Isaiah 52:1-15
Isa 52:1
Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy
beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no
more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
Once again the call goes out for the people of the LORD
to awake. This is a beautiful
picture of salvation. The strength
they are to put on is salvation given by God himself as he is called the
strength of Israel.
And also the Strength of Israel will not
lie nor
repent: for he
is not a man, that he should
repent. (1 Samuel 15:29) Then
the children of God are to be clothed with the garment of salvation like Joshua
the High priest in Zechariah.
And I said, Let them set a fair mitre
upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with
garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by. (Zechariah 3:5)
Jerusalem is called the holy city but not the earthly Jerusalem but the
New Jerusalem which is inhabited only by those who are saved in Christ.
And I John saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. (Revelation 21:2)
The New Jerusalem will never have any unregenerate people allowed into it.
14 Blessed
are they that do his
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the city. 15 For without
are dogs, and sorcerers, and
whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a
lie. (Revelation 22:14-15) No one that follows pagan religions will ever
come into the New Jerusalem. Christ
is the only way a person can enter the New Jerusalem.
Isa 52:2
Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down,
O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of
Zion.
In the Middle East people would sit down and then rise to
shake the dust off and then resume sitting.
Here the LORD tells his people in Jerusalem to arise and shake off the
dust which here would be the dust of mourning then they are to sit down.
The bands from the neck have to do with the captivity that they will face
and that God is promising them that a release back to the land will take place.
This also has a double meaning in that those who have become saved will
throw off the yoke of sin as Christ frees them from their sins and its
penalties. The daughter of Zion
would be the people of Zion which in this case would be the true believers.
Isa 52:3
For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for
nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
They had sold themselves to the false gods and had
received nothing for the sale.
There was no physical or spiritual benefit.
The only thing it yielded was that they were taken to Babylon for 70
years as a judgment upon their wayward ways.
However, here the LORD is assuring them that they will be redeemed
without any ransom paid to Babylon.
This also has allusion to the true believer that they were not redeemed with any
tangible goods like money or possessions.
18 Forasmuch as ye know
that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things,
as silver and gold, from your
vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:18-19)
Isa 52:4
For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down
aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without
cause.
Here the LORD speaks about the time Jacob took his family
to Egypt for the purpose of sojourning there so they could be under the
protection of Joseph who was Governor of Egypt at the time.
However, in the course of time after Joseph died there arose a Pharaoh
who did not know anything about Joseph so he put the Israelites to hard bondage
and made slaves of them without them posing any threat to Egypt.
Then the Assyrians had come against Judah and took over two hundred
thousand prisoners when Judah did not threaten to attack them or do them any
type of harm. These were unprovoked
persecutions. However Satan did
know that the Messiah would come through Israel.
Isa 52:5
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.
Did the LORD gain any honor for having his people taken
away from him or did their removal garner any praise?
Instead of his people being able to praise and worship him, they were
subjected to the reviling of their faith which caused them much dismay.
While they were made slaves in Egypt they also suffered much sighing
which means mourning or groaning.
And it came to pass in process of time,
that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the
bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the
bondage. (Exodus 2:23) Then in
Babylon they suffered the same thing as they were made subject to the false gods
and every day the name of the LORD is blasphemed.
Whether by using it in a vain way or by mocking and questioning his power
that he could not keep his people from going into captivity making the
Babylonians think their false gods were more powerful.
Isa 52:6
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.
Since Babylon has caused the people of Israel such
dismay, they will know the name of the LORD and the power of that name when he
releases the captives from Babylon and returns them to their land.
They will know that when Babylon is destroyed that it is the LORD who had
already declared their end and would bring it to pass in his timing.
Isa 52:7
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!
Judah was a very mountainous region and here the LORD is
saying how beautiful are the feet of him that brings good tidings which would be
a good report or an announcement.
In this case it would be the good tidings of the gospel of Christ.
The publishing of peace is the gospel which allows a reconciliation
between warring parties but the major teaching is that it allows those who
become saved to have peace with God whereas before they were enemies of God.
Therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)
The good tidings of good is the fact that redemption is coming to all the
Elect of God whether they be in Israel or the rest of the world where the gospel
will be preached. The beautiful
message is that it contains the message of salvation and not just from Babylon
but everlasting salvation in Christ.
Then God will reign in Zion, that is, the body of believers forever.
This verse in Isaiah is repeated in the book of Romans by the Apostle
Paul which means it is a salvation theme.
And how shall they preach, except
they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach
the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:15)
God sees the feet
of those who bring the true Gospel as beautiful. In fact, the word “beautiful”
carries with it the meaning of “timely or seasonable.” Whenever we bring the
Gospel to anyone, it is always in a timely manner because they may not see
tomorrow or we may not see tomorrow. This is why it is important for Christians
to get busy doing something because sooner or later God is going to wrap it all
up. We wouldn’t want to go to Heaven with an empty life.
Isa 52:8
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.
In ancient times the watchmen were placed on the wall of
a city to keep guard and warn of any approaching enemies.
In this case, the watchmen are lifting up their voices in praise of the
good tidings of salvation that they have received.
They are all singing in unison of their salvation in Christ.
Just as King Zedekiah would see the king of Babylon
eye to eye before his eyes would be put out, the true believer is going
to see eye to eye with the LORD because he has implanted his salvation within
them by means of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The true believers in Israel will begin to see the workings of the true
God when they return from Babylon and the true beliefs would culminate in the
arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Isa 52:9
Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of
Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
Then those watchmen that would sing the joy of salvation
would be sung even in the out of the way places of Jerusalem.
The entire city would hear of the salvation of the LORD.
The LORD brought comfort to his true people as they have been redeemed
not only from the Babylonians but from the pits of sin for eternity through
Christ. In the New Jerusalem,
everyone will be saved no matter where they dwell even if they dwell in small
countries that are almost nameless on maps, nevertheless they are not nameless
to God. And she coming in that instant
gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for
redemption in Jerusalem. (Luke 2:38)
Many in ancient Israel sought the redemption of that physical city
instead God replaced it with the heavenly Jerusalem for eternity.
The physical city of Jerusalem would be destroyed in 70 A.D.
The heavenly Jerusalem is worldwide and that is why there are believers
in the waste places. The term
“waste places” carries with it the meaning of “decayed or desolate.”
It could refer to slum or a very rural setting where the LORD has his
Elect.
Isa 52:10
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.
Here we are told that the LORD made bare his holy arm
which means he has manifested his power in front of all the nations.
He did nothing in secret because what he declared he brought to pass by
his own power. This is also a
reference to the Lord Jesus Christ who became visible for three and a half years
upon earth and then after he went back to Heaven, he became known to the whole
world through the indwelling Holy Spirit in the true believers.
Salvation through grace will be taught all over the world until the last
day.
Isa 52:11
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.
Then when the day of liberation comes, the people are to
depart from Babylon. The people
were not to leave Babylon with any of the pagan instruments or even any treasure
that they may find. They were to
leave and not look back at all the gold, silver, and even fine clothing.
This was a prohibition like that of Jericho in Joshua 6 when Israel was
to take that city upon entrance to the Promised Land, when they attacked they
were not to depart with any of the spoils they found.
You remember Achan who took some of the goods and as a result he and his
family was executed for their disobedience.
This verse is also a reminder to the true believers that when they become
saved, they are not to look back and still desire the things of the world
because they have come out of that system.
And I heard another voice from
heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her
sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (Revelation 18:4)
If a Christian partakes of the world system such as drinking, gambling,
smoking, fornicating, etc., then they can expect the same plagues or judgments
to fall upon them. To avoid those
things, we must completely renounce those things which are of the world system.
Isa 52:12
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 rereward.
This exodus will be different than the one from Egypt
where they were to leave in haste.
They would leave Babylon in triumph and in confidence knowing that the LORD
would go before them and guide their journey back to Judah.
And the LORD, he
it is that doth go before thee;
he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not,
neither be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:8) Flight
means they will not go out as if they were fleeing from someone.
The LORD would protect them by going before them and he would also act as
their rear guard to make sure no one would pursue them as Pharaoh did after they
left Egypt.
Isa 52:13
Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be
exalted and extolled, and be very high.
This verse to the end of Chapter 53 are about the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is called my
servant as you recall because he came to do the will of the Father by dying for
the named Elect. He shall deal
prudently which carries the meaning of prosperous.
The prosperity will not be of a financial type but will prosper in that
he will reap the souls of millions as their personal Savior.
He will be exalted which means he will be placed on high.
He will be extolled which means he will
be praised. Then it states that he
will be very high which carries with it the meaning of prominent and very
well-known as he is throughout the entire earth as there is no country in this
world who does not have true believers living in them.
Isa 52:14
As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred
more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
Then we have a picture of what Christ looked like during
his passion. Many had been
astonished at his appearance in two ways, the first was that God had come down
to earth in the likeness of sinful man.
For what the law could not do, in
that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Romans 8:3)
The second was his appearance at the time of his crucifixion when he
underwent the scourging, the crown of thorns, his beard being plucked and the
other things he suffered at the hands of the soldiers.
It was absolutely amazing that he was still alive when they placed him on
the cross. He was so disfigured
that no man nor their sons had ever looked like Christ did when he underwent the
payment for sin for the Elect.
Perish the thought that Christ paid a ransom to Satan as there is no such thing
taught in the Scriptures. Christ
went through all this as the final sacrifice for sins of the Elect and the
keeping of the demands of the law.
Isa 52:15
So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut
their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they
see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Elect according to
the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto
obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and
peace, be multiplied. (1 Peter 1:2)
The sprinkling is not water baptism but is the sprinkling of the blood of
Christ. The blood of Christ
baptizes us into him.
3 Know ye not, that so many of
us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk
in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4)
That is the only baptism that saves.
The true gospel will be sprinkled on every nation of the world and the
Elect of God will become saved.