Key Verse: "Your watchmen lift up your voices; together
they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their
own eyes. Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the
Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem."
Isaiah 52:8-9
Remember that Isaiah lived seven hundred years before
Christ, but his message to the people of Israel is timeless. Often, when a
prophet, such as Isaiah speaks, his words are meant not only for the time in
which he is living, but must be applied to the future as well. This is the case
for this message today.
Isaiah is speaking to a people who have rebelled against the
Lord. When God's people rebel, as punishment, they not only suffer hardships
such as famine and disease, but they often find themselves oppressed by other
nations. When the rebellion is severe, they are actually carried off to other
nations until they repent and cry out to the Lord for restoration. Isaiah
reminds them of their first exile in Egypt. He reminds them of the exile to
Assyria of the northern tribes that has just taken place. He refers to the
future exile of Judah that we know to be Babylon, in which the people were
carried off and mistreated severely.
Yet, How beautiful, on the mountain, 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) God may
punish, but He does not forget or abandon. His people may suffer for a time,
but God will bring about salvation for His people.
How timely this message would be for the people of Jesus'
day. They were oppressed by the Romans. In addition, their own leaders had made
worship of God an oppressive religion that had removed the joy from being in
God's presence. The people of Israel were suffering severely, but God had not
forgotten them. He had come and was entering Jerusalem to do what He needed to
do to redeem them from the biggest oppressor of all, satan himself.
Why wouldn't the people burst into song? If they didn't, the
very stones must cry out! How wonderful that the Lord has remembered His people
again. He remembered them when they were oppressed in Egypt. He remembered them
from Babylon and brought them home. Now, He is going to demonstrate again that
He remembers their situation and with Him before and behind, He will prepare
the way for all those who will be redeemed.
Hymn: "Our God Reigns"
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