Daily Devotional Friday 16th June 2023

by William Moody

Isaiah 52:1–12

The Lord’s Coming Salvation

52:1   Awake, awake,
    put on your strength, O Zion;
  put on your beautiful garments,
    O Jerusalem, the holy city;
  for there shall no more come into you
    the uncircumcised and the unclean.
  Shake yourself from the dust and arise;
    be seated, O Jerusalem;
  loose the bonds from your neck,
    O captive daughter of Zion.

For thus says the LORD: “You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.” For thus says the Lord GOD: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing.1 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 continually all the day my name is despised. Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.”

  How beautiful upon the mountains
    are the feet of him who brings good news,
  who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
    who publishes salvation,
    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
  The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
    together they sing for joy;
  for eye to eye they see
    the return of the LORD to Zion.
  Break forth together into singing,
    you waste places of Jerusalem,
  for the LORD has comforted his people;
    he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10   The LORD has bared his holy arm
    before the eyes of all the nations,
  and all the ends of the earth shall see
    the salvation of our God.
11   Depart, depart, go out from there;
    touch no unclean thing;
  go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves,
    you who bear the vessels of the LORD.
12   For you shall not go out in haste,
    and you shall not go in flight,
  for the LORD will go before you,
    and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

Footnotes

[1] 52:4 Or the Assyrian has oppressed them of late

(ESV)

Again, God’s people are called to “Awake” (v1, see 51 v9, 17). This time the people are being encouraged to arise as they have been delivered from a period of captivity (v1-2). Isaiah is writing this a century before Jerusalem would be taken in captivity but this prophesy was to help God’s people in those days and show that even in the difficult days God is in control and working out His plans for His people.

God brings trials into His people’s lives in order to discipline them, to humble them and to cause them to know the Lord who they had previously forgotten (v3-6). The trials we face will not all be because of our sin, but each trial will still be an opportunity for us to seek to know the lord and His grace in a deeper way as we’re reminded of our own weaknesses.

There is now a lovely song of praise which speaks of the good news of peace, happiness, salvation, joy, comfort and redemption (v7-10). Read these verses please again and see what God here promises to His unfaithful people.

The Lord leaves a great challenge with His people calling them to leave their sin, to leave their captivity and to experience the deliverance of the Lord (v11-12). The Lord promises to go before them and also to be their rear guard.

As we step out in faith what a wonderful thing it is to know that the Lord surrounds us to protect and to care for us. May this encourage us to be more adventurous for the Lord.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®),
copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.