Isaiah Chapter 61
I received Isaiah 61 and will keep the same format, full KJV Scripture first, then expanded notes, with the Messiah’s first and second coming distinction clearly preserved.
Thought for 4s
Based on the Isaiah 61 material you provided, this continues the same Bible notes format.
Isaiah 61, Out of the Mouth of the Messiah
A. What the Messiah Will Do
1. Isaiah 61:1a, The Empowerment of the Messiah’s Ministry
Isaiah 61:1, “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,”
Isaiah 61 opens with the voice of the Messiah Himself. The prophet speaks prophetically, but the words belong ultimately to Christ. The speaker says, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me.” This is a declaration of divine empowerment. The Messiah does not come merely as a teacher with human wisdom, a reformer with moral concern, or a king with earthly ambition. He comes as the Spirit-anointed Servant of the LORD.
This is important because Jesus Christ, as the eternal Son of God, is fully divine. Yet in His incarnation, He also lived as the perfect Man, depending upon the Holy Spirit in His earthly ministry. He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, anointed by the Spirit, led by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, and offered Himself through the eternal Spirit. If the sinless Son of God ministered in the power of the Spirit, then no servant of God should presume he can serve rightly in the strength of the flesh.
Luke 3:21-22, “Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.”
The public anointing of Jesus at His baptism visibly identified Him as the Spirit-empowered Messiah. This does not mean that Jesus lacked deity before that moment. It means that His public messianic ministry was inaugurated in the power of the Spirit.
The phrase “because the LORD hath anointed me” identifies the speaker as the Messiah. The word Messiah means Anointed One. In the Old Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were often anointed with oil as a sign of being set apart for God’s service. The oil itself was not the power, it symbolized the Spirit of God upon the person and office.
Exodus 28:41, “And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.”
1 Samuel 2:10, “The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces, out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth, and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
Jesus Christ fulfills the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. He is the final Prophet who speaks the Word of God, the great High Priest who offers Himself for sin and intercedes for His people, and the rightful King who will reign over Israel and the nations. His anointing is not symbolic only, but real and spiritual, for the Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Him.
The New Testament confirms that this passage is fulfilled in Jesus. When He entered the synagogue in Nazareth, He read from Isaiah 61 and applied the prophecy directly to Himself.
Luke 4:16-21, “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into synagogue on sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him book of prophet Esaias. And when he had opened book, he found place where it was written, The Spirit Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach gospel to poor, he hath sent me to heal brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to captives, and recovering sight to blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach acceptable year Lord. And he closed book, and he gave it again to minister, and sat down. And eyes all them that were in synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
Jesus did not merely say that Isaiah 61 was inspiring. He said it was fulfilled in Him. He is the Spirit-anointed Messiah. He is the One Isaiah saw by prophecy.
Believers under the New Covenant also have an anointing from the Holy One, though not in the same messianic office as Christ. Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and must depend upon Him for discernment, obedience, holiness, and service.
1 John 2:20, “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.”
The anointing of the believer does not make him a Messiah, nor does it give him authority equal to Christ or Scripture. It means the believer belongs to Christ, is indwelt by the Spirit, and is enabled to know and obey the truth. The church must never try to accomplish spiritual work through fleshly power. The work of God must be done in dependence upon the Spirit of God.
2. Isaiah 61:1b-3, The Ministry of the Messiah
Isaiah 61:1-3, “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, 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.”
The Messiah’s ministry is described in terms of healing, proclamation, deliverance, comfort, restoration, righteousness, and the glory of God. Sin has done massive damage to mankind, and therefore the Messiah brings a massive work of redemption. He does not come to offer shallow encouragement to basically healthy people. He comes to rescue sinners ruined by sin.
The first ministry named is “to preach good tidings unto the meek.” The gospel is good news, but it is received by the meek, the poor, the humble, and the spiritually needy. The proud man sees no need for good tidings because he believes he is sufficient in himself. The meek man knows he needs mercy.
Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The Messiah comes to preach good tidings because sin impoverishes. Sin robs man spiritually. It strips him of righteousness, peace, fellowship with God, wisdom, and hope. Christ comes with the good news of salvation, forgiveness, reconciliation, and kingdom hope.
He is also sent “to bind up the brokenhearted.” Sin breaks hearts. The wounds of guilt, betrayal, death, loss, oppression, and rebellion cannot be healed by human optimism. The Messiah binds up the brokenhearted because He is both tender and powerful. He does not despise the crushed soul. He comes near to heal.
Psalm 147:3, “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”
The Messiah also comes “to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” Sin enslaves. Men like to speak of freedom while they are bound by lust, pride, bitterness, false religion, fear, greed, and death. Christ does not merely improve the prison. He proclaims liberty. He opens the prison.
John 8:34-36, “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is servant of sin. And servant abideth not in house for ever: but Son abideth ever. If Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
The liberty Christ brings is not the modern idea of doing whatever the flesh desires. True liberty is freedom from the bondage of sin in order to serve God. A man is not free because he follows every desire. He is free when Christ breaks sin’s dominion and restores him to God.
The Messiah comes “to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” This language recalls the Year of Jubilee, when liberty was proclaimed, debts were addressed, slaves were released, and inheritance was restored.
Leviticus 25:10, “And ye shall hallow fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all land unto all inhabitants thereof: it shall be jubile unto you, and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.”
Jesus proclaimed the acceptable year of the LORD in His first coming. He came offering salvation, grace, forgiveness, and the announcement of the kingdom. This is why, in Luke 4, Jesus stopped reading before the phrase, “and the day of vengeance of our God.” That stopping point is extremely important. It shows the prophetic gap between the first and second comings of Christ.
At His first coming, Christ proclaimed grace, healed the brokenhearted, preached liberty, and accomplished redemption through His death, burial, and resurrection. At His second coming, He will bring judgment, vengeance, and kingdom restoration. Isaiah places these truths side by side, but history shows that the comma between “the acceptable year of the LORD” and “the day of vengeance of our God” spans the present age.
This is one of the clearest examples of how biblical prophecy can present events together while their fulfillment is separated by time. The same Messiah brings both salvation and judgment. The first coming emphasizes grace and redemption. The second coming will include vengeance upon His enemies and deliverance for His people.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not gospel our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from presence Lord, and from glory his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe, because our testimony among you was believed in that day.”
Isaiah also says the Messiah comes “to comfort all that mourn.” Sin brings grief. Israel’s mourning includes the sorrow of exile, discipline, desolation, and national humiliation. On a personal level, sinners mourn under guilt, loss, death, and the consequences of rebellion. The Messiah is the comforter of those who mourn rightly.
The comfort is described beautifully, “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes.” Ashes were associated with mourning, humiliation, and grief. In Scripture, a mourner might sit in ashes or put ashes on the head. The Messiah replaces ashes with beauty. The word carries the idea of a beautiful headpiece or crown. Where mourning placed ashes, the Messiah places honor.
2 Samuel 13:19, “And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying.”
Christ gives “the oil of joy for mourning.” Oil often represented gladness, refreshment, and blessing. Mourning is not ignored. It is exchanged. The Messiah does not merely tell mourners to feel better. He gives joy in place of mourning.
Psalm 45:7, “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with oil gladness above thy fellows.”
He gives “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” The spirit of heaviness describes despair, discouragement, burden, and inner oppression. The Messiah replaces it with praise. Praise becomes a garment, something the restored person wears openly. This is not shallow emotionalism. It is the result of real redemption.
The purpose is “that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” The restored people of God are not pictured as weeds, thorns, or withered plants. They are trees of righteousness. Trees are rooted, stable, fruitful, visible, and useful. Their righteousness is not self-generated. They are “the planting of the LORD.” God planted them. God restored them. God made them strong.
Psalm 1:1-3, “Blessed is man that walketh not in counsel ungodly, nor standeth in way sinners, nor sitteth in seat scornful. But his delight is in law LORD, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like tree planted by rivers water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
The final purpose is “that he might be glorified.” Redemption is for the good of God’s people, but ultimately for the glory of God. The poor receive good tidings, the brokenhearted are bound up, captives are set free, mourners are comforted, Zion is restored, and the righteous are planted so that the LORD may be glorified.
B. What God’s People Will Do
1. Isaiah 61:4, God’s People Will Rebuild What Is Ruined
Isaiah 61:4, “And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair waste cities, the desolations of many generations.”
The work of the Messiah produces a rebuilt people who become rebuilders. “And they shall build the old wastes.” God’s restoration does not end with comfort alone. Restored people are put to work. Those who receive beauty for ashes and the garment of praise are called to rebuild what sin, judgment, and generations of ruin have broken.
The phrase “old wastes” shows that some ruins had been present for a long time. These were not fresh wounds only. They were longstanding desolations. The Messiah’s ministry is powerful enough to address both recent damage and ancient devastation. God is not intimidated by ruins that have stood for generations.
This has direct connection to the restoration of Israel. The land, cities, worship, and national life that had been broken by sin and judgment would be restored under God’s hand. It also has a present spiritual application. God uses redeemed people to rebuild homes, churches, ministries, families, communities, and moral foundations that have been devastated by sin.
Nehemiah provides a historical illustration of this rebuilding principle. Jerusalem’s walls had been broken down, and the people were in reproach. Yet God used Nehemiah to lead a rebuilding work.
Nehemiah 2:17-18, “Then said I unto them, Ye see distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up wall Jerusalem, that we be no more reproach. Then I told them hand my God which was good upon me, as also king words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for good work.”
The language of Isaiah 61 also connects closely to Isaiah 58, where the true worshipper is called the repairer of the breach and the restorer of paths to dwell in. Isaiah 58:12, “And they that shall be of thee shall build old waste places: thou shalt raise up foundations many generations, and thou shalt be called, repairer breach, restorer paths to dwell in.”
God loves to restore ruins, but He ordinarily uses faithful people in that rebuilding work. A man who has been restored by grace should not merely celebrate his own comfort. He should look around and ask what God has called him to rebuild.
2. Isaiah 61:5-6, God’s People Will Be Set Apart to Serve the LORD
Isaiah 61:5-6, “And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and sons alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named Priests LORD: men shall call you Ministers our God: ye shall eat riches Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.”
Isaiah now describes the honored and priestly role of God’s restored people. “And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and sons alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.” In the Kingdom context, Gentile nations will serve in support of Israel’s restored role. This continues the theme from Isaiah 60, where the wealth and service of the nations come to Zion because God has glorified her.
The contrast is in verse 6, “But ye shall be named Priests LORD: men shall call you Ministers our God.” Israel was originally called to be a priestly nation.
Exodus 19:5-6, “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me kingdom priests, and holy nation. These are words which thou shalt speak unto children Israel.”
Isaiah 61 points to the fulfillment of that calling under the ministry of the Messiah. God’s people will be set apart for holy service. Their identity will not be defined by shame, exile, defeat, or survival. They will be known as priests of the LORD and ministers of God.
A priest stands before God on behalf of others and represents God’s truth to the people. A minister serves under divine authority. This means the restored people of God will have a sacred vocation. Their highest calling will not be economic, political, or military, but priestly and ministerial.
The New Testament applies priestly language to believers in Christ. 1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are chosen generation, royal priesthood, holy nation, peculiar people, that ye should shew forth praises him who hath called you out darkness into his marvellous light:”
This does not erase Israel’s future role in the Kingdom. Rather, it shows that all who belong to Christ are called to holy service now. Believers are not saved to live aimlessly. They are saved to worship, serve, witness, intercede, and show forth the praises of God.
Isaiah also says, “ye shall eat riches Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.” The resources and honor of the nations will be brought into the service of God’s kingdom purposes. This is not selfish boasting in fleshly pride. It is joy in the visible reversal God brings. The nations that once dominated Israel will now contribute to her restoration under Messiah’s righteous rule.
3. Isaiah 61:7, God’s People Will Rejoice at God’s Great Blessings
Isaiah 61:7, “For your shame ye shall have double, and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.”
The restoration continues with a promise of reversal. “For your shame ye shall have double.” Shame had marked Israel because of sin, defeat, exile, and reproach among the nations. But God promises double in place of shame. The meaning is double honor, double portion, and abundant restoration. God does not merely remove shame. He replaces it with blessing.
The phrase “and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion” shows that God will also replace disorientation and humiliation with joy and settled inheritance. Sin brings confusion. Judgment brings humiliation. But when God restores, His people rejoice in the portion He gives.
Psalm 16:5-6, “The LORD is portion mine inheritance and my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, yea, I have goodly heritage.”
Isaiah says, “therefore in their land they shall possess double.” The land promise remains important. The text does not spiritualize the land away. Israel’s restoration includes possession in their land. This continues the covenant faithfulness of God to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Genesis 17:7-8, “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for everlasting covenant, to be God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, land wherein thou art stranger, all land Canaan, for everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”
The final phrase is, “everlasting joy shall be unto them.” This is not temporary relief. It is enduring joy. The Messiah’s work brings a joy that cannot be finally taken away. In its Kingdom fulfillment, Israel’s mourning will be turned to joy under the reign of Christ. In personal application, every believer has a foretaste of this joy through salvation.
John 16:22, “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.”
C. The Everlasting Covenant
1. Isaiah 61:8, The Heart Behind the Covenant
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.”
The LORD now explains the moral heart behind His covenant work. “For I the LORD love judgment.” God loves justice. His restoration is not sentimental. He does not bless corruption or overlook wickedness as though it does not matter. The same God who gives beauty for ashes also loves judgment. His mercy is holy mercy.
He continues, “I hate robbery for burnt offering.” This is a powerful rebuke of religious hypocrisy. A man could bring a burnt offering to the altar, but if the offering was gained by robbery or injustice, God hated it. Worship does not sanctify theft. Sacrifice does not excuse corruption. Religious activity cannot cleanse money, goods, or service obtained through sin.
This continues a major prophetic theme. God rejects worship that is outwardly impressive but morally corrupt.
Isaiah 1:11-17, “To what purpose is multitude your sacrifices unto me? saith LORD: I am full burnt offerings rams, and fat fed beasts, and I delight not in blood bullocks, or lambs, or he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations, incense is abomination unto me, new moons and sabbaths, calling assemblies, I cannot away with, it is iniquity, even solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full blood. Wash you, make you clean, put away evil your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, Learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve oppressed, judge fatherless, plead for widow.”
God does not need offerings so badly that He will accept stolen goods. He does not need religious activity from an unrepentant heart. He loves justice and hates robbery.
The LORD then says, “and I will direct their work in truth.” God’s restoration includes truth-guided labor. Their work will no longer be crooked, vain, or corrupt. It will be directed by God in truth. This is part of the deep healing of the nation. God does not merely change their status. He changes their ways.
Finally, He says, “and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.” The foundation of Israel’s restoration is not their human strength, but God’s covenant promise. This everlasting covenant connects to the New Covenant promises given elsewhere in the prophets. God will forgive sin, write His law in the heart, put His Spirit within His people, and establish them in covenant faithfulness.
Jeremiah 31:31-34, “Behold, days come, saith LORD, that I will make new covenant with house Israel, and with house Judah: Not according to covenant that I made with their fathers in day that I took them by hand to bring them out land Egypt, which my covenant they brake, although I was husband unto them, saith LORD: But this shall be covenant that I will make with house Israel, After those days, saith LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know LORD: for they shall all know me, from least them unto greatest them, saith LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
The everlasting covenant is ultimately secured through the blood of Christ. Hebrews 13:20-21, “Now God peace, that brought again from dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd sheep, through blood everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
2. Isaiah 61:9, The Covenant Brings Prominent Blessings
Isaiah 61:9, “And their seed shall be known among Gentiles, and their offspring among people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are seed which LORD hath blessed.”
The covenant blessing will be visible. “And their seed shall be known among Gentiles, and their offspring among people.” God’s work in Israel will not be hidden. The descendants of the restored people will be recognized among the nations. The Gentiles will see and acknowledge that God has blessed them.
The phrase “all that see them shall acknowledge them” shows public recognition. The nations that once saw Israel as forsaken will see Israel as blessed. This again supports the literal national dimension of the prophecy. The Gentiles are observers who acknowledge God’s blessing upon Israel’s seed.
This blessing is not rooted in Israel’s natural superiority, but in the covenant faithfulness of God. The nations will say, “they are seed which LORD hath blessed.” The focus remains on the LORD. He is the One who blesses. He is the One who restores. He is the One who keeps His promises.
Ezekiel 36:22-23, “Therefore say unto house Israel, Thus saith Lord GOD, I do not this for your sakes, O house Israel, but for mine holy name sake, which ye have profaned among heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among heathen, which ye have profaned in midst them, and heathen shall know that I am LORD, saith Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.”
God’s future restoration of Israel will vindicate His holy name before the nations. The blessing will be so obvious that all who see it will know the LORD has done it.
3. Isaiah 61:10-11, The Covenant Brings Salvation and Righteousness
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 garments salvation, he hath covered me with robe righteousness, as bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as earth bringeth forth her bud, and as garden causeth things that are sown in it to spring forth, so Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations.”
The chapter ends with rejoicing. “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God.” The joy is not merely in the blessings received, but in the LORD Himself. This is the proper response to covenant grace. God’s people rejoice in the God who saves, restores, clothes, and glorifies.
Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”
The reason for this joy is salvation and righteousness. “For he hath clothed me with garments salvation, he hath covered me with robe righteousness.” Salvation is pictured as clothing. This is important because sinners are spiritually naked before God. We cannot clothe ourselves adequately. Our own righteousness cannot cover our guilt. God must clothe us.
This reaches back to the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with fig leaves, but God provided a better covering.
Genesis 3:7, “And eyes them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”
Genesis 3:21, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did LORD God make coats skins, and clothed them.”
Man-made coverings are never sufficient. God must provide the garment. Isaiah says, “he hath clothed me” and “he hath covered me.” Salvation and righteousness are given by God. They are not self-produced.
This points directly to justification in Christ. The believer is not accepted before God because of his own righteousness, but because he is clothed in the righteousness provided by God through Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:22-24, “Even righteousness God which is by faith Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short glory God, Being justified freely by his grace through redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made righteousness God in him.”
The garments are glorious, “as bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” Salvation is not rags. Righteousness is not shameful covering. God clothes His people with beauty and honor. The image of bridegroom and bride speaks of celebration, covenant love, and public joy.
The chapter closes with the image of growth. “For as earth bringeth forth her bud, and as garden causeth things that are sown in it to spring forth, so Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations.” God’s blessing grows organically by His life-giving power. Man cannot manufacture spiritual life. He cannot force righteousness to spring up by fleshly effort. The LORD causes righteousness and praise to spring forth.
This does not make obedience passive. A gardener cannot create life in the seed, but he can prepare the soil, water, remove weeds, and cultivate the right environment. Likewise, believers cannot manufacture grace, but they can place themselves under the means God has given, Scripture, prayer, obedience, fellowship, worship, and faith. God gives the growth.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7, “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth increase.”
The final result is public and global, “before all nations.” God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth where the nations can see it. His covenant work will not be hidden forever. The Messiah’s ministry will produce a restored people, and that restored people will display the praise of God before the world.
Theological Summary of Isaiah 61
Isaiah 61 is one of the clearest messianic chapters in the Old Testament. The speaker is the Spirit-anointed Messiah, fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He comes to preach good tidings to the meek, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives, open the prison to those who are bound, proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, comfort mourners, and restore Zion.
Jesus directly identified Himself as the fulfillment of this passage in Luke 4. His stopping point before “the day of vengeance of our God” shows the distinction between His first and second comings. In His first coming, He proclaimed grace and accomplished redemption. In His second coming, He will bring vengeance, judgment, and kingdom restoration.
The Messiah’s ministry transforms mourners into trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD. Restored people become rebuilders. They build old wastes, raise former desolations, and repair ruined cities. God’s restored people are also given a priestly identity, called priests of the LORD and ministers of God.
The chapter also presents the everlasting covenant. God loves justice and hates religious hypocrisy. He rejects robbery for burnt offering, but promises to direct His people’s work in truth and make an everlasting covenant with them. This covenant brings visible blessing, salvation, righteousness, joy, and praise before all nations.
The final picture is one of divine clothing and divine growth. God clothes His people with garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness. He causes righteousness and praise to spring forth like a garden. The glory belongs to Him alone.
