Home thoughts from abroad.wordpress.com

They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendour.

Notice in this wonderful text:

• Planting: No-one makes themselves into a Christian. Conversion – with all that it entails – is a work of God (and for the glory of God, as we will see). It can never be a ground of boasting (Eph.2:8-10);
• Standing: ‘Righteous’ people (those made right with God, and therefore endeavouring to live right by His power) become strong, sturdy, immoveable by the grace of God. They are ”strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Eph.6:10). They are called, and enabled, to ”stand” (Eph.6:11,13,14);
• Exhibiting: Believers are ”…God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph.2:10). They display His ”splendour” – not their own. As people respond in repentance and faith to the ”good news”, they become these saved, healed, delivered, freed, sighted, comforted, beautiful, joyful, praising people (look back through the preceding verses): God’s own work for God’s own glory. Beautiful ”oaks” pointing upward to their great Creator.

PRAYER: In my life, Lord, be glorified

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.

We saw yesterday that there is good news in the gospel for the broken-hearted.

Primarily, this is for those whose hearts break over their sin: the genuinely repentant.

But I don’t think it can be limited to this. Once we are right with God, we find in Jesus a balm for all our sadness. What He does for us is summed up in the thrice repeated: ”instead of”. He replaces the negative with something positive; gives the better instead of the lesser.

When I was a small boy I had a highly prized colouring book. One day, when my dad had to go away for a short time with his job, he asked me to give it to him, so he could let my sister have it. There was no way this was going to happen! After a short period of trying to persuade and cajole, he gave up, and produced from behind his back a bigger and better colouring book, and gave it to my little sibling!! I could have had the superior ‘instead of’ my inferior possession, had I known better. But, alas, I had made my choice.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³     and provide for those who grieve in Zion

The gospel is good news for the hurting. There is provision for those in pain. This is one of the ‘tangible results’ of Spirit-empowered gospel preaching. Hearts can be healed. God’s own comfort and peace are very real gifts, freely imparted to all who trust in Christ. Of course, the cause of the heartache isn’t necessarily removed. It may well remain. But God can so work in the human heart that life is seen and felt differently.

I think it is not known for certain who said: ‘Be kind, because everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle’ (or words to that effect), but I’m sure it is true. As we see hurting people in our communities, let’s not distance ourselves from them, but move toward them with the ”good news” entrusted to us, believing that God will ”provide for those who grieve in Zion”.

It needs to affirmed however, that our greatest cause of pain is our sin, and the greatest comfort is to find forgiveness in Jesus.

”Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matt.5:4).

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners…

The last line above can read: ”and release from darkness for the blind”.

Whichever way we may take it, it all points to this truth: the preaching of the the gospel, the ”good news” about Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit, has tangible results. It is not only the proclamation of Word, but also ”a demonstration of the Spirit’s power…” (1 Cor.2:4).

”For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.” (1 Thess.1:4,5a).

As I was prayerfully reflecting on this, I noticed a biography of Spurgeon by Arnold Dallimore, sitting on a bookshelf. It’s years since I read it, but I felt impelled to pick it up. Opening it at random, this is what I saw. It concerns days of revival in London when the church grew significantly:

‘The new members were very largely people who did not come from other churches. The vast majority were men and women who had never been in the habit of attending church, but they came, especially to the Music Hall, heard the gospel, and were converted. Many of these represented marvellous transformations – drunkards, harlots and thieves with lives changed and homes made new – men and women who once did not know God, but now were happily living for the Lord and serving Him.’ (pp.86,87).

That causes my heart to burn and cry out, ‘Lord, do it again.’

The preaching of the gospel, in the power of the Spirit, brings tangible results.

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.