Words for the Wise, The Spirit of the Lord has Anointed Me, Isaiah 61 The Voice

Isaiah 61 The Voice (VOICE)

61 The Spirit of the Lord, the Eternal, is on me.

    The Lord has appointed me for a special purpose.

He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

    He has sent me to repair broken hearts,

And to declare to those who are held captive and bound in prison,

    “Be free from your imprisonment!”

2 He has sent me to announce the year of jubilee, the season of the Eternal’s favor:

    for our enemies it will be a day of God’s wrath;

For those who mourn it will be a time of comfort.[a]

3 As for those who grieve over Zion,

    God has sent me to give them a beautiful crown in exchange for ashes,

To anoint them with gladness instead of sorrow,

    to wrap them in victory, joy, and praise instead of depression and sadness.

People will call them magnificent, like great towering trees

    standing for what is right.

They stand to the glory of the Eternal

    who planted them.

4 And they will rebuild this place from its ancient ruins;

    they will restore the ages-old, once-splendid structures;

They will renew Israel’s ruined cities

    from the ashes and debris that laid untouched for many generations.

5 And people will come from all over to serve you:

    Outsiders will tend your flocks, plough your fields, and prune your vines.

6 You will be known as the ones specially chosen by the Eternal as priests;

    people will speak of you as ministers of our God.

    And the wealth of nations will come to you for your delight and enrichment.

7 Many called you disgraced and defiled and said that shame should be your share of things.

    Yet you suffered doubly and lived in disgrace;

So double will be your share, and with joy everlasting.

8 Eternal One: For I, the Eternal, love justice.

        I hate stealing and all manner of wrongdoing.

    In faithfulness to those who do justice, I promise they will be rewarded for their work;

        and I will establish an everlasting covenant with them.

9     Furthermore, I will promise them My support for their children,

        so that all nations and everyone around

    Will see that they are the children blessed by the Eternal God.

10 I am filled with joy and my soul vibrates with exuberant hope,

    because of the Eternal my God;

For He has dressed me with the garment of salvation,

    wrapped me with the robe of righteousness.

It’s as though I’m dressed for my wedding day,[b]

    in the very best: a bridegroom’s garland and a bride’s jewels.

11 The whole earth sprouts newness and life in the springtime,

    and green shoots break through the well-seeded garden soil.

That’s what it is like with the Eternal’s victory—

    the Lord will cause justice and praise to sprout up before all the nations, for all peoples to see.

The Bible Panorama

Isaiah 61

V 1–3: MISSION OF MESSIAH Jesus, the Servant, will later apply this passage to Himself to show that He is Messiah. He says that ‘the Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me’, and that ‘the Lord has anointed Me to preach glad tidings to the poor’. This will result in the benefits of salvation for Israel and also for all who will trust in our Saviour and Lord. Those benefits include healing for the broken-hearted, liberty for captives and prisoners, seeing God’s timing in His salvation and judgement, comfort for mourners, and God’s giving joyful praise and righteousness. 

V 4–7: REJOICING OF RESTORED There will be restoration and repair of both buildings and people. The children of Israel will rule over the Gentiles, possessing double and experiencing everlasting life. They will be known as God’s priests and servants again. ‘Instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.’

 V 8–9: LORD OF LOVE Not only does the Lord love justice, which directs His righteous actions, but He also loves His people and will make an everlasting covenant with them. Gentiles will recognise that these are people blessed by the Lord.

 V 10–11: ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS Every person counted righteous before God through the death and merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, is foreseen in these verses. Security in God will not be because of our own poor efforts at righteousness but because the righteousness of Christ adorns every Christian as a robe. This is the garment of salvation which is worn by those cleansed from sin. All nations will praise God and rejoice in His wonderful provision in Christ.