Isaiah 52:1 says, Awake, awake; put on thy strength, Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Matthew Henry says that most of this chapter continues with the subject of the previous chapter, the deliverance of Israel from her captives, but the last three verses are on the subject of the next chapter, the coming of the Redeemer, both of His humiliation by the people of Israel and His exaltation by the Heavenly Father. In this verse, the people of Israel are told to once more put on their beautiful garments. They were no longer to be captives in Babylon but were to be allowed to return to Jerusalem and the rest of the country of Israel, where they would once more be a glorious people of God, not because of anything they did, but because of what God did for them. They had been downcast and feeling hopeless, but God called on them to restore their faith in Him and rise up in faith. We may at times feel beaten down as Christians, but we never will be defeated spiritually, so we just need to remember who we are and rise up in obedience to God. This is true no matter what happens in the world around us. Isaiah said as long as they were obedient to God that those who were ungodly would not defeat them again. We have that same promise today.
Verse two adds, Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. Isaiah said God called on the people of Israel to shake themselves from the dust and throw of the bands from their neck. Though God was going to deliver them, He expected them to live by faith in this fact. We may claim that through Christ we have the everlasting victory, but the question is do we live as though we believe it. If we as followers of Christ are feeling beaten down by the world, we need to shake ourselves and live by the faith that we proclaim.
Verse three continues, For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. Isaiah said they had sold themselves for nothing. Their defeat because of their rebellion against Him had gotten them nothing but being enslaved, and God had certainly not profited by their enslavement. This was a totally wasted time spiritually for the people of Israel, and anytime we sell out our relationship with God to the powers of the world looking for enrichment materially, we will gain nothing. Isaiah then said God was going to redeem them without money. They could not buy their way to freedom, but God was going to provide it for them free of charge. This is what happens when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. There is nothing that we can give God to purchase our forgiveness, but He provides it for us free of charge.
Verse four states, For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Isaiah said that God said that His people went down to Egypt to live there in peace in the past, but the Egyptians enslaved them. We might ask what the people of Israel were doing in Egypt then instead of just continuing to put their faith in God. Still, like Egypt in the past that did not give Assyria the right to oppress them. We may tend to go to Egypt spiritually, looking to the world to keep us safe instead of looking to God, but that doesn’t mean that the world is given a license to enslave us. God always stands ready to forgive us if we will only call on Him in faith.
Verse five adds, Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord; and my name continually every day is blasphemed. God said that His people being taken away captive was a negative reflection on Him. It may have been their rebellion that caused them to once more be in captivity, but it was also a reason for people to blaspheme God. It was seen as His not being able to protect them instead of it being His allowing them to be taken captive because of their rebellion against Him. If we as Christians fall back into captivity of sin, it will be because we have stopped obeying God, but it will be a reflection on His power as well and we then may cause people to blaspheme Him, saying that He is powerless to help us.
Verse six continues, Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. God said that after they were delivered from captivity that they would once more acknowledge that it was God Who had delivered them. Since God has delivered us forever from the penalty of sin, if we fall under its power again, we just need to repent and come back to being obedient to God and we always need to give Him the glory no matter what.
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