Do you know the story of sleeping beauty? A princess has been held captive by a sorceress who has used magic to end her into a deep sleep. Only her prince can wake her with a kiss. Sometimes it can seem that God’s people have been enchanted into slumber. It certainly seemed that way in Isaiah’s day.
Read Isaiah 51:1- 52:12
The repeated refrain in this section is that God’s people are to wake up and get up. This means that they are to look up and discover truth and true hope by looking around them to see the reality that they need to know. They are to “look to the rock.” Abraham and Sarah are compared to a rock from which God’s people have been cut out of. They are meant to see that they share the familial likeness of their ancestors, they are meant to be a chip of the old block. They are to see how Abraham believed in God, trusting his promises. We of course look to Christ, the rock. We are in him (51:1-3).
They are to look up to God, raising their eyes to heaven to see how different and holy he is, to discover righteousness in his law and to see his salvation (51:4 -8). They are to discover true strength by looking back over their history and remembering how God saved them. Mythological language, the killing of a monster, Rahab is used to represent the defeat of Egypt and Exodus (51:9-16). They must also take time for introspection, to look in to themselves and see their true, sorry state, like drunkards, they need to acknowledge their condition if they are to experience rescue (51:17-23).
They are to look to the one “who brings good news”. Just as there would be joy at the sight of the bare foot runner hasting to herald victory and deliverance, so they are to take joy and comfort at their coming deliverance. The promise is one of rescue from enemies and protection from future invasion and subjugation (52:1-12).
Ponder
Meditate, line by line on the description of the one who brings good news (52:7).
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.”
- Who brought the good news to you?
- Consider Jesus as the one who not only brings good news but is good news
Dear Saviour, we thank you for those who brought the message of good news to us. Help us to pass on this joyful message to others. Even more so, we thank you that Jesus is the one who has brought good news to us.
Faithroots 