Isaiah 61:7 Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. (ESV)
Context: Isaiah 61:6 but you shall be called the priests of the LORD; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. Isaiah 61:8 For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
From the lexicon: Shame=humiliation. Dishonor=reproach. Rejoice=shout for joy
Pulling it together: Isaiah 61:7 and the surrounding verses speak of a time coming when all Israel will turn to the Lord and be restored. No longer will there be a reproach upon them. Their enemies will be defeated, and they shall have joy in the presence of God. This speaks of a time when Jesus returns to this earth and sets up His kingdom and judges the nations.
However, these verses are not for Israel alone. As the prophecy states that the people of restored Israel will be called the priests of God so, we who are believers are designated as that in this time period according to 1 Peter 2:9. As God’s visible kingdom is to come, so His spiritual kingdom is present today. Believers are His representatives as priests to bring men to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20 calls us His ambassadors commissioned to bring reconciliation to God through Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 61:7 reminds us that Jesus is coming. This world order will come to an end. Judgment is coming, but until then God’s Church has a job to do: faithfully proclaim the message of the Cross.
Lord, I pray for grace to not be overwhelmed by the things of this world, but to look to Your coming and to proclaim Your Good News.