The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me

Posted by evelynkim on Jul 28, 2009 in Daily Bread | 1 comment

I don’t always remember passages in the Bible I’ve read, but this one has had an impact on me. I remember reading this in college and being compelled by the work that God was calling His servant to do. The passage struck me as inspirational, challenging, and beautiful for how it displays God’s compassion, salvation, and grace. At the time, I thought this passage was for people in the front line, those who are called to do great things for God and the furthering of His Kingdom. I even used this passage to encourage a friend who had plans to be a medical missionary.

Though it is no less true for the people I had in mind back then, I now have a better understanding that His church as a whole is called to do great things for God, and His church as a whole is anointed and sent by God. These actions are not just reserved for those visible, “front line” servants… the Lord has anointed me (and you) to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, to release from darkness the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn…

In looking at this passage now, it’s also all the more clear that the action is actually on God. What sticks out initially are those action verbs: preaching, binding up, proclaiming, releasing, and comforting. But as much as it’s about the servant doing these things, it’s about the Lord anointing and sending, about the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord on His servant, enabling His servant to do the work.

The people God’s servants are called to serve include the poor, brokenhearted, captives, prisoners, and mourners – those who are disenfranchised, suffering injustice, desperate and hopeless. These characteristics remind me of the Sermon on the Mount… the blessedness of those who are poor, those who mourn. It’s amazing to think that these are blessed because God anoints His servants (us) to preach, bind up, release, and comfort.