Beauty for Ashes Part 1
This is the first part of a two-part talk given on 27th January 2023 which is Holocaust Memorial Day. This first part is a study of the Hebrew of the first three verses of Isaiah chapter 61. In the New International Version, we read:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach 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, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
This in-depth study will prepare us for the second part which considers Jesus in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke chapter 4).