Beauty to Behold

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. - Isaiah 61:1-3 (NKJV)

The Word of God offers us vivid word pictures painted with imagery and descriptions that touch our very hearts as we hear them read aloud. His Word offers us an explosive collision of senses and emotions as He describes the coming of the Savior in Isaiah's prophecy.  Yet, look deeply at what the Lord says through this man of God.

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me...
It is as if the Spirit of the Lord is a fragrant oil or balm that is ceremoniously anointed upon the head.  It reads almost like Psalm 133:2 where it speaks of the pleasantness and joy of unity among the brothers: It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard.  The imagery of the oil comes up again where the prophecy speaks of oil of joy for mourning.  The oil serves as an ointment, and if it is oil of joy, it should help and aid us to deal with and heal from our mourning.

To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion. . .
The prophecy speaks clearly about comforting and consoling all who mourn and those who mourn.  The prophecy has something special for those dealing with mourning.

• beauty for ashes
• The oil of joy for mourning
• The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness

Just hear those words speak to your heart.  God doesn't just send us someone to "save" us and set things in order in Jesus Christ.  He sends someone who restores mankind into a refueled and refreshed fellowship with God the Father by faith and grace.   The words themselves paint the picture for us.

Ashes are usually a sign of mourning.  Job and David exemplified this as it was customary during a period of mourning.  Mourning? What was dead? We were dead, lost in the darkness of our own sin.  Oil was used to anoint for special purposes and to help purify and cleanse wounds.  How much did we need to become cleansed? His blood covers us and cleanses us, making what was once scarlet become as white as snow.  The garment of praise has been fitted for each believer.  It fits right over all of the stuff that seems to weigh us down and keep us from moving forward.  These garments allow us to become wrapped and clothedin the very praise that arises from within us due to God hearing our cry and plea.

Listen to the words.  Hear them speak to your heart.  Allow them to create new images in your mind.  Let them help you discover new ways to picture how much God loves you today.