Year 3, Day 36: Isaiah 52

While this blog is supposed to focus on Isaiah 52 – and it will – I am going to let verses 13-15 wait until tomorrow.  They seem to more naturally fit with the content of chapter 53 anyway.  So if you came looking for commentary on those verses, you should look to the blog post for tomorrow.  Speaking of which … am I the only person who reads Bible passages like this and wonders just what the people who divided the Bible up into verses and chapters were really thinking?  Seriously, would Isaiah 52:13 not really work better as Isaiah 53:1?  Or take verses like Acts 8:1 – wouldn’t the first part of that verse be better off as Acts 7:61?  Okay.  I’m coming back to legitimate Bible study now.

A New Thing

Chapter 52 begins with a call for the Hebrew people to wake.  They are being called out of their captivity.  The faithful remnant is going to be recalled to Jerusalem by God and for God’s purposes.  They will be pure.

Or are they?  There is a serious skeptic side to me when it comes to this verse.  “For there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.”  Really?  Historically speaking, are not the Jews under Persian “management” until the Greeks come into town?  And with the Greeks eventually comes Antiochus Epiphanes IV, who not only conquers Jerusalem but makes it illegal to own a copy of the Jewish scriptures.  That was a crime punishable by death!  To make matters worse, good old Antiochus Epiphanes IV rededicates the temple in Jerusalem to Zeus!  For these reasons the Jews call him the anti-Messiah and thus he is the first “Anti-Christ” on record!  So what can we make of Isaiah 52:1?  Is it really true?

Here’s my take on the verse.  Yes, the verse is absolutely true.  But here’s a case where it is only true through the lens of Christ.  God is calling His people back to begin the process of doing a new thing.  We’ve heard those kinds of words often the past few chapters.  And what is this new thing?  This new thing is to claim the Gentiles for Himself.  This new thing is to pave the way for the Gentiles to come to Him without regard for things like circumcision or ritual purity.  God is making it possible so that the only thing that truly matters is Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  From that perspective, this verse absolutely becomes true.  No more will the uncircumcised and the unclean defile the place because God is working out a brand new system of cleanliness before God.

Moving Right Along

So now we move to verse 2.  In verse 2 I am struck by a completely new thought.  {I love that when it happens!}  In verse 2 the Hebrew people are told to shake themselves away from the dust.  That is a very typical symbol for the “end of mourning.”  But I got to thinking about how Jesus seems to apply this saying in Matthew 10:14.  When people do not listen to the message, we are to shake off the dust as a sign against them.  Could it also be that Jesus is also telling us that we are to not waste time mourning their refusal to listen and instead focus upon moving along to those who will listen?

Without Money

Next we turn to a paragraph of prose, which is intriguing to say the least.  God briefly recounts the captivity history of His people.  They were captives in Egypt and now in Assyria/Babylon.  God intends to redeem them.  But, He will redeem them without money. 

Of course, quite literally, his people are redeemed under the Persian kings, who let the Hebrew people return home as a favor rather than through a monetary arrangement.  Again, though, this is a passage that I believe has a double-interpretation.  Ultimately, His people are redeemed through the blood of Christ, which has absolutely nothing to do with money.  God will indeed redeem His people with something far more precious than money.

But why will God’s people be redeemed?  The truth behind the redemption is that God’s name should be known and praised among the nations.  The one whose feet are blessed because he brings good news – is it not good news from God for which he is blessed?  Are we not told in this chapter that the message that is published is “Your God reigns?”

It is the Lord who comforts His people.  It is the Lord who is ultimately returning to Zion.  It is all about the Lord and His amazing work among His people.  May His name be praised!

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