This review
is brought to you by the Kentucky First
Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ Sunday School
Department.
LESSON AIM: By
the end of the lesson, we will: know Isaiah's words of hope, good news, and
rejoicing; express great joy through heartfelt worship for the Lord's
salvation; and respond to God's blessing with exuberant worship.
BIBLE TRUTH: The
psalmist and Isaiah tell God's people that God, who reigns above, is their
help, shield, and salvation, and that they can put their hope in God and
rejoice.
Isaiah 52:1-2,
7-12 | King James Version (KJV)
1 Awake, awake; put
on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy
city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and
the unclean.
2 Shake thyself from the
dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy
neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
7 How beautiful upon
the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth
peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that
saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
8 Thy watchmen shall
lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see
eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.
9 Break forth into
joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted
his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord hath
made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the
earth shall see the salvation of our God.
11 Depart ye, depart
ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of
her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.
12 For ye shall not go out
with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of
Israel will be your reward.
“Happy days
are here again!” This is how the people of God felt after Zion was released
from captivity and totally freed. Isaiah is so eloquently painting the picture
of a princess who has awakened from a deep sleep and sees new beautiful
clothing to wear!
Verse 1
begins with shaking the people of God awake, but to also put on her new level
of holiness! God was standing by ready to save, heal, strengthen, and deliver…but
THEY had to believe it and want it too. These instructions were a prelude of
the preparation God was taking them through. “Get ready for your blessing!”
SIDE NOTE: Have you ever been in a
really good revival? Many times, these mini spurts of faith-elevation sessions
and rejuvenation weekends are just what the Christian needs to put a little
spark back into their walk with God. The evangelist manages to push large
amounts of faith-filled preaching to you during their tour, and it’s just what
you needed! Day-to-day monotony become restrictive and could be a sort of
bondage. Our spiritual (and natural) creativity and zeal suffer as a result. “Get ready for a breakthrough” “Believe God for it!” “Praise God in
advance!” These
events come to aid our walk with God and encourage us to rejoice our way into
our blessing! Next time you hear about a great revival in your town, make your
way there with tambourine in hand!
Further
into the book, Isaiah shares God’s vision to him. He’s visualizing a messenger,
specifically his feet, running across the mountains, carrying news of
salvation, peace, and happiness! So, now we have Zion who has awakened from a
deep and dusty spiritual sleep. She’s adored in her new level of holiness and
purity, just in time to prepare for this wonderful news! Just seeing him makes
Isaiah jubilant! Finally, everything is as it should be!
Apparently,
the rejoicing is a bit contagious. The watchmen on the walls were probably
alarmed at first, but then quickly saw that this messenger was bringing some
really good news! They became excited as well and began rejoicing and giving
thanks “at the mere sight” that the Word of God would be coming to them, and in
advance! In verse 9, you see the praise seeping down to the people of
Jerusalem. Remember, these folks were captives, persecuted, and weary. They
must have begun putting the pieces together in their minds. FINALLY! The
message of freedom and peace is here! So, they began rejoicing too!
One of the
most important pieces of this passage is a different way Isaiah speaks about
the holy arm of God in verse 10. We know the Lord’s arms can hold us and
protect us from all harm. His arms are strong enough to uphold us in
righteousness, but this verse says He is “flexing his muscles” in the midst of
enemies and the nations…this means war!
SIDE NOTE: God’s holy arm indicates power and a strong fight. It’s okay to
imagine God in a priestly robe, adorned in holiness and sovereignty. But, what
about when He is in battle for us, His children. God will “roll up His sleeves”
and “take it to the street” on our behalf. He’s willing to fight for us and we’re
certainly NOT in this alone.
So, to
answer this exuberant news, God’s people are prescribed to get out of Babylon.
Walk away from these sinful and deserted places. Turn from sin and never
return, don’t even think of looking back. Be a vessel for only the true and
living God. As the lesson closes, God’s salvation is revealed. His people are
free because God has made them free, not because they’ve escaped their enemies
and fleeing the scene. The chains are broken, so they only need to take them
off and walk. Their journey will take them towards the Promised Land.
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