nations
63 Who is this who comes from Edom,
With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah,
This One who is majestic in His apparel,
Marching in the greatness of His strength?
“It is I, the One who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save.”
2 Why is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like one who treads in the wine press?
3 “I have trodden the wine trough alone,
And from the peoples there was no one with Me.
I also trod them in My anger
And trampled them in My wrath;
And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,
And I stained all My clothes.
4 For the day of vengeance was in My heart,
And My year of redemption has come.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help,
And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold;
So My own arm brought salvation to Me,
And My wrath upheld Me.
6 I trampled down the peoples in My anger
And made them drunk with My wrath,
And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
God had rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt and put her in the Promised Land to be prosperous, well-respected, and powerful. But Israel repeatedly chose to sin and worship other gods, which caused her to be poor, humiliated, devastated, weak, and taken prisoner once again. God said in today’s reading that He would restore Israel’s beauty, reputation, and power once again to make “Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:7b). God chose to do this through His Son Jesus. Jesus’ mission is clearly stated in today’s three chapters. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry years, He read Isaiah 61:1-2 and declared that He had come to meet the spiritual needs of the people (Luke 4:17-12).
Just like in Israel, sin destroys people’s lives. You may look back at all of your mistakes and rebellion and see the consequences that might be adversely affecting the relationships with your spouse, kids, and loved ones. But God, through Jesus Christ, can take what has been messed up and restore it to a life of hope and freedom. Though bad decisions may have led to many tears, we now can have joy at the good life ahead of us by living according to God’s plan.
Jesus’ gift of salvation is much more than the great gift of eternal life; it is an abundant, joyful life for the rest of our days (John 10:10). This comes from being conformed to Jesus’ image (Romans 8:29), and living life the way He instructs us to in His Word.