The Good News of Isaiah 61:5-6 = Harmony and Prosperity

The Good News of Isaiah 61:5-6 = Harmony and Prosperity.

“Strangers will come from all over the nations to be your servants, to feed your flocks, to plow your fields, and tend your vineyards; But you will be called “Priests of the Lord” and honored as ministers in the service of God, as “Attending Servants of our God.” You will feed on the strength and treasure of the nations around you, and revel in their riches.” (Isaiah 61:5-6).

Harmony. One glorious aspect of the eventual rebuilt ruins will be that the Gentiles and the Jews would be united and harmonious. Those who were once estranged in the Faith, separated by belief and geography, will join together in the one promised land and all will flourish together. All those Gentiles who have come to faith in Messiah Jesus will join forces with the children of Israel, and in the messianic era all the redeemed will become a part of the destiny of God’s chosen people. “Faith eliminates the distinction between Jew and non-Jew, for He is the same Lord for all people. And He has enough treasures to lavish generously upon all who call on Him… For God will bring all of Israel to salvation!” (Romans 10:12, and 11:26).

“Priests of the Lord.” When the final restoration occurs through the Messiah Jesus, the people of God will have finally reached their destiny as “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Ex. 19:6). Believers in Christ, the Anointed One, will themselves be anointed as priests as Peter said 1 Peter 2:5 and 9, “… built up as a spiritual  house into a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Messiah… For you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Or as John declared twice in his vision of our destiny as believers in which he called us a “kingdom of priests to His God and Father” (Revelation 1:6 and 5:10).

Priests-in-Training. What does our priesthood in Christ look like right now on this side of the pearly gates? Since ‘Christ’ means “Anointed One,” then it follows that “Christian” means “anointed ones.” All who follow Jesus are anointed ones who are hidden “in” Christ the Anointed One. All Christian believers who are “inside” Jesus share His anointing and partake of His nature. We are anointed by the Spirit of the Holy One, and are what C. S. Lewis called “little Christs,” or little anointed ones. Our identity as anointed ones enable us to assume the roles of little prophet, little priest, and little king, miniature versions of those three roles, as we live into our identity as Christ-followers. “You have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit], and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from error] … This anointing you received from God remains permanently in you so then you have no need for anyone to be teaching you these deceptions. His anointing teaches everything you need to know, for the anointing will continue to lead you into truth, not falsehood. So just as your anointing has taught you, abide in Him and remain rooted in Him.” (1 John 2:20, 27, Amplified Bible).

The Christian Believer as a Little Priest.  Each believer is called to be a priestly assistant, an attending servant of God, as we devote ourselves to the High Priest. How can we flesh out our place in the ‘priesthood of believers?’

1. Be an Intercessor. If there is one word that would summarize the role of the priest, it would be intercessor. Help meet the spiritual needs of others by bringing God to them, representing the presence of God, by demonstrating God’s character to others so they know what God looks like and what kind of character God has. Help maintain God’s connection to people through Scripture, wise counsel and holy living. And then through more direct intercession, bring others to God. Let the incense burn so that the smoke and fragrance go straight to heaven in our prayers for the people we know, or don’t know. Our effectiveness in the priesthood is heavily dependent on our disciplined prayer life.
2. Offer Ourselves Daily as a Living Sacrifice. Read God’s mind by studying the Bible; minister to “one another” in God’s name; offer up sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving; live a life of self-denial as we pick up your cross daily. “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:1-2). The priests back in Moses’ system offered up lots of sacrifices that involved animals, grain, etc., but we priests following Jesus simply offer up ourselves.
3. Lead the Worship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. An often overlooked and underappreciated responsibility of the priest is to lead the way into worship through singing praises, and playing instruments, and dancing in joy to the praise of God. Priests were known to sing a “weapon song” as they led the troops into battle. Consider the method of fighting by king Jehoshaphat, placing a long line of singing priests on the front lines of what looked like an impossible battle with a completely overpowering enemy. “And the prophet Jahaziel said, ‘Listen, all Judah and you citizens of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat! Yahweh says this to you, ‘Do not be afraid, do not be daunted by this vast horde, for the war is not your affair but God’s. Go down against them tomorrow. You will not need to fight in this battle. Take up your position, stand firm, and see what salvation Yahweh has in store for you. Judah and Jerusalem! Be fearless, be dauntless; march out against them tomorrow and Yahweh will be with you.’ Then, having conferred with the people, Jehoshaphat appointed Levitical singers who were to praise Yahweh and go out ahead of the army in sacred vestments, singing, ‘Praise Yahweh, for his faithful love endures forever!’ The moment they began their shouts of praise, Yahweh sprang ambushes on all who were invading Judah, and that was the end of them.”  (2 Chronicles 18:18 and 20:15-17, 22, NJB).

Surrounded ( Fight My Battles ) – UPPERROOM

Prosperity of God’s People. In the complete restoration prophesied by Isaiah, the messianic era will result in all the resources of the world being used to benefit everyone and enable all people to flourish according to God’s will. All the strengths of the nations will be used to support God’s Kingdom. All the treasures of the world will serve God’s purposes. All the abundance, spiritual and otherwise, will be enjoyed as a blessing from the Lord and will demonstrate the faithfulness and mercies of God. In the full reconciliation of the world, or as Peter called it in Acts 3:4, “the universal restoration,” all people will understand that God is truly all in all and the source of all the “wealth of the nations.”

“In all His wisdom and insight, He has made known to us His secret plan, the mystery at the center of His will. With immense pleasure, He designed His intentions with Christ that will be put into effect when the time is ripe – His plan to bring unity to all things under Christ, when all things are brought together, placing everything in heaven and on earth under the Messiah’s headship.” (Ephesians 1:9-10).