Lesson 4, July 20: Jubilee Promises

WednesdayJuly 20

Jubilee Promises

The Old Testament is filled with the idea that those who have been blessed materially and spiritually will reach out to those who have not.
Read Isaiah 61:1-11. What is God saying to His people here, and how can we apply what’s said here to ourselves and to our calling before the Lord? See also Luke 4:18.

Isaiah 61:1-11 begins with a declaration that the Spirit of the Lord works through the Anointed One to preach good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness and despair for the prisoners (Isa. 61:1). All of the elements of this promise have their fulfillment in the “year of the LORD’s favor.” The “year of the LORD’s favor” is a reference to the year of jubilee, which we already saw was filled with implications for the necessity of ministering to the needs of the poor.
Thus, the mourners who are comforted, the grieving ones in Zion who are provided for, those who receive “beauty instead of ashes” and “the oil of joy instead of mourning,” and those who wear “a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair” (Isa. 61:3, NIV) are the very ones who will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated. Those blessed by the Messianic jubilee become transformers of society, renewing the ruined cities (Isa. 61:4). God’s servants are called priests and ministers and are supported by the wealth of the surrounding nations (Isa. 61:5-6).
The images that we find in Isaiah 61 of God’s Anointed One transforming the surrounding peoples through the prosperity of those who are in covenant with Him (Isa. 61: 8-9) apply to those who, in the present day, have been called to be ministers and missionaries in communities around the world. Shouldn’t the same transforming influence of this prophecy be felt when we delight greatly in the Lord, rejoice in our God, and stand clothed in garments of salvation and righteousness in the midst of our community(Isa. 61:10-11)?
Read Isaiah 61:9. What a powerful testimony to what God could do in His people. Could the same thing be said about us today? Why, or why not?


Contáctenos: Mail: iglesialaagustina@gmail.com Facebook: iglesialaagustina Ubicados en República Dominicana, Santo Domingo, Avenida Pedro Livio Cedeño #7, La Agustina.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hablame mi Dios

Lección 6: "Confesión y arrepentimiento: condiciones para el reavivamiento"