The prophet speaks in regard to the restoration of Zion. Jesus will use these same words regarding his mission in Luke 4:18. He announces a “year of favor”, a day of vindication, the time of God’s salvation. Upon reconstruction new Jerusalem will be a new state of happiness. Let the work begin! In a dramatic dialogue between God and the prophet, the Lord is portrayed as the sole avenger of justice against his enemies. A prayer follows in which the prophet recalls God’s blessings on Israel in its past history and then asks for rescue of his people, not from their enemies, but from themselves. Recalling the blessings on Israel, in particular, the Exodus, seems to be at the beginning of every Hebrew prayer. What a wonderful habit – to begin every prayer with blessed events that we should never forget. On the other hand, how do we remember those events that are so horrible that we do not want them to happen ever again? This seems to be the task of the poets and songwriters in their musical version of sacred scripture. Ever heard the song Mathew and James by Michael Gott?
The prophet speaks in regard to the restoration of Zion. Jesus will use these same words regarding his mission in Luke 4:18. He announces a “year of favor”, a day of vindication, the time of God’s salvation. Upon reconstruction new Jerusalem will be a new state of happiness. Let the work begin! In a dramatic dialogue between God and the prophet, the Lord is portrayed as the sole avenger of justice against his enemies. A prayer follows in which the prophet recalls God’s blessings on Israel in its past history and then asks for rescue of his people, not from their enemies, but from themselves. Recalling the blessings on Israel, in particular, the Exodus, seems to be at the beginning of every Hebrew prayer. What a wonderful habit – to begin every prayer with blessed events that we should never forget. On the other hand, how do we remember those events that are so horrible that we do not want them to happen ever again? This seems to be the task of the poets and songwriters in their musical version of sacred scripture. Ever heard the song Mathew and James by Michael Gott?
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