Old Testament Commentary - Isaiah 61

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
                    CHAPTER 61                     

Isaiah speaks Messianically—
Messiah shall have the Spirit, preach the gospel, and proclaim liberty—In the last days the Lord will call his ministers and make an everlasting covenant with the people.

The Lord speaks through his prophet Isaiah. It is the Lord who is speaking of himself Messianically—He will have the Spirit, the Holy Ghost placed upon him as his immediate companion all during his ministry—He will preach the Gospel Plan—He will proclaim liberty to the Spirit World 'prison'—And in the last days he will restore his gospel and ministers of Ephraim to the ends of the everlasting covenant fulfillment and completion.

" ~ Thus Saith the Lord ~ "

As the record of Isaiah was kept and divided into convienent chapters, perhaps the continuance of flow from chapter to chapter and context was severed. This chapter, as a stand alone, would be best to begin as others do with the phrase, 'Thus saith the Lord', for indeed it is the Lord himself who is speaking of himself, and Isaiah is but the recorder of the Lord speaking.

  1 The aSpirit of the Lord bGOD is upon mea; because the LORD hath canointed meb to dpreach egood tidings unto the fmeek; he hath sent me to gbind up the brokenhearted, to hproclaim iliberty to the jcaptives, and the opening of the kprison to them that are bound;
  2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of avengeance of our God; to bcomfort all that cmourn;
  3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them abeauty for ashes, the oil of bjoy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called ctrees of drighteousness, the eplanting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Unto the Meek 
It is the 'meek' who will hear and submit themselves unto the mind and the will of the Lord. Humbleness and meekness are often used together and thus become often confused one with the other to be the same thing. They do go hand in hand, but they are not the same thing. Humbleness is to hear the word of the Lord, that is to be 'teachable'. Meekness is to but that which is learned into motion. It is one thing to be able to be taught and it is a related but different thing to but that which is taught into actual application. One is taught to place themselves into compliance with and submit themsleves unto the mind and the will of the Lord. It is the continuation of that teaching to then apply it. And it is he who is meek who does apply it into action by actually submitting himself unto the mind and will of the Lord. Often we picture a person who is said to be meek to be somewhat of a wimp, complying with whatever is thrust upon them by another. This is NOT the case. One who is 'meek' before the Lord and does submit himself unto the mind and will of God is not a wimp. He does not stand with his head bowed before the world, but boldly stands forth and carries forward the work and word of God with such boldness before all men. In fact to submit oneself unto God, one must be very strong in one's convictions and standing up to and before all things. It is to stand both in compliance to the mind and will of the Lord and also to stand forth in the full confidence of the Lord. Thus one who is meek will actually stand strongly and firmly before all men and all flesh and the fear of man will not be upon him at all for he stands in and of the Lord, in that full confidence of God before all things. 		 1a The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me Only in understanding that this is the Lord Jehovah, that is Jesus Christ, who is speaking as recorded by Isaiah, can one come to an appreciation of what is being said. The 'Spirit of the Lord GOD' is the Holy Ghost. It is He who was upon Jesus Christ at all times. And from the correct perspective that it is Christ who is speaking, the God of the Old and New Testament, it can be known that 'the Lord GOD' which is spoken of here is none other than GOD the Father of Spirits, our Heavenly Father as well as the Father of Jehovah/Jesus Christ.
 1b The LORD hath anointed me Now with the proper understanding that Christ is speaking and that the 'Lord GOD' he speaks of is the Father, we can fully appreciate that it is the anointing of Christ, that is Jehovah by the Father in the preexistance which is being spoken of here. The Father anointed his eldest spirit son, Jehovah, to be the ministering God of this Second Estate. And as the ministering God of this Second Estate, the Son does all which this chapter 61 of Isaiah states that he will and does do.

Bind the Brokenhearted 
All who do, have and will live the experience of this mortality of this second estate, will experience the commanality which we are all in subjection to. And that is the sorrows, disapointments, torments, anguish, dispair, heartache and 'unfairness' of this imperfect state of the flesh. We do all stand together in these experiences and all do, have and will suffer from such a state as referenced to as being 'brokenhearted'. It is the Lord our Christ who will bind up these wounds. And though is does not seem possible at the time of the sorrow and mourning, the promise is that the healing will be double the portion of the brokenheartedness in its healing effects. That is to the extent that we experience the missery of pains and afflictions in this eperience so we will be lifted to the hieghts of double that depths in the healing effects of the Lord in joy and happiness. To those who are found in and continue to suffer in this world, that may seem of little comfort now. But with the confidence of Peter and the apostles, who stated when the many where during from the Savior, and the Savior asked if they too would turn from him and go away, did state 'to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life,' (John 6:68). Thus to us it is to stand in the faith of the Lord, there is no other to whom we may turn, that some day, some how this vail of tears will by him, his powers and through him atoning grace, be turned into absolute healing, joy and happiness to the levels of double that of the missery and sorrow which we do experience here in this life.
  4 ¶ And they shall abuild the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
  5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
  6 But ye shall be named the aPriests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the briches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
  7 ¶ For your shame ye shall have adouble; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess bthe double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
  8 For I the LORD love ajudgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting bcovenant with them.
  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 aseed which the LORD hath blessed.
  10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath aclothed me with the bgarments 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.
  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 apraise to spring forth before all the nations.