January 26, 2019: Day 56 – Isaiah 52

This begins a very powerful next few chapters that speak about the man of sorrows, and the suffering servant that we have already touched upon in the past.  If you look at vs.13 we read that the servant of the Lord shall prosper.  That prosperity shall be revealed by him being exalted and lifted up.  Now, we know that the ultimate servant, Jesus Christ, was lifted up and exalted high on a cross.  This may not be what you had in mind when you think that we would prosper.  But is there any greater prosperity than to die so that all could live?   That is the fate of our Savior, that is the task that Jesus came upon this earth to fulfill so that we could have eternal life.  

If you back up to vs.7 you will see a harbinger of John the Baptist as he is called a beautiful messenger who announces peace.  We see these verses referenced in later Gospels and it is directly tied in to John the Baptist.  There is some confluence of ideas in these verses.  You have Israel who is told to wake up after a very traumatic experience where they had the uncircumcised and the unclean invade their land and lay them waste.   There is a promise that this will happen no longer.  But as they are recovering from that experience they are encouraged to stand up and shake off their dust, even as they have been traumatized by what has happened.  

This then moves us to a celebration because God is sending his servant who will be the read guard sent directly from the Lord.  We all need a read guard who watches our back.