7 How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces [b]peace
And brings good news of [c]happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your God [d]reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices,
They shout joyfully together;
For they will see [e]with their own eyes
When the Lord restores Zion.
9 Break forth, shout joyfully together,
You waste places of Jerusalem;
For the Lord has comforted His people,
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has bared His holy arm
In the sight of all the nations,
[f]That all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.11 Depart, depart, go out from there,
Touch nothing unclean;
Go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves,
You who carry the vessels of the Lord.
12 But you will not go out in haste,
Nor will you go [g]as fugitives;
For the Lord will go before you,
And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.13 Behold, My servant will prosper,
He will be high and lifted up and [h]greatly exalted.
14 Just as many were astonished at you, My people,
So His appearance was marred more than any man
And His form more than the sons of men.
15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations,
Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him;
For what had not been told them they will see,
And what they had not heard they will understand.
It’s difficult to say if the people saw this speaking of a future savior or messiah. Perhaps they heard these words–if they listened–and then ascribed these things to the release from captivity. And whoever announced their release was this bringer of good news that Isaiah foretold. Yet, did that person say, “Your God reigns!” (v. 7)?
Certainly much of the other verses seem to be fulfilled in that release, they didn’t have to hurry off, hoping no one would change their minds (v. 12). God had pre-ordained and arranged their release, and it was so. When Nehemiah came, he even had armed guards to protect him and letters from the king confirming their efforts to restore Jerusalem and the temple.
But who is this servant in v. 13? Was Nehemiah or anyone who led them back to Jerusalem marred or disfigured? No, but Jesus himself, though we don’t see this explicit in the gospels, was likely beaten, bruised, and whipped so that he was unrecognizable. He was beaten by the Jews, and then also at Pilate’s order–beaten and whipped–because Pilate hoped to appease the Jews.
Thus His blood was shed, and He would “sprinkle many nations”. God didn’t just intend to redeem and save the Jews, He had his sights set on the whole world, “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God…” (John 1:12). Though Israel had been told these things, kings (and many others) would see what they had not been told, and understand what they had not heard (v. 15).
This was a crazy idea, and no wonder it “shut the mouths” of rulers and kings. The Jews were told to touch no unclean thing and purify themselves (as should we avoid sin also), and they saw gentiles as unclean and were careful not to even touch them. Yet Isaiah wrote in v. 10, “That all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God.”
No one is unworthy of hearing this message, and at the same time we all are unworthy of receiving it. That is, God does not expect you to purify yourself before you come to him, He doesn’t have a bar that says, “You must be so tall to get on this ride…” Why? Because you and I cannot hope to measure up to the bar without Him.
We have a chicken and egg dilemma, and God is the only one who can solve those–and He did. His message of hope and salvation is for you and for me, and for your neighbor and all the world: for all who believe and put their hope in God’s Son. Put your trust in God, make Him Lord of your life, and He will go before you and be your rear guard, and your rescuer, and redeemer.