sign in sign up
<<
Home , Isaiah 61

ISAIAH 61:1-3

I don't think there has ever been a point in history when people had such a hard time knowing what to believe, what to trust, what to place their hope in as is the case in our world today.

And is it any wonder? We live in a world rife with robo-calls, email scams, and internet predators, all of whom pose as something they are not in attempts to take advantage of us.

Allegations of fake news tell us we can't trust what our journalists report. Scandals and mudslinging between candidates has eroded confidence in our political leaders. Technologies like photo-shop, CGI and virtual reality have left us unable to trust our own eyes about what's real and what's not.

Christianity has not gone unscathed as false teachers preaching false spring up like weeds in a garden.

So whether we were tricked by someone intent on fooling us, or whether the things we trusted in simply failed to be worthy of our trust, we've all experienced the disappointment and hurt of having our hopes crushed. In fact, we can count ourselves fortunate if our lives have not been deeply scarred by the experience of trusting in something or someone that failed us.

And so, we are left wondering who can we trust? What can we hang our hopes on? Where can we place our confidence?

With that being the environment of our day it should come as no surprise that people have those same questions about . How can we have assurance that trusting Jesus is right? How can we know He is the one-and-only way to salvation?

Well, one way is to see how Jesus fulfilled prophesies of the . When we see how Jesus perfectly satisfies the prophecies that were given about the promised we can have assurance that He is truly the Son of God and truly worthy of our hope and trust.

So turn with me to 61. Isaiah is renowned as the greatest prophet of the Old Testament. Now, most of Isaiah's prophecies focused on the southern kingdom of . And through Isaiah, God chastised His people for their continual turning away from Him in sin and rebellion. And He warned that He was going to use the Babylonians to punish Judah -- and take them into exile. And history records how all of those prophecies came to pass.

1

But of particular interest to Christians are Isaiah's prophecies about the Messiah. And the first three verses of Isaiah 61 record these words spoken by the Messiah to come.

Follow along as I read Isaiah 61:1-3. 1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; 2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD

And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To grant those who mourn in , Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

These words of the Messiah recorded by Isaiah brought a message of hope to the people of Judah that they would not be abandoned by God but would be delivered from their captivity in . But this prophecy of consolation would not be declared "fulfilled" until hundreds of years after the Jews return from exile when Jesus read this passage in the of . To see that, turn for a moment to . In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus read a portion of our text from Isaiah 61 and then revealed the connection of these words to Himself.

Follow along as I read Luke 4 starting in verse 16. 16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

18 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,

2

TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, 19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

20 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

In other words, Jesus was declaring that the words of the Messiah recorded in Isaiah 61 belonged to Him! He was declaring Himself to be the One in Whom all these things were to be fulfilled.

Now, just think about that for a moment. Imagine being a Jew in the Synagogue that morning. Although you have heard the words of this prophecy read aloud countless times before, it was only now in Jesus' reading of them that you would have been hearing those words actually coming from the Messiah's own lips! You would have heard the words of the Messiah spoken by the Messiah.

Now, if you were paying close attention, you may have noticed one or two details about Jesus' reading of the text in Luke 4 that don't exactly match our text from Isaiah. We will take a closer look at those things as we come to them in our study of Isaiah 61 this morning.

But before we start looking into the text itself, we need to remember an important principle for studying biblical prophecy. We need to remember that prophecy often times speaks of the future two-dimensionally, as if everything mentioned will happen at the same time. This is a characteristic known as "Prophetic Foreshortening." You've heard Mark explain this as recently as our study of Revelation. So, let me remind you of the analogy he gave then, because I think it's a really helpful and easy way to understand this principle.

So, imagine yourself driving across the plains of the Midwest and as you approach Colorado you see the Rocky Mountains in the distance. Now, from your initial vantage point, the mountains all look to be the same distance away. They are just a solid line of mountain peaks on the horizon. But of course, by the time you get to the first of those mountains you realize that some of those peaks are right in front of you while others are still miles and miles away. From a distance, it appeared you would reach all the mountains at once. But now you can see there is a huge span between the first mountains and the last ones.

Well, biblical prophecy can be a lot like that. Prophecies often present various details of the future as if they all pertain to one single point in time. When in actually, the details presented belong to more than one future event and those events may be separated by large intervals of time.

3

As we study our passage in Isaiah 61 this morning we will see how some of the events spoken of there have already been fulfilled during Jesus' first coming while others won't be fulfilled until His return.

But because all of this prophesy are the words of the Messiah it all pertains to Jesus. And so, we are going to study this passage today in order to draw encouragement from what this Old Testament passage teaches about the person of Christ. In particular, this passage will provide us with three reasons we can put our hope in Jesus. Whereas everything else in this world will ultimately fail and disappoint us, Isaiah 61 points to THREE REASONS TO PUT OUR HOPE IN JESUS.

And the first reason is this... 1. We can put our hope in Jesus BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS.

Follow along as I read again the first two lines of verse 1. The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me.

Notice, in those opening words of verse 1 we have all three persons of the Trinity represented. We have the Messiah (the Son of God) speaking, the Lord God (that is, God the Father) and the Spirit, whom the Messiah says was upon Him.

Now, we know that in His incarnation, though He was fully man, Jesus never stopped being fully God. And so, when we look at Jesus' life and ministry here on earth and we read of the miracles and wonders He performed and the incredible words He spoke, I think it is easy for us to see Jesus as doing all those things in His own power and wisdom as God the Son. And in thinking that way I fear we can tend to minimize the role that the Holy Spirit played in Jesus' first coming.

But a careful reading of scripture reveals just how extensively involved in Jesus' life and ministry the Holy Spirit was. Scripture tells us:  Jesus was conceived through the work of the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:18-20; Lk 1:34-35)...  and was anointed to preach by the Holy Spirit (Mt 12:15-21; Lk 4:17-21).  He was filled with Spirit (Lk 4:1; Jn 3:34)...  Empowered by the Spirit (Mt 12:28; Lk 4:14; Acts 10:38)...  and directed through the Spirit (Mt 4:1; Mk 1:12; Lk 4:1; 14).  Additionally, the Holy Spirit aided Christ in offering himself up in sacrificial death on the cross (Heb 9:14)...  and was operative in Christ rising again from the dead (Ro 1:4; 8:11). (This list adopted from "Biblical Doctrine" by MacArthur & Mayhue, pp. 339-340.)

4

But really, it should not come as a surprise to us that the Holy Spirit was instrumental in Jesus life and ministry. Not when the prophesied -- not once, but 4 times -- that the Holy Spirit would be upon the Messiah (11:2; 42:1; 48:16, 61:1).

Nor should we think in any way that the Holy Spirit's work in Jesus' life and ministry somehow detracts from the display of His own power and wisdom or compromises His identity or sufficiency as God the Son any more than we would think less of Christ for submitting to the Father, as when Jesus says in John 5:19... “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.

Now, I trust we would never understand that statement, "the Son can do nothing of Himself" to imply weakness or inability on the part of Jesus. On the contrary, the rest of that passage shows that Jesus is able to do whatever God the Father does in like manner. So that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

Rather than implying some deficiency in Christ, that verse testifies to the equality, unity and solidarity between the Father and the Son that is one of the glorious characteristics of the Trinity!

Likewise, the fact that God the Father ordained that God the Son should be ministered to by God the Holy Spirit only shows once again that the entire Trinity was involved together in the plan of salvation: the Father directing, the Spirit ministering, the Son acting.

And so, the Messiah's declaration that, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me" should fill us with awe and wonder at the marvelous, harmonious operation of the Trinity, and build our confidence in Jesus because He was a part of that. He was uniquely connected to the Father and the Spirit!

Now, if you are a careful student of the you know that there are many places in both the Old and New Testaments that speak of the Spirit of the Lord coming upon a person. So, what sets Jesus apart from the rest? How is this qualification unique for Him?

Well, all four of the Gospel writers describe how at Jesus' baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ like a dove. And if you were here when Mark preached through John 1:19-34, you'll remember what John the Baptist testified about that event. He said... " He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:33- 34).

The visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus was a completely unique event that singled Jesus out as "the One" -- the long awaited Messiah!

5

And, if that were not enough, Matthew, Mark and Luke all add that, as the Spirit rested upon Jesus, a voice came from heaven saying, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased." And so, God the Father's own testimony undeniably affirmed that Jesus -- the One upon whom His Spirit rested -- was His only-begotten Son, the Messiah. And so, Jesus' baptism displays His uniquely cohesive relationship with the Father and the Spirit that was foretold in Isaiah 61.

And in verse 1 the Messiah goes on to say He was anointed by God. In fact, that is where we get the term "Messiah" from. The Hebrew word "Messiah", as well as the Greek word "Christ" both have the same meaning. Both words mean "the anointed one".

In the Old Testament prophets, priests and kings were all anointed with oil when they were set apart to the office for which God had chosen them. Now, no one -- regardless of their calling -- ever anointed themselves. But they received their from another recognized leader who acted as a representative of God. Aaron was anointed priest by Moses, was anointed king by Samuel, Elisha was anointed prophet by Elijah.

And here we see in Isaiah 61:1 that the Messiah was also the recipient of anointing, only there was no human intermediary. He was anointed directly by the Lord God Himself. And Jesus was not anointed with mere oil, but with the Holy Spirit.

To see that, turn briefly with me to Acts 10. In Acts 10, we have Peter proclaiming the Gospel to Cornelius and his family who became the first Gentile converts. Pay close attention to what Peter tells them about Jesus' anointing. Follow along as I read Acts 10:38... 38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

So, God the Father anointed God the Son with God the Holy Spirit to be our supreme Prophet, Priest and King. And the Son ministered with power through the Spirit for God the Father was with Him. Isn't that a stunningly beautiful display of the members of the trinity in harmonious operation with one another? I see things like that in scripture and I think, "Man, our God is so awesome! He is so glorious in how He works -- three Persons in One!"

But more than merely getting us worked up emotionally, it's a reason for us to put our hope in Jesus because He alone is shown to be God the Son through this intimate solidarity with the other members of the Godhead. The total involvement of the Father and Spirit in the life and ministry of Jesus shows how uniquely the Spirit of the Lord God was upon Him. Jesus alone meets the qualifications foretold by Isaiah's prophecy nearly 700 years before His birth.

And all that matters. It matters because when it comes to our salvation, what we put our hope in will mean the difference between spending eternity in heaven or spending eternity in hell.

6

And so, we need to know our hope is secure, that the one we are trusting in will never-ever fail us. We all need someone we can trust perfectly. Well, the only one who is worthy of never- ending, perfect trust is someone who is eternally perfect Himself. And the only One who meets that qualification is Jesus... the one proven to be the Messiah -- the Son of God, who alone works in complete and perfect harmony with the Father and Spirit.

And so, we can place our hope securely in Jesus first, because of who He is, and secondly... 2. BECASUE OF WHAT HE HAS ALREADY DONE.

That's the second reason we can hope in Jesus... because of what He has already done. The remainder of verse 1 and the beginning of verse 2 contain particular aspects of the mission God had given to the Messiah.

Look at verse 1 with me again: 1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; 2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD.

And again, we'll stop mid-sentence there because that is where Jesus stopped in His reading in Luke 4. So, let's walk through these statements one at a time to see how Jesus fulfilled those aspects of His messianic mission.

First, Jesus was anointed to "bring good news to the afflicted" -- that is, to those who are experiencing suffering.

Now, the ultimate source of all suffering is sin. Before the fall of man in Genesis 3 there was no suffering experienced by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Affliction only came as a result of their rebellion. And now because of the fall, there is no one who isn't afflicted by sin. All of us suffer, and we suffer in two ways.

First, we suffer because of sin within us and the consequences that flow from our own sinful words and behaviors. But we also suffer as the result of sin's work outside of us. We suffer when others sin against us and we suffer as a result of life in a fallen world -- a world full of illness, tragedies, hardships and loss.

If you watched the movie "The Pilgrim's Progress" with us a few weeks back, you saw how John Bunyan captured those two realities of suffering. The main character, Christian, suffered from the weight of the burden of his own sin that he carried. But on his journey to the Celestial City

7 he suffered as well from the mistreatment of others and the hardships of the world around him.

As humans we suffer the results of sin from within and without. And the beautiful thing about Jesus is He has compassion for both.

Christ demonstrated this in His first coming as He showed great compassion to those in misery. He fed the hungry, healed the sick and the lame, cleansed lepers, cast our demons and restored the blind, the mute and the deaf. Jesus saw the suffering of people and was moved with sympathy for the afflicted.

And yet His physical healing of them, as miraculous and wonderful as it was, was only a temporary reprieve from the effects of suffering. Let's be frank, every person Jesus healed eventually died. The physical healings were only temporary and revealed the need for something more. They were all merely signs meant to point to the ultimate healing Christ would bring. You see, the real hope for suffering wasn't found in Jesus making sick people healthy, but in making sinful people holy. Jesus came to bring "Good News" to the afflicted. And that "good news" was the promise of eternal healing and forgiveness.

Bringing "Good News" to the afflicted was the foundation of Jesus' earthly ministry. Luke 4:40- 43 records how Jesus was healing the sick in Capernaum. And when it came time for him to leave, the crowds pleaded with Him to stay. But Jesus replied... “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” (v. 43)

Just as Isaiah 61 prophesied, Jesus came to preach the Good News! That's what the word Gospel means -- "good news." And 10 times the explicitly states that Jesus was preaching the Gospel.

Not only did Jesus proclaim the good news, He is the Good News! It is in Him that we find our ultimate hope of eternal relief from sin and suffering. All who put their hope in Jesus will enjoy eternal life with Him in His kingdom where Revelation 21:4 promises... God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

The salvation that Christ offers ultimately delivers us from both our sin and our suffering. And Jesus brought that "good news" to the afflicted and He "bound up the brokenhearted."

Now, if you were paying close attention when we read Luke 4, you may have noticed that the phrase about "binding up the brokenhearted" was missing from what Jesus read in the synagogue. For some undisclosed reason, Jesus omitted that line and added instead a prophecy from another part of Isaiah (:7) that foretold how the Messiah would bring recovery of sight to the blind.

8

Now, it's not uncommon for New Testament quotations of Old Testament prophecies to combine various related texts together like that. That happens frequently. And so Luke doesn't bother to explain why Jesus made that substitution because it wasn't unusual.

But although Jesus did not read the phrase about "binding up the brokenhearted", that statement is still a part of the words of the Messiah and therefore it still applies to Jesus.

Being "brokenhearted" describes a person whose inner sense of wellbeing has been shattered as they come to terms with the depths of their own depravity and the toll sin has taken on their life. The equivalent phrase in the New Testament is to be "poor in spirit." In fact, when we think about the "brokenhearted" what should readily come to mind for us are the Beatitudes, the opening lines of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. There, just as in Isaiah 61, Jesus brought Good News to the afflicted giving promise to the "poor in spirit", the meek and those who mourn.

But the fulfillment of that "Good News" would come at a very high price. Jesus would bind up the "broken"-hearted through the breaking of His own flesh and the spilling of His blood. The Son of God would Himself become a "Man of sorrows" -- afflicted -- so that through His suffering we might find healing in Him. By His wounds we are healed (1 Peter 2:24).

But healing isn't all He brings. Verse 1 goes on to say the Messiah would "proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners."

The words "captive" and "prisoner" describe people whose freedom has been taken from them, just as the Jews had lost their freedom when they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians as a result of their ongoing rebellion against God. Their external, physical captivity to Babylon resulted from their internal spiritual captivity to sin.

And people are no different today, are we? We are both the perpetrators of sin and prisoners of the sin we practice. In John 8:34 Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin (perpetrator) is the slave of sin" (prisoner).

Now the word "everyone" there means... every one. No exceptions. Because every person sins, every person is a slave to sin. And if that was all Jesus' had to say there, then there would be no hope for any of us to be free from our bondage to sin. But He goes on to say in verse 36, "If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."

Romans 6 affirms, if we are in Christ, we are now no longer slaves but have been set free from sin (verses 15-23).

9

Jesus came proclaiming liberty from captivity and bondage. And that declaration of freedom is what Isaiah 61:2 is speaking about when it says the Messiah came, "To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD." That is a reference to the Year of spoken of in Leviticus 25.

Every 50th year was declared a year of Jubilee. And each Jubilee year started on the Day of Atonement (Lev 25:9). So, in the Jubilee year, on the day that the substitutionary sacrifice was made for the sins of the people, all captives and prisoners were set free, slaves were released, and all debts were cancelled (Lev 25:39-55).

Leviticus 25:10 says... And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants.

And Isaiah 61 says the Messiah would do just that -- proclaim liberty, proclaim Jubilee -- the favorable year of the Lord. And that is just what Jesus accomplished when He came to be the substitutionary sacrifice for us to set us free from sin's bondage.

Listen to what Charles Spurgeon said about this passage: "No man ever paid a penny of redemption money on the jubilee morning. Every man was simply free because jubilee was proclaimed. No merit was demanded, [...] no delay allowed, no dispute permitted. Jubilee came and the bondman was free. And now, today, whoever believes in Jesus is saved, pardoned, freed -- without money, without merit, without preparation -- simply because he believes." (C.H. Spurgeon, Proclamation of Acceptance and Vengeance, sermon #1369 delivered August 12, 1877, Metropolitan Tabernacle.)

Isn't that a precious truth for us to rest our hope on? To know that Christ cares about our sin and our suffering so much, that He was willing to give Himself as a sacrifice so that we could know true freedom?! And that He has paid it all -- in full -- for all time!

And because of what Jesus has done, you and I don't have to live as a slave to sin anymore. The same Spirit that anointed Him He sends to indwell His people so that we can have freedom from the sin that enslaved us.

Now, understand, to be "set free from sin" does not mean we will live "sin-free lives". So long as we are in this world the presence of sin remains in us and we will still sin. But because Jesus has conquered sin and purchased His people with His blood, sin no longer has any right of ownership over a believer. They are free in Christ and through the working of the word and the Spirit they are able to grow in holiness throughout this lifetime.

10

But listen, if you don't have Jesus, you are NOT free -- you are enslaved! And you cannot fee yourself because sin is too powerful. Only someone who is greater and stronger than what holds us prisoner can free us from bondage. And Christ demonstrated that power when, after laying down His life for us, He took it up again rising from the grave. He has proven His victory over sin and death, and now He offers to set us free from our bondage! To liberate us from the penalty of sin and to free us from our enslavement to sin.

And we can put our hope in Jesus knowing He has already done everything necessary to accomplished all those things through His life, death and resurrection. It is finished! We can hope in Jesus because of what He has already done.

Now, when Jesus read from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue this is the point where Luke's gospel says He stopped. He read, "To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD" then handed the scroll back to the attendant and sat down.

So, why did Jesus stop reading where he did? Well, because that was the portion of this passage that He accomplished in His fist coming. Of everything up to that point in the text, Jesus could declare, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” The Messiah had come bringing good news to the afflicted and proclaiming freedom to captives.

But the prophecy of Isaiah 61 has a second part to it. Read again with me Isaiah 61:2-3... 2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

Now, verse 2 has the Messiah proclaiming both the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God. And both events are spoken of together in one verse. But turn for a moment to John 12. In John 12:47-48 we see that Isaiah's joining of those two statements together is an example of that prophetic foreshortening we spoke about earlier where two separate future events are spoken of as if they will happen simultaneously without regard to the span of time between them.

11

In John 12:47-48 Jesus said... 47 If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

Here, Jesus states the reason for His first coming as being for the purpose of salvation. But He also says there would be a later time to come -- a day of judgment. A time when all who ignore Jesus' words and reject the Gospel of Christ will be judged by His word according to their sins and the vengeance of God will be poured out on them.

In John 12 Jesus reveals a separation in time between His proclaiming the Favorable Year of the Lord and the day of God's vengeance. Jesus has already come to offer grace and forgiveness. When He comes again He will bring judgment.

Isaiah says the Messiah will proclaim "the day of vengeance of our God" which will be a horrifying thing for those who have failed to heed Jesus' words and accept His offer of salvation. But notice, this day of vengeance results in comfort for those who mourn.

Now, why is that? How would God's vengeance being poured out bring comfort to those who mourn? Well, have you ever wondered why the wicked seem to prosper in this world? Asaph, the writer of Psalm 73 did. He was greatly troubled by the fact that the righteous seemed to have nothing but affliction and persecution in life while the wicked seemed to be living it up without a care in the world and without any consequence for their sin, until... Until he remembered their end. Until Asaph remembered there will come a day of judgment when the wicked will be punished and those who trust in the Lord will be received into glory.

For those who mourn the presence of sin in this world, knowing that God will set things right in the end is a comfort.

And so, not only can we hope in Christ because of Who He is, and because of what He has already done, but now thirdly, we can put our hope in Jesus... 3. Because of what He will yet do.

Christ will proclaim the Day of God's vengeance bringing comfort to those who mourn. And notice how that comfort will be brought about through a series of exchanges.

12

First, they will be given "a garland instead of ashes." Now, ashes were put on one's head as a symbol of torment, anguish and deep sorrow. And the chief idea connected with ashes is that the individual felt completely helpless to do anything to remedy their situation and escape their suffering. Ashes communicated inconsolable despair. But the Messiah will replace those ashes with a garland.

A garland was an ornamental head-dress worn at celebrations. It was often given to those who were triumphant in battle or sporting contests. So, the idea here is one of victory given in place of hopeless defeat.

Next "the oil of gladness" is given "instead of mourning." The mourning described here is, as before, both grief over the presence of sin inside of us as well as the destructive presence of sin all around us. But the Messiah will replace that grief with the oil of gladness.

We mentioned before that oil was used to anoint prophets, priests and kings, but oil was also used as a cosmetic to brighten a person's complexion. And so it conveyed joy and well-being (Ecc 9:8). During times of mourning, people would abstain from applying oil as an outward indication of their grief (2 Sam 14:2). And the end of their period of mourning was marked by the person applying oil to their face once again, just as David did when he finished mourning for the son first born to him by Bathsheba (2 Sam 12:19-23). And so, in this exchange, mourning comes to an end, and joy replaces grief.

And then there is given "the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting." A "fainting spirit" is indicative of a person reaching the end of their rope. They're spiritual strength is failing them under the heaviness of life and they are weary to the brink of total collapse.

I imagine some of us here today know that feeling all too well. But we can be refreshed in knowing that our present struggle is not in vain because when the Messiah returns He will adorn His people with the mantle of praise.

Now, when the Prodigal Son returned home his Father greeted the return of his child by calling for the best robe to be put on him. But that robe was not a symbol of the Prodigal's merits, but of his Father's grace -- grace that culminated in a celebration!

So too, this mantle of praise given by the Messiah to His people is not praise directed at the recipient for their good deeds, but praise that emanates from the recipient back to the Giver. God's people will be adorned in praise for their Savior. In place of a fainting spirit believers will burst forth with worship extolling the glory of Christ!

13

And there's more... there is still one additional gift described at the end of verse 3 -- "So they will be called oaks of righteousness." Notice the words "they will be called." The Messiah's people will be given a new name -- a new identity. They will be called oaks. Now, both Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17 describe the righteous as trees firmly planted and fruitful. And the oak in particular is among the largest and mightiest of the trees that grow in the Middle East. And so it serves well as a symbol of strength and stability. So, the picture here is that these people who were despairing, grieving, and faint-spirited will be called mighty oaks!

And this won't just be a change in name only. They will receive a new nature. "They will be called oaks of righteousness!" But believers do not become "oaks of righteousness" by their own doing. They are "the planting of the Lord." It is His work in them that makes them what they are.

And God's purpose for raising them up is clearly stated: "that He (the Lord) may be glorified." That He would be exalted and magnified as a result of what He has done for a helpless, hopeless and undeserving people.

These are the things Christ will yet do. Jesus will bring justice and set all things right for His people. Sin will finally be done away with along with all the suffering it brings, so that His people will once again reflect the righteousness of God without any tainting of sin. And they will exude praise for Jesus as they enjoy basking in His presence forever. All that will be accomplished by Christ when He returns and establishes His eternal Kingdom.

When we feel weary and frustrated by the continued presence of sin in us, when we are mistreated by others, when hardships and tragedies come our way isn't it good to know there is a better day coming? To know this current struggle will not merely come to an end, but that it will be replaced with victory, joy and praise for our Savior! That is a day to look forward to! That is something worth hoping in, isn't it?

We won't find hope by looking inward or outward -- there is only sin and suffering to be found there. Our only hope is to look upward to Jesus knowing there is a day coming when He will return and our mourning will be turned to gladness!

But listen, that future day is only a comfort for those who put their hope in Christ, who trust His good news, embrace His word, and rest their full confidence in Him alone.

14

I know, there are a million and one things in this world that cry out, "Trust me! Put your hope in me!" But every one of them will ultimately fail you.

Only Jesus who is eternally good, eternally true, and eternally powerful is worthy of our eternal trust. So hope in Jesus because of who He is, because of what He has done, and because of what He will yet do.

15