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The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.

As we saw on Friday, this passage is primarily about the Messiah, Jesus.

‘He is someone of quite extraordinary importance. We have met him before, of course. The Spirit…is on me recalls 42:1 (‘I will put my Spirit on him’), but also 11:1 (‘The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him’). He is both the Servant of chapters 40-55 and the Messiah of chapters 1-35, for – this is what we must notice – these are one and the same person.’ Barry Webb: ‘Isaiah’, pp.233/234.

Webb goes on to point out that the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s ruins after the exile was a major work, only made possible by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit (Haggai 2:5; Zech.4:6). Yet it is far surpassed by the building of the church through the Spirit-enabled preaching of the gospel.

So although this is first and foremost about Christ, we are reminded that if He needed the Holy Spirit to carry out His ministry on earth, how much more do we? We can be grateful, then, for every promise in the Bible that points to the Spirit’s equipping of believers for ministry. Notably today, I think of Acts 1:8:

”But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…”

George Verwer, the founder of ‘Operation Mobilisation’, use to say: ‘The Holy Ghost gives you a Holy go!’

PRAYER: Lord, we want to be as filled with your Spirit as it is possible to be, so that we overflow with empowered words and deeds of witness

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.

As we begin to look at this chapter, perhaps the most important thing to bear in mind is the link with Luke 4:16-20:

¹⁶ He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹ He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus saw Himself as the fulfilment of these wonderful words.

‘We begin this chapter, then, with a speech by the Servant-Messiah (1-6). This is followed by a confirmatory speech by the LORD himself (7-9), and finally by a song of praise by someone who is full of wonder and gratitude for what God has done for him personally (10-11). The references to the Sovereign LORD in verses 1 and 11 frame the whole chapter; the salvation which the whole chapter celebrates is his gift.’ Barry Webb: ‘Isaiah’, p.234.

”But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ ” (Jonah 2:9).

The least of you will become a thousand,
    the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the Lord;
    in its time I will do this swiftly.’

Whitney Houston’s song for the 1988 Seoul Olympics contained the words: ‘I want one moment in time when I’m more than I thought I could be…’

Isaiah 60:22 speaks of the multiplying effect God can have on a human life. (As we saw yesterday, verse 21 points to a beautifying effect). The Lord can make you more than you ever thought you could be.

It may be that you look back on your life with some disappointment. Maybe you feel you haven’t achieved all you should have done. Even so, it is not too late. As long as you have life and breath, God can take you and use you. He is able to do in you and through you ”more than all” you can ”ask or imagine”, for His glory (Eph.3:20,21).

The Whitney Houston song actually says:

‘I want one moment in time
When I’m more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams are a heart beat away
And the answers are all up to me.’

Our Isaiah text for today makes it utterly clear that none of this is about me. It is about something the Lord will do in His own time. When it is time for Him to move, things can happen swiftly.

While in England, D.L. Moody heard evangelist Henry Varley say, “The world has yet to see what God can do through a man who is totally yielded to Him.” Moody was captivated by these words and resolved, “By the Grace of God, I will be that man!”

The answers were not all up to him, but how God worked through him.

They are the shoot I have planted,
    the work of my hands,
    for the display of my splendour.

An old Christian song goes:

”Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, All his wonderful passion and purity, O thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine, Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.”

As we grasp the full picture of the Bible’s message, we can have no doubt that God’s work in each believer, to make us glorious, is all for His glory. It is not our work; we cannot boast.

Paul writes like this in Ephesians 2:10, having emphasised in verses 8 and 9 that salvation is all of God, and not of us:

 ”For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I understand that the word translated ”handiwork” can also be rendered ”poem”. Each one of us is God’s composition; His masterpiece; His work of art. The painting may be admired for its beauty, but everyone knows that the credit belongs to the artist.

”14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mt.5:14-16)

I’ll install Peace to run your country,
    make Righteousness your boss.
There’ll be no more stories of crime in your land,
    no more robberies, no more vandalism.
You’ll name your main street Salvation Way,
    and install Praise Park at the center of town.
You’ll have no more need of the sun by day
    nor the brightness of the moon at night.
God will be your eternal light,
    your God will bathe you in splendor.
Your sun will never go down,
    your moon will never fade.
I will be your eternal light.
    Your days of grieving are over.
All your people will live right and well,
    in permanent possession of the land.
They’re the green shoot that I planted,
    planted with my own hands to display my glory.
The runt will become a great tribe,
    the weakling become a strong nation.
I am God.
    At the right time I’ll make it happen.”

I thought it would be beneficial to see how Eugene Peterson renders verses 17b-22 in ‘The Message’.

In the ‘NIV’ verse 17b reads:

”I will make peace your governor and well-being your ruler.”

Although we will not experience the fullness of these words on this side of heaven, even now let us pray for ”Peace” and ”Righteousness” to hold sway in our lands – wherever we may live. As we are instructed by Paul to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-7), may we do so today.

“No longer will you need the sun to shine by day,
    nor the moon to give its light by night,
for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light,
    and your God will be your glory.
²⁰ Your sun will never set;
    your moon will not go down.
For the Lord will be your everlasting light.
    Your days of mourning will come to an end.
²¹ All your people will be righteous.
    They will possess their land forever,
for I will plant them there with my own hands
    in order to bring myself glory.
²² The smallest family will become a thousand people,
    and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. (New Living Translation)

As we have noted previously, there are parts of this prophecy that look beyond the present age to the age to come, when all things will come to fulfilment in the ”new heaven and…new earth…” (Rev 21:1; see also verses 22-27).

I don’t know about you, but I love to look at the moon, and if I could, I would stare at the sun. I am in awe of these ”…two great lights-the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night” (Gn.1:16), not to mention ”the stars”. You only have to stop and really think about them, in my view, to be made to marvel and wonder – and to feel very small.

But what a day it will be when we will no longer need them. We will have a ‘Sun’ that will ”never set” and a ‘Moon’ that will ”never go down” – the Lord God Himself. He will be our ”everlasting light.” One day, glorified believers will be able to look upon a Light infinitely brighter than that of our sun.

”They will see his face…” (Rev.22:4).

Violence will disappear from your land;
    the desolation and destruction of war will end.
Salvation will surround you like city walls,
    and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there. (New Living Translation).

Psalm 46:9 reads: ”He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

Clearly, today’s text in Isaiah anticipates a future time when there will be an end to all wars, in the fullness of the Kingdom of God. We cannot do other than long for it. But for today, let’s pray for peace in settings where ”violence” and ”destruction” rage (and want to reign). They cannot finally win, for the ‘Prince of Peace’ is coming.

I will make peace your governor
    and well-being your ruler.

(”I’ll install Peace to run your country, make Righteousness your boss.” The Message).

These words remind me, that although we will not know total peace until the Kingdom of God finally and fully comes, there is even now a very real foretaste for those who are in Christ. So Paul writes to the Colossians:

” Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Col.3:15

This refers to the peace Jesus ‘…embodies and brings (cf. Jn.14:27) and is equivalent to salvation…the verb means to rule; Christ himself, who is Lord of peace (cf. Eph.2:14; 2 Thess.3:16) is to be present and ruling in their midst. He is to control every area of their lives as they relate to one another. Since the Colossians are said to have been called into this peace (through the gospel) then it must describe the realm or sphere in which they, as members of Christ’s body, now live.’ Peter T. O’Brian: ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.1274.

“Although you have been forsaken and hated,
    with no one traveling through,
I will make you the everlasting pride
    and the joy of all generations.
¹⁶ You will drink the milk of nations
    and be nursed at royal breasts.
Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior,
    your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
¹⁷ Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,
    and silver in place of iron.
Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,
    and iron in place of stones.

I know that somewhere in the past I have used this title. But it again seems appropriate. With God ‘things can change.’ May we always believe it.

Furthermore, God always gives better than the world gives (17a). His gifts are vastly superior than anything our culture can offer. The devil will lie to us and tell us this is not so, but it absolutely is. Why settle for inferior things?

However, when the Lord intervenes in our circumstances, to bring transformation, the greatest gift is the Giver; it is Himself. See verse 16b. If through His saving, rescuing work we are given a greater revelation of Him, and brought nearer to Him, this is of supreme value.

”Not long ago you were despised refuse—out-of-the-way, unvisited, ignored. But now I’ve put you on your feet, towering and grand forever, a joy to look at! When you suck the milk of nations and the breasts of royalty, You’ll know that I, God, am your Saviour, your Redeemer, Champion of Jacob. I’ll give you only the best—no more hand-me-downs!    Gold instead of bronze, silver instead of iron, bronze instead of wood, iron instead of stones.” The Message.