Oak of Mamre old view, near Hebron, Palestine. Created by De Bar, published 1882
Isaiah 61
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim 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[blind]
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 joy
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.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 “For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”
10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.
A long time ago, we had a home in our neighborhood, a colonial with blue shutters and shake wooden roof. Above the house was an amazing giant of an American Elm. The great tree was almost a Sequoia with a base of at least a six foot diameter. It made the house have a hidden and majestic quality. The neighbors agreed it was a delight to see when you turned into the main street. One day there was a ferocious roar and a team worked for two days to cut down the tree. The new owner of the house proclaimed the healthy tree to be too big and dangerous. One of the cutters told him the tree was older than the Declaration of Independence, it was a shame the tree had not been in the Dallas Arboretum.
The owner was amazed the neighbors were not pleased. He said he had to protect the shake roof. Unfortunately for him, a huge wind came up and destroyed the roof later in the year and the insurance would not pay to replace the shake roof. He was rather horrified and said he'd bought the house for the unusual roof. If the tree had been there to shelter the roof.....
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
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.
Now this is a true analogy. Stories in the Scriptures repeat and repeat. Abraham traveled a long way to dwell in the land promised to him. After a long journey, these Oaks were an oasis, and called the Oaks of Mamre
Genesis 13:18
So Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the LORD.
Genesis 18:1
The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.
Genesis 12:3
"I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
How long did Abraham and his children look forward to the Oaks of Mamre being home? And what happened to this blessing?
Genesis 35:27
Jacob came home to his father Isaac in Mamre, near Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.
Isaiah knew of Abraham's Mamre Oaks. The Oaks of Righteousness. Because for millenniums Oaks were reseeded to keep Abraham's Oak Grove going. Hebron, the city of Sarah and Abraham is also known for their venerated graves. The Tomb of the Patriarchs, in Hebron.
God rejoices in HIS creation. The Cedars built the Temple.
Psalm 29:5
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
Psalm 80:10
The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.
Psalm 104:16
The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
Queen Victoria planted this area of the forest and built the wall.
Isaiah also gives us a theme for the city in which he dwells, Jerusalem.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
David worked for 22 year without any apparent vision of success other than an anointing of God. Upon Saul's death, a concubine's son was crowned. And still David believed. Upon being crowned later, David, of the Tribe of Judah, decided to move the capital from Shiloh to Jerusalem. All the way back to Joshua, who succeeded Moses, the Tribe of Judah had been unable to claim the area around Jerusalem. This is why Jerusalem is called the City of David.
Isaiah knew of these blessings through Hezekiah, who inherited the promises of David (if you look at the genealogy of Jesus, you will see Jesus claims both Hezekiah and Abraham). Hezekiah had a very practical father, King Ahaz. Ahaz was busy in his reign directing nature worship on the hills. All very poetic to be sure. Howeever Ahaz was hoping for the Temple, with the great trees, and then gold over the entire Temple, to be forgotten and broken into bits to keep the Assyrian army at bay. Hezekiah started with this practicality, and later listened to Isaiah to have the greatest reign in Israel after Solomon. His people were the only, in all of the Old or New Testament, who flocked to give to the LORD until they were asked to quit giving.
I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.
Father God, we ask to participate in the blessing you gave Abraham. We ask to be blessed and to be a blessing in return. When life gives us cursing, give us the power to discern if we are to rebuke that evil will flee or to wait patiently upon You. Give us the ability to be peacemakers and the ability to turn and depart. Let us remember to see with Your eyes mercy and Love. We thank you for the good news of Jesus Christ, healing the broken hearted, a crown of beauty, joy and the ability to have a heart for praise. Help us to grow into Oaks of Righteousness, bringing further Good News of the Love You give us. We would like to be the people You have blessed. In the Highest Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
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