Isaiah 61

Anointed for Beauty

Posted on by Betsy

On April 15, 2019, Parisians awoke to the horrible news that their beloved Notre Dame Cathedral was burning. A fire had broken out under the eaves and the roof and spire were engulfed in flames. It took another day for firefighters to contain the conflagration, but thankfully they were able to move and rescue the precious relics contained inside. It took a full five years to restore the cathedral, and one can imagine the joy of the re-opening on December 7, 2021. As I read of the news of the completed restoration, I was reminded of how much God loves to rebuild things and bring beauty from ashes.

Isaiah 61 is a prophetic writing of the work of the coming Messiah, outlining the role and the duties of Christ when he would come in due time. You will remember that Jesus once went into a synagogue and opened a scroll to Isaiah and read verses 1 and 2. He then proclaimed “today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” and sat down. (see Luke 4: 16-22.)

Isaiah 61 (Common English Bible)

 The Lord God’s spirit is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus, who was the embodiment of the Holy Trinity, still needed the anointing of God’s spirit to do his work on earth? How much more, then, do we need the Holy Spirit to do ours? The word anoint simply means to be filled up with God’s spirit. We are anointed to go out as God’s workers to do God’s will. According to 1 John 2:20, all believers are anointed to offer the Truth to the world. What are you filled up with today? Is your heart set on bringing good news, or are you taken up with anger, petty grievances, disenchantment, or frustration? Listen to what filled Jesus up:
He has sent me
    to bring good news to the poor,
    to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim release for captives,
        and liberation for prisoners,
2     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

This is where Jesus stopped reading. It is an important statement: He accepted the anointing of his mission to bring good news to the poor, relieve the oppression of the brokenhearted and those imprisoned by sin, and set us free … but his mission to herald in the day of God’s vindication won’t happen until his Second Coming. The space between these two sentences is at least 2,000 years long and counting … so far.

and a day of vindication for our God,
    to comfort all who mourn,
3     to provide for Zion’s mourners,
    to give them a crown in place of ashes,
    oil of joy in place of mourning,
    a mantle of praise in place of discouragement.
They will be called Oaks of Righteousness,
    planted by the Lord to glorify himself.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
    they will restore formerly deserted places;
    they will renew ruined cities,
    places deserted in generations past.

We can take hope in the fact that God has always been in the rebuilding business. Remember Nehemiah? God longs right now to rebuild us into people who wear garments of praise, who are adorned with the oil of gladness, and who sport a crown of beauty where ashes used to sit. Like Notre Dame, we will arise from those ashes as a testament to God’s love and grace. So take heart! Vindication is coming. In the meantime, we have work to do.

A Mantle of Praise by Becca Ziegler

Arise

Posted on by Betsy

Happy New Year! My New Year’s Day started off with a bang. As my family of five, including 18-month old twins, was preparing to drive home, I was tasked with keeping an eye on the kids as mom and dad worked on packing the car. I watched them play as I unloaded the dishwasher and got the entire top rack of mugs and cups put up in the cupboard before I realized that nobody had run the dishwasher last night. A few minutes later, one of the twins excitedly ran over to me to offer me a much-needed hug, causing me to spill a large cup of coffee across my dining room table, onto the white padded chair, and onto the floor. As I am writing this introduction onto this post (which I wrote yesterday), I got a notice that read, “Updating failed. Sorry, you are not allowed to edit this post.” Say what??

How is your New Year going?

Let’s get to it. I hope you have made a resolution to read Scripture every day this year. I am here for that, dirty cups and spilled coffee and all.

Once upon a time, a man told me I was worth 500 camels. True story. Apparently, the trinket vendors in Israel judge a women’s worth in camels. He assessed me as he was attempting to sell me some olive wood carvings and proclaimed I was worth 500 of them. I never found out if 500 camels is a high or low value, but it was amusing, nevertheless.

Camels are very important in the holy land. Their ability to travel long distances over arid deserts with little water makes them uniquely qualified to be the beasts of burden to an appreciative nation. Camels, however, have a very poor attitude toward their keepers. Despite their lovely eyelashes and cute stuffed animal faces, they groan and buck and spit. Yes, camels spit. I once rode a camel at the Mt. of Olives and it tried to run away with me, and then tried to buck me off.

In our beautiful passage from Isaiah today, we see the promise of many camels that will be spread across the land. They will come from nearby nations and bring gold and incense. Their arrival heralds the restoration of Israel after a long absence from the Lord. God calls the nation to arise and shine as a testament to his redemptive power:

Isaiah 61 (Common English Bible)

Arise! Shine! Your light has come;
    the Lord’s glory has shone upon you.
2 Though darkness covers the earth
    and gloom the nations,
    the Lord will shine upon you;
    God’s glory will appear over you.
3 Nations will come to your light
    and kings to your dawning radiance.

Israel was not just restored for its own sake, but to be a light to the nations that would draw people to God. He called them to be witnesses to his power:

4 Lift up your eyes and look all around:
    they are all gathered; they have come to you.
Your sons will come from far away,
    and your daughters on caregivers’ hips.
5 Then you will see and be radiant;
    your heart will tremble and open wide,
    because the sea’s abundance will be turned over to you;
    the nations’ wealth will come to you.

Everyone hearing Isaiah’s prophecy would recognize the significance of the camel reference here:

6 Countless camels will cover your land,
    young camels from Midian and Ephah.
They will all come from Sheba,
    carrying gold and incense,
    proclaiming the Lord’s praises.
7 All Kedar’s sheep will be gathered for you;
    rams from Nebaioth will be your offerings;
    they will be accepted on my altar,
    and I will glorify my splendid house.

Isaiah proclaims God to be the hope of the coastlands. This gives us pause to consider our own state of affairs. Where are you walking in darkness today? Do you need to be rescued? Are you waiting for redemption? Will 2024 be your year of soul restoration? As you wait, consider this: God redeemed his chosen nation. You, too, are chosen.

8 Who are these who fly like a cloud,
    like doves to their shelters?
9 I’m the hope of the coastlands.
    Ships from Tarshish are in the lead
    to bring your children from afar,
    their silver and gold with them
    for the name of the Lord your God
    and for the holy one of Israel, who has glorified you.
10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
    and their kings will serve you.
Though in my rage I struck you down,
    in my favor I have consoled you.

You, my friend, are worth all the camels on earth. So if you are struggling today, remember that God loves you and sent his son to give his very life for you. In his favor he will console you and rebuild you.

So arise, and shine.

Arise, and Shine by Michelle Robertson

Beauty for Ashes

Posted on by Betsy

Losing someone at Christmas time is a gut-wrenching experience. Every holiday season going forward will forever be marked with the sadness of that untimely event. Yesterday, I officiated a funeral for a vibrant young woman in our community who brought light and laughter to everyone she met. As I counseled her mother earlier in the week, I kept hearing the phrase “beauty for ashes” in my mind. This young woman was an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Cosmetology at our local college, and everyone talked about her drive and desire to bring beauty into the world with her teaching, her skills, her delightful sense of humor, and her smile.

I opened today’s lectionary passage and there it was, the “beauty for ashes” Scripture. God is amazing that way.

Isaiah 61 (New International Version)

61 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,

These were the very words that Jesus read from the scroll in the Temple as recorded in Luke 4:16-22. He was announcing himself as the long awaited Messiah. The use of the word “anointed” is key, as the word “Messiah” means “anointed one.” He then goes on to describe the ministry of the Messiah:

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

In verse 3 we see that the Messiah comes to bestow a crown of beauty instead of ashes to the people. Ashes were used as a sign of mourning and were spread all over the head and forehead. They represented desolation, ruin, and deep grief. Imagine spreading ashes all over your head … surely grief is messy, no matter how you approach it.

But Jesus came to offer a crown of beauty for your head to replace your ashes. He came to give you the oil of joy to replace your mourning. He game to replace your sackcloth of despair with a garment of praise. It bodes the question, why would we sit in ashes when Christ gave us so much better? Through his life, death, and resurrection, we are never permanently separated from those whom we love. And when overwhelming grief finally releases its grip on our hearts, we can live into that beauty, with God’s help. It will never be the same, but it won’t always feel this bad.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.

God is able to rebuild and restore the devastation of a loss by the renewal of your spirit, when you are ready to let him. In the meantime, for those who mourn, remember that you are never alone. Jesus walks your lonesome valley with you. Thanks be to God.

Lonesome Valley by Becca Ziegler

Restoring the Desert Places

Posted on by Betsy

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming,
As men of old have sung.
It came, a flow’ret bright,
Amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind;

These beautiful words from the traditional German carol “Lo, How a Rose ‘Ere Blooming” set the stage for the Old Testament prophecies that take us straight to the manger. Jesse’s lineage was indeed sung of men of old, recounting the family line from Ruth and Boaz to Jesse, then to King David, and finally to Jesus. And so this “rose” is firmly established as Israelite royalty….of a kind.

It was Isaiah who foretold it. We pause the beautiful hymn at just this spot to consider this: what exactly did Isaiah foretell about the Messiah? Would he be a conquering hero who would deliver his nation from the grip of Roman tyranny? Would he establish his rightful throne and rule with power and might? What did God anoint the Messiah to do when he came to reign?

Isaiah 61 (Common English Bible)

The Lord God’s spirit is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me
    to bring good news to the poor,
    to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim release for captives,
        and liberation for prisoners,

It must have been startling to the original hearers of this passage to see their anticipated anointed-one described in such a way. He will come to speak to the poor? Tend to the broken-hearted? Liberate the captives?

Where are the royal power and might here?

2     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
        and a day of vindication for our God,
    to comfort all who mourn,
3     to provide for Zion’s mourners,
    to give them a crown in place of ashes,
    oil of joy in place of mourning,
    a mantle of praise in place of discouragement.

Isaiah continues to paint a very different picture of what the Savior will be like. This description was not in keeping with Israel’s expectations. And yet, Jesus looked just like this. Jesus came to comfort those who mourn. He came to uplift the discouraged and vindicate God. Those who wore the sackcloth and ashes would be rebuilt…from the inside out.

They will be called Oaks of Righteousness,
    planted by the Lord to glorify himself.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
    they will restore formerly deserted places;
    they will renew ruined cities,
    places deserted in generations past.

The promise that the formerly deserted places would be restored really alludes to spiritual landscapes rather than physical ones, wouldn’t you agree? Jesus came to renew people with justice, peace, unity, and goodwill. The deserts he came to fill were the empty hearts, the cold attitudes, the lack of humanity, and the absence of compassion that were prevalent in his time…and in ours.

Oh, how we need him now!

In Luke 4, we see that this passage from Isaiah is the very one that Jesus quoted in his first sermon. That day, he stood up in the temple and read it aloud. He closed the scroll and said, “Today, these words are fulfilled in your hearing.“

May these words be fulfilled in our hearing as well.

This Flow’r, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness everywhere.
True man, yet very God,
From sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.

Lo, How a Rose by Jan Wilson