Isaiah 52:1

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 in unto thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust, arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem. Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

For thus saith the Lord: You have sold yourselves for naught, or for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money. For thus saith the Lord God: My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nothing? They that rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord, and my name is continually blasphemed every day.

Therefore, my people shall know my name. Therefore, they shall know in that day that I am he that does speak. Behold, it is I.

Father, as we look now into your word, we do pray that you, by your Spirit, would guide us in all truth and teach us all things. It is a reality, Lord, that your word is spiritually discerned. There is no possible way that we can interpret and understand what it is that you're speaking to us, Lord. We will just have a very surface understanding of your word if you do not, by your Spirit, enlighten our eyes.

So God, we pray that you'd do just that tonight, that you would be speaking, Lord, and that you'd give us insight and understanding into the passage before us. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

The passage that we're here in tonight, in Isaiah chapter 52, is a continuation of where we were last week in Isaiah chapter 51. It is important, when we study through the scriptures, to recognize that the chapter numbers and the verse numbers are not divinely inspired; they were not originally written there. Isaiah did not write chapter 52 when he got to this passage.

They were added much later to help us be able to be on the same page. While we see that it is helpful to us, sometimes it hinders us because it splits passages up that maybe shouldn't have been split.

We saw last week in Isaiah chapter 51 that the words "awake, awake" were used in a couple of passages. In Isaiah 51, verse 9, God, speaking through His prophet, says, "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord, awake as in the ancient days and the generations of old. Are you not He that cut Rahab and wounded the dragon?"

In Isaiah 51, verse 9, it was the call of the children of Israel, the people of the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah, who were calling out to God, saying, "Awake, awake! God, would you wake up, rise up like you did when you brought us out of Egypt?" The title or name Rahab in Isaiah 51, verse 9, as we saw last week, is not the same as the name Rahab used in Judges when we met Rahab the harlot. This word here speaks of the proud one and refers to Egypt.

As the people of Israel looked at the judgment that was going to come upon them at the hands of the Babylonians, it was as if they were calling out to God, saying, "Lord, in our captivity, would you rise up like you did when you cast off Egypt and when you wounded that dragon down there in Egypt? Would you rise up once again?"

Then we saw in Isaiah 51, verse 17, that God answered their call. When they called out to Him and said, "Wake up, God," He called out to them and said, "You wake up." Isaiah 51, verse 17 states, "Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which has drunk at the hand of the Lord, the cup of His fury, that has drunk to the dregs, the cup of trembling, and wrung them out."

God is sounding the call to Jerusalem in verse 17. Jerusalem, which was overtaken in sin and completely filled with iniquity, was receiving the punishment of God because of their sin. He says, "Listen, wake up. The reason you're going through the things you're experiencing is because of your own sin. This isn't that I have turned away from you arbitrarily. It's not that I'm just angry with you. The reason that you're experiencing this judgment that you want me to bring you out of is because of your own sin."

Now, here in Isaiah chapter 52, verse 1, we read, "Awake, awake," once again. God addresses Jerusalem in their broken condition as they have been judged and have gone through trials, first at the hands of the Egyptians, and God brought them out of Egypt.

In the book of Exodus, we see the hand of the Assyrians, who completely obliterated the northern ten tribes of Israel and almost consumed the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The third wave of judgment, the larger waves of judgment, came at the hand of the Babylonians. God says, "Wake up, O Jerusalem. Arise from the dust. Clothe yourself in beautiful garments. Turn from your iniquity. Acknowledge your sin. Confess your transgressions. And be no more the captives, the servants of the Babylonians."

God emphasizes that if they do not want to remain under the harsh taskmasters of Babylon, they need to wake up, confess their sins, and repent. The people of Judah and Jerusalem were continually accusing God of unresponsive indifference. They cried out, "We're worshiping you. We keep the feasts. We observe the fastings. We go to the temple and offer our sacrifices." Yet they felt that the Lord did not care and was indifferent to their plight. They questioned, "Where are you? You've forsaken us. You've cast us off. Why have you allowed our enemies to prevail against us, God? Why do you not reach out to us and save us like you did during the time when you brought us out of Egypt?"

God answers them in a very clear fashion, saying, "Listen, you've done this to yourselves. I have not forsaken you. I cannot bless you in the midst of your sin. You are receiving the just reward of your doings. You're receiving the wages of your sin. The reason that you're in the predicament that you are is because this is a punishment upon your sin. Acknowledge your sin. Confess your transgression. Repent. And then be clothed again in beautiful garments."

He says that they have sold themselves for nothing. In verse 3 of Isaiah 52, it states, "You've sold yourselves for naught." Judah had prostituted themselves to all sorts of false gods, and they had done so for nothing. Ultimately, there is no true gain in sin. It is so important for us to recognize that there ultimately is no true gain in sin. The scripture reveals that there is pleasure for a season in sin, and many of you here tonight may have experienced that before you came to the Lord. There were certain temporary pleasures that could not satisfy the thirsts of your soul. They were there for a season.

In Hebrews chapter 11, we read about Moses. Before he became the great leader of the children of Israel, bringing them out of Egypt, he grew up in the house of Pharaoh and experienced the pleasures of Pharaoh's household. However, there came a time when he recognized his Hebrew origin; he was a Jew. Hebrews 11:25 tells us that he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

There is no ultimate gain in sin. The enemy loves to whisper lies into our ears to tempt our flesh, suggesting that we are really missing out. We might think of all the great things we could be doing to satisfy our flesh, but the flesh is never satisfied.

The people of Israel, especially in the nation of Judah, faced a dire situation. At the time of Isaiah chapter 52, it is likely that the northern ten tribes were already gone, having been led away captive by the Assyrians. All that remained of God's chosen people were those living in the southern part of the nation of Judah and Benjamin. They constantly accused God of casting them off. Yet, as we saw in Isaiah 50:1 last week, God asks, "Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement? To which of the creditors have I sold you?" He explains that it is for their own iniquities that they have sold themselves, and for their transgressions, their mother has put them away. The reason they are in their current situation is because of their own sin.

In Isaiah 52:3, God tells them, "You have sold yourselves for nothing." They have nothing to point to at the end of all this. When we give ourselves to sin, we sell ourselves short, and that is exactly what Israel had done. However, God gives them a great promise at the end of verse 3: "You shall be redeemed without money."

The redemption God speaks of would be without money, but that does not mean it would be cheap or without cost. The redemption they would ultimately receive would be very costly. The redemption that you and I have received, bringing us out of the death and sin of the world, is given to us freely, yet it is extremely costly. We will see this as we continue through the remainder of chapter 52.

And on into chapter 53, most of you here tonight recognize that Isaiah chapter 53 is extremely prophetic of the Messiah. It speaks about His suffering. Here, God says, "You've sold yourselves for nothing." The reason you're in this predicament, the reason you're in bondage, is because of your own sin. But I'm going to redeem you, and it's going to be without cost to you. It's going to be freely given to you, but that does not mean that it's cheap.

Turn in your Bibles to the New Testament, to 1 Peter chapter 1, and notice what the Apostle Peter says about this redemption and the cost of it. In 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 18, Peter states, "For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from the vain conduct or conversation received by the tradition of your fathers." You were not redeemed, church, with just corruptible things like silver and gold, even those things that our culture so highly esteems.

Isn't it interesting, in these difficult economic times, how much emphasis is put upon gold and silver? Man always seems to turn back to silver and gold. I saw on the news today that there's a company from somewhere in an Arabic country, I think, I want to say the United Arab Emirates, that wants to start putting gold vending machines or gold ATMs here in America. They already have them in the United Arab Emirates, where you can go and take your credit card or your ATM card, put it in, and buy gold coins. How weird would it be if people began to really turn to that here in our nation once again?

At this point, how much is gold? Well over $1,000 an ounce. People are saying, "Got to get gold, got to get gold." But our redemption from sin and from death was not purchased with silver and gold, with corruptible things. What was it purchased with? Verse 19 tells us, "But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

We will see that lamb without blemish and without spot in chapter 53, the one who is led to the slaughter like a lamb before His shearers is dumb. He opened not His mouth. God tells His people, and it's a word to you and I as well, that you sold yourselves for nothing, but you are going to be redeemed, and that without cost, although it is very expensive, given to us freely.

But not cheap. Therefore, we ought not to cheapen the grace and the gift of God. We ought never to cheapen it by thinking that we can sin that grace may abound, as Paul says in Romans chapter 6. God forbid. We who have died to sin, how can we live any longer in it?

In the same sort of picture, God redeemed the people of Israel out of Babylon. It was foolishness for them to stay there. He gave them an open door so that they could freely live and walk in liberty back to Jerusalem and back to the land where the temple would be. Yet, did you know that when you study through the Old Testament, after they were set free from Babylon, most of the children of Israel stayed there? They decided that they kind of liked Babylon, and so they continued there. Only a fraction of the people who went into captivity came out and went back to Jerusalem.

I think that there are many within the body of Christ today as well. God has opened the prison doors so that they can live in liberty in Christ, yet they choose to suffer under the bondage of sin continually. God has set them free, but they remain captives to sin, slaves of sin. They don't have to be. How shall we who have died to sin live any longer in it? He has set us free. He has redeemed us.

Continuing on in Isaiah chapter 52, verse 4, it says, "For thus saith the Lord God: My people went down aforetime into Egypt, and they sojourned there, and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause." God reminds His people that there was a time when they went down into Egypt. At the end of the book of Genesis, we see that the descendants of Abraham journeyed to Egypt because there was a famine in the land. They went there willingly, but after 400 years in Egypt, after they had grown to be a mighty and strong nation, they were no longer free in Egypt.

The allure of the world is just that way, isn't it? It seems like it will satisfy. When there's a famine, we think we should go there. Yet, once we're there, we find ourselves captive. The children of Abraham, the descendants of Abraham, Israel, were captive in Egypt. God says, "You remember that in past times you were in Egypt, you were sojourning there, but I delivered you." Then you remember how the Assyrians oppressed you. In Isaiah chapters 36 and 37, we saw that oppression come to its height.

When Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, brought his armies into Judah, he almost completely destroyed the nation. Forty-six of their walled cities were destroyed, and only one major stronghold remained: the city of Jerusalem. If it had not been for the Lord's grace and mercy, they too would have been destroyed. However, in Isaiah chapter 37, God destroyed 185,000 of the army of Sennacherib in one night.

God says, "Remember the redemption. I brought you out of Egypt. I saved you from the Assyrian." Now, therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, speaking to His people who would be captive in Babylon? He asks, "What do I have here? That my people are taken away for nothing." You are taken as captives back to Babylon, and those who rule over you make you howl. You will be under captivity in Babylon to the point that you cry out to the Lord because of the bondage of the Babylonians. God says that His name will be continually blasphemed by your captors.

Ultimately, if you read through Ezekiel chapter 20, you will see the reason that God brought His people out of Egypt, saved them from the Assyrian, and would ultimately bring them out of the bondage of Babylon. It was because the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians had blasphemed the name of God. Yes, God had compassion on His people; yes, He loved the children of Israel. But ultimately, it was for His namesake. Four times in Ezekiel chapter 20, we are told that the reason He redeemed them was for His namesake. His name was being blasphemed.

In Ezekiel chapter 20, verse 44, it says, "And you shall know that I am the Lord when I have wrought with you for my namesake. I have worked with you for my namesake. And I will bring you out."

The result of God's redemption, when He redeemed them from Egypt in Exodus chapter 14, when He redeemed them from the Assyrians in Isaiah chapter 37, and when He would ultimately redeem them out of Babylon, is what? Isaiah chapter 52, verse 6 states, "Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore they shall know in that day that I am, that I am He that does speak. Behold, it is I."

The result is a true knowledge of God, the glory of God.

The chief end of man is certainly the glory of God. God's name, His power, and His majesty are to be glorified. In the redemption of man, whether He is redeeming the lost sinners of Israel from Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, or whoever it may have been, or whether He is redeeming you and me from sin and death, He ultimately is to be glorified. He reveals His name to His people so that they will come to know His power. That is exactly what He has done for you and me as well. He has revealed His name to us and His power so that we would recognize who He is and come to know Him.

God would bring to pass the redemption of His people out of Babylon, and they would remember again the word that was spoken through Isaiah more than a hundred years before they even went down into Babylon. Before they would be redeemed from Babylon, they would remember what He had spoken. They would say, "God told us before this happened that this would come to pass." It is awesome that God often works in spite of us to show us the greatness of His glory.

The people who were captive in Babylon did not deserve the grace of God. No one deserves grace. Did they deserve His mercy? Absolutely not. After they had sinned so greatly against God, read through Ezekiel chapter 20 later on when you get home tonight, and you will see that they constantly turned back to sin. They deserved all of God's wrath and all of God's punishment. How many of us here tonight did not deserve God's wrath and punishment? We all deserved His wrath and punishment. Yet, He has freely given us His grace in spite of us to show how glorious and awesome He is.

Again, in verse 7 of Isaiah chapter 52, it says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace, that brings good tidings of good, and publishes salvation, that says unto Zion, 'Your God reigns.'"

Now, prophecy should always be considered in its historical, Christological, ecclesiological, and eschatological fulfillment. You may ask, "What in the world does that mean?" When we look at a prophecy in the Bible, we should always consider it in those four different views when we are trying to interpret what it means. What does it mean historically? How was it fulfilled?

In its near fulfillment, how is it fulfilled Christologically? How is it fulfilled in Jesus, the Messiah? How is it fulfilled ecclesiologically, meaning how is it fulfilled in the church? And then, how is it fulfilled eschatologically, meaning how is it fulfilled in the end times? Those are the four ways we need to consider Bible prophecy. Some Bible prophecies will be fulfilled at all four levels, but not all. Some Bible prophecies focus only on the early fulfillment.

For example, we see things that Isaiah speaks about regarding the judgment upon the Arabians in Isaiah chapter 20 or 21. He states that this will be fulfilled within three years, indicating a historical fulfillment—something that happened in the past. There are other prophecies that are fulfilled in the near fulfillment and then fulfilled in Jesus. In Isaiah chapter 7, when we read about the virgin birth, we see that there was an early fulfillment in one of the children that came to Isaiah and his wife, Maharshalal-Hashbaz. How would you like to sign that on your check?

We know that Isaiah 7:14, which speaks of the virgin birth, had a fulfillment in Jesus, as Matthew tells us in the Gospel of Matthew. There are prophecies like Joel chapter 2 that have fulfillments in the church and in the last days, where it says, "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh." We see the fulfillment of that on the day of Pentecost.

When we look at a Bible prophecy, we can't immediately say, "Well, that's talking about the end times," because not every passage has an eschatological focus. The prophecy in Isaiah chapter 52, verse 7, is unique in that it is fulfilled at all four levels.

What is the historic fulfillment? It states, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings." Historically, in the context of the passage, this was looking forward to the redemption of Judah from Babylon. Cyrus, the king of Persia, would come in and destroy the Babylonian kingdom, setting the people of Judah free. There would be people sent throughout that Babylonian region telling the people of Judah, "You're free to go back." How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of peace! They are coming and saying, "You can go home. You no longer have to remain under the captivity of Babylon."

A messianic fulfillment is found in Isaiah chapter 52, verse 7. This prophecy looks forward to Jesus, who is the ultimate one going forth, bringing glad tidings of good things and proclaiming peace and salvation. It is also believed that it speaks about John the Baptist, who was the forerunner before Jesus, declaring that he would come to bring glad tidings of good things.

Additionally, there is an ecclesiological focus in this passage. The Apostle Paul reveals this when he uses this exact prophecy in Romans chapter 10, verse 15. There he says, "And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things." You remember that passage? It speaks of the church going forth and fulfilling the commission that God has given us when we bring the gospel to the uttermost parts. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the gospel to the rest of the world.

Furthermore, there is an eschatological focus as well. Some believe, including the great commentator John Gill, that the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah 52, verse 7, will come in Revelation chapter 14. In that chapter, we see angelic beings and evangelists during the last days going forth into all the world, proclaiming the kingdom. Thus, we could say that this prophecy is fulfilled at all four levels. It is fulfilled in its early fulfillment with the captives being set free in Babylon. It is fulfilled in Jesus, as he is the ultimate one going and bringing glad tidings of good things. It is fulfilled in the church, as we carry forth the gospel into the world, and it is fulfilled in the last days when the message is fully preached.

But what exactly does it mean, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things"? It's kind of a funny way to say it, isn't it? We need to understand a little bit of Middle Eastern and Hebrew culture for this to completely make sense. In Middle Eastern cultures, the feet are considered lowly and defiled. You have likely seen this before when we talked about foot washing in the New Testament. To wash someone's feet...

Hospitality was considered very important in ancient cultures. If you invited someone over to your house and washed their feet, you were showing them great hospitality. However, it was typically the lowest servant in the household who would perform the foot washing. This is likely why none of Jesus' disciples wanted to wash feet when they gathered for the Passover supper. They were all arguing about who was the greatest, and not a single one of them was willing to submit to the role of foot washer.

It is a beautiful testimony when Jesus rises to wash His disciples' feet. In December 2008, the London Telegraph published an interesting article about an incident that many may remember. It involved George Bush speaking in Iraq when a man stood up and threw his shoes at the president. This event made big world news and sparked a number of articles discussing Middle Eastern cultural customs. The Telegraph highlighted that showing the sole of your shoe has long been considered an insult in Arabic culture. Hitting someone with a shoe is seen as going even further.

Many may recall the events of 2003 when the armies of the United States and allied forces entered Iraq and liberated Baghdad. People in the streets were tearing down statues of Saddam Hussein, and images on CNN and MSNBC showed them hitting the statues with their shoes. This act was a powerful statement of insult. The shoe is considered dirty because it is associated with the ground and the foot, which is the lowest part of the body. Striking someone with a shoe indicates that the victim is regarded as even lower than the person delivering the insult.

When Saddam Hussein's statue was toppled in Baghdad in April 2003, Iraqis swarmed around it, striking it with their shoes. Another interesting detail emerged when our soldiers entered Baghdad and began exploring some of Saddam Hussein's palaces. Many of these palaces had pictures of President George Bush and American flags tiled into the floors. This was a symbolic act of defilement, as it conveyed the message, "We are walking over you." Even today, this cultural significance remains relevant.

One of the biggest insults in Middle Eastern cultures, especially among the Arabic peoples, is to call someone a "son of a shoe." I'm not kidding. This concept helps us understand that among the Hebrew peoples and the Arabic peoples, the idea of the foot and the shoe takes on a different significance. When we read about how beautiful are the feet, the idea of beautiful feet seems incongruent with Middle Eastern culture. It does not make sense to the Middle Eastern mindset or to the Hebrew peoples.

So, what in the world does this mean? The best idea I have come to, as I've studied this passage over the last several years, is that the best interpretation is to say that when the gospel message is carried, it is so marvelous and glorious that it beautifies the most wretched parts of our being. God's good news is so beautiful that it makes beautiful that which is defiled. We have seen this in our lives as well, because there are parts of us that are far more dirty than our feet. When we came to Christ, His beautiful, glorious, majestic gospel transformed us.

This brings to new light the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians chapter 5, where he writes that He may wash them with the washing of the water of His word. It adds clarity to the prayer of Jesus in John chapter 17, verse 17, when He said, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." God makes beautiful our most defiled parts by His glorious gospel.

Feet are mentioned in this passage instead of the whole person because they are the instruments of motion. The idea here is that the gospel is to be carried into the world. In one sense, when we read in Isaiah chapter 52, verse 7, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things," we see that even the Great Commission is somewhat established in this passage. The good news must be carried to the rest of the world, and we are to fulfill that commission.

Well, what is the good news? It's glad tidings.

Of good things, it's publishing peace and salvation. It's publishing that our God reigns. The good news, the news of peace, the glad tidings of salvation, can all be summed up in this glorious proclamation: Your God reigns. Where your God reigns, peace reigns. Where your God reigns, glad tidings reign. Where your God reigns, salvation reigns. Therefore, we are to take this glad tidings of good news into all the world, publishing peace and publishing salvation.

In verse 8 of Isaiah chapter 52, it states, "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." Break forth into joy! Sing together, you wasted places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted His people. The Lord has redeemed Jerusalem. It was no doubt a day of great rejoicing when Israel returned to Jerusalem after their captivity in Babylon. It will also be a day of tremendous rejoicing when the watchmen of Jerusalem see eye to eye and face to face as Jesus sets foot on the Mount of Olives and walks through the east gate into the city. The Scriptures declare that we shall be with Him when He does. That will be an awesome day of rejoicing—rejoicing like we can't even begin to imagine.

Now, it's interesting that in this passage, verse 9 says, "Break forth into joy and sing together." That's a call to praise. Whenever we see in the Bible a call like that—break forth into joy, sing together—it serves as a herald, someone announcing to the people that it's time to praise the Lord. It's almost as if you were a live studio audience and the light went on: applause now. However, this is one of those situations where you don't need the applause sign because the joy and rejoicing are so great.

Notice at the end of verse 9, we read twice in the past tense a proclamation of something that had not happened yet in Isaiah's day. When Isaiah was writing these things, around the 690s B.C., after the Assyrian invasion of Judah and Jerusalem, he declares, "The Lord has comforted His people," speaking of something that had not yet occurred.

Come to pass in the past tense. And again, he says, the Lord has redeemed Jerusalem. The prophet himself is a watchman and declares that God has comforted and God has redeemed. Although it had not come to pass, it was still penned in the past tense. Why? Because it was a foregone conclusion that it would come to pass. When God speaks, He will most certainly make good on His word. Remember what Jesus said in the Gospels: every jot and every tittle will all be fulfilled; none shall pass away.

So when God declares, "I will comfort my people, I will redeem my people," it is a foregone conclusion that it will come to pass. When He declares that His people shall be with Him eternally, we know for certain that we shall be with Him eternally. When we talk about hope, it's not this kind of ambiguous sort of, "Well, man, I really hope it happens." Biblical hope is an absolute expectation of coming good. It is knowing for certain, being assured that that which God said will come to pass.

Although this had not happened when Isaiah penned it, he could rightly say in the past tense, "The Lord has comforted His people, the Lord has redeemed Jerusalem." And one more time in verse 10, what do we read? "The Lord has made bare His holy arm." Even though when Isaiah penned this, it had not come to pass yet, the Lord has 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.

The mighty strength of the Lord is what we refer to when we read of the arm of the Lord. This mighty strength was displayed when God set the people free from Egypt in Exodus chapter 14, or saved them miraculously from the Assyrians in Isaiah chapter 37, or when He would redeem them from Babylon. The mighty arm of the Lord is revealed.

Now, back in Isaiah chapter 51, verse 9, remember we read the children of Israel saying, "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord." In Isaiah 51, verse 9, the people were saying, "God, wake up and bear Your holy arms. Show us Your strength. Redeem us from the Babylonians."

When they called to Him to reveal the strength of His arm and redeem them, He answers them in the past tense. Isaiah tells us that He has borne His holy arm, His strong arm, and He has done so in the eyes of all the nations. God's ultimate salvation is a very public affair. Throughout history, God's salvation has always been out in the open.

In Exodus chapter 14, God publicly redeemed the children of Israel from Egypt. In Isaiah chapter 37, God openly destroyed the Assyrians, and all the world heard about it. During the time of the Babylonian fall, it was something that was visible to all. The victory of Jesus, 2,000 years ago on the cross, was also openly declared. It was not something that happened in silence or in private. He was crucified on an open road that was well traveled by the people north of the city of Jerusalem, just outside the city walls.

When Jesus died, He made a public spectacle of principalities and powers. In Colossians chapter 2, verse 15, it says, "And having spoiled principalities and powers," which refers to fallen angelic beings, "He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it." The salvation of the Lord is indeed a very public affair; He desires all to see.

Isaiah chapter 52, verse 10, states that He makes bare His holy arm, and all the eyes of the nations shall see the salvation of God. God sets His people free from Babylon, and then what does He say to them? In verse 11, He commands, "Depart, depart ye; go out from thence. Leave Babylon; you have been set at liberty. Now go and touch no unclean thing. Go ye out from the midst of her; be ye clean, ye that bear the vessels of the Lord."

He assures them, "For you 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 rear guard." Thus, God sets His people free publicly and commands them to depart.

Go out, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. When God set the people free from Babylon and they left, they took with them the gold and silver instruments which Nebuchadnezzar had stolen from the temple in Jerusalem. These were the vessels of the Lord. As His departing captives from Babylon were going back to Judah, God said to them, "Go out from among them. Do not touch any of their unclean things. Don't take any of their false gods with you, but take the vessels of the Lord and be clean as you go."

We too have been redeemed from the filth of this world, and we are to depart and be separate. Paul the Apostle, in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 17, says, "Wherefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." We have been set at liberty by the mighty power of God. He says, "Go out. Yes, you're in the world, but be not of the world. Touch no unclean thing. Be separate."

The word "separate" can also be understood as "holy," consecrated to God. We are to be vessels of honor. The Apostle Paul says to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 21, "If any man purges or cleanses himself from these things, he shall be a vessel of honor, sanctified and fit for the master's use, and prepared for every good work." That is God's desire for us: that we would be wholly consecrated to Him.

He has made the way open for us to be set at liberty, and now He calls us to be clean. Notice the sequence of that. We are not set at liberty because we have come out, been separate, and made ourselves clean. We are first set at liberty. We are redeemed from the power of death, sin, and hell. After being a redeemed people, He says, "Now I want you to live separate, consecrated to God."

A lot of times, we mix these things up. We think that we are redeemed because we made ourselves separate and cleaned ourselves up. No, that's not the way. He has redeemed us and set us free. Therefore, we ought to live a life that is holy unto Him. That's what He says to the people of Judah as they leave Babylon: "Depart, and you shall not go out with haste," He says in verse 12. Remember when the...

When the children of Israel left Egypt, they went in haste. Why? Because they were being chased. The Egyptian army and Pharaoh were coming after them, so they had to split quickly. That's why God told them not to leaven their bread. They were to have unleavened bread because they had to get out of Dodge quickly.

Remember, they ate the Passover meal standing up, with their sandals on, their clothes on, and their staff in their hand. God said, "You're going to make haste. You're going to get out of here quick." However, God says here, in leaving Babylon, they were not going to leave in haste. Why? Because when they were departing from Babylon, they were going with the blessing of the Medo-Persian king, Cyrus. They didn't have to leave quickly; they didn't have to run for their lives. Their captivity was over.

In Christ, our captivity is over. We leave the clutch of the enemy as victors, as conquerors. Romans chapter 8, verse 37 says we are more than conquerors. Therefore, we don't have to flee in fear from the enemy. We walk out with our heads held high because God has redeemed us.

Well, how shall this ultimate redemption be secured? Look at verse 13. "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high." How is the ultimate redemption secured? It is secured by this one that verse 13 tells us to behold. We are to look upon this one.

Who is this one we are to look upon? He is called the servant. "My servant," God the Father says. He is a servant who is going to deal prudently, or in another translation, he shall succeed at the work that is set before him. He is going to succeed. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. The ultimate redemption comes by the hand of the servant, the Redeemer.

Now, at verse 13, we begin the prophecy that we all know very well if we've studied the Bible for any length of time. It is the very same prophecy that the Ethiopian eunuch was reading in Acts chapter 8 as he was leaving Jerusalem.

His way down to Gaza was to go home to Ethiopia. Remember, he had the scroll of Isaiah, and God told Philip to go and attach himself to the chariot. When Philip got there, he heard this man reading out loud from the passage in Isaiah that spoke about the servant who was led as a sheep to the slaughter. Philip asked him, "Do you know what you're reading?" The man replied, "How can I read if someone doesn't tell me what it means? Why don't you get up here and share with me?" The Ethiopian eunuch then asked Philip, "Who is the prophet speaking of here? Himself or another man?"

If ever there was a person given an awesome opportunity, Philip seized that moment to tell him about the Messiah, the suffering servant. Many people wonder, when they read through Isaiah chapter 52, verse 13, through Isaiah chapter 53, verse 12, how it is possible for a Jewish individual to read this passage and not be convinced that Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the prophecy perfectly. How is it possible that there are millions of Jews today who know Isaiah 53, who have memorized Isaiah 53, and yet they are not convinced?

Well, number one, we need to understand that Jews have an immediate bias towards Jesus. Have you ever tried to share Jesus with a person from a Jewish background? They have an immediate bias towards Jesus and towards Christians. They wonder, "Who do you think you are to tell me about my scriptures?" I've had one tell me that before. They have been taught for centuries that the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 53 does not speak about the Messiah, but rather about the nation of Israel.

The modern Jewish view of Isaiah chapters 52 and 53 is that the suffering servant is not the Messiah; it is Israel, the nation of Israel. And has Israel suffered? Yes, they have. They have seen great persecution and oppression. They were expelled from their land by the Romans in 70 AD, before that by the Babylonians in 586 BC, and almost destroyed by the Assyrians in 700 BC. They were kicked out of Spain in 1492 and persecuted by the Russian pogroms in the 1800s. The Jewish Holocaust of the Second World War is another tragic chapter in their history.

World War. We could go on and on about the persecution that has come against them. Therefore, they look at this passage and say, "Well, clearly, we are the suffering servant." However, that was not always the view of Jews. In fact, there is evidence in the New Testament that first-century Jews believed that Isaiah 53 did speak about the Messiah.

One such passage comes from Isaiah 53, verse 8, where we read, "Who shall declare his generation?" It was based upon that prophecy that the Jews in Jesus' day did not think he was the Messiah because they knew his lineage. They figured that when the Messiah comes, we are not going to know where he comes from. "Who shall declare his generation?" If you want to consider that, look at Isaiah chapter 7, verse 27, where they said, "How be it we know this man where he has come from, but when the Christ comes, no man knows whence he comes from." They based that on Isaiah 53, verse 8.

So clearly, the Jews in Jesus' day believed that Isaiah 53 spoke about the Messiah. The idea that it spoke about the nation of Israel came later. In 248 AD, one of the early church fathers by the name of Origen wrote a work in which he said, "Now I remember that on one occasion, at a disputation I held with certain Jews who were reckoned wise men, I quoted these prophecies from Isaiah 53, to which my Jewish opponent replied that these predictions bore reference to the whole people, regarded as one individual and as being in a state of dispersion and suffering."

Thus, in 248 AD, Origen indicated that there were Jews by that time who believed that the passage spoke about the whole of the nation. In the 11th century AD, a Jewish rabbi by the name of Rashi, who is one of the famed commentators of the Jewish midrash, began to promote the view that Isaiah 53 speaks about the Jewish nation. Today, it is the predominant view among Jews that Isaiah 53 speaks about the Jewish nation. However, it wasn't always the case.

When we read through this passage, we see Christ. He shall deal prudently. He shall be successful. He shall be exalted and extolled.

Now, some think that this speaks of the crucifixion of Jesus, that he would be lifted up. However, a better interpretation is that the Messiah, the suffering servant, would be victorious and triumphant. Before we even get into his suffering in this passage, we already see the declaration in verse 13 of chapter 52 that he will be victorious. Even in suffering, he is victorious.

In verse 14, it says, "As many were astonished at thee, his visage or his appearance was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men." And so shall he sprinkle the nations. The kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them, they shall see. That which they had not heard, they shall consider.

It's interesting in verse 14 that we read, "As many as were astonished at you." This is intriguing because the modern Jewish view of this passage is that Isaiah 52 and 53 speak about them as the suffering servant. Yet, there is a distinction between the nation of Israel and the suffering servant here in Isaiah 52, verse 14. People were astonished at you, Israel, because of the judgment that you have gone through and the persecution you have experienced.

More so, they will be astonished at this suffering servant whose appearance would be marred more than any other man. The beating that he would receive would be so harsh that it would disfigure his face, making it difficult for someone looking at him to tell who he was. It would be so severe that even his body would be questioned, "Is that even a man?"

But we are told in verse 15, "So shall he sprinkle many nations." Through his suffering, through the beating he would endure, would come the cleansing of many nations. He would come as the long-sought-for Messiah of his people, but he would not come just for them, as we read of many nations being cleansed through him.

Isaiah 53, verse 1 states, "Who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" The story of the suffering servant is almost inconceivable. When we consider what is spoken of here in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, along with what we read in the Gospels about the judgment that he received, it is hard for us to comprehend.

Imagine. Even 20 centuries later, many people have a hard time believing it. And yet, belief is the important response, isn't it? Who has believed our report? What are we called to do when we're told about Jesus? We are to believe in Him.

In Isaiah 53, verse 1, we read something that seems to be a prophecy of the fact that not everybody will receive this message. Not everybody will believe it. To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Once again, the arm of the Lord is brought forth and spoken of. We saw it in Isaiah 51, verse 9, and again in Isaiah chapter 52. The arm of the Lord is revealed. He, Jesus, the Messiah, the suffering servant, is the strength of Almighty God. The arm of the Lord that is revealed almost seems out of place. Who could believe such a thing? The brutal beating, the senseless suffering, the disgraceful death that the Messiah endured—how could such a thing reveal the strength of God? How in any way does this exalt God's mighty power?

We read on in verse 2: "For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him." The advent of the Messiah, the coming of the Messiah, was one of mystery and obscurity. He just kind of shows up on the scene with very little pomp and circumstance. Born to a peasant girl who was a virgin, the city that she came from probably thought she was a very scandalous sort of girl. He was born in obscurity. Little is known about Jesus' early years. The Scriptures only tell about His birth, and then there is one event spoken of in Luke chapter 2 about when He was 12 years old and went up to Jerusalem for the Passover. Other than that, He came up as a tender plant and as a root out of dry ground, overlooked by many and unnoticed by the rest.

Jesus' life prior to His baptism, prior to the beginning of His ministry, is obscure to say the least. Of course, there are some people in our days who say the lost gospels tell us about Jesus' early years. No, they don't. He grew up in obscurity. He did not grow up in the central city of the nation of Israel, there in Jerusalem.

He did not grow up under that great tree, that great structure of Judaism there in Jerusalem, but rather as a small shoot from the roots off in a distant, obscure city of Galilee. We are told that he has no form nor comeliness, and that when we see him, we should desire him. Isn't it interesting that in the four Gospel accounts of the New Testament, there is never anything said about what Jesus looked like? Have you ever thought about that? It never tells us what color hair he had or what color eyes he had. Sure, we can guess because of the people group he grew among, but nothing is really said.

Now, the closest thing we have in the New Testament is that the people called him a glutton. So, I have a feeling maybe he had a few extra pounds. Well, I don't know; I can't prove that. This is the closest thing we have, the most detailed account about Jesus' appearance. And what does it tell us? He has no form nor comeliness, and when we see him, we should desire him.

This does not mean that Jesus was ugly or that he was bad looking. It does mean that he looked like the regular average Jew of his day. There was nothing about him that would attract us physically and make us say, "Man, I want to hang out with that guy." Nothing like Saul, the first king of Israel. Remember King Saul? He was a head taller than everybody else in the nation and was good looking. Everybody said, "That's our king."

What did they say about Jesus? They said, "We don't want this man to rule over us." His appearance did not immediately attract people to him. No one was drawn to him by his appearance, but they were drawn to him by something much deeper than his external look. Alan Redpath, a great Bible teacher who has gone to be with the Lord, said that when we try to attract people to Jesus through form, comeliness, or beauty, we are using methods that run counter to the nature of Jesus.

When we try to use worldly methods to attract people to Jesus, such as saying, "We're going to give away a free car if you come to church on Easter," or "Come here and you'll get free pizza and Xboxes," we are attracting people with the things of this world to try to win them to Christ. And what you win them with, you win them to.

Verse 3 states, "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised, and we esteemed him not." If you've ever felt despised, if you've ever felt rejected,

I know for certain that Jesus knows and understands that feeling completely, more so than any of us ever could, because He was rejected by everyone. Even to this day, He is rejected by the multitudes. He is a man of sorrows.

Now, that doesn't mean that Jesus was constantly melancholy, walking around with a droopy look and countenance. He was also not really the life of the party. I take this to mean that Jesus bore the sorrows of those around Him and was acquainted with their grief. He would weep with those who wept and rejoice with those who rejoiced. We are told that we hid, as it were, our faces from Him.

Seeing this man of sorrows, watching this sin-bearing servant, we might like to think that if we were there on the day He carried His cross to Calvary, we would have been standing right next to His side, encouraging Him. But the reality is, we probably would have hid our faces from Him, as one who covers their face in disgust.

Surely, verse 4 states that He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. This one who is acquainted with grief is the very one who ultimately bears our griefs and carries our sorrows. That's why He is called the man of sorrows. Literally, that's what makes Him the man of sorrows.

We did esteem Him stricken and smitten of God. If we had been in the multitude of the people on that day who watched Him going to the cross, we probably would have thought the reason He was going through this was because God was striking Him and smiting Him because of His sin. While God was the one who struck Him, it was not because of Jesus' sin, for He had no sin. It was because of my sin. It was because of your sin.

Verse 5 says, "But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed." Smitten and afflicted by God for our sin, wounded for our transgressions, the chastisement or punishment to bring about our peace was put upon Him. And with His stripes, we are healed.

Matthew chapter 27, verse 26.

Mark chapter 15, verse 15, Luke chapter 22, verse 15, and John chapter 19, verse 1 reveal that Jesus, before he was crucified, received a scourging at the hands of Roman guards. They would attach him at the wrists to a small platform about two feet high with his back exposed. Then, they would begin to whip him with the Roman flagellum, which is sometimes called the cat of nine tails. This whip had leather straps coming off a short handle, and embedded in the braided straps were pieces of bone, broken clay, and sharp pieces of rock. When it was swung against his back, it wouldn't just strike; it would embed itself into the flesh. When they pulled it away, it would rip the back raw. Most people who received a Roman scourging died before it was finished. Jesus did not. It is by those stripes that he received that we are healed.

Why? Verse 6 states, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." We all share the same lost condition; we have all gone our own way. Yet God's wrath and punishment for our sin have been placed upon Jesus. The Lord has laid it upon him.

In 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21, Paul writes, "He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might receive the righteousness of God in Christ." Verse 7 continues, "He was oppressed and was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." The Hebrew word translated as "oppressed" means to be driven, like an animal that is driven by a harsh taskmaster. Jesus was driven before his accusers, before Pilate, and before Caiaphas, the high priest. He was pushed forward before Herod, the king, and was oppressed, cast down, browbeaten, and yet he remained silent.

We often have a difficult time holding our tongues when someone says bad things about us, let alone enduring what Jesus faced. Now, twice in verse 7,

We're told that He did not open His mouth. The fact that He did not open His mouth reminds us that He was not forced to die. He did not go to the cross as a helpless victim; He went to the cross willingly and silently. Why? For the joy that was set before Him. Hebrews chapter 12, verses 1 and 2 says this.

Do we see in the New Testament and the Gospels that Jesus was silent before His accusers? Yes. In Matthew 26:63, it says He held His peace before the high priest and said nothing. In Matthew 27, verses 12 through 14, He did not speak a word. Pontius Pilate, in John chapters 18 and 19, was blown away. He asked, "Do you not speak for yourself? Do you not see that they're seeking to kill you?" But Jesus held His peace.

Verse 8 says, "He was taken from the prison and from judgment. And who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living. For the transgression of My people, He was stricken." Why did all this happen? Why did He go through all this? Isaiah recognizes it was because of the transgression of His people and all people that Jesus went to the cross. That's why He was stricken. He did not go for His own sin; He went for our sin.

Verse 9 states that He made His grave with the wicked and with the rich in His death, because He had done no violence, neither was there any deceit in His mouth. You see, His executioners, those who sought to put Him to death, desired to have Him buried in a common grave. That is what they would generally do if people were capitally punished. If a person was stoned by a Jewish council and put to death, they were buried in a common grave, unmarked. A person who was crucified would normally be left on the cross for the birds to come and eat their flesh. If they were given a burial, they were just cast into a field, like what the blood money that Judas used was ultimately used for—to buy a potter's field to bury people in.

The desire of those who executed Him was to have His grave be with the wicked, just cast in a common tomb. But we know that He was with the rich in His death because, in Luke and Matthew, we read that Joseph of Arimathea made his tomb available for the body of Jesus. He had done no violence, as verse 9 says. He had not said or done anything deserving of death. He died solely for you and me.

Verse 10 states, "Yet it pleased the Lord," speaking of God the Father, "to bruise him." That word "bruise" could be translated as "crush." He has put him to grief. When you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed; he shall prolong his days. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

It's unimaginable for us, especially if we have children, to even consider that God the Father was pleased to crush God the Son. Why? Because through that crushing would come the offering, the ultimate offering, the final offering for sin. Remember in John chapter 19, verse 30, Jesus cried his last words from the cross: "It is finished." This signifies the final offering for sin.

When we read in verse 10 that it says, "He shall see his seed and shall prolong his days," we find that the death and burial of Jesus were not the end because we know the rest of the story. Three days later, he rose from the dead. You and I are the seed; we are the offspring of him who comes through his death, burial, and resurrection. He is the first fruits from the dead, and now he has raised us to newness of life in him as well.

In verse 11, it states, "He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities." There are different interpretations of what verse 11 means when it says, "He shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied." Some people believe that God the Father sees the suffering of God the Son and is satisfied; the wrath of God is satisfied through his suffering. Others believe that Jesus, the Messiah, is looking back on the cross with satisfaction, recognizing that the suffering and agony were worth it. Either way, I think, is glorious.

"And by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many." Jesus said in John 17, verse 3, "This is eternal life, that you might know him, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent." We receive eternal life and justification by the knowledge of the righteous servant.

Therefore, in verse 12, it states, "Will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he has poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bore the sin of many."

And made intercession for the transgressors. Notice in verse 12 that He, Jesus, the suffering servant, poured out His own soul unto death. No one took His life from Him, just like He said to Pilate in John 19. He laid His own life down. He was numbered with the transgressors. We know from Matthew and Luke that when Jesus was crucified, He was crucified with two sinners, transgressors, thieves on either side of Him. We also know that He made intercession while He was there on the cross.

In Luke chapter 23, verse 34, Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Hebrews chapter 7, verse 25 tells us that He continues to evermore make intercession for you and me. But we read in verse 12 that He bore the sin of many. Who are the many? Look around the room tonight. He bore our sin. He bore our shame. The righteous servant, the suffering servant, that you and I would know righteousness, that you and I would know peace.

This is the beautiful message that we have to bring with our beautiful feet to the rest of this world: that God demonstrated His love towards us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You who were dead in trespasses and sins, by grace have you been saved. He quickened us because He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might receive His righteousness. What a glorious gospel! Good news! Glad tidings of good things! Publishing peace! Preaching salvation! That's the message that we have.

And yes, we know sadly that many will not believe our report. But that ought never to hinder us from declaring the reality of it. May we continually proclaim to all that we come in contact with that Christ, the Messiah, the suffering servant, died for the ungodly, the just for the unjust, that we might live.

With God eternally. Let's stand and pray.

Father, I thank you for your word. I ask, Lord, that you, by your Spirit, would hide your word in our hearts. As we go from here tonight and as we walk with you tomorrow and the rest of this week, may we be thinking about you, the suffering servant, and may it stir us to worship you.

Lord, let it also stir us to share you with those we come in contact with. Help us to be witnesses of you, remembering all that you've done for us. It is the only reasonable thing for us to do to proclaim you to those we encounter. Even if it embarrasses us, even if it causes us some shame, it could never be equal to the shame and embarrassment that you endured for us.

God, shine brightly through the lives that we have. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Take care. Bye. Thank you.