Isaiah 52:1, 2, 7–12

Our Lesson for the Week

Glad Tidings

As Christians, we know that we live in a “now but not complete” situation with respect to victory. Christ has paid the penalty for our sins through the cross, and for

this we rejoice.

But our joy is tempered by continuing struggles with sin (1 Peter 1:6). Even so, ultimate victory is certain; future rejoicing will be complete (Revelation 19:7).

Background

Today’s text is part of Isaiah’s message of hope expressed to people who were yet to be exiled to

Babylon (Isaiah 40–55).

Through a series of servant songs (42:1–9; 49:1–7; 50:4–9; 52:13–53:12; 61:1–4), the prophet sketched

God’s plan of redemption for the nations.

It was to be God’s special servant who would rescue God’s world!

Background

The nation of Israel was called to be a servant to the world, but rebelled (Isaiah 42:18–24; 6:9, 10).

In spite of that, God decided to create a new exodus for his people (43:14–21). From political oppression, God delivered his people by means of Cyrus (44:28;

45:1).

Background

But there was to be deliverance even greater than the one that came through Cyrus—a spiritual deliverance announced in the first servant song (Isaiah 42:1–9).

The servant mentioned here was prophesied not only to restore the preserved of Israel, but also to be a

“light for the Gentiles” (49:6).

But this servant was to suffer in so doing (50:6).

Background

Rejoicing would finally come to Jerusalem when good news was announced in today’s text (Isaiah 52:7–12).

However, the reason for rejoicing—the basis of the great salvation, and the hope for the future—is not

revealed until the servant song of Isaiah 52:13–53:12.

Background

There the “righteous servant” is predicted to “justify many, and he will bear their iniquities” (53:11).

In this way the entire world would be invited to enter into the kingdom of God. A new David would rule over

this kingdom (55:3, 4).

This servant, whom we now know to be Jesus, would be king!

Isaiah 52:1

Awake, awake, Zion,

clothe yourself with strength!

Put on your garments of splendor,

Jerusalem, the holy city.

The uncircumcised and defiled

will not enter you again.

Isaiah 52:1

Earlier, the Israelites blamed God for lack of action and appealed to him with a double imperative: “Awake,

awake, arm of the Lord, clothe yourself with strength!” (Isaiah 51:9). But it is not God who is asleep—it is

Jerusalem.

In our text the prophet uses the very same verb awake in the same form as in 51:9.

Isaiah 52:1

Zion must wake up to a new reality! In spite of Israel’s call in the first exodus to be a “treasured possession … a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5,

6), she never fulfilled God’s desire in that regard.

Pause2Talk

In a world filled with troubles yet possessing unparalled Christian resources, how can the modern

Christian be falling asleep spiritually?

Isaiah 52:1

Now God is calling the exiles to be part of a second exodus in order to fulfill the original mandate. Zion is

to awake to new clothing that will become her strength.

She can finally discard the filthy rags of sin and idolatry that led her into exile in the first place, leaving with new garments of beauty and strength (Exodus 28:2).

Isaiah 52:1

New and beautiful clothing causes people to see themselves in a new light.

God has new clothing in mind for us as well, clothing fit for eternity (Revelation 3:4, 5).

Until that time, we wear different clothing: the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–17).

Isaiah 52:1

Along with that we clothe ourselves with Christ and everything he expects of us as Christians (Romans

13:14; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 3:12; 1 Peter 5:5).

Isaiah 52:1

As a result, the uncircumcised and defiled cannot enter this renewed city (Isaiah 35:8–10; Revelation

21:27).

The new reality is that the renewed people of God will be “Holy to the Lord,” as was written on the golden plate on the front of Aaron’s turban (Exodus 28:36,

37).

Isaiah 52:2

Shake off your dust;

rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem.

Free yourself from the chains on your neck,

Daughter Zion, now a captive.

Isaiah 52:2

When we place this verse alongside Isaiah 47:1, we see the prophet contrasting the Babylonian captors

with the exiles who are to return: “Go down, sit in the dust, Virgin Daughter Babylon; sit on the ground

without a throne, queen city of the Babylonians. No more will you be called tender or delicate.”

What a reversal as the exiles shake from themselves the dust of humiliation!

Isaiah 52:2

Pause2Talk

Many suggest that the modern church has become too familiar with the world by the adoption of business practices and methods. When does ‘doing church’

become too much of a business?

Isaiah 52:2

Exodus 19:5, 6

Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but

you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the

Israelites.’

Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful on the mountains

are the feet of those who bring good news,

who proclaim peace,

who bring good tidings,

who proclaim salvation,

who say to Zion,

“Your God reigns!”

Isaiah 52:7

Isaiah 52:7–12 is a brief recapitulation of 40:1–21. Indeed, the entire message of 40:1–52:12 is how God

as king is returning to Zion.

The salvation he brings is complete, as depicted in the fourth servant song, Isaiah 52:13–53:12.

Isaiah 52:7

The scenario builds anticipation for a great rejoicing by first announcing runners (those), who are to bring the

messages we see in the verse before us.

Watchmen then pass along the good news (v. 8, next), the immediate result being that the whole city of

Jerusalem rejoices with loud singing (v. 9).

Finally, all nations see this great salvation, implying that many will join in the rejoicing (v. 10).

Isaiah 52:7

The nature of the news is described with the words peace, good tidings, and salvation. All of these

concepts converge in the expression Your God reigns! (Psalms 93:1; 96:10; 97:1).

Peace is the familiar Hebrew word shalom. The war is over! There are no more enemies at the gate.

Wholeness of life prevails, and people can truly say Shalom to one another

Isaiah 52:7

The word good occurs seven times in Genesis 1 to describe the creation of the world; salvation is more

than just the salvation of humans, since all creation is to be saved (Romans 8:18–25). Only when goodness is restored to everything can we rejoice fully in salvation.

Isaiah 52:7

Pause2Talk

In a world obsessed about the ecology and climate, what can the message of God’s promise to restore all

creation offer them?

Isaiah 52:8

Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;

together they shout for joy.

When the Lord returns to Zion,

they will see it with their own eyes

Isaiah 52:8

Here we have an image of watchmen on the walls receiving the news of the runners of verse 7, above.

After receiving the news, the watchmen are predicted to join their voices together as if in a choir.

Isaiah 52:8

The phrase with their own eyes refers to eyewitnesses’ clarity of sight (Jeremiah 32:4).

In addition to the runners’ bearing of good news, what the watchmen will see is God’s coming as king, which is described in the servant song of Isaiah 52:13–53:12

that follows.

This is what all the shouting is about!

Isaiah 52:9

Burst into songs of joy together,

you ruins of Jerusalem,

for the Lord has comforted his people,

he has redeemed Jerusalem.

Isaiah 52:9

As will the watchmen, the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall break forth in singing as a choir. This type of

singing is the mark of a redeemed people (Isaiah 26:1; 49:13).

Isaiah 52:9

This predicts a spiritual renewal of Jerusalem.

Since Isaiah 49:1, the prophet has switched topics from political restoration to the greater spiritual

restoration.

Isaiah 52:9

Only the forgiveness of sin and reconciliation to God can bring true comfort to the people (see 51:3, 12;

57:18; 61:2; 66:13).

It is the impending advent of God himself that motivates this exuberant singing. Indeed, the

Redeemer of 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8 will rescue his people (see 51:11; 63:9).

The faithful still expect this centuries after Isaiah’s day (Luke 2:38).

Isaiah 52:9

Pause2Talk

Why are Christians sometimes the most pessimistic of people? Why doesn’t the hope of Christ alter their

words?

Isaiah 52:10

The Lord will lay bare his holy arm

in the sight of all the nations,

and all the ends of the earth will see

the salvation of our God.

Isaiah 52:10

What began in Isaiah 40:10 with reference to the arm of the Lord, which is his power to save, is to be fulfilled

in full view of all the nations.

We may think of a homespun idiom of God “rolling up his sleeves” to lay bare his holy arm for accomplishing

this salvation (Isaiah 51:5; 63:5; Exodus 6:6; 15:16).

Isaiah 52:10

God’s plan of salvation has included all nations from the outset (see Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 42:6; 49:6).

Isaiah 52:10

All of this is done in history in the sight of all; as the apostle Paul testifies before Agrippa, “It was not done

in a corner” (Acts 26:26).

Isaiah 52:11

Depart, depart, go out from there!

Touch no unclean thing!

Come out from it and be pure,

you who carry the articles of the Lord’s house.

Isaiah 52:11

Once again we have a double imperative—this time depart, depart—given to God’s people who respond to

his call.

If Israel is to be a holy nation, she must do two things, one negative and one positive: touch no unclean thing and continually be pure (compare 2 Corinthians 6:17).

Isaiah 52:11

All this imagery is to prepare Isaiah’s original readers for a new exodus, for now God’s people must carry the

articles of the Lord’s house.

While many commentators view this as leaving Babylon with the vessels of the temple (Ezra 1:7–11),

the context of Isaiah persuades us to view it otherwise, as our next verse reveals.

Isaiah 52:12

But you will not leave in haste

or go in flight;

for the Lord will go before you,

the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

Isaiah 52:12

The prophet concluded his references to Cyrus and Babylon in Isaiah 48:20, 21. There Isaiah referred to Israel as fleeing from the Babylonians as in the first

exodus from Egypt (compare Exodus 14:5).

While exodus themes are used, they are employed now to refer to the spiritual deliverance that consists in dealing with the root of Israel’s problem: sin and its

devastating results.

Isaiah 52:12

Haste is not necessary as it was in the first exodus (Exodus 12:11, 33, 34). The God of Israel establishes his kingship over his people as one who goes before

them as well as acting as their rear guard in the pilgrim journey of life (see Numbers 10:25; Joshua 6:9; also

Exodus 13:21).

Isaiah 52:12

Pause2Talk

Does our appreciation of what God has done for us improve with years or lessen? Is hindsight of His

protection better or worse?

Conclusion

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that seem hopeless, where reasons for rejoicing seem few and far between. We wonder how deliverance will come about, if at all. So, where is any reason for rejoicing?

Romans 5:2–5, 10, 11 has the answer:

Conclusion

Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory

in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and

character, hope.

Conclusion

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the

Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.… For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him

through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Conclusion

Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now

received reconciliation.

Conclusion

The apostle Peter offers further reasons for joyous praise in 1 Peter 2:9:

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into

his wonderful light.

Conclusion

Obviously, Peter thinks we can be the people God wants us to be. We are indeed “a holy priesthood,

offering spiritual sacrifices” (1 Peter 2:5).

The great battle for our souls was fought and won at the cross. Peace has been declared (Romans 5:1).

Conclusion

Like the ancient exiles who long ago had to be awakened from their spiritual sleep, “the hour has

already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we

first believed” (Romans 13:11).

Rejoice!