For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Isaiah 61:1-3    

1 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 broken-hearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour
    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 splendour.

A. Find Out:

1. For what purpose was the Spirit on him? v.1a,b
2. What three groups was he being sent to? v.1c,d
3. What was he to proclaim? v.2a,b
4. Who was he to comfort? v.2c
5. What 3 things was he to give to replace what? v.3a,b
6. What will they then be called and for why? v.3c

B. Think:

1. What was the state of many people? (list the negatives)
2. What was Isaiah’s role to be?
3. How was that to happen?

C. Comment:

These are, for many, familiar verses. Let’s look at them in a way that is different from usual, what they meant to Isaiah’s day. The first thing that must strike us is the state of the people to whom he is being sent. Note the words used: poor, broken hearted, captives, prisoners, mourn, grieve, ashes, mourning, and a spirit of despair. Now whether this is the state of Israel , or simply a graphic account of fallen mankind generally, isn’t made clear. What is clear, however, is the Lord’s desire to change all that. How is He going to do that?

Very simply He’s going to put His spirit upon Isaiah, He’s going to anoint him. In the Old Testament, kings or priests were anointed with oil, and when they were anointed it was always for a task. The oil was a symbol of the Spirit of God who would come on them to enable them to perform their God-given tasks. So Isaiah is to be directly anointed by the Holy Spirit to do this task. What will he do?

He will speak out the will of God in such a way that God will come and do these things. He will speak good news, freedom, release and comfort. He will announce that this is God’s day for this to take place, a day of joy, gladness and praise, a day when people will be released into newness of life, to become an object to cause praise and honour for the Lord.

D. Application:

1. The Lord comes to bring release.
2. Are we ones who bring the good news?

Passage: Isaiah 61:4-6

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.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

A. Find Out:    

1. What will these freed people do? v.4a,b
2. How long have those places been like that? v.4c
3. Who will look after your flocks, fields & vineyards? v.5
4. And what will you be called? v.6a,b
5. Where will your resources come from? v.6c

B. Think:

1. What is the first change mentioned?
2. What is the second change?
3. What is the third change?

C. Comment:

The deliverance that is spoken of in verses 1 to 3, will result in a threefold change in their live as a society.

First, there will be a restoration of their communities (towns and cities). Whereas these will have been devastated for generations, they will now be fully restored. Secure community life is a characteristic of this new order.

Second, others will serve them. Whereas they had been dominated by other nations when they had been out of relationship with the Lord, now that will be reversed and others will come and work for them.

Third, they themselves will have a new relationship with the Lord whereby they will all be called priests or servants of the Lord. Originally the priests came from the tribe of Levi, and the other tribes provided for them. Now everyone who is the Lord’s will be a priest and all other nations and peoples of the world will provide for them. The people of God will be elevated above all others, and the others will provide for them!

We must remember that this transformation will come about, not as a result of the work of men, but as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit. This is all the Lord’s doing!

D. Application:

1. The redeemed people of God are a restored community.
2. The redeemed people serve God and will be served by others.

Passage: Isaiah 61:7-9   

7 Instead of your shame
    you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours.

8 ‘For I, the Lord, love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.’

A. Find Out:

1. What will replace what? v.7a,b
2. What will be the outcome? v.7c
3. What does the Lord love and what does He hate? v.8a
4. So what will He do with them? v.8b
5. Where will His people be seen? v.9a
6. What will the world know? v.9b

B. Think:

1. What transformation is show here?
2. Why is God going to do this?
3. And what will be the outcome as far as the world is concerned?

C. Comment:

The Lord continues to reiterate what He will do for His people. In the past there has been shame and disgrace. Israel has failed to be the covenant-keeping people of God and as a result they were overrun by other nations. Now, once the Lord has cleared away the unfaithful ones, the remnant will be raised up and will receive a double blessing from the Lord for their faithfulness, they will receive an inheritance, that which the Lord has had on His heart for them all this time. Joy will result.

Why is the Lord going to do this? Because it is in His nature. He hates wrong so He is going to deal with it and remove it. In its place He will bring blessing to His faithful ones, He will reward them for their faithfulness and He will re-establish His covenant with them which will last for ever.

Indeed, it will go from generation to generation, so that their descendants will be known throughout history as the people of God, a people He has blessed. Has this happened with Israel ? Well they do continue to exist, that is certainly true. But it seems it is more likely to apply to all those who respond to God across the world, the church that continues on from generation to generation. For a large portion of history Jews were spoken against and cursed as they were scattered across the globe. His faithful ones are the church across the globe.

D. Application:

1. Catch the sense of joy that is to be ours in our salvation here.
2. Understand the long-term plans of God throughout history.

Passage: Isaiah 61:10,11      

10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the young plant come up
    and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
    and praise spring up before all nations.

A. Find Out:

1. What was Isaiah’s heart response? v.10a
2. What did he say the Lord has done? v.10b
3. To what 2 people did he compare himself? v.10c
4. What will the Lord make to happen? v.11b
5. To what will that be compared? v.11a

B. Think:

1. What is Isaiah’s response to all the Lord has said?
2. What does he feel the Lord has done for him?
3. What does he see the Lord will do for the world?

C. Comment:

The Lord has spoken of what He will do and now we see Isaiah’s response to this. It appears that it doesn’t matter whether what the Lord has been saying was to be fulfilled immediately or in the long term, it nevertheless creates within Isaiah a sense of rejoicing. He feels that the Lord, speaking so clearly, has declared salvation over him, has declared righteousness over him, it feels like he has been dressed up with good things and they make him feel good.

He feels like a bridegroom who has had wedding garments given to him, or a bride who had had wedding jewels given to her. A wedding is a coming together and Isaiah has that sort of feeling as a response to all that the Lord has said, a closeness or intimacy of coming together. The Lord has spoken blessing over him and that is all that counts. He is blessed!

But there is more. In his awareness of all that the Lord has said, there is also an awareness that the Lord is bringing righteousness to the world and with that will come further praise. It’s like the seeds in the ground – the conditions are such as to bring change. Thus, similarly, the Lord is moving in such a way that righteousness will come, it’s part of His working & righteousness across the earth will be the end product of all that He has said and all that He is doing. It may not be obvious at first (like the growth in the ground) but the Lord is quietly working at this and it will come and will be seen and will bring forth praise on the earth.

D. Application:

1. God’s word spoken personally to us brings a sense of intimacy.
2. God’s purpose worked out is to bring righteousness to the earth.