October 29, Isaiah 52
Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no
unclean thing; go out from the midst of her;
purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of
the LORD. For you shall not go out in haste,
and you shall not go in flight; for the LORD will
go before you, and the God of Israel will be your
rear guard. - Isaiah 52:11-12
Imagine you are a captive in a land far from your home. The work is hard, your captors are unkind. They harshly mock you and blaspheme your God. Figuratively (and perhaps literally, too) you are wearing rags, sitting in the dust and powerless to do anything about your situation.
Perhaps you can remember or maybe you’ve heard from the older ones how good life was back in Jerusalem, far across the desert from here. You long to be back home, but there seems to be no way to get there from here. And then one day, Cyrus, the Persian king who is your current big boss, does the unthinkable. He announces your emancipation! You are free to go! Not only does he release you from your bondage, he provides funds for the long journey home and even provides some money for restoring the ruins of Jerusalem when you get back there. The very hand of God has moved to bring about this turn of events. Just as Cyrus heard the instruction from God in the old words of Isaiah, so you and your neighbors hear the voice of God in the prophet’s admonition to get up, get out and get back to living as the people of God ought to live.
Why do you suppose so few of the Israelites in Babylon accepted the call to leave the dusty weariness and bondage of their oppression and return home? Maybe some of the great multitude who declined had become acclimated to life in Babylon. Perhaps others remembered the ruins they left behind and realized life would be difficult back home as well. Maybe some were not willing to embark on the long, dangerous journey across the desert. But for whatever reason, most of the Israelites did not return when God freed them. They declined God’s offer of honor, blessing and restoration.
There was no benefit to God for his people to remain in captivity. The captors had gone beyond his intention to discipline and punish his people for their unfaithfulness. For the sake of his promises and for the glory of his name, God intervened just as Isaiah had years before predicted that he would. He announced their freedom, rescue and redemption from their captors. They would not have to flee as those being pursued. God would go before them and follow behind them. They would enjoy the blessings of his secure protection along the way. But they had to act, they had to respond and get out of Babylon, leaving it behind.
A call to renewed holiness came along with the call to return. They were commanded to purify themselves from the defilements of the pagans. God ordered them to leave the things of Babylon behind, take up the sacred vessels and return them to their home in Jerusalem.
History shows that old earthly Jerusalem never enjoyed the kind of blessing and protection God described. I believe those promises were kept, but not for old earthly Jerusalem. Like so many Messianic promises in Isaiah, I believe that these promises of redemption and blessing were only to a limited degree related to the Jews returning to literal Jerusalem, and much more to the spiritual blessings that Jews and Gentiles would share in the heavenly Jerusalem John saw in Revelation. Paul applied the words about the messengers who brought good news to gospel preachers, who announced God’s pardon and emancipation from the bondage of sin in the gospel of Christ. The ultimate joy, freedom and blessings of these words were realized not only to the faithful remnant of Jews, but to Gentiles as well in Christ.
God acted through his grace to redeem us from the bondage of sin through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. Through the gospel he calls Jews and Gentiles, all nations, to come home to him. Like the Jews in Babylon, we must each choose to answer the call. How about you? Are you willing to leave the world behind? It is foolish for us to decline God’s offer of salvation because we don’t want to leave the pleasures and treasures of the world and “go out” from them. If we hear the call and respond to it, God will free us from the bondage of sin. We can enjoy all the spiritual blessings and protection God provides for his people who are redeemed by the blood of his Son. He will safely bring you home to him. Let’s not repeat the folly of those ancient Israelites who chose to stay in bondage. Let’s believe and obey the Lord and be on our way home.
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—October 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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