In 2008, a human rights tribunal ruled that Christian Horizons, an evangelical Christian group that provides care and homes for the severely disabled, should not have enforced a religious code of morality on its employees because the work they were engaged in was not religious. Rather, it involved caring for disabled people regardless of their religion.
Lawyers for Christian Horizons have said its main purpose was primarily to serve the broader evangelical community, and that having a common faith and like-minded values allowed the group to perform its charitable work at a high level of excellence. They also said their charitable work flowed from their faith. http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2349660
One commentator, Jonathan Kay, wrote that “What is at stake here is not simply justice for Christian Horizons, but also the very future of Godly work in Ontario. It is not everyone who seeks to spend their career changing adult diapers and herding groups of developmentally disabled adults around parks, museums and hospitals. Often, it is a special kind of person — who takes divine inspiration to help the less fortunate. It is therefore wrong to claim (as their opponents do) that the work Christian Horizons does can be separated from religious faith and morality”.
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/12/18/jonathan-kay-on-christian-horizons-uphold-the-right-of-religious-employers-to-enforce-sexual-morality-codes.aspx
This story revolves around mission. It provides us an opportunity to put their mission in the broader context of what we consider this season, celebrating the incarnation, the first coming of Christ and the implications for us because of it.
Chapter 60 Isaiah introduces and describes the glorious kingdom that has been promised by Jehovah. Conspicuously absent in that chapter is the King that rules over the kingdom. In this chapter Isaiah introduces the One who will rule (KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1994, S. 1409). This person has been personally chosen and empowered by God for a purpose, and that purpose is to bring about the deliverance of his people (in the sight of the nations, as 61:11 makes plain) so that they will be righteous, just as the Servant is said to have done (53:11).
We are not to suppose that the prophet unfolds to us in the present passage the whole purpose of God in sending his Son into the world. Still, as the subject is one of transcendent interest, and as our Lord himself cites the passage as descriptive of his mission, it may be useful to note how many, and what purposes, it sets before us as included in the counsels of the Father, and intended to be realized by Christ’s coming (Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Hrsg.): The Pulpit Commentary: Isaiah Vol. II. Bellingham, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2004, S. 416).
The Christmas story is more than a collection intersting historical events allowing us the opprotunity to get together. The Christmas story is the story of a savior’s mission realized. Isaiah 61 is a prophetic declaration of our Savior’s mission and its acomplishment by Him. The mission is explained in four elements of: 1) The Savior Proclaimed (Isa. 61:1-3), 2) The Salvation Protrayed (Isa. 61:4-7), 3) The Saints Promoted (Isa. 61:8-9) and 4) The Savior Praised (Isa. 16:10-11).
1) The Davior Proclaimed (Isa. 61:1-3)
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; (ESV)
Having spoken in the preceding chapter of the blessings in the city of God toenjoy, the prophet now turns to speak of the one who will bring those blessings . Or, to put it another way, having just described what the city will look like as it reflects the light, he now speaks of the Light itself, the Servant/Messiah. Throughout the OT, from its first occurrences, the concept of the Spirit of the Lord resting or being on someone connotes supernatural wisdom and capacity (Gen. 41:38; Exod. 31:3; Num. 11:17, 29, etc.). In Isaiah the Spirit is especially associated with the power to bring justice and righteousness on the earth, often through the spoken word (11:2; 32:15–16; 42:1; 44:3; 48:16; 59:21).
• Christ is both the light of the world and the incarnate word of God.
o He is the true light of Christmas and the ultimate word of comfort and hope from God Himself.
What is the work that God the Father sent Christ, God the Son, to this earth to do? It is to preach good news). This verb occurs at critical places in this part of the book (40:9; 41:27; 52:7; 60:6) dealing with the hope of the nation, both for deliverance from Babylon and for the larger deliverance that the Babylonian captivity represents. Here the Servant/Messiah himself is the one who brings the good news of God’s triumph. Because he has done what no one else could do (53:4–5, 10–12; 59:15b–21; 63:1–6), he is not only the preacher of the good news—he is the good news, able to give (v. 3) what he announces.
He declares the good news particularly to the poor. The connotation of this term is not restricted to financial or material conditions. Rather, it speaks of all who are distressed and in trouble for any reason, including sin. As Jesus would say later (Matt. 9:12–13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:31–32), he had not come to announce good news to those who were comfortable and in control, but to those who were in deep trouble. To such persons, God’s victory over all that is holding them in bondage is good news indeed.
Will the Servant/Messiah simply hurl words at the poor? No, for his words will accomplish what they speak of. He will gather up the broken hearts and bind them up together. This same word, ḥābaš, appeared in 1:6, speaking of unbandaged, oozing wounds that were the result of sin. He will come to place bandages of healing on broken hearts. This refers to hearts that have been broken by sin and guilt (KJV Bible Commentary. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1994, S. 1410).
Furthermore, he will proclaim/announce (i.e., will effectively bring to pass, as a king “announces” an amnesty) liberty and release. This word, derôr, is esp. associated with the Jubilee Year (Lev. 25:10; Jer. 34:8; Ezek. 46:17). Every seven years, the Jews were to observe a “sabbatical year” and allow the land to rest. After seven sabbaticals, or forty-nine years, they were to celebrate the fiftieth year as the “Year of Jubilee.” During that year, all debts were canceled, all land was returned to the original owners, the slaves were freed, and everybody was given a fresh new beginning. (Wiersbe, Warren W.: Be Comforted. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1992 (An Old Testament Study), S. Is 61:1).
• If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, you are living today in a spiritual “Year of Jubilee.” You have been set free from bondage; your spiritual debt to the Lord has been paid; you are living in “the acceptable year of the Lord.” Instead of the ashes of mourning, you have a crown on your head; for He has made you a king (Rev. 1:6). You have been anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit, and you wear a garment of righteousness (Isa. 61:3, 10).
• God comes in this Christmas season to those who know they have need, those who are distressed, troubled or need comfort. Ultimately those who know they need a saviour. This is the gift given once and for all time.
He has come:
Isaiah 61:2 [2]to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; (ESV)
How can the Servant/Messiah announce liberty? Because he is the Lord’s designee, and can speak for God, to announce a year of favor, and a day of vengeance. Thus liberty is the result of the operation of the grace and the justice of God.
Please turn to Luke 4
“The year of the Lord’s favor” is also a prophetic reference to God’s administration of grace which culminates in the restoration of all things. This restoration includes the promises of forgiveness and full fellowship with God, and the removal of physical problems, obstacles, and mourning. It is the year of Jubilee, the year of liberation (Lev. 25:10). Jesus applied this word to his healing of the blind, deaf, and lame as a token that God is concerned about our whole being, including our physical welfare (Elwell, Walter A.: Evangelical Commentary on the Bible . electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1996, c1989, S. Is 60:19).
Luke 4:14-21 [14]And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. [15]And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. [16]And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. [17]And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, [18]"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, [19]to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." 20]And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. [21]And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (ESV)
• Jesus explained that Isaiah summarized His mission. Christmas is about understanding why Jesus came. His incarnaiton, His first coming deals with the year of the Lord’s favor. Jesus stopped his reading before the section in Isaiah on vengeance. This is reserved for when He comes again, His second coming (cf. Mt. 25:31–46; Acts 17:31; 2 Thes. 1:6–8).
“Vengeance,” although paralleled with “redemption” in v. 4 of Isaiah, clearly has destruction of enemies in view in the larger context.
It is a great source of comfort to anyone who is oppressed to know that the source of the oppression will one day get exactly what it deserves, and that its power will be broken.
Those who mourn for their own sin and for the ruined state of Zion will hear words of comfort from the Messiah; but, more than that, they will be comforted by him. God declares a year of favor, that He will accept them in spite of their sin. That is indeed a word of comfort. Yet how can a holy God do that? The answer is the work of the Servant (cf. 52:13–53:12). God is reconciled and his people need mourn for their sins no more. Sin and death are defeated, and one day their power will finally be broken, and all mourning ended forever.
Thirdly, he has come:
Isaiah 61:3 [3]to grant to those who mourn in Zion-- to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. (ESV)
There is a play on the sound and meaning of the Hebrew words, peer, epher, literally, “ornamental headdress” or tiara (Ez 24:17), worn in times of joy, instead of a headdress of “ashes,” cast on the head in mourning (2Sa 13:19) (Jamieson, Robert ; Fausset, A. R. ; Fausset, A. R. ; Brown, David ; Brown, David: A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. Is 61:3).
The text here is an illustration and an expansion of what has just been said in the previous verse: the mourners in Zion will be comforted. The picture of the mourner, with ashes on the head, wrapped in clothes of mourning (sackcloth), with a faint spirit crushed by despair, is replaced by celebratory dress: a beautiful headdress, smelling of costly oil, the oil of gladdness, and wearing a garment of praise. This last phrase could be interpreted either as a garment whose beauty is an expression of praise to God, or a garment that excites praise.
Quote: When real people living real lives in this world demonstrate joy, it’s living proof that God saves sinners. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the prophetic power of a joyful church:
“As we face the modern world with all its trouble and turmoil and with all its difficulties and sadness, nothing is more important than that we who call ourselves Christian, and who claim the Name of Christ, should be representing our faith in such a way before others as to give them the impression that here is the solution, and here is the answer. In a world where everything has gone so sadly astray, we should be standing out as men and women apart, people characterized by a fundamental joy and certainty in spite of conditions, in spite of adversity” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1965), p. 23.).
• Christians are called to be a celebratory people. We should have no shame in celebrating the wonder and joy of Christmas. When we truly do so, we evangelize through our joy.
The result of what the Servant/Messiah has said and done is that the people will be oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. ( 60:21).
Please turn back to Isaiah 1
The use of the tree symbolizes stability, permanence, and abundance (cf., e.g., Ps. 1:3). But what is a “righteous oak”? To understand this, one must look back to Isa. 1:27–31.
Isa. 1:27–31. [27]Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness. [28]But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.[29]For they shall be ashamed of the oaks that you desired; and you shall blush for the gardens that you have chosen. [30]For you shall be like an oak whose leaf withers, and like a garden without water. [31]And the strong shall become tinder, and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with none to quench them.
The sin and rebellion, of glorifying the human over God, have caused the oaks in which the people have delighted to wither and die. All their efforts to glorify themselves are nothing but seared leaves. Here, then, is clearly an intentional contrast. Instead of the sin of self-exaltation that produces only devouring fire, all those who have accepted the fruits of the Servant’s self-denial are given the eternally fruitful righteousness of God. As they live they show the righteousness of God (cf. 1:27), which is both his grace to save and his power to enable righteous living (see 61:10, 11; 62:1, 2). Such lives can do nothing else than demonstrate the beauty of God and thus beautify him.
• Here is another of the great paradoxes of this book and of the Bible: try to make ourselves mighty, and we burn ourselves up; admit ourselves helpless and doomed, and God gives us his beauty. We are made to be mirrors; when his beauty is reflected in us, we become beautiful.
• This season shows such paradox: We are to adorn our hearts with compassion before adorning our tree with ornaments.
The mission of Christ is explained in: 1) The Savior Proclaimed (Isa. 61:1-3), and now:
2) The Salvation Protrayed (Isa. 61:4-7),
These verses are the “good news” that the Servant/Messiah proclaims. They are an expression of the promise of God to fulfill his ancient promises and to demonstrate his nature to the world through Israel.
Isaiah 61:4 [4]They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
This verse closely agrees with v. 3 in its continuation of the theme of restoration. The emphasis shifts from the person and work of the Servant/Messiah in vv. 1–3(4) to the promises to Israel in vv. (4)5–11.
As in 54:3 and 58:12, the promise is made that no matter how devastated the ruins, nor how desolate the land, God will enable it all to be rebuilt. At various points Isaiah had said that the great cities of Israel’s enemies and oppressors would be destroyed never to be rebuilt (13:19–22; 34:8–17). No matter how vigorous the efforts, all rebuilding attempts will fail. But the opposite is true for Jerusalem and Judah. No matter how long the ruins may have existed, they will be rebuilt, and no matter how terrible the desolation, new life for Israel will spring up again (cf. 35:1–2). Interestingly, history has already borne out these prophecies. Assyria and Babylon are piles of dust, while Jerusalem, in spite of seemingly endless wars and destructions, is a thriving city. God and his purposes are the final determining factors in the continuation or dissolution of all human endeavors. What is in keeping with those purposes will endure, come what may. But what is at variance with them cannot long survive, no matter how valiant the effort.
Matthew 16:18 [18]And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (ESV)
• The attacks on Christianity, no matter how well funded, officially sanctioned by government or courts, or promoted in media, will collapse, for Christ Himself has promised to build and sustain His church regardless of the opposition.
The prophet continues:
Isaiah 61:5-6 l stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; [6]but you shall be called the priests of the LORD; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. (ESV)
What will be Israel’s relation to its former oppressors in its final restoration? Two extremes are ruled out. On the one hand, the nations will no longer oppress Israel, and Israel will no longer bow down to them and their gods. Now the nations will serve Israel. The figure of speech that the prophet uses is of farmworkers (v. 5). Without question the roles identified—shepherds, plowmen, and vinedressers—are of the lower social classes. There is no sense in which such persons will be in a position to lord it over anyone. The day is coming when Israel will need fear the nations no more. Furthermore, the abundance of the nations (v. 6; cf. 60:11) will be Israel’s to enjoy and to take pride in.
This passage also avoids the other extreme, however, that the roles will simply be reversed, with the formerly oppressed now becoming the new oppressors. Whatever is intended by using the figure of having the “foreigners” fill lower social roles, it does not mean that they are excluded from Israel’s religious blessings. This inference is confirmed by the description of Israel in v. 6 as priests of the Lord and ministers of our God. Israel is not ruler of the world, but priest of the world, just as Exod. 19:6 and Deut. 33:10 had earlier stated. The gods of the nations are discredited in order that the nations may come, through Israel, to a knowledge of the one true God and Savior (cf. 45:14–15). Israel’s exalted position is to be one not of privilege but of responsibility. As a priest is to be a mediator between humans and God, assisting humans in their worship of God, and teaching humans the ways of God, Israel is to be a priest to the nations. In fulfillment of Ex. 19:6, Israel will be a kingdom of priests. Peter applied the same terminology to the church (1 Pet. 2:9) (MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Is 61:6).
• For us there should not be a smugness around Christmas, like this is our holiday and we are on the lookout to attack anyone who would ridicule it. Our new covenant priesthood confirmed in 1 Peter 2, means that we show particular grace and kindness, ready to minister to others telling and showing the impact of the incarnation, of God coming down to us.
Isaiah 61:7 [7]Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. (ESV)
Instead of your shame, the disgrace of defeat and captivity, of having been deserted by, or worse, failed by, one’s God, there will be the honor of a double portion/share. The eldest child, the most honored descendant, received a double portion of his father’s estate, and that may be the sense of what is being said here (Deut. 21:17). Instead of dishonor, there will be honor; instead of dispossession, there will be possession of twice what had been before. That result will be possession of a double share in their land and joy forever. That is, all God’s promises will be fulfilled in their truest form, and that for all eternity.
We have seen the mission of the savior explained in: 1) The Savior Proclaimed (Isa. 61:1-3), 2) The Salvation Protrayed (Isa. 61:4-7), and:
3) The Saints Promoted (Isa. 61:8-9)
Isaiah 61:8 [8]For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. (ESV)
The Israelites may believe that God will do these wonderful things he has promised because of who he is. Here His nature is shown as loving justice, hating robbery and wrong/iniquity. God is promising to reward them (the faithful remnant) and to keep covenant with them forever. Not to do so would be injustice and robbery, which Israelite faith found unthinkable in God (cf. Gen. 18:25).
Please turn back to Isaiah 55
The everlasting/eternal covenant in Isaiah is a particular result of the work of the Servant/Messiah (49:8; 54:10; 55:5; cf. also Ezek. 37:25–26). Because of his sacrificial death, the old covenant is satisfied, and a new one can be ratified, one that is written not on stone but on the human heart (Jer. 31:31; Mal. 3:1–2; Matt. 26:27–28; Heb. 9:11–22). Its arrival is the ultimate evidence of God’s justice and faithfulness.
Isaiah 55:3-7 [3]Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. [4]Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. [5]Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. [6]"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; [7]let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
• Christ was born of the house and lineage of David. The Davidic Covenant promised David that his seed would be ruler over Israel in an everlasting kingdom (2 Sam. 7:8,16; Ps. 89:27–29). Paul connected the resurrection of Christ with this promise (Acts 13:34), since it was an essential event in fulfilling this promise. If He had not fully satisfied God by His atoning death, He would not have risen; if He had not risen from the dead, He could not eventually sit on David’s earthly throne. But He did rise and will fulfill the kingly role (v. 4). Cf. Jer. 30:9; Ezek. 34:23,24; 37:24,25; Dan. 9:25; Hos. 3:5; Mic. 5:2. The whole world will come to Him as the Great King (v. 5) (MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Is 55:3).
• We celebrate Christmas each year as a scheduled reminder that God is faithful to His word. He has accomplished what He said that He would do and we therefore can have faith that He will accomplish what He has promised.
As we have just read how the Messiah and by extension, the nation would be a witness to the peoples, Isaiah 61:9 explains:
Isaiah 61:9 [9]Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed. (ESV)
The result of God’s faithfulness is twofold. First, there will be recognizable Israelite offspring. The ancient promise to Abraham will be kept. Israel will not disappear among the nations, absorbed and no longer existent as a separate nation. Since human history began, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people-groups have disappeared into the larger mass. How easily that could have been true of Israel. Where are all the groups who were contemporaries of Israel (the -ites that are the bane of Bible readers)? They are all gone, yet Israel remains. Why? Because God has promised they would and will. We as the Church are the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16) are God’s promises are for us and our Children.
The second aspect of the promise is that not only will Israel have historical continuity, but it will also be a witness to the peoples of the world. Just as later people were to recognize that the disciples had been with Jesus, so Isaiah says that people from all over the world will recognize that God has blessed his people, the spiritual and physical descendants of Israel. The goal is not a satisfying jealousy on the part of the nations but such a revelation of God through Israel that the nations may participate with Israel in his worship and praise. So God is promising here that Israel will be able to fulfill the function for which he revealed himself to Abraham in the first place. Nothing that the nations can do to them will prevent that function from being carried out. Israel will continue to exist; Israel’s faith will continue to exist; and the life of Israel will testify to the righteous character of God.
We have seen the mission of the savior in terms of: 1) The Savior Proclaimed (Isa. 61:1-3), 2) The Salvation Protrayed (Isa. 61:4-7), 3) The Saints Promoted (Isa. 61:8-9) and finally:
4) The Savior Praised (Isa. 61:10-11).
Isaiah 61:10 [10]I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul 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 like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (ESV)
Now yet another speaker is introduced. In vv. 1–3 the emphasis is on the speaker’s function. Here the emphasis is on the benefits that the speaker has received from God. In vv. 1–3 the speaker does things for the people of God so that they may become “oaks of righteousness.” Here the speaker praises God for having cloaked him with righteousness. On these grounds, the prophet seems plainly here to speak as Zion, voicing praise to God for what he has done for through the Servant/Messiah.
The verse begins with the emphasized announcement of joy. But the reason for the excitement and exultation is not Israel’s situation—it is God.
The gladness is not merely that something has been done, but over who has done it. Apart from the Creator and Savior of the universe there is no joy. But it is the Giver we want. Apart from him and his presence, the gift is of little value.
• A good test of our present heart this Christmas is if we desire a material gift or blessing over the gift of Christ Himself.
What has God done to cause this exhilaration? He has clothed his bride with salvation and righteousness, that is, he has given her these gifts. The two words need to be interpreted in the light of each other here. “Salvation” lets the reader know that the righteousness being talked about is a gift. It is imparted to Israel, as to us, from God as an expression of His own nature. At the same time, righteousness shows that salvation is more than mere deliverance from physical bondage or spiritual guilt. God delivers from one thing but unto another. Throughout this division, beginning with 56:1, it has been plain that God expects the delivered to manifest his nature. Those whom he wraps in his robe of righteousness experience not only deliverance from unrighteousness and its effects but also divine enablement to live out his righteousness. God commands righteousness, and He by his power alone provides it. That is cause for joy indeed.
• Is there a difference in us this Christmas? I’ve noticed a selfishness and mean spiritedness this Christmas. I’ve heard of so many others who have been out noticing the bickering, fighting and general meanness.
• People try to put up a pleasant façade. But when stress pushes it aside, the true internal nature comes out. Christians are those who are changed from the inside. What a wonderful opportunity to show the true nature of Christendom by showing love that God puts into our hearts, at a time when there is so little of it.
Please turn to Matthew 22
The joyous tone is heightened by the use of wedding imagery. The garb that God has given is like the turban (headdress) of a bridegroom. Note the occurrence of the same word, peʾēr, in 61:3 (and elsewhere in the book only in 3:20). There the Servant/Messiah says his function is to give such a headdress in place of ashes. Here Zion rejoices over the headdress that God has given. Just as the bridegroom excitedly puts on his turban, so the bride delights over her jewels (cf. 49:18). To the believer, the righteousness and the salvation in which we are dressed is like the finest wedding garment (cf. Matt. 22:11–12).
Matthew 22:1-14 [22:1]And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, [2]"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, [3]and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. [4]Again he sent other servants, saying, ’Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ [5]But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, [6]while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. [7]The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. [8]Then he said to his servants, ’The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. [9]Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ [10]And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. [11]"But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. [12]And he said to him, ’Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. [13]Then the king said to the attendants, ’Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ [14]For many are called, but few are chosen." (ESV)
• This feast represents enjoying fellowship with God in His kingdom
o God has sent a general call (many are called). Many have been invited to the wedding feast. This general call represents the Gospel proclaimed to all people everywhere. To reject such an invitation is a direct affront to the King.
• Few are chosen to actually come into the feast (Effectual Call). There is a cost to attend the feast that no one can afford to pay. The cost is complete holiness represented by perfectly white attire.
o At times a King would offer special garments to His guests to wear.
o The Christmas story is that of Jesus coming as clothing for His people. His righteousness is given to His saints as a garment to be put on (Rom. 3:21-31; 4:22-25). Coming under His lordship by faith means dauwning His righteousness which is then imputed to us.
From the story of the feast the explanation of the effectual working of God is explained:
Isaiah 61:11 [11]For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations. (ESV)
In a comparison reminiscent of 40:7–8, but from a different angle, Isaiah asserts that the joyous scene he has just described is an absolute certainty. Although Israel will be unable to produce righteousness either before or after the exile, God will produce it and the praise that will result from its appearance, just as surely as, year after year, the earth causes seeds sown in it to sprout. He will plant righteousness in the seedbed of Israel, and it will spring up like flowers in a garden (see 45:8 for the same promise; cf. also Ps. 85:12–13). It is hardly a coincidence that the one other place in the book where this noun form (ṣemaḥ) for “sprout” or “shoot” occurs is in 4:2, which speaks of the purification and redemption of Israel. There, Israel, or perhaps her Messiah (Cf. Jer. 23:5; 33:15; Zech. 3:8; 6:12), is the “sprout.” But there, as here, new life is a gift from God, and its coming is as sure as God is faithful. Just as certainly as Christmas will be celebrated on December 25th, the Son, is God’s gift to us, accomplishing His mission in us, the righteousness of the Almighty.
(Format note: Outline from Don Fortner (http://www.freegrace.net/sermon/Isaiah_0212.htm). Some base commentary from Oswalt, John N.: The Book of Isaiah. Chapters 40-66. Grand Rapids, MI : Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1998 (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament), S. 562)
