Page 109 - Isaiah Student Worktext

V. 7 In ancient history, there were ‘heralds’ or runners who would carry news from one place to the
other. This is the picture here, of a runner coming to proclaim peace and glad tidings, salvation. His
message concludes with the statement that our God reigns!

For a people who had been under captivity, under the reign of the various kings of Babylon, to be
reminded that God reigns would have brought peace.

The same should be true in our lives…in the midst of the trials of our lives when it looks like there is no
peace, no salvation…our God reigns!

Feet were not considered beautiful, but dirty. To proclaim that the feet of the messenger were
beautiful indicated that the message itself was so beautiful that ‘even feet’ were made beautiful by it.

This has application in mission work…how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.

V. 8-10 The watchmen lift up their voices, will sing praises, and even in the waste places there shall be
joy. The Lord ‘has made bare His holy arm’…He has shown His strength, His justice and even the pagan
nations were aware of His power.

V. 11-12 This is written to those who were still in captivity. Depart! Get out of there! No longer be in
the presence of the uncleanness that was Babylon. Yet, in V. 12, they are reassured that there is no
danger, no reason to hurry, because God will go before AND will be your rear guard.

The last 3 verses more logically go with Chapter 53. It is not likely that the city of Zion/Jerusalem is the
only focus of this prophecy. Galatians 4: 26

There is a much broader application to all of God’s chosen people in all of time, to rise up from their sin
and worldliness, to shake off the dust of past sins, to get out of the places where sin is rampant.

Chapter 53 - Main Idea: Jesus Christ is presented as our Suffering
Servant whose substitutionary death and victorious resurrection are
predicted seven centuries in advance.

Whereas so many of the prophecies have a contemporary application and
perhaps several other applications, Chapter 53 can really only be about one thing: Jesus Christ. This is
illustrated in Acts 8: 34-35. ‘Is the author speaking of himself or someone else?’

It is about ‘substitutionary atonement’. In the Old Testament, it required the blood of an unblemished
goat or sheep or pigeon.

V. 13-15 of Chapter 52…So very clearly about Jesus. ‘Behold, My Servant’.
Exalted, extolled, with a ‘visage’ marred more than any man. He shall ‘sprinkle’
many nations. It was part of the atonement ritual to sprinkle the blood of the
sacrifice.

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