Continuing and finishing in Isaiah 61: (see part 1, part 2)
8 For I, Yahweh, love justice, I hate robbery in the burnt offering; and I will faithfully give them their recompense and make an everlasting covenant with them.
For I, Yahweh, love justice (govern, vindicate), I hate robbery (something plundered, taken away) in the burnt offering (ascent, that which goes up); and I will faithfully (true, sure, support) give them their recompense (wages, reward) and make (cut, as in a sacrifice, to effect) an everlasting covenant (agreement, pledge) with them.
Here we have instructions on how we are to worship and give offerings to God. The NT speaks of our praises rising like incense, and the sacrifices of our lips. They rise up to God, the way the smoke from the burnt offering of the sacrifices in temple times. It should never be plundered, or offered flippantly. Our worship, our prayers, our confessions, our cries for help, our praise should never be so indiscriminant that it would burn His nostrils. Rather, He desires justice, a well-thought decision when offering up to Him.
He promises to faithfully repay us (good or bad), and that His promise will never end. The literal translation is to cut an everlasting agreement. In ancient times, formal agreements, or contracts, were not valid until some blood was shed. The animal sacrifice would be made, the parts laid out, and the two parties to the agreement would walk between the pieces of the animal. This ritual effectively said they should take the place of the animal if they failed to fulfill their end of the agreement. The weight of the agreement was signified by killing an animal.
Christ became the sacrifice of the everlasting covenant with His believers. Isaiah prophesies here of Christ’s sacrifice, the shedding of His blood, to bring freedom to the mourners and prisoners.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples. All who see them will recognize them because they are the offspring whom Yahweh has blessed.
Then their offspring (seed, descendants) will be known (distinguished, known by experience) among the nations, and their descendants in the midst (among, middle) of the peoples. All who see (look at, consider) them will recognize (acknowledge, discern, regard) them because they are the offspring whom Yahweh has blessed (kneel, offered on bent knee).
To be known in this sense indicates that those observing would do more than know of. This known (yada, in Hebrew) indicates an experiential knowledge. There would be something that would stand out and take notice, and leave an impression. Similarly, they would see in a way more than merely perceiving the visual image, as when dozens of people pass by on the street. To see here (ra’ah, in Hebrew) indicates a comparison, considering, intentional gazing.
The word bless (barak, in Hebrew) is also the word used for knee or kneel. A blessing is something offered on bent knee, indicating reverence, or high regard for the one receiving the gift. Isn’t it amazing that our rescuer, our King, would bring us anything on bent knee? Further, those who see, will know that God has given something to His people on bent knee.
10 I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh, my soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
I will rejoice greatly (display joy, exult) in Yahweh, my soul will exult (be glad, tremble) in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation (deliverance, rescue), He has wrapped (covered, enveloped) me with a robe (garment signifying high rank, as of a king or priest) of righteousness (justice, straightness), as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
We will display our joy with all of our soul, everything we are and have. Our joy will be so great, we will tremble! For He replaces our prisoner’s clothes, our mourner’s sackcloth with garments, robes indicating high rank, of righteousness. Not just new clothes, but the best of clothes, for a special occasion.
11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, so the Master Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
For as the earth brings forth (to come out, by pressure) its sprouts, and as a garden (orchard, enclosure) causes (form of speech intensive action, causative action) the things sown in it to spring up (sprout), so the Master Yahweh will cause righteousness (straightness) and praise (raising hands toward something, to direct attention toward) to spring up (sprout) before (conspicuous, to the face of, in front of) all the nations (people of all nations).
Righteousness and praise will (and should) literally spring up and out from us. One of the words used here (yatsa) is also the word used to describe childbirth, and the bringing out of the Israelites from Eqypt. It indicates that the conditions create such pressure, that the thing is pushed out by force. It literally pops out.
When I married, we spent our honeymoon in Hawaii. If you’ve ever been there, or some place similarly tropical, you have seen the lush landscape. Plantlife just springs forth out of the ground. On a kayakking/hiking tour we went on through the Wailua River, we noticed something incredible on the side of the trail. On a rock, there was a coconut that had fallen off of a tree and split open. Out of this coconut, on a rock, was the shoot of a coconut tree growing…On a Rock! The environment is so fertile, trees can grow on top of rocks! We were blown away!
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I reflect and consider how much righteousness and praise spring forth from me. I try. I try to maintain intimacy with Him. I try to allow Him to fill me. When I do truly let Him fill me up, I notice righteousness and praise pouring out. My desire, my goal, is to continue on. To daily, hourly, minute by minute, seek ways to remain in constant fellowship with Him. To rely on Him. To examine myself. To mourn. To lament. To cry out to Him. To rejoice. To receive His blessing. To wear His garments with joy. To be seen among the nations as His blessed offspring.
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Some questions for reflection:
- Do the nations recognize you as the blessed offspring?
- Is righteousness and praise springing up out of you? Are you cultivating the soil?
