61:1 - This is Isaiah telling us what he has been commissioned by God to do as a Prophet, yet it is also a call to those of us who are born-again Christians. While the Spirit of God in the Old Testament was reserved for specific individuals set aside by God, because we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, we all have access to the Holy Spirit. That means the calling of the Holy Spirit of God is similar in our own lives: we should be bringing Good News to the people around us, helping the poor, setting captives free, working to make the name of the Lord great in this world. That is the mission that we are on as Christians...that is what we should be doing every day.
61:3 - "Oaks of Righteousness" - That name for those who have been made righteous by God has such a feeling of strength and permanence to it...I really find it powerful. Because we have been made righteous by the grace and sacrifice of God, we should every day make the choice to live out that righteousness. Though the world around us may be screwed up and things may be falling apart...we can dwell in the love of God and stand firm as an example of true strength to the rest of the world. Christians should be God's oaks of righteousness in this world.
61:4 - The Forsythe family motto is "Instaurator Ruinae" which means "rebuilder of ruins." None of you guys may care, but I think this verse applies powerful meaning to our family motto. God-followers can raise up the broken and devastated things of this world and bring redemption which springs from the redemption we have received in God.
61:10/62:5 - Here we have some really powerful bride imagery. God has dressed His people in righteousness and salvation, so that they are able to stand out as shockingly beautiful in a fallen world...like a bride on her wedding day. In Revelation 19:6-7, John describes the beautiful end times scene when the bride of Christ (The Church) is finally reunited with the Lamb (Jesus). It says that the Lamb will return to the bride when she has had time to make herself ready and that the pure white garments she wears are a gift from God. God has given us the gift of forgiveness for free...we simply have to choose to put it on and wear it proudly.
62:12 - We are the sought, not the forsaken...never forget that.
63:6 and 7 - How do these two images work together? Are they not in direct opposition to one another? First we have a picture of a proud warrior spattered in the blood of the enemies He has just crushed (A picture of God that is horribly offensive to many unbelievers)...but that verse is immediately followed by a call to remember the steadfast love of God!? How do you reconcile these images? God has to go to war against sin in the world...even against the sins of His own people. Who else is going to do it? There is no one righteous enough...there is no one except God that doesn't deserve sin...He must be the righteous warrior. This picture may seem brutal, but think about it like this. What is an American G.I. from WWII appeared at the gate of a concentration camp...covered in grime and the blood of his enemies? Would the Jewish prisoners look at him with disgust? No - they would see him as their savior...the warrior who had fought so that they might be set free. That is what God is doing for all the peoples of the world...He is willing to do what needs to be done no matter what to set His people free. So the blood spattered warrior is driven by love...His steadfast love never changes because God Himself never changes (Malachi 3:6).
63:17 - Here we must ask? What is Isaiah saying - that God has forced His own people to turn their backs of Himself? I don't think that is the case. I believe that Isaiah is crying out to God with the complaints of the Jewish people...they seek to blame God for their rebellion, but we know that it is not God who has pushed them towards this as we read Isaiah 65:1, which says that God is ready to be sought out by those who need Him. God has not pushed the people away, in fact, He is waiting for them to figure out how desperately they need Him!
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