Isaiah 52: Notes
Isaiah has led us up to a point of excited anticipation. The world was filled with idolatry, immorality, and brutality. God’s own people had gone the way of the Canaanites before them and been prophetically destroyed and right back where they started, in bondage to a powerful foreign nation. It appears that Satan has been victorious. Where is God?
- 40:3-5 A voice bursts on the scene, crying in the wilderness of which the nation has become: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make a highway in the desert for our God…the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all flesh will see it together.”
- 42:1 “Behold my servant in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”
- 42:14-16 “For a long time I have held my peace; I have kept still and restrained myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor…
- 44:1-3 “Fear not O Jacob my servant…
- 49:1-3 “He made my mouth like a sharp sword; he made me a polished arrow…and said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’”
- 50:5-6 “The Lord has opened my ear…I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard.” The Lord is sending his servant, but he will be abused?
As we begin this section, I find myself angry with the Jewish people of Isaiah’s day. They do not deserve your salvation, Lord. They have been so terrible, so rebellious, and not just briefly, but for centuries. This doesn’t make sense! Then suddenly I realize that when I read of the redemption of verse 4 and the “good news” and salvation of verse 7, the terrible people the Lord is redeeming, giving beautiful garments, and bringing joy, is us, me and you.
Verses 1-2: “Awake, awake…” This was the call to God in 51:9 for him to put on strength in order to save. In 51:17, Israel was called to “Awake” because God was about to act. Now they are again called to “Awake” because God has given them the strength to put on beautiful garments, be a holy city, and break the captivity bonds from their neck.
- To call Zion to awake indicates they were asleep, in a coma, or near death. But while they slept, God was working. The fact that they were unconscious indicates their complete lack of strength to save themselves. Suddenly God calls them to awake. This is a call to a resurrection. What a shock to see what God had done while they slept!
- Jerusalem is finally holy as God is holy, and their beautiful garments reflect their splendor (cf. Eph. 5:27). No one uncircumcised or unclean will come into God’s kingdom. For some, this might be confusing since immorality can still crop up in local churches just as there were in first century churches. But that is where we need to understand the difference between a local church and the full number of those written in the book of life, that is, the universal church – all those are faithful in Christ whether alive or dead.
Vs. 3-6: The reason they are called to awake is because of what God is about to do. Since they were sold for nothing, ownership did not pass to those who took them. Therefore, the Lord still owned them and could bring them back for nothing.
“Lord God” is the name God gave to Moses as a deliverance name.
“Redeemed”: there is a payment necessary, but it is not a payment of money. Similar to Exodus 6:6 – God would redeem them from bondage.
Vs. 6: This redemption is going to cause something great; God’s people are actually going to know his name and know that it is God personally who is speaking and acting instead of through mediators of the Mosaic time. “Here I am” is more literally, “Behold, it is I.” See NIV. “Behold” is a repeated exclamation.
Vs. 7: Imagine how many times a messenger came to report to Jerusalem that the enemy was on the march and coming to Jerusalem. But this time the messenger brings amazing news – salvation has come because God has returned (8) to reign as King over his people. He will bring them peace and salvation – the power of the oppressor has been broken, bondage is over.
Quoted by Paul, Romans 10:12-17, proving again that this good news is referring to the messianic age.
Vs. 8: When the message of peace comes from those who are bringing the good news, the watchmen on the walls start singing together! What a sight! NIV translates, “When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.” We immediately think of John 1:14, “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Vs. 9: The singing of joy spreads so that the “ruins of Jerusalem” even “burst” (NIV) into songs of joy. The reason? The Lord has comforted, the Lord has redeemed.” If the city is rebuilt, then it is the people who are rebuilt because the Messiah’s New Jerusalem is his people!
Vs. 10: “The Lord has bared his holy arm” – It not hard to imagine the Lord’s picture of revealing his strength. Later in 53:1, we discover how the Lord’s arm is revealed and who the arm of the Lord is. The Servant/Messiah is the “arm of the Lord.” Remember, at this point the anticipation of how God is going to do this is building!
Vs. 11-12
- The call is to depart from bondage, but upon leaving, touch no unclean thing. We remember when Israel left Egypt and took with them their idols. This time, the call is to holiness. In verse 1, God called them the “holy city” in which the unclean would never enter again. Quoted: 2 Cor. 6:14-18
- All of them are said to “bear the vessels of the Lord” and thus are all taking on the role of priests and Levites. (1 Peter 2:9).
- There is no reason to hurry and depart in haste as in the Egyptian exodus. No one is chasing them. There is no fear. The Lord both goes before them and is their rear guard. How different we are from the people of the world! We do not fear! Compare: Luke 1:70-75
Fourth Servant Song: 52:13 – 53:12
Now we see the explanation of the previous mention of the suffering of the Servant: 49:4, 7; 50:6.
“Behold” brings to a climatic point a series of times the Lord has used the word to call attention to what he was going to do in restoring his people. In 42:1, he began the first Servant Song with, “Behold my Servant in whom I uphold…” This is followed by a series of times the word is used to announce God’s restoration of his people:
- 49:12, 16, 22
- 50:1, 2, 9
- 51:22, “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering…”
- 52:6, “…in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes [behold], it is I.”
- Now in 52:13, “Behold , my servant…” Finally we discover how God will bring a restoration to his people.
The Servant acts wisely, will be successful, and is exalted. But at the same time he suffers so severely that he is unrecognizable. The answer to the contrast is that the way the Servant prospers is by his suffering. Note the contrast between the superlative: “high, lifted up, exalted.” He attains the exaltation through sacrificial suffering (Phil. 2:5-9).
“Astonished at you” references his appalling appearance. How could this be the Messiah? But in spite of his horrifying appearance, he will sprinkle many nations and even Kings will be amazed when they see and understand how the Servant successfully accomplished his goal of reigning (vs. 7) and bringing peace and good news.
53:1 – Now we see a message being revealed. It is the good news of 52:7. But who has believed it? In the previous verse, the nations believed. But the many of 52:14 were astonished, and in this verse they do not believe (see Paul’s quotation of this in Romans 10:16). The reason is given in verse 2: he is nothing of what they expected. He is as unimpressive as a root out of dry ground. He has no appearance or majesty and no beauty. Nothing about him in appearance causes us to desire him. This fits Paul’s description of the “message of the cross” being “foolish to those who are perishing” (1 Cor. 1:18, 21).