Isaiah 52:1. _Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city_. I. THE CALL OF THE CHURCH TO ALMIGHTY GOD FOR HELP (Isaiah 51:9). This call implies, 1. _That the Church felt itself to be in a very unsatisfactory state_. The Church was in captivi... [ Continue Reading ]
SELLING AND REDEEMING THE SOUL Isaiah 52:3. _For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought, &c._ The Jews had gone headlong into sin, and as a punishment they had been carried captive to Babylon. They found that iniquity did not pay. Cyrus seized Babylon, and felt such pity for the ca... [ Continue Reading ]
BLASPHEMY Isaiah 52:5. _My name continually every day is blasphemed_. The proud and oppressive Babylonians delighted to add to the sorrows of the exiled Jews, by reproaching the name of their God, and by saying that He was unable to defend them and their city from ruin. This sin is awfully prevale... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GOSPEL AND ITS PUBLISHERS Isaiah 52:7. _How beautiful upon the mountains, &c._ Whatever reference this passage might have to the deliverance of the people of God from the Chaldean bondage, it refers also and chiefly to the great and glorious Gospel of Christ (Romans 10:13). It is in this appli... [ Continue Reading ]
COMFORT IN TROUBLE Isaiah 51:3; Isaiah 51:12, and Isaiah 52:9. _For the Lord shall comfort Zion, &c._ The prophecy is addressed to those who are striving after the right kind of life and seeking Jehovah, and not turning from Him to make earthly things and themselves the object of their pursuits; f... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GREAT REVIVAL Isaiah 52:10. _The Lord hath made bare His holy arm, &c._ When the heroes of old prepared for the fight, they put on their armour; but when God prepares for battle, He makes bare His arm, that He may do His work in earnest and accomplish His purpose for the establishment of His C... [ Continue Reading ]
A DIVINE CALL TO FORSAKE THE WORLDLY LIFE Isaiah 52:11. _Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, &c._ The prophet directly addresses those who were in exile in Babylon, and commands them to “depart” from it, when the opportunity, divinely promised, should occur. The urgency of the command, as... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VANGUARD AND REREWARD OF THE CHURCH Isaiah 52:12. _For ye shall not go out with haste, &c._ God’s salvation is a great salvation, because of its Divine origin, and because of the original dignity of man. It is not a rescue simply, but a deliverance; not an escape, but a victory; sin is not elu... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PREDICTED CHARACTER AND TRIUMPH OF CHRIST Isaiah 52:13. _Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, &c._ Our text is a distinct subject from that discussed in the previous parts of the chapter, and evidently ought to have formed a part of chapter 53. It is most clearly a prophecy concerning the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FACE OF JESUS Isaiah 52:14. _As many were astonished at Thee; His visage was so marred, &c._ The personal _coming_ of the Son of God was a great theme of prophecy. Changes of dynasties, national and local calamities, the raising up of heroes, the overthrow of sovereigns and of empires were pred... [ Continue Reading ]
OUR MARVELLOUS REDEEMER Isaiah 52:14. _As many were astonished at Thee; His visage, &c._ This prophecy runs through chapter 53. It sets forth the exaltation of the Messiah, which was to be preceded by His humiliation. There would be surprise and disappointment in some cases, while there would be s... [ Continue Reading ]