Verse of the Day 4/13
Isaiah 61:1-2 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;[a]
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;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;[a]
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;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
My wife Jean and I have been on a vacation taking a trip of a lifetime to Israel. We've seen, learned and experienced many amazing things over the past few days that will impact our lives for the rest of our lives. We've been on other trips where we have enjoyed seeing a sight and then be excited to see it in a movie, TV show or perhaps read about it in a book. These experiences can be few and far between. We're already realizing and experiencing that this is something much greater. If you read the Bible, hear message or read devotionals you will come across references daily that will bring to remembrance things that are experienced here.
Today's passage was referenced in a couple of devotions and readings that I had today and Jean shared another devotional that she read that was in the same passage. Then today, in our tour we visited the Qumran site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947. The only scroll that was found intact was Isaiah. Today's passage is quoted in Luke chapter 4 where Jesus was given the scroll and He read from this passage and when He was finished, stated in Luke 4:21 "today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
As I heard the full story of how the scrolls were found, how this one was saved while most others were torn to shreds I was struck by the "circumstances" of how this all came to be. What was found was proven to be 99.9% accurate, dispelling the naysayers who thought that this was simply literature created in the minds of man and that it must have changed significantly as it was handed down and translated by Essene scribes, devoted to the Word and living a pure life before their God.
As with other prophecies this one had meaning at the time, as well as for the church age and finally for the nation to come in the end time.
As our time in the desert came to end today at the Red Sea and we were actually coming out of the water, we experienced a rare desert shower and a peel of thunder. It gave me goose bumps as I thought of a couple of other verses from the scroll, what we refer to as Isaiah 55:10-11. I'll close with those verses, found on that scroll written around 2000 years ago, which is still as true today as it was when written in the desert by an Essene scribe.
Isaiah 55:10-11English Standard Version (ESV)
10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Blessings,
Mike
Isaiah 61:1-7The Message (MSG)
Announce Freedom to All Captives
61 1-7 The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me
because God anointed me.
He sent me to preach good news to the poor,
heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives,
pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of his grace—
a celebration of God's destruction of our enemies—
and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,
give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.
Rename them "Oaks of Righteousness"
planted by God to display his glory.
They'll rebuild the old ruins,
raise a new city out of the wreckage.
They'll start over on the ruined cities,
take the rubble left behind and make it new.
You'll hire outsiders to herd your flocks
and foreigners to work your fields,
But you'll have the title "Priests of God,"
honored as ministers of our God.
You'll feast on the bounty of nations,
you'll bask in their glory.
Because you got a double dose of trouble
and more than your share of contempt,
Your inheritance in the land will be doubled
and your joy go on forever.
because God anointed me.
He sent me to preach good news to the poor,
heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives,
pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of his grace—
a celebration of God's destruction of our enemies—
and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,
give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.
Rename them "Oaks of Righteousness"
planted by God to display his glory.
They'll rebuild the old ruins,
raise a new city out of the wreckage.
They'll start over on the ruined cities,
take the rubble left behind and make it new.
You'll hire outsiders to herd your flocks
and foreigners to work your fields,
But you'll have the title "Priests of God,"
honored as ministers of our God.
You'll feast on the bounty of nations,
you'll bask in their glory.
Because you got a double dose of trouble
and more than your share of contempt,
Your inheritance in the land will be doubled
and your joy go on forever.
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