“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened…” Luke 3:21
Dear Ones:
It is remarkable how many times authors of the New Testament writings refer to those of Isaiah. In particular, the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul used Isaiah’s words to reveal spiritual, life-giving truths to their hearers, but also, to confirm that which was, and is, the will of God. We see an example of this in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, where, in the context of ministry, and the grace of God, he writes: “For He (God) says, ‘I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I helped you: behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation.” (6:2) In the corresponding passage in Isaiah 49, we find the context to be somewhat the same as in the letter to the Corinthians. It is one of ministry, but a ministry to the entire world.
The story, and history, of Israel as a nation in the Bible, is given to us to understand how God can and will deal with men, especially those who truly seek Him. God reveals to us in His dealings with Israel just how far the sinful heart will take man without God. The story is one of misery, fruitlessness, desolation and destruction. Sin, like the devil, will result in primarily one end…disaster and death. That which is such a contrast are the gracious dealings by God with such a nation, in such need. In those dealings, over and over again, by His own initiative, He brings hope, life, and power to live. He satisfies the longing soul, provides the comfort of heart and mind, for time and eternity, righting the wrongs of sin, cleansing, and setting the feet once more upon the Rock of the faithfulness of God. The question then becomes, realizing the realistic present effect of sin, selfishness, and the devil, what does God desire to do NOW? And is it time for Him to do it?
There were times in the history of Israel, when the consequences of her sin, and even her efforts to lift herself up again, blinded her to the mercy and grace of God. Isaiah writes: “But Zion said, ‘The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.” (49:14) In the book of Ezekiel, he writes, in referring to the “whole house of Israel,” “…behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.'” (37:11) It is to such an attitude of heart, and circumstance, that the Lord declares: “O My people…I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel….and shall put My Spirit in you, and you shall live.” (37:12,14) In Isaiah, the Lord’s words were to the nation, “…For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, SHALL EVEN NOW be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants.” (49:19) The point of this entire narrative of God’s dealings with Israel is that He is merciful, and intervenes, and that NOW IS THE TIME, the acceptable time for His intervention, and our response.
In Isaiah 61, and in Luke 4, we discover that these passages are saying the same thing, although written hundreds of years apart. They speak of the Spirit of God coming upon the Lord Jesus, anointing Him for the ministry of LIFE that He is to bring. The specifics of this declaration, in particular, when Jesus spoke these words in the local synagogue in Nazareth, were fulfilled that very day. In particular, his conclusion was two-fold. First, it pertained to the present moment, in declaring or preaching, “…the acceptable year of the Lord,” and then, “…THIS DAY is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.” (v.18,21) The question then becomes for us: “Do we believe that TODAY is the ACCEPTABLE TIME, for the realization of His will and promises?
Dear Father, give us grace not to “put off” believing Thee for the full realization of Thy will for us all. Give us to understand that the day of salvation, and every purpose that You desire to realize, is for us to believe fully, today, as we walk in fellowship with Thy Son. We thank and praise Thee, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad