Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Good News to All
Isaiah 52:7-12
Mathew Jojin Thomas
Bethany MTC, NY
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.
In Hebrews 4, it states, “The Word of God is living and active” and that Word of God is for you. Whoever takes it and abides by it would also become alive. The primary audience of Isaiah 52 would be the exiles in Babylon who are called to step out in faith. Jerusalem was God’s Holy city, the city with God’s temple; however, the people of Judah experienced ruin instead of prosperity, destruction instead of liberty. Because of their sins, the people suffered. Even in the midst of suffering, God promised to restore Jerusalem as a Holy city where sinners would not be able to enter.
I tend to read Isaiah 52: 7-12 as a poem which Isaiah wrote more than 2,000 years ago for you and me. Isaiah 52 starts with an “Alarm Clock”, which says, “Awake, awake”. This alarm clock is telling us to awake from our sleep, put on the garments of splendor, clothe ourselves with strength and shake off the dust on us. Once we do that, we would be able to proclaim peace and bring good news. In v.7, God is saying that, the feet of those who bring good news are beautiful. It’s a wonderful privilege to be able to share God’s Good News with others, his news of redemption, salvation, and peace.
Spreading the Good News and carrying His cross are not easy tasks. In the book of Luke, Jesus himself states that when you carry the cross, you will suffer, you may get rejected, and whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But the promise that God gives us is this: He will not leave us alone nor will He forsake us. He is promising us that, He will go before us to show the path and He will be right behind us to carry us and beside us to walk with us, despite how many times we fall. Luke 9: 24 says, “Whoever loses his life for me will save it.”
In Hebrews 4, it states, “The Word of God is living and active” and that Word of God is for you. Whoever takes it and abides by it would also become alive. The primary audience of Isaiah 52 would be the exiles in Babylon who are called to step out in faith. Jerusalem was God’s Holy city, the city with God’s temple; however, the people of Judah experienced ruin instead of prosperity, destruction instead of liberty. Because of their sins, the people suffered. Even in the midst of suffering, God promised to restore Jerusalem as a Holy city where sinners would not be able to enter.
I tend to read Isaiah 52: 7-12 as a poem which Isaiah wrote more than 2,000 years ago for you and me. Isaiah 52 starts with an “Alarm Clock”, which says, “Awake, awake”. This alarm clock is telling us to awake from our sleep, put on the garments of splendor, clothe ourselves with strength and shake off the dust on us. Once we do that, we would be able to proclaim peace and bring good news. In v.7, God is saying that, the feet of those who bring good news are beautiful. It’s a wonderful privilege to be able to share God’s Good News with others, his news of redemption, salvation, and peace.
Spreading the Good News and carrying His cross are not easy tasks. In the book of Luke, Jesus himself states that when you carry the cross, you will suffer, you may get rejected, and whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But the promise that God gives us is this: He will not leave us alone nor will He forsake us. He is promising us that, He will go before us to show the path and He will be right behind us to carry us and beside us to walk with us, despite how many times we fall. Luke 9: 24 says, “Whoever loses his life for me will save it.”