Isaiah 61:10-62:3
I
will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
my whole being shall exult in my God;
for
he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of
righteousness,
as
a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11For as the earth brings
forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to
spring up,
so
the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
62For Zion's sake I will
not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,
until
her vindication shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation like a burning torch.
2The nations shall see
your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
and
you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the LORD will give.
3You shall be a crown of
beauty in the hand of the LORD,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
Remember
that Isaiah is usually divided by scholars into three parts: 1st
Isaiah (chapters 1-39)- which predict the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem
for Israel’s lack of faithfulness, 2nd Isaiah (chapters 40-55)-
which is written after the destruction has already taken place and as if the
exile is ongoing, and 3rd Isaiah (chapters 56-66)- which seems to be
written after exile has ended, but while Israel continues to struggle and deal
with the reality of return and rebuilding both their lives and Jerusalem. Even
though many scholars make this supposition, the return to Jerusalem is never
explicitly stated—thus, one can read 3rd Isaiah as speaking to a
metaphorical exile—the exile we all feel in our hearts when we separate
ourselves from God, and the hope we all feel that we will be redeemed by a love
that knows no end. The section we are reading from here is from that third section.
Chapter
61 began with a praise song by one who proclaims, “The Spirit of the Sovereign
Lord is on me, because the LORD has appointed me to preach good news to the
poor….” This is the part of Isaiah that Jesus read from in the synagogue in
Luke chapter 4 at the start of his public ministry, obviously referring to
himself, and announcing his authority to his neighbors. The Isaiah passage goes
on to predict and describe “The Year of the Lord’s favor.” Our five verses
finish this image, which on this first Sunday after Christmas we also see as
describing Jesus as Savior. The time of Christmas is a time of great joy, and
thus we see a vision of a new creation, filled with rejoicing (v. 10), exultation
(v. 10), and praise (v. 11). All nations will be redeemed as part of this new
kingdom.
Metaphor
and imagery is woven together layer upon layer to make vivid the cause of our
rejoicing. “Righteousness” appears twice in this short section, as does
“salvation,” “vindication,” and “spring up.” Our reading lists two reasons for
rejoicing in the Lord:
1)
God has covered me in the finery of righteousness. Four verbs (two active and
two passive) are used to describe how one is covered—God has “clothed” and
“covered” me; the acceptance of this favor is described with the image of a
wedding: like a bridegroom “decks himself” and a bride “adorns herself” in
celebration of their transition to a new life together (v. 10). This is spoken
of as already having occurred.
2)The
next image invoked is one of lush fertile fields and gardens where the harvest
and produce is righteousness and praise from all nations (v. 11). Yet this
flourishing has yet to take place.
Verse
11 is the hinge between what has already been accomplished, and what remains to
be done. At chapter 62, it is obvious that the work of redemption is not yet
complete. Zion still needs a champion to complete her vindication; she is not
yet the jewel or crown that she should be. It is this tension between past and
future (or memory and hope) that is always so prominent in Christian thought.
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