Your God Reigns – Isaiah 52:1-10

Health-wise it is bad to take in too much bad news.  News networks know this and that we will turn them off if the barrage of bad news is too intense.  So they have been making a concerted effort to include good news, usually at the end of their broadcast, to help us cope.  Isaiah has been broadcasting a lot of bad news for rebellious Israel, but Yahweh has been careful to balance this with good news, as well.

Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.  Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

For thus says the LORD: “You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.” For thus says the Lord GOD: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing. Now therefore what have I here,” declares the LORD, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,” declares the LORD, “and continually all the day my name is despised. Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”  The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion.  Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem.  The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.  (Isaiah 52:1-10 ESV)

God encourages Jerusalem to prepare herself for His salvation and to anticipate the day when no invaders will ever again enter the city.  He rehearses her time of slavery in Egypt and the oppression of the Assyrians (who, except for His intervention, nearly captured the city).  But He also promises He will ransom her and that she will no longer be sinfully ignorant of His power on her behalf.

Either Isaiah or Yahweh Himself declares the beauty of the ones who bring this good news of deliverance, who declare the reign of God.  He pictures that day as watchmen on the wall of the city sing for joy as God has now made their job irrelevant.  God will “bare his arm” and show His muscle on Israel’s behalf and all the earth shall witness it.

Paul tells us in Romans 10 that we too participate in the publishing of this good news (gospel) of God’s deliverance, declaring that Jesus is the Messiah who died and rose again that we might have life.  Are your feet beautiful?

Discussion Questions

1. Describe a time when your people have been subdued under an occupying force.  If you haven’t experienced that, try to imagine together what that might be like.
2. What would be the feeling in Israel today if all her surrounding enemies were suddenly done away with?
3. Who are your surrounding enemies that you must keep watch for?
4. How have you wailed and despised the name of Yahweh for not caring for your needs?
5. What do you think Yahweh means when He says, “Therefore my people shall know my name”?
6. Are you expecting God’s comfort and deliverance of you from your enemies?