Skip to main content

Oaks of righteousness

By
Isaiah 61:3 "......They will be called oaks of righteousness,
       a planting of the LORD
       for the display of his splendor."

Isn't this what you picture when you think of an old oak tree? Something stately. Strong. Tall. This is perfect for displaying His splendor.  Standing tall, providing shade and shelter.

This verse isn't referring to God's creation displaying His splendor, though.  It is referring to people.  Specific people.  Poor people.  Those who are brokenhearted.  Captives.  Prisoners. All who mourn and are grieved.

Those people are hardly an example of the image of a strong, tall oak.  It seems unlikely that they would be the display of God's splendor. They suffer great loss, are in great physical pain, have few material possessions or are very ill. But.....Jesus came....

Isaiah 61:1-3 "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
       because the LORD has anointed me
       to preach good news to the poor.
       He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
       to proclaim freedom for the captives
       and release from darkness for the prisoners, [a]
 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
       and the day of vengeance of our God,
       to comfort all who mourn,
 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
       to bestow on them a crown of beauty
       instead of ashes,
       the oil of gladness
       instead of mourning,
       and a garment of praise
       instead of a spirit of despair.
       They will be called oaks of righteousness,
       a planting of the LORD
       for the display of his splendor."

This passage announces that these are the very people for whom Jesus came and God will bestow a "crown of beauty", "oil of gladness", and a "garment of praise".  If you know any of these people, they are easily recognizable.  God's hand is truly on them.   The phrase "oak of righteousness" fits them perfectly.  They proudly display God's splendor, usually through their actions and not necessarily in words.

I like the phrase.  It conjures a feeling of safety, strength, beauty.  I know some "Oaks of Righteousness".  They display courage, strength, righteousness.  I thank God for them.

Dear Jesus, thank you for coming to restore sight to the blind, release the captives, comfort those who mourn and grieve.  Thank you also for using these people to display Your splendor. It opens our eyes to hope in You.  Amen.
Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 11, 2010 at 7:17 AM

    The Oak Tree
    by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr

    A mighty wind blew night and day
    It stole the oak tree's leaves away
    Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark
    Until the oak was tired and stark

    But still the oak tree held its ground
    While other trees fell all around
    The weary wind gave up and spoke.
    How can you still be standing Oak?

    The oak tree said, I know that you
    Can break each branch of mine in two
    Carry every leaf away
    Shake my limbs, and make me sway

    But I have roots stretched in the earth
    Growing stronger since my birth
    You'll never touch them, for you see
    They are the deepest part of me

    Until today, I wasn't sure
    Of just how much I could endure
    But now I've found, with thanks to you
    I'm stronger than I ever knew.

    So you see the beautiful picture does not reflect what the oak tree had to endure to become that stately display of God's splendor. The day is coming for the poor, weak, and meek. But first the storms of life must come. Lord help our roots grow deep and strong. -DE

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jesus is calling or.... Is Jesus calling?

By
Jesus is calling.   We know that from scripture and we know that from personal experience.  We all at one point on another felt that something was missing in our lives.  We meet someone, fall in love, and, for a time, feel complete . Then after marriage, we decide that maybe children would make us complete, then we'd be satisfied.  but soon we find that we still need more. Maybe a bigger house, maybe a better car, maybe a better or different job, maybe... maybe... maybe.  Many people try drugs or alcohol  Some try sex or pornography.  Gambling.  An endless number of vices are available.  I firmly believe that all that searching for the THING that will make us feel complete, whole, satisfied, is Christ.  Now before you think that I'm saying that people with addiction problems can find Jesus and their addiction problems will go away, or their lust for another will dissolve, or their desire for a bigger whatever will go away....
1 comment
Read more

Doing the right thing

By
Queen Vashti Ever heard of her?  Probably not. She's the queen who was ousted and replaced by Queen Esther, from the Old Testament book of Esther .  While Queen Esther is honored when she did the right thing for such a time as this, Vashti, who also did the right thing is left to rot. Here's the story.  Her husband, the king, had a great feast that lasted for days after he'd been showing off all his wealth for months and months.  Late in this great feast full of drunken men, the king wanted his beautiful wife, Queen Vashti, to parade in front of his drunken guests, wearing only her crown. Queen Vashti had her own party for the women, knew what the men were doing and what her husband was asking her to do, and chose to do the right thing by declining the invitation. Except in those days, when the king suggested you do something, it was really a command.  By refusing to expose herself to the drunk mob of men, she exposed herself to condemnation.  Which is ...
Post a Comment
Read more

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace....

By
Daniel has some of the most amazing stories in the Bible. They have very eye-popping visual images. This is one of those.  Chapter 3 tells of three people who were taken captive to Babylon where they (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) were commanded to bow down to the giant gold statue that Nebuchadnezzar had built. They were to bow to it.....or be thrown into the blazing furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not..... something about the second commandment. ( Exodus 20:4-6 " You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments .) When confronted with death by blazing furnace, or life bowing to a gold statue, th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus - sending 72

By
Luke 10:21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit , said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. Luke 9 starts with Jesus sending out the twelve disciples, in twos, to preach the gospel and to heal.  This chapter ends, after much success by the disciples, with Jesus warning them of the cost of following Jesus.  Chapter 10 begins with Jesus c hoosing and sending another 72 "others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go..." (I don't remember ever noticing this group of 72!)  Verse 17 " The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."     Jesus told them in verse 20 "....However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in hea...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Bad Witness Can't Speak?

By
Mark 1:32 - 35   32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.  Jesus had followers, groupies, people who followed because they were curious or because they needed what Jesus offered.  His disciples, at least some of them, knew who Jesus was, the Son of God, part of God Himself. His disciples and some followers knew this because of what they'd witnessed Jesus do and say.  The demons seemed to know before any of that. Jesus prevented them from speaking - " but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was." This appears to be early in Jesus ministry.  Recorded in the first chapter of Mark, He's preventing the demons from speaking because they knew who He was.  Why? Why prevent them from t...
Read more

Put to death ... your earthly nature

By
Colossians 3:5 put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature.... The rest of the passage lists some of the "earthly nature" that the people from the church in Colosse were dealing with: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Of course the earthly nature is our sinful nature. We can blame it on Adam and Eve but we are no better. If they hadn't fallen, we would have. The "earthly nature" mentioned by Paul is not exactly the earthly nature I need to put to death. I do have an "earthly nature". Pride. Disobedience. Laziness. Distrust. Gluttony. I am not always righteous, upright, and God-centered as I should be. Actually, I may not even be God-centered most of the time. A God-centered nature would crowd out the earthly natures in me. I wouldn't feel lost, broken, dissatisfied if I were able to focus more on what God wants and less on what I think I want. A person could tell immediately how I differ fr...
Post a Comment
Read more

King Asa & his grandmother

By
King Asa's story is told in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles.  He was one of the "good" kings because he did follow and obey God at least more than many others.  One item that I found interesting about his story is that he took the title of Queen Mother away from his grandmother, Maacah, because she made "a repulsive Asherah pole". 1 Kings 15:13 and 2 Chronicles 15:16 say almost the same thing: "K in g Asa also deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down, broke it up and burned it in the Kidron Valley." This story is an indication what is expected of us. We are to do what is right  - in the sight of the Lord - even if it gets us in trouble with our family, even a beloved grandmother. I don't see anything in the Bible that says that King Asa loved his grandmother. I am reflecting my experience into this story.  I LOVED my grandma.  To depose or oppose her would ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

He must become greater....

By
http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/worryfea/pride5.htm John 3:30 says "He [Jesus] must become greater; I must become less."  This quote is from John the Baptist.  I don't ever remember hearing this verse or seeing this verse anywhere, like on wall hangings, coffee mugs, book marks and the like. I'm guessing it isn't a very popular verse.  We like Bible verses that make us feel good or profess our faith.  We don't much like the ones that call us on the carpet! And this one does. We often put ourselves first, as one greater than Christ. We want the worship service to fill us, the music to lift us, our prayers to grant us whatever we want/need.  This verse gives us the equation that sums up what our purpose is.  We are to increasingly make Christ bigger in our lives and make ourselves smaller in comparison.  We are to spend more and more time, money, brain power, activity on Christ and His work. AND we are supposed to spend more and more shrinki...
Post a Comment
Read more

Zephaniah

By
Have you read Zephaniah, the book of the Bible?  Zephaniah was a prophet. A tough job when the Israelites spent more time rebelling against God than listening to their prophets. It is a very short book, having only three chapters. Much is spent on warning about the coming "day of the Lord" when there will be destruction and God's wrath poured out. This is a hard thing for me to grasp. The God of the New Testament is so full of love that all the talk of wrath and destruction seems so out of character. I want to think about some of the passages and see if I can find hope and Jesus in this hard book. After introducing Zephaniah and his reason for speaking ( "1:1 The word of the Lord ...came to Zephaniah... ) it quickly gets into the heart of the matter. (Zeph 1:2-3): "I will sweep away everything        from the face of the earth,"        declares the LORD.  "I will sweep away both men and animals;   ...
Post a Comment
Read more