Justice and Hope
Day 212
October 14, 2020
“I will put my Spirit on him and he will proclaim justice to the nations...In his name the nations will put their hope.” - Isaiah 42:1-4
This passage of Scripture is referenced when Matthew writes about how Jesus was fulfilling the prophecies spoken about the coming Messiah. (Matthew 12:15-21) And even though the Messiah was to be the “glory of Israel,” here specifically, he is described as a hope to “the nations.”
In Scripture, the “nations” often refers to the Gentiles, people who are not part of the people of Israel. Over and over again, we are told in the prophecies of the Old Testament AND through the life of Jesus (and later through the acts of His apostles) that the Messiah is the hope for ALL people, Jew and Gentile alike. While the Pharisees and religious leaders of the time were infuriated by Jesus’ teaching and behavior, it brought joy and hope to others, especially those who were formerly “outsiders” to God’s promises.
Maybe you remember when you too were an “outsider” to the grace of God. Then, your eyes were opened, you repented of your sins, and you put your faith in the shed blood of Christ that washed away your sins and gave you a new life. You didn’t deserve it. In fact, according to the truth and justice of God, you deserve eternal punishment. But grace is a free gift of God, and He is merciful to those who call upon His name in truth.
As we live in a world today, where true justice seems to be so difficult to find, let us remember that the only real justice is the one proclaimed by the very lips of God. What He says is right, is right, and what he says is wrong is wrong. Let His Word guide you in what you should say to others, trusting that the justice spoken of by the Lord will give hope to a world who will never find real justice anywhere else.
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” - Matthew 4:23
Revelation 22:2 speaks of a time when there will stand, “...the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” This will be a time when we will be in relationship with God as it was in the beginning when Adam and Eve walked in the garden with Him. However through the gospel, healing is available today! The healing that we can have today through our hope in Jesus, is a picture, a down payment, of the promise of eternal life to come.