OUR GOD REIGNS!

Passage: Isaiah 52:1-12

Key verse: 7

NIV

52 Awake, awake,(A) Zion,
    clothe yourself with strength!(B)
Put on your garments of splendor,(C)
    Jerusalem, the holy city.(D)
The uncircumcised(E) and defiled(F)
    will not enter you again.(G)
2 Shake off your dust;(H)
    rise up,(I) sit enthroned, Jerusalem.
Free yourself from the chains on your neck,(J)
    Daughter Zion,(K) now a captive.

3 For this is what the Lord says:

“You were sold for nothing,(L)
    and without money(M) you will be redeemed.(N)”

4 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“At first my people went down to Egypt(O) to live;
    lately, Assyria(P) has oppressed them.

5 “And now what do I have here?” declares the Lord.

“For my people have been taken away for nothing,
    and those who rule them mock,[a]”
declares the Lord.
“And all day long
    my name is constantly blasphemed.(Q)
6 Therefore my people will know(R) my name;(S)
    therefore in that day(T) they will know
that it is I who foretold(U) it.
    Yes, it is I.”

7 How beautiful on the mountains(V)
    are the feet of those who bring good news,(W)
who proclaim peace,(X)
    who bring good tidings,
    who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
    “Your God reigns!”(Y)
8 Listen! Your watchmen(Z) lift up their voices;(AA)
    together they shout for joy.(AB)
When the Lord returns(AC) to Zion,(AD)
    they will see it with their own eyes.
9 Burst into songs of joy(AE) together,
    you ruins(AF) of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted(AG) his people,
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.(AH)
10 The Lord will lay bare his holy arm(AI)
    in the sight of all the nations,(AJ)
and all the ends of the earth(AK) will see
    the salvation(AL) of our God.

11 Depart,(AM) depart, go out from there!
    Touch no unclean thing!(AN)
Come out from it and be pure,(AO)
    you who carry the articles(AP) of the Lord’s house.
12 But you will not leave in haste(AQ)
    or go in flight;
for the Lord will go before you,(AR)
    the God of Israel will be your rear guard.(AS)

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Footnotes
  1. Isaiah 52:5 Dead Sea Scrolls and Vulgate; Masoretic Text wail
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Lord's Coming Salvation

52 (A)Awake, awake,
    put on your strength, O Zion;
(B)put on your beautiful garments,
    O Jerusalem, (C)the holy city;
(D)for there shall no more come into you
    the uncircumcised and the unclean.
2 (E)Shake yourself from the dust and arise;
    be seated, O Jerusalem;
(F)loose the bonds from your neck,
    O captive daughter of Zion.

3 For thus says the Lord: (G)“You were sold for nothing, and (H)you shall be redeemed without money.” 4 For thus says the Lord God: (I)“My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing.[a] 5 Now therefore what have I here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,” declares the Lord, “and (J)continually all the day my name is despised. 6 Therefore my people shall know my name. (K)Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”

7 (L)How beautiful upon the mountains
    are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, (M)who brings good news of happiness,
    who publishes salvation,
    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
8 The voice of (N)your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
    together they sing for joy;
(O)for eye to eye they see
    the return of the Lord to Zion.
9 (P)Break forth together into singing,
    (Q)you waste places of Jerusalem,
for (R)the Lord has comforted his people;
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 (S)The Lord has bared his holy arm
    before the eyes of all the nations,
(T)and all the ends of the earth shall see
    the salvation of our God.

11 (U)Depart, depart, go out from there;
    touch no unclean thing;
go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves,
    (V)you who bear the vessels of the Lord.
12 For you shall not (W)go out in haste,
    and you shall not go in flight,
(X)for the Lord will go before you,
    (Y)and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

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Footnotes
  1. Isaiah 52:4 Or the Assyrian has oppressed them of late
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

Because of her sin, Israel was defiled, sold, and taken away for nothing. She was oppressed and mocked. God’s name was blasphemed by those who oppressed her, but the time came for her to wear garments of splendor, shake off dust, and sit enthroned like a queen in Jerusalem. For God will restore them as he foretold. God owes no one anything to redeem Zion. He redeems his people by his grace so that they may know that the LORD is the Savior, the Holy One of Israel. We are redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, not by silver or gold. This is the sheer grace of God.

The good news is that God is coming to redeem his people. It is a message of peace and salvation. It will come true when our God reigns. When sin, death, and Satan reign, we suffer in darkness, but when God reigns, we shout for joy, taste salvation, and experience peace and comfort. All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. It is not world powers that reign, but it is our God who reigns. When we know that our God reigns, we can overcome fear and proclaim the gospel of Jesus. God wants to spread the good news of salvation to all nations. The feet of those who deliver the message of God’s hope to those who never heard it are indeed beautiful. 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for redeeming me by the blood of Jesus. May your kingdom come! Help me bring the gospel of Jesus to the ends of the earth.

One Word: Our God reigns!