I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.  For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 

For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.  Isaiah 61:10, 11

Hear this voice!  See how incongruous it seems.  All seems to be going wrong in the land. How can anyone rejoice? The rich were exploiting the poor. The religious ones were fastidious about marking the religious holidays, like they knew Jews should do. Yet it was all a sham, they sang the songs of David but made no connection between David’s love for the Lord and their own seeking only the blessings of God for themselves, but not God himself.  They acted like pious Jews should act as far as the religious observances were concerned but it was all habit and thoughtless. They believed that by observing the Jewish rites, so to speak, that they would merit God’s favor.  But it was not working.  No matter how determined they were to obey the religious demands, things got worse, not better.  The long arm of Assyria hovered over them with a sharp and hungry sword. They stared tragedy in the face.  Isaiah prophesied in this context.

Then we hear this sound of praise, in the midst of the confusion. So who is the one who is delighting greatly in the Lord? And how could he do so in light of impending darkness? Is it Isaiah who has broken through all the fluff of religion and has found his hope in God Almighty? Probably so. In any case, it is the testimony of a person who found true faith.  He rejoices because God is his savior and God is the one who imputes righteousness. For this reason, the blessed one declares, I delight greatly in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God.

There is not one word about national salvation here. It is all about walking in unity with God, individually and collectively, made possible by salvation. But “the nations” do come into the picture – at the end.  The Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. God has the nations in mind, all mankind, and keeps reminding the Jews that He loves them as well.  It is as though the word of God is inviting the Jews to walk with Him so that the nations will be blessed, and not just them.