if the plant grows well and produces some nice fruit. On a much larger scale, God is glorified when He
"plants" us as "trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified" (Isaiah 61:3).
(Today's Scripture readings: Isaiah 61:1-62:12; Psalm 115:9-13; Proverbs 26:24-26; Ephesians 6:1-24)
Isaiah chapter 61, begins with the proclamation of "good tidings" by the Anointed One, Jesus Christ. He says the Eternal has anointed Him to preach, to heal, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison, to comfort, to console, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy, and to replace the spirit of heaviness with the garment of praise. (How wonderful to be on the receiving end!) "That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified" (v.3). God is so "positive"--so upbeat, He wants to give us so much! We find the words rebuild, raise up, and repair, as we continue. We read about shame being replaced with honor, and confusion changed to rejoicing (v.7). God follows these "good tidings" with this explanation, "For I, the Lord, love justice . . .I will direct their work in truth" (v.8). (I might ask myself whether these same words describe my mode of operation.)
"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness" (v.10) (Praise the Lord!). It is no wonder that these tidings are called "good", as is the "gospel", which literally means "good news"! It's may be difficult to comprehend that God rejoices over us, but that's what we are told in Isaiah 62:5. "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Surely your salvation is coming; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.' And they shall call them The Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord" (v. 11). (In certain scriptures we may not be clear on whether God is speaking to ancient Israel or to us. However, the Psalmist helps clear this up in Psalm 115:13, "He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great". It does not hinge on who we are, but its all about God's love for us--for the whole world (John 3:16) and our attitude toward Him.
Human nature has not changed. Solomon writes that, "(She) who hates, disguises it with (her) lips, and lays up deceit within (herself)" (Proverbs 26:24). It's no different today and I need to consider if I am guilty of this very thing. The writer goes on to say, "When (she) speaks kindly, do not believe (her), for there are seven abominations in (her) heart" (v.25). In verse 26, we are cautioned: "Though (her) hatred is covered by deceit, (her) wickedness will be revealed before the assembly". (As a woman, I find it more personal to use the female pronouns in verses like these.)
Ephesians reiterates the principle that it doesn't matter who we are. Paul addresses children, fathers, bondservants, masters, and brethren. He reminds us that our conflicts do not originate with our flesh and blood relationships, but our battles are "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). God does not leave us defenseless! Nor does he leave us to come up with our armor and battle plan. Even as King Saul gave David his armor to use in the battle against Goliath, God offers the believer His armor to fight against the evil one!
After naming each item of "armor"--the helmet of salvation, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and our feet shod with "the preparation of the gospel of peace" (v.14). He then says above everything else to take the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit--the word of God. We are told to "take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day". Then----"having done all, to stand" (v. 13). And again: "Stand therefore" (v.14). He goes on to add "praying always" and "being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (v. 18). Do we have on our armor and are we following God's instructions? What a blessing to be "planted" by God!
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