THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS ON ME

Passage: Isaiah 61:1-62:12

Key verse: 61:1

NIV

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit(A) of the Sovereign Lord(B) is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed(C) me
    to proclaim good news(D) to the poor.(E)
He has sent me to bind up(F) the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom(G) for the captives(H)
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor(I)
    and the day of vengeance(J) of our God,
to comfort(K) all who mourn,(L)
3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown(M) of beauty
    instead of ashes,(N)
the oil(O) of joy
    instead of mourning,(P)
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting(Q) of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.(R)

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins(S)
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers(T) will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests(U) of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth(V) of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

7 Instead of your shame(W)
    you will receive a double(X) portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit(Y) a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy(Z) will be yours.

8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;(AA)
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant(AB) with them.
9 Their descendants(AC) will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”(AD)

10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices(AE) in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,(AF)
as a bridegroom adorns his head(AG) like a priest,
    and as a bride(AH) adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden(AI) causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness(AJ)
    and praise spring up before all nations.

Zion’s New Name

62 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,(AK)
    for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
till her vindication(AL) shines out like the dawn,(AM)
    her salvation(AN) like a blazing torch.
2 The nations(AO) will see your vindication,
    and all kings your glory;
you will be called by a new name(AP)
    that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
3 You will be a crown(AQ) of splendor in the Lord’s hand,
    a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted,(AR)
    or name your land Desolate.(AS)
But you will be called Hephzibah,[b](AT)
    and your land Beulah[c];
for the Lord will take delight(AU) in you,
    and your land will be married.(AV)
5 As a young man marries a young woman,
    so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom(AW) rejoices over his bride,
    so will your God rejoice(AX) over you.

6 I have posted watchmen(AY) on your walls, Jerusalem;
    they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
    give yourselves no rest,(AZ)
7 and give him no rest(BA) till he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes her the praise(BB) of the earth.

8 The Lord has sworn(BC) by his right hand
    and by his mighty arm:
“Never again will I give your grain(BD)
    as food for your enemies,
and never again will foreigners drink the new wine
    for which you have toiled;
9 but those who harvest it will eat(BE) it
    and praise the Lord,(BF)
and those who gather the grapes will drink it
    in the courts of my sanctuary.”(BG)

10 Pass through, pass through the gates!(BH)
    Prepare the way for the people.
Build up, build up the highway!(BI)
    Remove the stones.
Raise a banner(BJ) for the nations.

11 The Lord has made proclamation
    to the ends of the earth:(BK)
“Say to Daughter Zion,(BL)
    ‘See, your Savior comes!(BM)
See, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.’”(BN)
12 They will be called(BO) the Holy People,(BP)
    the Redeemed(BQ) of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After,
    the City No Longer Deserted.(BR)

Footnotes
  1. Isaiah 61:1 Hebrew; Septuagint the blind
  2. Isaiah 62:4 Hephzibah means my delight is in her.
  3. Isaiah 62:4 Beulah means married.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Year of the Lord's Favor

61 (A)The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has (B)anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;[a]
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and (C)the opening of the prison to those who are bound;[b]
2 (D)to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    (E)and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    (F)to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
(G)the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
(H)that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, (I)that he may be glorified.[c]
4 (J)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.

5 (K)Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks;
    foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;
6 (L)but you shall be called the priests of the Lord;
    they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God;
(M)you shall eat the wealth of the nations,
    and in their glory you shall boast.
7 (N)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.

8 (O)For I the Lord love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrong;[d]
(P)I will faithfully give them their recompense,
    (Q)and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
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.

10 (R)I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my soul shall exult in my God,
(S)for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself (T)like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
    (U)and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
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 (V)righteousness and praise
    to sprout up before all the nations.

Zion's Coming Salvation

62 (W)For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
    and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
(X)until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
    and her salvation as a burning torch.
2 (Y)The nations shall see your righteousness,
    and all the kings your glory,
(Z)and you shall be called by a new name
    that the mouth of the Lord will give.
3 You shall be (AA)a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
    and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 (AB)You shall no more be termed (AC)Forsaken,[e]
    and your land shall no more be termed Desolate,[f]
(AD)but you shall be called (AE)My Delight Is in Her,[g]
    and your land Married;[h]
for the Lord delights in you,
    and your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a young woman,
    so (AF)shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
    so (AG)shall your God rejoice over you.

6 On your walls, O Jerusalem,
    I have set (AH)watchmen;
all the day and all the night
    they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
    take no rest,
7 and give him no rest
    until he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes it (AI)a praise in the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn (AJ)by his right hand
    and by his mighty arm:
“I will not again give (AK)your grain
    to be food for your enemies,
(AL)and foreigners shall not drink your wine
    for which you have labored;
9 but (AM)those who garner it shall eat it
    and praise the Lord,
and (AN)those who gather it shall drink it
    in the courts of my sanctuary.”[i]

10 Go through, go through the gates;
    (AO)prepare the way for the people;
(AP)build up, build up the highway;
    clear it of stones;
    (AQ)lift up a signal over the peoples.
11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed
    to the end of the earth:
(AR)Say to the daughter of Zion,
    (AS)“Behold, your salvation comes;
behold, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense before him.”
12 (AT)And they shall be called The Holy People,
    The Redeemed of the Lord;
(AU)and you shall be called Sought Out,
    A City Not Forsaken.

Footnotes
  1. Isaiah 61:1 Or afflicted
  2. Isaiah 61:1 Or the opening [of the eyes] to those who are blind; Septuagint and recovery of sight to the blind
  3. Isaiah 61:3 Or that he may display his beauty
  4. Isaiah 61:8 Or robbery with a burnt offering
  5. Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Azubah
  6. Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Shemamah
  7. Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Hephzibah
  8. Isaiah 62:4 Hebrew Beulah
  9. Isaiah 62:9 Or in my holy courts
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Jesus quoted these words (1-2; Lk 4:18-19) as he launched his Messianic ministry. By the power of the Spirit, Jesus proclaimed good news to the humble and penitent, bound up the brokenhearted, gave freedom to the prisoners of sin. He brought God’s favor to all who received him and God’s judgment to those who did not. He bestows beauty instead of ashes, joy instead of mourning, and praise instead of despair so that his people will be “oaks of righteousness.” The transforming work of Jesus restores our mission to serve God and the world as ministers of God. Because of God’s everlasting covenant with us, we rejoice in him, for we are clothed with righteousness and salvation. Such blessings are given to us not because of what we have done, but because of God’s sheer grace alone. Anyone who humbly receives the gospel of Jesus finds God’s favor.

Zion became “the Forsaken City” and “the Desolate Land.” But God will keep working until the glory of Zion shines brightly and evidently to all nations. Then Zion will be a splendid crown in God’s hand. Her new name will be “The City of God’s Delight” and “The Bride of God.” Watchmen are posted, praying unceasingly for the fulfillment of God’s promise for Zion. They prepare the way for people to come to God until our Savior comes again.

Prayer: Lord, fill me with the Spirit to proclaim the gospel with unceasing prayer for your kingdom.

One Word: Your kingdom come!