Wednesday

Isaiah 52:1-10

Awake, awake, O Zion,
clothe yourself with strength.
Put on your garments of splendor,
O Jerusalem, the holy city.
The uncircumcised and defiled
will not enter you again.
Shake off your dust;
rise up, sit enthroned, O Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,
O captive Daughter of Zion.
For this is what the LORD says:
"You were sold for nothing,
and without money you will be redeemed."
For this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
"At first my people went down to Egypt to live;
lately, Assyria has oppressed them.
"And now what do I have here?" declares the LORD.
"For my people have been taken away for nothing,
and those who rule them mock, "
declares the LORD.
"And all day long
my name is constantly blasphemed.
Therefore my people will know my name;
therefore in that day they will know
that it is I who foretold it.
Yes, it is I."

How beautiful on the mountains
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!"
Listen! Your watchmen lift up their 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.

The LORD will lay bare his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth will see
the salvation of our God.

Have you ever done something so wrong that the stress of that event resulted in unbearable stress? I have. Last year I had a nervous breakdown. I had violated a company policy, resulting in falsification of company records.

In verses 4 through 6, Isaiah talks about when the Israelites lived in Egypt and their exiles in Assyria and other foreign lands. We all, at times, are living in exile. I was exiled in a land called stress, caused by sin.

Verse 6 ends with God's words: "Here I am."

God sends His messengers to proclaim the Good News!

This is what Isaiah tells us in verse 7:

How beautiful on the mountains

are the feet of the messenger bringing good news,

Breaking the news that all's well,

proclaiming good times, announcing salvation,

telling Zion, "Your God reigns!"

(The Message)

The good news is that our God reigns, and He has sent His Son to us and to die for us, so we can have Good News and be free of our sins -- and return from our exile to our Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.

ML