The Year of the Lord's Favor (Isaiah 61)

Introduction

Hope of Restoration

running a 5k (3.1 miles)

Training: Practice running, what I mean by running is slightly faster than walking (walker passed me “hey where’s the fire.”), I would meet up with my buddy and run along the lakeshore.

Start the run: As I was running, I found it more and more difficult. I was wanting it to end. The 5k was ran in Green Bay and went through Lambeau Field. When you saw Lambeau Field you knew the finish line was just beyond that.

Finishing the run: When I was running in Lambeau Field, I was filled with a sense of Hope knowing that the finish was coming. Although I was still having difficulties and the rest of the run was hard, I had hope because the end was in site.

“Light at the end of the tunnel.”

Prophets of Judgment, Call, Hope, and Restoration

Prophesies of Judgment

Prophesies calling for repentance and reform

Prophesies of Hope

Prophesies of Restoration.

Balance out judgment with redemption

God is giving the Israelites a message of the Hope of Restoration.

The Messiah’s Restoring Work (Isaiah 61:1-4)

Lord’s anointing of the Messiah (1a, cf. Luke 4:16-22)

Isaiah 61:1 (ESV)

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me ...

Jesus declared himself the fulfillment of this prophecy. (Luke 4:16-22)

Jesus, after reading this text in the synagogue, declared that he fulfilled it.

“Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. The fulfillment is not completed in a day, but as Jesus begins his public proclamation the fulfillment has begun. By this claim, Jesus identifies himself as the one who brings God’s ... salvation.” (France, R. T. Luke. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)

Lord’s Call of the Messiah.

Anointing - to anoint (religious) v., to administer an oil or ointment to; often in a religious ceremony of blessing or dedication or consecration. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Mission or work to be done by the Messiah.

Mission of the Messiah (1b-2)

Isaiah 61:1–2 (ESV)

1b ... 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; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

To provide Salvation

No matter where we find ourselves, the Messiah will bring the change we need.

“salvation (physical) n., a means of preserving from harm or unpleasantness; salvation (spiritual) n., the act of delivering from sin or saving from evil; safety (state) n., the state of being safe or free from danger.” (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

To proclaim the Lord’s Favor

proclaim - to proclaim v., to state or announce something formally and authoritatively. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

First Coming of the Messiah - “The coming of the Anointed One marks the year, the prolonged period, in which the Servant’s achievement can be enjoyed: Gentiles are fully accepted and compassion flows freely.” (Motyer, J. Alec. Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 20. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999. Print. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries.)

Second Coming of the Messiah -

“But his coming also makes inevitable the day of vengeance. Day contrasts with year, a sharp, quickly accomplished work. Vengeance (nāqām): just requital, the apportionment of what is justly due (35:4; 47:3; 59:17; 63:4; cf. the verb in 1:24).” (Motyer, J. Alec. Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 20. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999. Print. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries.)

“The ‘acceptable time of grace’ is a “year;” the time of “vengeance” but a ‘day’ (so chs. 34:8; 63:4; Mal. 4:1). Jesus (Luke 4:20, 21) “closed the book” before this clause; for the interval from His first to His second coming is “the acceptable year:” “the day of vengeance” will not be till He comes again (2 Thess. 1:7–9).” (Fausset, A. R. A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments: Job–Isaiah. III. London; Glasgow: William Collins, Sons, & Company, Limited, n.d. Print.)

We are in the “year of the Lord’s favor” in which God is offering Grace and Mercy through the finished work of Jesus Christ to all. We are still proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor in the Gospel. This is our mission. We continue to proclaim the good news of God’s grace through Jesus Christ to all. C&MA “All of Jesus for All the World”

Mission in Zion (3-4)

Personal change in Zion (Jerusalem) (3)

Isaiah 61:3 (ESV)

3 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.

Through what the Lord is going to accomplish through the Messiah, His people will be changed for the better.

God is going to reveal his Glory/Splendor through what He does in them. (Oaks of Righteousness)

National Change in Zion (4)

Isaiah 61:4 (ESV)

4 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.

Restoration Confirmed (Isaiah 61:5-9)

Lord blesses with Prosperity (5-7)

No longer Slaves, but Masters (5-6)

Isaiah 61:5–6 (ESV)

5 Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; 6 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.

Foreigners will serve you, instead of being slaves in Exile. (5)

They will be priest and ministers for the Lord as a benefit to the nations. (6)

“As a nation of priests each one will know the LORD, and have access to Him, and mediate on behalf of others, as did the Levitical priests. This was to be one of Israel’s functions in the world (Ex. 19:6).” (Martin, John A. “Isaiah.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Vol. 1. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985. 1116. Print.)

“... This priestly ministry is for the nations’ benefit.” (Grogan, Geoffrey W. “Isaiah.” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel. Ed. Frank E. Gaebelein. Vol. 6. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986. 334. Print.)

Through Christ, the church is a nation of Priest to serve the Lord and others.

No longer Dishonored, but Honor (7)

Isaiah 61:7 (ESV)

7 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.

Double Portion

double portion n., a double amount of a portion that has come from dividing something larger; perhaps used in reference to a double portion of inheritance (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Firstborn received double portion (7a, cf. Deut 21:15-17)

Abundance of possessions (7b)

The transformation the Lord will bring joy to His people.

Lord blesses with Fame (8-9)

Redeems (8)

Isaiah 61:8 (ESV)

8 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.

recompense n., reward or punishment (whether tangible or intangible) based upon what a person deserves. (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

God will establish an everlasting covenant. New covenant through the Messiah.

New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-39; Ezekiel 36:22-36; Luke 22:14-23)

Jeremiah 31:31–34 (ESV)

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,

32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.

33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Blesses (9)

Isaiah 61:9 (ESV)

9 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.

Testimony of the Restored (Isaiah 61:10-11)

Israel Restored (10)

Isaiah 61:10 (ESV)

10 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 the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

We rejoice in who the Lord is and what he has done for us.

Isaiah is expressing to Israel that the Lord will do a great work through the Messiah and they will rejoice in what God will do for them.

We see that God has accomplished great things through the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Christ.

World witnesses restoration (11)

Isaiah 61:11 (ESV)

11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.

God’s work in the lives of His people will be seen by the nations around them. This will impact the nations as they see the work of God among His people.

Lessons of Isaiah

God gives clear messages of Judgment, Calls for Repentance, and promises of Restoration.

The Bible is incredibly balance in the message it brings.

God was giving Israel a message that He was remaining faithful to them and His covenant relationship with them.

God is going to accomplish His work of restoration through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Messiah.

God is going to restore Israel through the coming of the Messiah.

God established a New Covenant with Israel through the work of the Messiah. That Covenant is offered to Israel and the rest of the world (Gentiles).

God has established the “year of the Lord’s favor” through Jesus and is showing mercy to all who come to Him.

Jesus life, death, and resurrection brought the means by which God is offering mercy and forgiveness to all who would put their trust in Christ.

We are in the “year of the Lord’s favor” and are on mission with the message of the Gospel.

Benediction

Hebrews 13:20-21 - Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.