The Messiah Anna Longed For

Isaiah 42:6-9 “I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness,
I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,
⁷ To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
⁸ “I am the Lord, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to graven images.
⁹ “Behold, the former things have come to pass,
Now I declare new things;
Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.” (NASB)

Though Isaiah wrote hundreds of years before the Messiah, the prophet could know the truth of the words he wrote that described his savior. God said in verse 9 that he declared the new events and announced them before they occurred.

During his lifetime, Isaiah was largely ignored. King Hezekiah listened to him on occasion, but not beyond how it affected him and his generation. God had warned Isaiah at his calling that while some might hear his words, few would take the time to understand them or take them seriously.

I have a feeling Anna took Isaiah seriously. He, too, longed for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Messiah, as described here, would not only redeem Jerusalem, he would restore their sight and their purpose as the chosen people—to be witnesses to the world. And, in so doing, the Messiah would shine his light on the Gentiles. The light would release us from prison.

We all, before believing in Christ with heart, soul and mind, sit in the darkness of the vilest prison house. Without his light, without his key at the door, there is no escape from the sin that oppresses us.

Living in the temple, Anna saw a lot of people. Since she saw so many, she saw the variety of pain and prisons. Some people built the prison themselves. Some had a prison foisted upon them. But all prisons had their roots in sin.

Only the covenant sacrifice, fulfilling both old and new law would reclaim the keys to conquer sin and death.