Isaiah 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; Notice well the expression, "to proclaim, because a proclamation is the message of a king, and where the word of a king is there is power. The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to announce the will of the King of kings. Nor let it be forgotten that a proclamation must be treated with profound respect, not merely by receiving attention to its contents, but by gaining obedience to its demands. There are three points in the proclamation worthy of our best attention. I. JESUS PROCLAIMS THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD. There can be very little question that this relates to the jubilee year. The reason for all the jubilee blessings was found in the Lord. II. THE DAY OF VENGEANCE OF OUR GOD. 1. Whenever there is a day of mercy to those who believe, it is always a day of responsibility to those who reject it, and if they continue in that state it is a day of increased wrath to unbelievers. 2. Another meaning of the text comes out in the fact that there is appointed a day of vengeance for all the enemies of Christ, and this will happen in that bright future day for which we are looking. 3. However, I consider that the chief meaning of the text lies in this — that "the day of vengeance of our God" was that day when He made all the trangressions of His people to meet upon the head of our great Surety. Look at the instructive type by which this truth was taught to Israel of old. The year of jubilee began with the day of atonement. 4. The day of vengeance, then, is intimately connected with the year of acceptance; and mark, they must be so connected experimentally in the heart of all God's people by the teaching of the Holy Ghost, for whenever Christ comes to make us live, the law comes first to kill us. III. THE COMFORT FOR MOURNERS DERIVABLE FROM BOTH THESE THINGS. "To comfort all that mourn." Oh, ye mourners, what joy is here, joy because this is the year of acceptance, and in the year of acceptance, or jubilee, men were set free and their lands were restored without money. No man ever paid a penny of redemption money on the jubilee morning: every man was free simply because jubilee was proclaimed: no merit was demanded, no demur was offered, no delay allowed, no dispute permitted. Jubilee came, and the bondman was free. And now, to-day, whosoever believeth in Jesus is saved, pardoned, freed, without money, without merit, without preparation, simply because believeth. An equal joy-note rings out from the other sentence concerning the day of vengeance. I f the day of vengeance took place when our Lord died, then it is over. ( C. H. Spurgeon.) Parallel Verses KJV: To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; |
    |