Isaiah 52:7-10
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.
What is this passage saying:
It is painting a picture of a messenger coming with good news that the war is over and peace has been declared. This passage is speaking to the jewish people who are under Babylonian captivity. It is telling them that their God has done this. While this passage can be connected to a time in history, it is also speaking to a time in the future.
What is this passage saying to me?
It is the message that makes the messenger beautiful. Even just the feet of the messenger are beautiful because the message itself. To a people that are being oppressed, this message makes them want to sing and rejoice! If this point is true, perhaps that is why we look for the attractive to put in front of the camera and deliver the nightly news. Bad news sells. Perhaps because the news is so depressing, the media believes it can use a beautiful messenger to make us watch it? Just a thought.
This passage is timeless because it is not kings and armies that finally deliver peace to the earth, it is God alone who does it. When God brings peace, it is the only true peace.
“My peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you.” John 14:27
It will be peace that we have yet to experience. It is the salvation of humanity. God rescues us from destroying one another, and ourselves and returns us to a state of peace. No desire to destroy one another. A love for one another that originates in God, not in us. A return to Eden.
How could anyone not rejoice and burst into song though there are not songs written that speak of this restoration of humanity. Perhaps the angels will lead us in song.
Humanity has been on this planet for thousands of years and has yet to achieve peace. We can’t do it. Perhaps the dark forces that we cannot see play a role in keeping that in place. So, I am ok with submitting to the idea that we are not powerful enough to defeat the powers of darkness. Although I do believe we are capable of resisting and we receive supernatural strength from the Holy Spirit. And by that I don’t mean that we can get into some weird, trance like state and resist the devil. Although if that is someone’s experience I’m not going to argue with them. But what I have experienced is that in times of temptation, scriptures come to mind and my conscience seems to be extra sensitive and overall I feel better equipped to fight off temptation and win. But overall, we as God’s creation, will not return our world to a state of peace apart from God. God will do it and we will lay down our defenses and rejoice!