QT 04/05/2025 Sun. Isaiah 61. Cast Away Forever? No. 永远被抛弃？不是.
QT 04/05/2025 Sun. Isaiah 61. Cast Away Forever? No.
READ http://www.esv.org/isaiah61
The city of God will enjoy God’s blessings (Isaiah 60) and this would be made possible by the One who will bring that to pass (Isaiah 61). If you thought that you were reading from Luke 4 instead, it is understandable.
Isaiah 61:1–2 The Year of the LORD’s Favor
[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;
[2] to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn; (ESV)
As one of the famous passages quoted by Jesus, the prophet looked to the future to comfort his audience. The reason for this was the reversals and repairs that the LORD would do through His Spirit empowered Servant.
The prophet contrasted the good news with the poor, binding up for the brokenhearted and liberty to captives. Strangers would become friends (61:5–7) and be blessed by them in many ways. More importantly, the LORD would grant favour for the mourning (61:2).
We are thankful that in Jesus Christ, this future foretold by the prophet had been fulfill to a big extent. By quoting Isaiah 61:1–2a directly, Jesus adopted this as His manifesto and life mission.
REFLECTION: Are you oppressed, one way or another? Let it be a source of comfort that the prophet says that the oppressor would one day get what he or she deserves in view of the “vengeance of our God” (61:2). Do you trust the promises here given by the prophet and move on?
While sinners mourn and grief over the punishment bestowed by the righteous and Holy God against the supposed worshippers, they need not fear that the status had gone beyond irreparable. They are not cast away forever. This is because the LORD had declared the year of the LORD’s favour.
QUESTION: How can a Holy God even be reconciled with punished sinners?
The inclination of sinners to continue to sin in after the appropriate punishment is no surprise to anyone. But due to the work of the “anointed me” (61:1), His people need not continue to live in fear after they have repented of their sin.
APPLICATION: Sin and death have been defeated by Jesus Christ through His death on the cross. Liberty to captives can become a reality because the sting of death had finally been dulled and defeated. Hopefulness of worshippers for what the future might entail must now be inclined towards anticipation and awe. Seize this opportunity before this window closes, again.
QT 04/05/2025 星期日. 以赛亚书 61 永远被抛弃？不是.
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/isa/61
上帝之城将享受上帝的祝福（以赛亚书第 60 章），而实现这一切的将是上帝所委托的受膏者（以赛亚书第 61 章）。如果你以为你读的是路加福音第四章，那是可以理解的。
以赛亚书 61:1-2 耶和华的恩惠年
1 主耶和华的灵在我身上，因为耶和华膏了我，叫我传福音给困苦的人；差遣我去医治伤心的人，向被掳的宣告自由，向被囚的宣告释放；2宣告耶和华悦纳人的禧年，和我们的 神报仇的日子；安慰悲哀的人，
作为耶稣引用的著名经文之一，先知展望未来以安慰听众。其原因是耶和华将通过祂圣灵所赐的仆人所做的逆转和修复。
先知将好消息与穷人、心碎者的捆绑和被掳者的自由作了对比。陌生人将成为朋友（61:5-7），并在许多方面受到他们的帮助。更重要的是，耶和华会眷顾哀伤的人（61：2）。
我们感谢耶稣基督，先知所预言的未来已经在很大程度上实现了。耶稣直接引用以赛亚书 61：1-2a，将其作为自己的宣言和人生使命。
反思：你是否受到这样或那样的压迫？先知说，鉴于“我们的 神报仇”（61:2），压迫者终有一天会得到他或她应得的报应，这让你感到欣慰。你是否相信先知在此给出的承诺并继续前行？
当罪人为公义、圣洁的上帝对所谓的崇拜者的惩罚而悲痛欲绝时，他们不必担心这种状况已经无法挽回。他们并没有被永远抛弃。这是因为耶和华已经宣布了耶和华的禧年。
问题：圣洁的上帝怎能与受惩罚的罪人和好？
罪人在受到适当的惩罚之后仍有继续犯罪的倾向，这对任何人来说都不足为奇。但是，由于“受膏者”（61:1）的工作，祂的子民在悔改之后就不必继续生活在恐惧之中了。
应用：耶稣基督通过在十字架上的死战胜了罪和死亡。被掳之人的自由可以成为现实，因为死亡的刺终于被磨灭和击败了。敬拜者对未来可能带来的希望现在必须倾向于期待和敬畏。在这扇窗再次关闭之前，抓住这个机会。
