Tag: Isaiah 61:1-2
Anointed to preach Good News!
Scripture reading for October 21: Luke 3-6
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” “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, and He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:18-21
Not much is recorded about the life of Jesus from twelve years old until He was baptized by John at the age of thirty. We know that He worked with Joseph for part of that time in their carpenter shop. He took part in normal family life and community life in the town of Nazareth. Can you imagine eating off of a table that Jesus had made? Or using an ox yoke that He had crafted? The Son of God learned about our struggles doing menial labor for ordinary people! This was part of His preparation for the ministry of preaching the Good News to the lost of the world!
At the proper time, Jesus went down to the Jordan River to where John the Baptist was baptizing those who would repent. John had spoken of One Who would come after him Whose sandals he was not worthy to untie. When John saw Jesus, he immediately knew that He was this One! (John 1:29) Jesus was baptized and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove. A Voice from heaven declared: “You are My Son, Whom I love; with You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21-22) God loved His Son and anointed Him with the Gift of His Spirit to empower His preaching.
Jesus was then led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. For forty days, Jesus fasted all food. Satan came to tempt Him and each time, Jesus quoted Scripture to defeat him. He was successful against the temptations of Satan through living in the power of the Holy Spirit.
When he arrived back in Nazareth at His home synagogue, He was invited to read from the scroll of Isaiah 61:1-2. He read the words quoted to begin this devotion. The Spirit had anointed Him to preach the Good News and proclaim freedom to all who would hear. He was to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. This Scripture was fulfilled in the hearing of those present that day in Nazareth! (Luke 4:21)
The anointing of the Holy Spirit indwelling Jesus Christ is for us today! The Holy Spirit will do even greater things in our lives because Jesus has gone to the Father! (John 14:12-13) Ask boldly in faith!
Time of God’s favor!
Scripture reading for July 30: Isaiah 49-51
“This is what the Lord says: “In the time of My favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “(Isaiah 49:8-9)
Isaiah described the “servant” of the Lord that will come to bring the promised comfort, salvation, and deliverance to God’s people. Isaiah had already said that “Immanuel” would be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14) In Isaiah 9:5-6 He would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, and Prince of Peace! His government would be without end! In Isaiah 49:5-6 God told us how He would form this servant in the womb. This servant will bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel. Then God says that He would make this Servant a light for the Gentiles and bring His salvation to the ends of the earth! The story is plain now in light of the life of Jesus Christ and all the prophecies that He fulfilled!
God has a “time of favor” when His salvation is available to all who will avail themselves of it! This time began when Jesus Christ announced His mission with a quote from Isaiah in Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Isaiah 61:1-2) Notice how similar this quote is to our text for today’s devotion! Jesus Christ announced His ministry of preaching, healing and deliverance to those in His home town of Nazareth. They did not receive the message with the joy that was expected, however. Those in the synagogue became furious and tried to throw Jesus off the brow of a steep cliff!
The “time of favor” referred to the year of Jubilee during which each Israelite would have his inheritance restored! If they had lost property through neglect, illness, or bad business dealings, the property was to be restored and each inheritance was to be put back together. It would be a joyous time of healing and restoration on the 50th years! (Leviticus 25:8-13) Jesus Christ was stating that He was their ‘Jubilee’!
Today we live in the “time of His favor” with promise of healing and restoration! Be sure to thank the Lord for what He has done in Jesus Christ! Share this Good News with someone who needs favor today!
Jesus our Jubilee!
Scripture reading for February 9th: Leviticus 24-27
In our culture, Golden anniversaries are special. When a couple has been together 50 years there is always a celebration! God also uses the 50th year calling it the year of Jubilee! On the 50th year, debts were to be forgiven and property that was taken or bought from the original owner was restored and given back. On this year, no one was to work the land. The land would be left to rest and whatever grew without any human effort was to be used for food for the people. It pictured the reign of Messiah, when He would come and restore the fortunes and possessions of his people and vanquish their enemies.
The Jubilee was the culmination of seven periods of seven years. After six years, the Israelites were to rest their land for a year. God promised to provide enough for them in the sixth year to carry them through until the harvest of the eighth year. After seven cycles, following the 49th year, on the Day of Atonement, the priests were to sound the trumpet and announce the beginning of the Year of Jubilee! (Leviticus 25:8-10) God again would provide a second year for His people without their effort.
But the Israelites never took the Sabbath years every seventh year and they never did have a Year of Jubilee. They knew about it but failed to do what God asked. When we fail to obey, God always has his way. The Israelites went for seventy years of captivity in Babylon so that the land where they had lived and neglected God’s command could have it’s rest! (2nd Chronicles 36:20-21)
In the New Testament (Luke 4:18-20), Jesus announced His calling and ministry by reading from Isaiah 61:1-2. The proclamation of the “year of the Lord’s favor” was a reference to “Jubilee”! Jesus is our Jubilee! In Him, we have restoration and a return of our stolen property. God wants us to find our food, fulfillment, and blessing from His grace, not our works! Jubilee is a picture of Jesus’ provision for every person who trusts in Him by faith!
Why do you think the Israelites never kept those Sabbath years? As you think about Jesus Christ and the ‘jubilee’ or ‘year of His favor’, what are you looking forward to the most?
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. 1st Thessalonians 4:16-18
Living with fruit of the Spirit!
Scripture reading for August 22nd: Galatians 5
Key scriptures for over-comers: Galatians 5:22-25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”
The New Testament Spirit-filled believer should be marked by fruit of the Holy Spirit. This grows from living and walking in fellowship with Jesus through the Spirit and study of the word of God. Through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice and taking His word as truth, we crucify the flesh and its passions. This is a process called sanctification that is progressive throughout our life on earth. But there are temptations and spiritual warfare in the form of thoughts and imaginations that must be dealt with each day by keeping in step with the Holy Spirit. Conceit, envy, and provoking are common enemies!
Observations for over-comers: Praying in the Holy Spirit and daily study of God’s word will help us over-come the attacks of the sinful nature and Satan. “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach 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, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. . .” (Isaiah 61:1-2)
Divinely powerful weapons!
Scripture reading for August 10th: 2nd Corinthians 10
Key scriptures for over-comers: 2nd Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Christians are living in a hostile world and are under daily attack from their enemy Satan and the temptations of the world and their yet to be crucified flesh. These attacks often take the form of lies that entice us to go against what we know as true about God and His standard of holiness. The mind becomes a battlefield when we entertain these arguments and pretensions. But God has given His people powerful weapons to fight these wicked spiritual forces. We have the truth of God’s holy Word that sets us free from the lies. We have the Holy Spirit of Truth that reminds us of the words of Jesus and helps us to pray in the Spirit. We have the Name of Jesus Christ that causes the forces of hell to retreat in terror! Praise the Lord!
Observations for over-comers: Over-comers know and use their God-given weapons to win battles in their minds against accusing and tempting spirits of darkness! “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach 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, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. . .” (Isaiah 61:1-2)