The Herald

Isaiah 52:3-12

One of the first examples of selling someone into slavery in the Bible is the brother’s of Joseph who sold him to the Midianite traders for 20 pieces of sliver.  All throughout history and even in 2015 people are being sold for a profit, and it would seem the only reason someone would do such a thing, but God was so sick of sinful Zion He sold her for nothing.  And since He sold her for nothing, He can now redeem her for nothing.  We must remember God is allowing Isaiah to see many things in what we call future or prophecy.  In verse four Isaiah is seeing the future of living under Babylonian captivity, and he is also looking back to what we call the past, and the exodus from Egypt and the Assyrian invasion of the northern kingdom during Isaiah’s lifetime.

Many a person wants to blame others for the choices they have made or are making, so was the case with the people of Zion, but God used this in punishment and restoration for His people to come to know Him.  As we read verse seven we see the herald in the time of Isaiah, the herald was the news media, and it was not like our media who spends their energy on proclaiming the right spin on the news or focusing on bad news.  The herald was to bring good news,  “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

In that most large cities were walled, the watchman were posted on the walls to keep watch for attacks, but these watchmen were the first ones to witness the return of the LORD to His city, Jerusalem.  What a wonderful encouragement from the watchman,  “Be joyful, rejoice together, you ruins of Jerusalem!  For the LORD has comforted His people; He has redeemed Jerusalem.

The salvation referred to in verse ten is the restoring of Jerusalem after the Babylonians destroyed it into rubble and it was clear that God was the Source of the rebuilding.  Verse eleven is calling the priests to leave Babylon and to be purified before returning to Jerusalem with the vessels of the Lord.  It is verse twelve that should encourage each of us; it’s a slow down and smell the roses verse, it’s a do not sweat or be fearful verse, for our “LORD is going before you, and the God of Israel is your rear guard.”  Now as my friend David Bush often says, “It’s all good!”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice