Posts Tagged ‘restoration’
Scripture reading for February 10: Leviticus 24-27
In our culture, Golden anniversaries are special. When a couple has been together 50 years there is always a celebration! God also uses the 50th year as a special year, calling it the year of Jubilee! It was a year of freedom and restoration for all of God’s people. On the 50th year, debts were to be forgiven and property that was taken or bought from the original owner was restored. On this year, no one was to work the land. The land would be left to rest and whatever grew without any human effort was to be used for food for the people. It was a blessed time that the people looked forward to. It pictured the reign of Messiah, when he would come and restore the fortunes and possessions of his people and vanquish their enemies.
The Jubilee was the culmination of 7 periods of 7 years. After 6 years, the Israelites were to rest their land for a year. God promised to provide enough for them in the 6th year to carry them through until the harvest of the 8th year. There were to be 7 cycles of 7 years and following the 49th year, on the Day of Atonement, the priests were to sound the trumpet and announce the beginning of the Year of Jubilee! (Leviticus 25:8-10) What a joyous occasion! God giving us a picture of his amazing restoration and rule of grace!
The problem was that the Israelites never took the Sabbath years every 7th year and they never did have a Year of Jubilee. They knew about it because of Leviticus but failed to do what God asked. When we fail to obey, God always has His way. The Israelites went for 7o years of captivity in Babylon so that the land where they had lived and neglected God’s command could have it’s rest! (2nd Chronicles 36:20-21)
In the New Testament we find the Jubilee in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 4, verses 18-19. Jesus announced his calling and ministry by reading from Isaiah 61:1-2. The proclamation of the “year of the Lord’s favor” was a reference to “Jubilee”! Jesus is our Jubilee! In Him, we have restoration and a return of our stolen property. God wants us to find our food, fulfillment, and blessing from His grace, not our own efforts! Jubilee is a picture of Jesus’ provision for every person who trusts in Him by faith!
Scripture reading for September 21st: Micah 3-5
The false prophets of Micah’s day were in business for the money. If you fed them, then they would give you a good word. If you did not, then they were against you! (Micah 3:6) God promised that these false prophets would enter a time of darkness where God would not answer them. He likened them to fortune tellers who gave readings for money! (Micah 3:11) They claimed to speak for the Lord and prophesied peace because God was in the midst of His people.
Micah, on the other hand, was filled with the Spirit of the Lord and power. He was motivated to stand for justice and truth and declared plainly to Israel and Judah their sins. “But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin.” (Micah 3:8) He plainly rebuked Israel for distorting truth and despising justice. He laid out a case against Judah for bloodshed and wickedness, bribery and money grabbing religion. The result was God’s judgment on the land and the destruction of Jerusalem. Micah was declaring the true fortune of the people who were in sin and rebelling against God.
Micah also declared the future state of Jerusalem after the time of exile. “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob. He will teach us his ways , so that we may walk in his paths.” God has plans for Jerusalem in the future. It will be established as the central site of God’s rule in the last days. God’s law and word will go out from there and God will judge between many peoples and establish a reign of peace.
The one who would bring this peace would be born in Bethlehem from the tribe of Judah! (Micah 5:2) This ruler would have origins from ancient times. He would shepherd the flock in God’s strength and His greatness would go to the ends of the earth! Micah was prophesying the future plans of God for rulership of the earth under Jesus Christ! Now that’s real fortune telling!
Scripture reading for June 19th: Psalms 78-83
“Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.” (Psalm 80:3,7,19)
The psalmist begins by addressing God as the “Shepherd of Israel”. (Psalm 80:1) It is interesting that a shepherd is one of the metaphors used to help the Israelites understand God’s relationship to them. Lots of the leaders of Israel were shepherds and understood what it meant to care for sheep. Included in this group were Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. Sheep were easily led astray and distracted. They needed a watchful shepherd to keep an eye on them. Sheep were easy prey for predators and could quickly be cornered and devoured by wolves or lions for a tasty meal.
The psalmist appeals to God to “make His face shine on them”. God’s smile and watchful eye was a comfort to those who were under His care. The Aaronic blessing found in Numbers 6:24-27 was spoken over the Israelites as a covenant blessing reminder of God’s smiling face. It is God’s presence that brings us confidence and peace in the presence of enemies. God’s smile tells us of His love and mercy and brings hope.
Since sheep are defenseless, they need saving. The cry for salvation is for the protection from enemies, but goes further than that. Sheep sometimes turn away from their shepherd and are their own enemy. They need saved from themselves and their tendency to wander.
“Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself. They will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.” (Psalm 80:17-18)
The psalmist appeals to God for salvation to come through a “son of man” that God would raise up. This man was at the Father’s right hand. This could be none other than Jesus Christ! He is now seated at God’s right hand and is interceding for us. God raised Him from the dead, that we might be revived to eternal life from our dead state! All who call on His name, the Name of Jesus, will be saved! No one who calls on Him will ever be ashamed! This Jesus is the “Good Shepherd” who can smile on us for eternity and restore us to right relation to God!
Scripture reading for July 31st: Isaiah 49-51
“This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “(Isaiah 49:8-9)
These next chapters of Isaiah tell of the “servant” of the Lord that will come to bring the promised comfort, salvation, and deliverance to God’s people. God’s Word is very clear about the plans of the Lord to bring a deliverer. Isaiah has already said that “Immanuel” would be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14) In Isaiah 9:5-6 He would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, and Prince of peace! His government would be without end! In Isaiah 49:5-6 God tells how He will form this servant in the womb. This servant will bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel. Then God says that He will also make this servant a light for the Gentiles and bring His salvation to the ends of the earth! The story is so plain now in light of the life of Jesus Christ and all the prophecies that He fulfilled and the mission of His church!
God has a “time of favor” when His salvation is available to all who will avail themselves of it! This time began when Jesus Christ announced His mission with a quote from Isaiah in Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Isaiah 61:1-2) Notice how similar this quote is to our text for today’s devotion! Jesus Christ announced His ministry of preaching, healing and deliverance to those in His home town of Nazareth. They did not receive the message with the joy that was expected, however. Those in the synagogue became furious and tried to throw Jesus off the brow of a steep cliff! Not everyone responds to a “time of favor”.
In fact, the “time of favor” referred to the year of Jubilee during which every Israelite would have his inheritance restored! If they had lost property through neglect or illness or bad business dealings, the property was to be restored and the inheritance was to be put back together. It would be a joyous time of healing and restoration on the 50th years! (Leviticus 25:8-13) Jesus Christ was stating that He was their ‘Jubilee’!
Today we live in the “time of His favor” with promise of healing and restoration! Be sure to thank the Lord for what He has done in Jesus Christ! Share this good news with someone who needs favor today!