Isaiah 61 - Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

Isaiah 61:1-2. The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

How condescending and how kind are the objects of our Saviour's mission to put an end to sorrow. He looks out the mourners: they are the especial objects of his care, and all that he does has this for one of its grand objects to comfort all that mourn. Surely if there be any troubled heart here, it may claim an interest in such a divine work as this. Jesus has come to comfort all that mourn. Shall he not comfort you?

Isaiah 61:3. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,

To make an appointment an ordinance a decree concerning them; and it will be to this effect.

Isaiah 61:3. To give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

So it seems that God finds glory in the helping of his sad sick, sorrowful creatures. He gets glory out of making them: he gets higher glory out of new making them. Creation yields the moonlight glory; the new creation is a glory as of the sun shining in its strength. O ye mourners, may God grant you grace now to give glory to God by cheerfully accepting those wondrous blessings of grace which Christ has come to bestow.

Isaiah 61:4. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

When mourning souls find comfort, and captive souls get liberty, they are full of life and full of energy, and they begin to restore what had become wasted and desolate. I warrant you that there is nothing for a church by way of medicine at all equal to pouring new blood into her by new-saved souls. They come among us with their new songs, like the sweet birds in summer, and seem to wake the morning with their gladsome music. They come among us like the dewdrops from the womb of the morning, sparkling in beauty, bearing the dew of their youth. May God send to many old churches that have got to be like old wastes, and some communities that have come to be like desolations may he send to them these builders these earnest, loving hearts to build them up.

Isaiah 61:5-6. And stranger's shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the priests of the LORD.

God's true Israel, his chosen, his elect they may look upon all other men as their ploughmen and their vine dressers. Kings and queens rule the world for you. For you the merchant, with his keel, divides the sea; for you the ploughman ploughs the soil. As for you, though you have a hand in these things, they are not your main employment. Your occupation is a higher one than theirs the service of your God. Ye shall be named the priests of the Lord.

Isaiah 61:6. Men shall call you ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

For all things are of God, and all things are yours through Jesus Christ. In that same day in which the Lord comforts mourners and binds up their broken hearts, he gives them to enter into a sacred priesthood, in which they walk among the sons men as God's peculiar people honoured above all the rest of mankind. Oh! the distinctions which distinguishing grace makes! How it lifts the poor from the dunghill and setteth him among princes, even the princes of his people! Christ has done great things, indeed, for us, for though we were as beggars, behold he hath made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign for ever and ever.

Isaiah 61:7. For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion:

You may be persecuted: your name may be cast out as evil, but when the Lord in mercy blesses and visits you, you shall have a wonderful recompense more than you could have expected. «For your shame ye shall have double.»

Isaiah 61:7-8. Therefore in their land they shall possess the double, everlasting joy shall be unto them. For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

There are churches in the world that are not churches of God, and they supply their needs by forged demands from the people; but God hateth robbery for a burnt-offering. He accepts the willing gifts of his people, and with those who present them he makes an everlasting covenant.

Isaiah 61:9. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed.

Oh! to have such distinguishing marks of character about us that all who see us may see that the blessing of God is upon us. And this will be quite consistent with poverty, with sickness, for in the poverty there will be content, and in the sickness and depression of spirit there will yet be such divine upholdings that men shall be astonished that their fellowmen shall be capable of such joy under such circumstances. They «shall acknowledge them that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.»

Isaiah 61:10. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,

Brothers and sisters. I wish we could all catch hold of the spirit of this verse that each one of us would now say, «I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.»

Isaiah 61:10. My soul shall be joyful in my God;

What a precious sentence «My soul shall be joyful in my God.»

Isaiah 61:10. For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

On those festive occasions the Orientals are wont to use all the wealth they have in decoration. The bridegroom decketh himself with a crown puts on a tiara. He is a king for once. And the bride herself brings out all the many jewels with which Eastern women deck themselves. Now all this, in a high spiritual sense, we find in Christ. He is not merely covering to us, but ornament and beauty, adornment, exaltation, glory, honour. How beautiful a child of God looks in Christ I cannot tell you, but I believe that next to his dear Son, the most engaging sight to the divine Father is any one of his dear Children whom he sees in Christ. You know we all think our children lovely, and God knows his children to be so when he hath covered them with the robe of righteousness, and clothed them with the garments of salvation.

Isaiah 61:11. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

This exposition consisted of readings from 2 Samuel 15:13-23; Isaiah 61:1.; Mark 14:22-41.

Isaiah 61:1. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;

These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ the prophet, looking forward to the tune of his coming into the world, put them into his mouth; and in due time our Saviour read them, and applied them to himself in the synagogue at Nazareth as he said, «This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears:» «the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;»

Isaiah 61:1. Because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,»

God has sent Christ to bind up the broken-hearted; then, will he not do it? Will he refuse, my broken-hearted brother or sister, to bind you up? O deeply-troubled, tempest-tossed spirit, will the Anointed One reject you, and refuse to fulfill his office upon you? never; it is both his name and his office to save, for he is called Jesus, the Saviour. O broken-hearted one, look to him; hear him say, at this moment, «Jehovah hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted,»

Isaiah 61:1. to proclaim liberty to the captives-

Where are you, poor, wretched bond-slaves oВЈ sin, lettered with the iron chains of despair? Christ proclaims liberty even to you. Trust him, and you shall be

«Freed from sin, and walk at large,

Your Saviour's blood your full discharge.»

«Jehovah hath sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives,»

Isaiah 61:1. And the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

There is a general discharge of prisoners; the time has come for it. Christ died to make it possible: he lives to perfect the emancipation of all for whom he died. He comes, by his Spirit, to give you the experience of it: «the opening of the prison to them that are bound.»

Isaiah 61:2. to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

Oh, what precious words are these! Christ comes, commissioned of the father, «to comfort all that mourn.»

Isaiah 61:3. to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

This message is spoken to all the Lord's people; but it has a special reference to the Jews, God's ancient people. Happy times are coming for them in the years that yet lie in the future, when they accept the Messiah whom they have so long rejected.

Isaiah 61:4. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

In the days to come, Judea shall again be inhabited, and the ruined cities shall be built up once more. God will bring back his ancient people, converting them to the true faith, and clothing them with glory. As for ourselves, this verse is true in another sense. If we believe in Jesus, that part of us which has been given up to waste shall yet be turned to usefulness, and to God's praise.

Isaiah 61:5-6. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord:-

This was true of God's ancient people, but it is true of us also. Let us cast away our earthly cares, let our only care be to serve our God; for then, strangers shall stand and feed our flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be our ploughmen and our vinedressers; but we «shall be named the Priests of the Lord.»

Isaiah 61:6. Men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

God's chosen people are his children; all the rest of mankind are only his servants, and the servants must wait upon the children whether they like it or not. Even of the angels in heaven it is written, «Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?» All things are the servants of the man who is the servant of God. He who is consecrated to God shall find all things consecrated to him. When all that is yours works for God, then all things shall work together for good for you.

Isaiah 61:7-8. for your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double : everlasting joy shall be unto them. for I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering;

God cannot endure that we should sacrifice to him what we have gained by oppression and wrong-doing. Some men seem to try to cut themselves in halves, and then to say, «So much is to be secular, and so much is to be sacred.» Do not you believe it; you are only one man, and what you are in secular things, that you are altogether. You cannot say, «So much is to be religion, and so much is to be business.» If your religion is not your business, and if your business does not melt into your religion, there is not much that is good in you. We cannot say, «I shall do this because it is religion, and I shall do that because it is business.» no, no; the man is one, and there is nothing to a Christian that can be marked off as secular; for all things are sacred to the man who truly serves God.

Isaiah 61:8-9. And I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.

A visible stamp of divine blessing shall be upon believers in Christ: «they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed,» and all men shall acknowledge that it is so.

Isaiah 61:10-11. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God;.for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown, in it to spring forth y so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

So may it be right speedily, for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake! Amen.

Isaiah 61:1. The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

You know who it is that speaks these words, our Lord Jesus himself.

Isaiah 61:1-2. Because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

The Divine Messiah comes to usher in the true jubilee, the blessed day in which the poor shall have the gospel preached unto them, and in which the broken-hearted shall find their brokenness healed. He comes to bring the captive ones back from the Babylon of sin, and to deliver from prison those who, because of their transgressions, are bound with fetters; in a word, he comes to proclaim that now is the accepted time, now is the day of grace, now is the year of jubilee. As for the adversaries of his people, unto them it shall be «the day of vengeance of our God,» for the Lord will deal out to them, measure for measure, as they have dealt unto his oppressed and persecuted people.

Isaiah 61:3. To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty

Or, «a coronet»

Isaiah 61:3. For ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

When Jesus comes, he brings all things with him, for he is all things to his people, and they find their all in him. There is no sorrow at his coming to those who receive him; it is gladness, gladness repeated, and gladness multiplied. Not only doth joy come in one form, but in many, as the verses of this chapter so sweetly remind us, and that which comes is permanent, making those that receive it to be like long-standing trees, for they shall outlive their sorrows, and prove that they were planted of God for his own glory.

Isaiah 61:4. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

Truly, God's living Church today shall do all this. The Jewish Church became a waste, and God's glory seemed to be trodden under the foot of his foes; but the true children of the promise, they who are counted for the seed, even as many as believe, who are thus the seed of believing Abraham, shall build up all these wastes, and happy shall they be in such joyous service.

Isaiah 61:5-6. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.

Because of the sin of his people, the aliens and the foreigners trample upon them; but if you and I are truly of the holy seed, having living faith in Christ, we shall look upon the whole race of men as enduring all their care and toil on our behalf. They shall be our ploughmen and our vinedressers; but we shall be the ministers of God, the priests of the Lord, making use of every new invention, traveling by steam, speaking by telephone, using everything for God's glory, letting men invent all they can, and we ourselves turning all things to account for the honour and glory of our God.

I know that there is another fulfillment of this test for God's ancient people, but this also is a fulfillment of it to us who are his spiritual people, his real children, born according to the promise.

Isaiah 61:7. For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion:

That is a sweet state of heart for any of us to be in, to rejoice in our portion. Oh, what a wonderful portion we have to rejoice in! How blessed is the lot of God's chosen people! However small a part of our portion may be visible to the eye here below, yet we can sing,

«All things are ours; the gift of God,

The purchase of a Saviour's blood;

While the good Spirit shows us how

To use and to improve them too.»

Instead of confusion such as once was the lot of the righteous, «they shall rejoice in their portion;»

Isaiah 61:7. Therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

Here is another choice expression: «everlasting joy.» Theirs is not a transient joy, like the mirth of fools, which is as the crackling of thorns under a pot, but «everlasting joy shall be unto them.»

Isaiah 61:8. For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

That is why they have everlasting joy. There would be no everlasting joy if it were not for the everlasting covenant. Those gentlemen who want to cut that word «everlasting» out of our Bibles will find that it will be a very long while before we shall agree to be despoiled of it; nay, we shall never consent to give it up. We shall always rejoice that we have God's everlasting love, and an everlasting covenant, and therefore that we shall have everlasting joy.

Isaiah 61:9. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles,

They shall be discerned and distinguished. Just as surely as you may know a Jew anywhere in the world today, so shall men know the people of God. Though they wear no peculiar garb, yet their speech shall betray them. There shall be a something about them which shall bear testimony to the fact that «they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed.» «Their seed shall be known among the Gentiles,»

Isaiah 61:9-10. And their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. I will greatly rejoice

Not a little, for he is a great God, so «I will greatly rejoice» in him. «The Lord hath done great things for us,» let us therefore greatly rejoice in him. «I will greatly rejoice»

Isaiah 61:10. In the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God;

Not only shall my lips be full of joy, but my inmost nature, the very essence of my being, «my soul shall be joyful in my God.» «In my God.» That is a stage higher than saying, «I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.» We do greatly rejoice in the Lord, but our very soul is joyful when we can each one call him, «my God.» That is a possession that the richest among you may well envy if you have it not.

Isaiah 61:10. For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

The loveliest sight in the world is one of God's people. We sometimes sing, and sadly sing, concerning this earth,

«Where every prospect pleases,

And only man is vile.»

But there is another side to that picture, for when the «man» is a true child of God, we can say,

«Though every prospect pleases,

Yet man outshines them all.»

Well did the psalmist sing, «Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.» Angels do homage to the renewed man; for the promise is, «They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.» You who are children of God need not wish to change places even with an archangel, for you are brother to him who sits upon the throne of God; you wear a nature that is akin to that of the Only-begotten, indeed, it is the self-same nature as his. Glory, then, in this great truth, that you are covered with the robe of righteousness, decked with ornaments, like a bridegroom, and adorned with jewels, like a bride.

Isaiah 61:11. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

They are sown in the earth at present; but, as the seeds come up in the springtime beneath the genial showers and the shining of the sun, so righteousness and praise shall in due time come up in a golden harvest on every hill and valley of this poor sinful world. Hasten it, O Lord, hasten it in thine own good time! Amen.