THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
This program of daily devotions is designed to help you in daily honoring God with adoration.
Each day, Monday through Friday, a devotion is posted. You may also request these devotions directly e-mailed to you. Just send your request for "Daily Devotions" to mcge3582@bellsouth.net.
We have a great friend in Gary Godard. He has set up an archive page. To view ALL the prior devotions by date, just clik
Bro. Bruce's commentaries for the books of
Genesis through Ecclesiastes are
now available in hard copy for $7.50. Just mail your request for COMMENTARY ON
(BOOK NAME) to:
P.O. Box 1627
Columbia, LA 71418
ISAIAH
CHAPTER 61
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Jesus once returned to his home town of Nazareth, Luke 4:18-19. When He went to the synagogue, he was recognized and asked to read the Scripture. The usual format of the worship service in that day allowed for a man of the congregation to read the Scripture and make a statement or two about what he read.
Jesus was handed the scroll which contained the book of Isaiah. Now, if anyone ever knew the Scriptures, it was certainly Jesus. Immediately he rolled open the scroll to this place in Isaiah. Jesus only read what we know as verse 1 and 1/2 of verse 2. He stopped reading before declaring the "day of judgment."
Then Jesus sat down, and all the people looked at Him, expecting Him to speak. And He certainly spoke. Concerning the Scripture He had read, Jesus said, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."
The people of Jesus' home town knew that he was from the family of Joseph the carpenter. They obviously did not believe that the birth of Jesus was a virgin birth. And they could not believe that Jesus would read this Scripture and say that HE was the "anointed Messiah."
Actually, they became very angry with Jesus and threatened to throw Him off a cliff.
But Jesus IS the One and only MESSIAH! He came to "preach good tidings to the meek." The meek are those who are self-disciplined enough to humble themselves and believe what Jesus said.
Jesus also came to "bind up the brokenhearted." This world, and the troubles in it, break our hearts almost daily. Knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior MENDS our broken hearts because of the next statement.
Now, Isaiah is talking about the fact that the Jewish people will be brought out of the Babylonian captivity. They will be released from the captors and return to their own land. They will receive liberty.
But the prophetic sense of this Scripture applies in the way that Jesus used it in the syanagogue at Nazareth.
Jesus came to "proclaim LIBERTY to the CAPTIVES." We are enslaved to sin until we surrender to Jesus. When we come to Christ, we are FREED from the penalty of sin. The penalty of sin is eternal death. But Christ gives forgiveness for sin and grants eternal life.
Christ also came to provide "opening of the prison" to those enslaved to sin. Alcoholics and drug addicts have received miraculous, and instantaneous CURE from their addictions by surrendering to Christ. God CAN HEAL even such terrible addictions as sexual promiscuity! Christ OPENS THE PRISON and sets prisoners FREE!!
Jesus also came to "proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD..." The time for people to be saved is NOW! Jesus has provided the sacrifice for man's sins; God's Holy Spirit calls to men constantly to be saved; and, the Word of God (Bible) pricks our hearts because of sin, and leads us to the REAL TRUTH -- JESUS!
Now, Jesus stopped reading there. The next part of verse 2 deals with "judgment day." It is the day of "vengeance" of God upon all those who refuse Jesus. It is the day when God will "comfort" those who mourn because people have refused the wonderful Savior of love.
It is (verse 3) the day when God will give "beauty for ashes." Those who have loved in the ashes of the world, pining for that beautiful glorious home with God, will be awarded the fulfillment of their hope!
The "mourning" and "heavy" spirit of believers will be granted joy. And they will be PLANTED by God into eternal perfect righteousness!!
What a great day that will be for the saved!
What an awful day that will be for the lost!
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. 5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. 6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
Now Isaiah prophetically promises that the Jewish people will "build up" the land when they return from Babylonian captivity.
While in Babylon, they will be servants. But when they return they will have servants.
This is a picture of salvation. When we are lost, we are servants and bond-slaves to sin and the devil. But when we are saved, we receive the ministering angels to help keep our spirits.
When people are FREED from the slavery of sin through salvation in Christ, then they are CALLED to be "Priests of the LORD," and "Ministers of our God." We are not saved to SIT, we are saved to SERVE!
7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. 8 For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.
The shame of sin is to realize we stand before a Holy God GUILTY! But when we are saved, we are given DOUBLE. We are given ETERNAL salvation by the redemptive blood of Christ, and we are given the EVERLASTING JOY of being able to stand before Lord ACQUITTED!
God loves "judgment" - which is DELIVERY by pronouncing the person NOT GUILTY! God WANTS to save sinners! (2Peter 3:9) It is God's DESIRE to pronounce sinners NOT GUILTY! But one MUST come to the point where he ADMITS being lost, needing Christ, and then pleading for forgiveness. This is the ONLY way "captives" are "freed."
10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
When God "clothes" us in the robes of Christ's perfect righteousness, it is reason to REJOICE!!! PRAISE GOD!!! What a wonderful gift for a dirty sinner to receive: the beautiful and holy garment of Christ's righteousness!!
The BEST that a man can muster, he wears to his wedding. Christ's righteousness FAR EXCEEDS the BEST that man can do. One can never cleans himself enough to be accepted by the Lord. One can only come humbly and plead forgiveness through Christ. THEN we receive the BEST of God - the robes of Christ's righteousness!
How does God make a seed die in the ground and then produce a plant? How does a dry seed produce a plant which will even bear fruit?
I don't know! No one knows the secret of germination. It is a mystery!
And no one knows the secret of how God will make us as righteous as our Lord, Jesus! But He WILL!!
"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (1Corinthians 13:12)
Today, I am FREED from the PENALTY of sin! Our Lord, Jesus has already pronounced those who have surrendered to Him as NOT GUILTY!!
And one day, one day my friend, I will be granted the perfect righteousness of Christ, by His grace, and for His glory!
And all I can say is "PRAISE GOD!!" And I will praise Him FOREVER!
PLEASE CONTINUE IN BIBLE STUDY WITH US TOMORROW.