Unit 1: The Prophets Proclaim God’s Power
(Expressive Calligraphy by Timothy R. Botts)
Key Verse:
Isaiah 52:7 NLT
7
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
the good news of peace and salvation,
the news that the God of Israel[c] reigns!
Prelude:
Isaiah 52:4-6 NLT
4 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Long ago my people chose to live in Egypt. Now they are oppressed by Assyria. 5 What is this?” asks the Lord. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation.[a] My name is blasphemed all day long.[b] 6 But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then, at last, they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.”
All salvific imagery hearkens back to Egypt. Even as Isaiah prophesied some one hundred and fifty years prior to Judah being carried away into captivity, he referenced the Hebraic captivity in Egypt so many centuries before. By the unction of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah reminded Israel and Judah of their past enslavement even as they were being carried into captivity, first by the Assyrians, then later by Babylon. As we open the summer session, the focus will be on God and His Kingdom. In the Book of Isaiah, sometimes lovingly referred to as “The Fifth Gospel”, this session begins an overview of the latter chapters of Isaiah, from chapter forty on. Isaiah reveals to us the majesty of our God and the certainty with which we can rely on Him to perform His Word on our behalf.
Luke 4:2-3 NLT
18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.[f]”
Jesus recalled Isaiah’s prophecies as well when He declared Himself to be the Messiah in the synagogue in Galilee. Or rather, Isaiah declared Jesus to be the Messiah when he foresaw and foretold of the glorious Gospel that Jesus would usher in: the Gospel of the arrival of the Kingdom of God by His own hand. This is the Gospel that we preach. Reference Isaiah 61:1-2.
The Lesson
Isaiah 52:7 NLT
7
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
the good news of peace and salvation,
the news that the God of Israel[c] reigns!
Ephesians 6:15 NLT
15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
A herald of the King would be equipped with everything required for success. Though we picture a lone runner carrying a message over a great distance, what was more likely was a royal emissary, a diplomat assigned to bring news of the King’s desires to His subjects in distant territories. Thus, it was necessary that said messenger be fully equipped to communicate the Kingdom message wherever he was sent. It would have been contingent upon him to know the local dialect and customs, as well as the political and social climate of the area so that he could relay the Kindom ordinances in the most effective manner. In New Testament times, first John the Baptist, then Jesus, were assigned as heralds of the Kingdom’s edicts, with Jesus coming, not only as Herald but as God’s own Son, to personally deliver the Good News that Salvation had come for the benefit of all mankind.
John 3:11a NLT
11a I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen…
Jesus’ words to Nicodemus reflect His assurance that He was fully qualified to relay God’s message of the Kingdom. Beloved, God has equipped us, His children, with the Holy Spirit and with His Word. It is contingent upon us to immerse ourselves in His Word and learn of Him (Jesus). Then our feet will be shod with the Gospel of Peace as well. When we understand that we are saved by Grace, then we are equipped to deliver Good News.
Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
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Isaiah 52:8 NLT
8
The watchmen shout and sing with joy,
for before their very eyes
they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.
The Church was here when I got here. For you, the reader, the Church was here when you arrived as well. There were and are people who have been awaiting the Lord’s return since they first heard the Good News. There were faithful Jews awaiting Jesus’ arrival as well. When they heard John’s message, they were baptized in preparedness for the Messiah’s soon appearing. When Jesus began His ministry, they flocked to Him in droves to hear His message of acceptance and love. Today, the Church serves as the watchmen at the gate. They’ve seen some stuff. They’ve been through some things. However, they walk in the confidence that comes with the knowledge of Christ as Savior and Lord. They sing the song of the redeemed. We sing the song of the redeemed. As watchmen, we teach new believers the Way. We stand as conduits between Heaven and Earth, showing all who will listen to the events occurring within the gates…of the Kingdom.
Isaiah 52:9 NLT
9
Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song,
for the Lord has comforted his people.
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
In a perfect world, all who behold the watchmen (the Church) should desire to join them in worship. In a perfect world. However, in this imperfect, sin-ravaged place, we are the heralds; ambassadors for Christ. When we properly communicate this message from the Kingdom of God, we bring souls into the Kingdom. Whether we plant or water, we work to bring in God’s harvest. Those who are enjoined to the Church by hearing the Good News, those who come to faith in Christ now have a new song, the song… of the redeemed.
Psalm 107:1-2 NKJV
1
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His [a]mercy endures forever.
2
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,...
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Isaiah 52:10 NLT
10
The Lord has demonstrated his holy power
before the eyes of all the nations.
All the ends of the earth will see
the victory of our God.
The first stanza of the song of this new song of the redeemed is typically a personal testimony of how that person became aware of the person of Christ and how they came to saving faith through Christ. Faith comes by hearing. Most believers have a song. A song that tells of the power of God’s great Grace to save… to the uttermost. To save us through the shed blood of the Lamb.
Isaiah 52:11 NLT
11
Get out! Get out and leave your captivity,
where everything you touch is unclean.
Get out of there and purify yourselves,
you who carry home the sacred objects of the Lord.
Philippians 3:7-8 NLT
7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ
The next stanza reminds us of what we left behind. Yes, there were relationships, places, and things that we were called away from. We left friends, family, and people we loved. All for the purpose of obtaining the glory that God has in store for those He loves. Those people, those things had value, but not in the next life. As believers, we now crave the invisible, the eternal, the everlasting Kingdom of God. There is, within us, a thirst for righteousness that precludes and preempts every other desire. Thank God. Wait! It gets better…
Isaiah 52:12 NLT
12
You will not leave in a hurry,
running for your lives.
For the Lord will go ahead of you;
yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind.
You don’t have to persevere in your own strength. Since the day of Pentecost, God’s divine provision for the saints has been evident. He has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Ruach HaKodesh, the omnipresent manifestation of the Almighty God that indwells every believer, literally Christ in us, our hope of glory. We are never alone. We are never without hope. The confidence of the Supreme, Eternal God guides us toward eternity. When we stumble, He corrects our course in such a way that others may find their way by the light that shone forth from our essence, even as we stumbled off course. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Heaven forbid. However, when we stumble, God loves us enough to remind us who we are and to Whom we belong. And once reminded, we sing all new stanzas of the same old song. The song of the redeemed.
Selah,
wb
Philippians 3:12-14 NLT
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[d] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
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