Isaiah 52:1-12 Commands that Fuel Holy Living

Isaiah 52:1-12 contain one of the clearest pictures in the Old Testament of how redemption leads to a hoy life that pleases God.  These verses provide a great opportunity for us to challenge Believers to live out their redeemed status.  Isaiah 52:1-2 contain commands that point to our new status as redeemed of God.  Remember that in the context of Isaiah, images of being set free (Isaiah 52:2) highlight redemption from sin's power and rule.  To hear, "Your God reigns" (Isaiah 52:7), means sin's power has been overcome.  Isaiah 52:11 contains commands that are heeded by all authentic Christians.  We leave worldliness behind and, therefore, function in the world as God designed from the beginning.  The gospel of Christ is seen in Isaiah 52:3.  Isaiah will soon tell us that we were redeemed by the life-blood of God's Servant, our Savior.  Isaiah has been encouraging God's people all along to make sure their profession of faith is matched by an appropriate holy life so they are ready for His appearance.

Isaiah 51:7-16 and preaching prophetic commands

Isaiah 51:7-16 communicates theology in the form of prophetic commands: "fear not..." (cf. Isaiah 51:7, 12, 13).  God's people, of course, are living in a kingdom where the godless rule.  Isaiah 51:7 describes God's people in terms of His righteousness and His laws and this is why we get attacked and criticized. The bulk of the section (Isaiah 51:8-16) explain why we can have courage.  Our Redeemer has incredible power and will redeem us just as He did during the Exodus.  Though Isaiah challenges us with a difficult command, "fear not", the mood of this section is celebratory as seen in Isaiah 51:11.  Most comforting words end the section: "You are my people." (cf. Isaiah 51:16).

Isaiah 50:1-11: The Connection Between Jesus' Obedience And Ours

Isaiah 50:10-11 present two alternative ways to dealing with dark times.  In the difficult times God brings our way, we are tempted to not believe He can deliver us.  That's when we're most apt to place our trust in idols.  These two alternatives form the application to the section: either we trust the Lord in dark times and follow Him or we attempt a do-it-yourself approach.  Isaiah 50:10 asks a question that links fearing God with obeying Jesus.  Throughout Isaiah we've been learning about our tendency to disbelieve and disobey (Isaiah 50:1-3).  Isaiah presents God's Servant--our Lord Jesus Christ--as a contrast to that tendency (Isaiah 50:4-9).  One of the clearest ministry descriptions of our Savior is provided in Isaiah 50:4.  The Gospel is clearly presented in this section: the Servant suffers as He redeems us of our sin.  Upon saving faith, His perfect sacrifice opens our ears so that we can follow His example.  This section provides an excellent opportunity to remind God's people how He trains us in the dark times (cf. Hebrews 5:8 and Hebrews 12:1-7).