Isaiah 61 THE GOSPEL OF JOY The opening speaker of this chapter is our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Messiah of Israel, but not yet accepted by them as their Savior and Lord. When He came to them at His first coming, they rejected Him openly as a nation of people. This chapter makes it plain that the righteousness needed by every person in order to make us acceptable to God, comes only from the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Anointed One of Israel. The opening words of this chapter were what the Lord Jesus read when He stepped into the public and began preaching the Gospel in “the acceptable year of the Lord.” This life-transforming Gospel message was proclaimed by Him when He was here and has been preached by those appointed by Him down through the centuries until now. This is the same message preached by faithful men today.
The first three verses have to do with the work of God through the Gospel. The next six verses teach the work of God’s people to others. The final two verses give the results of the message of the Gospel. When the Lord Jesus Christ read this passage in public, He stopped before the final line that speaks about the future “day of vengeance.” His work on earth at that time was prophesied in the early part of these verses, and He said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” However, the first and second coming of the Lord are linked. Blessing came first, and then justice and judgment will come at the next appointed time. It will be at that time Israel will become a “kingdom of priests,” as God has originally intended. The righteousness of Christ will be imputed to them in the future in a way similar to what He has imputed to us now when we are saved.
In the first verse the Spirit of the Lord empowered Him to make the message of the Gospel plain to the meek. Those are humble people who recognize their own sin and their need of the Savior. There are many broken-hearted people in the world who live in a condition of constant remorse and guilt. When repentance for sin is real and they take responsibility for their own sin before God, the Lord can bind up those deep wounds in the same way the good Samaritan bound the wounds of the fallen traveler. Liberty for the captives frees those who are addicted to sin by a power far greater than the chains imposed by any person or substance. There is true consolation for those who had sorrow and were hopeless.
The “acceptable year of the Lord” had come, perhaps like the year of jubilee, when slaves were freed and life began anew for those who had been in want. Now there was power given by the Lord to live, set free from sin and all its claims; to live holy and righteously before the Lord. For those who would not submit to the Lord nor accept what He was willing to give them, there is righteous judgment and vengeance on the unrepentant who will not face their own need of a Savior.
“Trees of righteousness” are planted by the Lord Himself, and are rooted and nurtured by Him to display the splendor of His holiness and goodness. There is beauty where the ashes of a wasted life once were. There is the oil of real joy where once there was sadness as sin took its toll on the human soul. There is the balm of promise as we look into the future with praise in our hearts, all of which demonstrates the blessings of our salvation now and forever.
New life in Christ that has come to us through the Gospel, rebuilds that which has been ruined as far as Israel is concerned, replacing that which they lost so long ago when they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. We who were strangers to grace and to God, and dead in trespasses and sin, have been given new life in Christ. Gentile converts serving in the Kingdom are willing to submit to Jewish apostles and the Jewish scriptures that have been made available to us. We have the “double” blessing of being in God’s family and having the Lord Jesus with us. We are able to join in the work of the Lord and service for the eternal God, with those who were the first in the kingdom of God.
There will be a time come when believing Jews will be “Priests of the Lord,” and “Ministers of God.” Insincerity will have no place in the kingdom. The Lord loves justice and is able to make those who trust in Him, righteous in fact as well as in profession. The people of Israel will someday rejoice in what Christ will make possible for them, because they will be able to finally be fruitful here on earth. They are linked by covenant with God that will give them an influential place among the nations, and He will give them peace. Born-again believers today rejoice and respond to the promises of God. We have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ has been shed upon us. We are able enjoy sweet fellowship with our Savior presently as we “walk with the Lord in the light of His word.”
In the New Covenant, all believers are priests who represent the Lord in our place and time. True representatives of the Lord read His word with a desire to understand it, practice its teaching and then minister to others as representatives of our Savior. We know that all injustice is taken care of by Him who is holy, righteous and perfectly just in every action He takes. So, His people will joy in the triumph of righteousness over evil. The day of joy and gladness ahead for the earthly people of God will be like the day when the bride of Christ, is united at His return for His church. The reuniting of the Son of David with His people will be like a wedding day. There will be joy and gladness when the will of God is done “on earth as it is in heaven.” He will then be known as the King, the Priest and the Bridegroom by all the people on earth.