01/02/2018
____________________________________________________________________________________
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. – Isaiah 61:3
When I was raising my family, Saturdays meant taking any extra eggs I had gathered throughout the week and trading them with the local grocer for cereal, raisins, or a ham product called “sweet morsel.” The children especially liked the sweet morsel because it was different from our everyday meats we raised on the farm. Several of them thought it was much better than the eggs we had traded to get it.
Over the years we traded other things: a milk cow for a horse, alfalfa bales for straw, bundles of cattails (from the swamp) for peacock feathers, clover seed for soybeans, and even a day’s work in the field for help with a cattle drive. Every trade involved trying to exchange things of equal value. We wanted to make sure that what we gave up was at least as good as what we were getting. In only a few incidents did we think we received the better deal, as with the sweet morsel.
In today’s focus verse, the prophet Isaiah was describing the special benefits of the Jewish Year of Jubilee, and also foretelling Christ’s mission (see Luke 4:18). This is still a beautiful promise for people today because it shows that in God’s economy we can trade something worthless for the invaluable gifts of God. By embracing the Gospel, we can have beauty instead of the destructions of sin, lasting joy instead of sorrow, and praise for all God has done instead of a feeling of hopelessness. Those who know and love the Lord attest that He can do this and so much more.
Our family enjoys reminiscing about sweet morsel and other fond memories, but it is so much better to reminisce about the blessings God has given! Truly, the best things we have are all gifts from Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment