Good News Coming to Town
December 28 | Dave Morton
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Isaiah 52:7-10
7 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.”
8 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.
9 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.
This Advent season we have been journeying through this season of waiting, of expectation, with the companionship of the Prophet, Isaiah. In today’s text, the audience is people who have lived the reality of exile. They have “drank the cup” of God’s judgment and staggered under its effects. But now, with rescue on the horizon, the time for good news has come!
GOOD NEWS TO RECEIVE
Isaiah paints the picture of a messenger proclaiming victory, rescue, good news! This is good news of peace, happiness, salvation and the assurance that “Your God reigns!”
Peace: The war has ceased. The captivity is done. The conflict has ceased. But more than that, peace with God has come. The solutions they needed were more than foreign policy. They had rebelled against God and their only hope of salvation was in Him.
Happiness: God’s people have lived in mourning, in longing, in sadness and separation. Now, the time for rejoicing is here. (52:8-9) There is comfort to be had. There is peace that can guard your heart and mind. There is joy that runs deeper than circumstance or emotion. It’s found in the Good News of God’s rescue.
Salvation: God has come to your rescue. You thought you were self-sufficient. You’ve discovered you aren’t. NOW, don’t mourn your shortcomings. Rejoice in God’s all-sufficiency. Israel, get ready to see God’s strength to save on display! (v.10)
Your God Reigns! There is this back and forth in the chapter before this: God’s people calling to Him “Awake, awake…” (51:9) and do the things you used to do! In 51:17, God answers “wake yourself, wake yourself…” Then, 52:1 “Awake, awake… O Zion.” Sometimes when we’re wondering if God hears, asking God to act, He is calling us to wake up and remember who we are and what He has done. Your God reigns! Put on your beautiful garments (52:1) of the new creation that has come to you in Christ! (Col. 3:5-14) Live into the reality of the Kingdom, the rescue that you have received!
GOOD NEWS TO SHARE
Paul quotes this passage in Romans 10:13–15. Paul believed what Isaiah believed: the only hope of the world is bound up in one man—the promised King from the line of David, the one Isaiah called “the servant” of the Lord, the anointed preacher of the good news and the lone victor over all evil.
Whether or not we realize it, we’re all in need of rescue. We’re all exiled from home and longing for a place that is better- where we belong. And the good news that every human being on the planet needs to hear is that Christ has come to rescue you.
Jesus came, quoting Isaiah, as the anointed messenger of good news (61:1-3. Luke 4:18-19). Then, told those who would follow him, “as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you” (John 20:21). If you have received the Good News today, the same things that make it good news for you make it good news for your neighbor. For your family. For your co-workers. For people like you and people who are vastly different from you.
Jesus is the hope of the world! May we be faithful recipients and messengers of the Good News!
Discussion Questions
When you hear the phrase “good news,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind from your own life?
The messenger brings good news of peace, happiness, salvation and God’s reign. Which of those do you most need to receive in this season of life? Why?
As God’s people were asking God to wake up and act on their behalf (51:9), God was waiting for them to wake themselves! In what ways might God be calling you to “awaken” (52:1) right now? (See Colossians 3:5-14 for ideas.)
What opportunities to share the gospel are in front of you right now? Who might God be calling you to share the good news of Jesus with?