By Eugene Garner

ISAIAH - CHAPTER 52:1-12

ZION'S JOY IN THE SALVATION OF JEHOVAH

   Awake, awake; put on thy strength, 0 Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, 0 Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, 0 Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, 0 captive daughter of Zion.

    1. Zion (Jerusalem, as representative of the nation) is summoned, as in 51:17, to arise from her stupor of grief and humiliation.
    2. She is to clothe herself properly for that to which she is divinely called.
      a. With strength - "the joy of the Lord" (Neh. 8:10).
      b. With her beautiful garments - of salvation and praise, (61:3, 10; Psa. 110:3; Ex. 28:2, 40; Zech. 3:4; comp. Isa. 49:18).
    3. Henceforth to be a holy city indeed (Zech. 14:20-21), she will never again be invaded by the uncircumcised and unclean, (35:8; Joel 3:17; Nahum 1:15).
    4. Shaking off the dust of her mourning (3:26; 29:4; comp. Job 2:12-13), and loosing herself from the bonds of her captivity (47:6), she is to arise (60:1) and enter into the exalted position which divine love and mercy alone could have provided for her, (vs. 2; contrast 47:1).

   For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed. Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

    1. In "selling" Israel into the hands of their enemies, the Lord has gained nothing, (vs. 3; Deut. 32:30; Psa. 44:12; Judg. 2:14; Jer. 15:13); and He will redeem them without money (45:13) - their liberation being the fruit of His gracious compassion.
      a. The same is true of those whom He redeems from the guilt and condemnation of sin.
      b. It is ALL "according to the riches of His grace:" (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; I Pet. 1:18-19).
    2. In time of famine, the family of Jacob went to sojourn in the and of Egypt where an Assyrian (Pharaoh - descendant of Nimrod) oppressed them without a cause, (vs. 4; Gen. 46:6-7).
    3. Not only has God received no compensation from those who cruelly oppress His people; but, His name, which is worthy of the highest honor and praise, is constantly blasphemed, (vs. 5; Rom. 2:22-24; Ezek. 20:9, 14; 36:20-23).
    4. In the day when Israel's Redeemer presents Himself in her behalf, she will truly KNOW His nature, character, and power, as represented by His Name, (vs. 6; 49:23b; 41:20; 43:10; 60:15-16).

   How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
   Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

    1. The figure of feet upon the mountains is "good news" to those who trust in God; they are harbingers of deliverance!
      a. Isaiah uses the figure in connection with the deliverance (salvation) of Zion through the destruction of Babylon - at the end of the age, (vs. 7); her God REIGNS! (comp. 24:21-23; Psa. 93:1).
      b. To the government (mountain) of Assyria, they are the crushing feet of divine judgment; while to Judah they represent deliverance from the Assyrian (Nah. 1:15), which means PEACE.
      c. Paul uses the figure to represent the "good tidings" of deliverance from the guilt, power, condemnation, and bondage of sin, (Rom. 10:15).
    2. Those who have faithfully proclaimed God's holy intention to restore His ancient people (not just the ancient prophets, but His faithful "watchmen" in all ages), will rejoice together as they hail the return of Jehovah to Zion in the faithful execution of His holy covenant, (vs. 8; Jer. 6:16-19; Ezek. 3:17; 33:7-9; Isa. 62:6-7; comp. Heb. 13:7, 17).
    3. There is a two-fold basis for the joy and singing described in verse 9.
      a. The Lord's word of comfort, (51:12; 66:13-14; II Cor. 1:3-5; comp. Lk. 24:19; Acts 27:22; Rom. 15:5-6).
      b. The Lord's work of redemption, (43:1-3).
      c. And such a word of comfort, and work of deliverance, may be the basis of our constant joy and song through the Holy Spirit, (Jn. 16:14-15; II Cor. 1:9-10; II Thess. 2:16-17).
    4. In the redemption of His people, Jehovah reveals His holy arm (51:9a; Psa. 98:1-3; comp. Ex. 15:6; Ezek. 20:34) in such a marvellous and majestic display of divine power that "all the ends of the earth" may observe His saving strength, (vs. 10; 45:22; 48:20).

   Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your reward.

    1. Israel is instructed to depart from the midst of Babylon without taking anything Babylonish with her, (vs. 1la; comp. II Cor. 6:14-18) - a figure of the end-time deliverance of God's people from this present world-system (Rev. 18:4).
    2. In returning to their own land, they are to take the holy vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, (II Kings 25:14-15; Dan. 5:1); those who bear these vessels must be clean! (vs. 11b; Ezra 1:7-11).
    3. In contrast to the exodus from Egypt, they were not to go in haste, (comp. Ex. 12:11, 22; Deut. 16:3); nor were they to flee in fear (vs. 12a).
    4. The presence of Jehovah, the God of Israel, before and behind them will be all the security they need, (vs. 12b; 26:7; 42:16; 49:10-11).