BUILDING AND REPAIRING

"And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations." (Isaiah 61:4)The sixty first chapter of Isaiah announced the coming Messiah – "the Christ, the Son of the living God." The Spirit of God would be upon Him in an unprecedented way. He would not come to give a law, like Moses. Rather, He would come with a marvelous message – a message of liberty. He would be "anointed" to preach, or declare, "good tidings unto the meek." His would be a message that would make for gladness, rejoicing the heart. It would be for the "meek," who had been downtrodden. Other versions read "the poor" (NKJV), "the afflicted" (NASB), and "the oppressed" (NRSV). He would have a special ministry to "the brokenhearted," for He was "sent" to "bind up" their hearts, restoring and strengthening them. He would not come to engage in a military initiative to subdue oppressors, but to "proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." The Messiah would announce the time of Divine acceptance, when men would be righteously received by God Almighty. Those who mourned would be comforted (61:1-2).The Christ would also initiate an substitution program in which liabilities would be exchanged for spiritual assets. This exchange would be a Divine appointment, steadfast and sure, which could not be countermanded by the forces of darkness. How beautifully it is stated. "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" (61:3a). Those who had been bludgeoned by sin and dominated by death would be known as "trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified" (61:3b). How this message is needed in our day!When Jesus began His ministry, He returned to His home town, where the people were familiar with Him: "He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up." We are told it was His "custom" to enter the synagogue on the Sabbath day. If He were enfleshed among us today, there is no question where He would be on the Lord's day. On that particular Sabbath day, Jesus stood up to read the Scriptures. He was given the book of Isaiah. The passage He read was Isaiah 61. He was announcing His manifesto – what He had come to do. Following the reading, He closed the book and sat down. Then, with the eyes of all in the synagogue fastened upon Him, He said, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Lk 4:16-21). Thus His ministry began.The prophecy of Isaiah elaborated on the ministry of the Messiah – the One anointed by God to reclaim fallen man. His beneficent reign would be marked by recovery and rebuilding. There would be significant advancement where devastation had reigned. Thus we read, "They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations" (61:4, NIV).Sin had taken its toll on the "offspring of God." For most people, great proclamations of truth had been buried under the rubble of discouragement and decay. Only those who lived by faith thought about the time when the serpent's head would be crushed, or the world would be blessed. The nation God had chosen and cultured was described by God Himself as "a disobedient and gainsaying people" (Rom 10:21). Their worship had degenerated into a vain display of flesh, and had become a stench in the nostrils of God. He could not tolerate their religious gatherings any more (Isa 1:13).However, things would change when the Messiah came. Waste places would be built. Places that were long devastated would be restored. Ruined cities, although they had been dismantled for many generations, would be renewed. The Lord's Christ would induct an era of recovery0 The time of the Messiah has come! God "sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities" (Acts 3:26). The recovery program is under way! I do understand that it often appears as though this is not the case. Among professed believers, some are looking for a golden age to come – a time of recovery and building, so to speak. While there is something to be said for such a time, care must be taken not to "neglect so great salvation" that is currently in place (Heb 2:3). There is no reason or need for spiritual desolation and waste to be all about us! It is wholly unjustifiable for any professing believer to be living in spiritual squalor and defeat! Although such things are altogether too common, they ought not to exist.One of the reasons for the failure of professing believers to recover and rebuild their lives is their ignorance of the present ministry of Jesus. They have obtained a distorted view of Him as a super problem solver or hand holder. They do not know about taking the Kingdom by violence (Matt 11:12), being "built up" in Christ and "established in the faith" (Col 2:7). They have not heard words like, "building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 20). Nevertheless, these are the days when these things can be done! This is the day of salvation! Let it be announced with power, and let recovery be seen everywhere!– Given O. Blakely