February 16, 2025 - Isaiah 61:3,4 - Trees of Righteousness

Isaiah 61:3,4

"…to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes,..."

Isaiah 61:3-4 is a powerful passage that speaks of restoration, hope, and renewal in the face of the judgment that God would bring on Israel at the hands of the Babylonian Empire. It is part of a prophetic message in which the prophet Isaiah, speaking under divine inspiration, declares God's promise to bring comfort to an elect people identified as the brokenhearted. God's work of salvation is described as beauty in place of ashes and joy instead of mourning.

These verses specifically highlight God's transforming power in the lives of the remnant that He had purposed to preserve from utter destruction, and for whom the Lord Jesus would lay down His life at the cross. By the work of Christ, they would be as "trees of righteousness" (imputed righteousness), the planting of the Lord. By His Spirit, they would be turned from despair into a nation of redeemed sinners, where there had been utter weakness, and life in the place of ruins—first in Adam's fall, and then from the destruction by the Babylonian nation.

In verse 3, the focus is on God’s compassion for those who grieve, giving them a "garment of praise," instead of a "spirit of despair." This reflects God's purpose to restore a remnant to dignity by redeeming them from their lost and broken estate in the blood of the Lamb. Verse 4 then extends this message to a broader community of needy sinners, emphasizing the rebuilding of ancient ruins and the restoration of devastated cities, historically referencing the destruction of the land and Jerusalem in 587 B.C. but ultimately the spiritual renewal that God would bring upon His true Israel in Christ. In Romans 9:6-8. Paul writes, "Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."

God's purpose from the beginning for national Israel was to preserve a remnant, for whom the Lord Jesus would come and redeem out of the rest of the nation. It is this remnant that Christ came to redeem. These verses ultimately point to the deep hope found in God's promise to save sinners—both Jew and Gentile—out of every tribe, nation, and tongue, by His grace alone. Those whom God has chosen are compared to trees of the forest that the Lord has planted. They have certain qualities similar to other trees, although they are distinct. Each tree differs in height, size, foliage, and bark, yet each one shares fundamental characteristics: roots, a trunk, and branches.

Scripture often uses the metaphor of a tree to describe those who belong to the Lord. If any are the Lord’s, it is because they have been planted in Christ by the Father, who is the Husbandman (John 15:1). They spring up unto eternal life, not by their own doing, but because they are of the seed sown in the life and death of the Lord Jesus. They are called "trees of righteousness" (Matthew 13:31-32), not by personal merit but by the righteousness imputed to them by God—through the obedience of the Lord Jesus unto death—revealed in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. This revelation causes them to submit to Christ and His imputed righteousness alone, in all grace and humility (1 Peter 1:2, Romans 10:3-4).

A writer of old once said: "Like trees that are well planted; whose root is in Christ, whose sap is the Spirit and His grace, and whose fruit is good works; and that they might appear to be good trees, and of a good growth and stature, and be laden with the fruits of righteousness, and be truly righteous persons, made so by the imputation of Christ's righteousness to them: '"the planting of the Lord"—planted by Him in Christ and His church and so never to be rooted out."

One notable characteristic of trees in a forest is that, although some grow within feet of each other, they grow together rather than against each other. Likewise, believers have been planted in Christ in various parts of the world, and where they gather, there is a unity of mind and heart. They share a collective desire to grow in grace and the knowledge of the Lord as revealed in His blessed Gospel (Ephesians 4:13-15).

One final point about trees is that a tree trunk tells an interesting history. Strong winds or erosion may have once caused it to lean or bend, but where there is a strong root, the tree will continue growing upward, drawn by the light of the sun. In the same way, believers—when examining their spiritual "trunks"—will see notches, bends, and curves, shaped by the afflictions and trials of life and the effects of sin. Nevertheless, being planted in Christ, they continue to grow upward, nurtured by the Son and blessed by Him.