“How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good
news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who
publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘your God reigns.’ The
voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice, together they sing
for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing you waste places of Jerusalem, for
the Lord has comforted His people: He has redeemed Jerusalem. The
Lord has bared His holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and
all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”
–Isaiah 52:7-10
(ESV).
Today
we cannot tune onto a television or radio newscast, read a newspaper
or talk with friends without hearing bad news. Doom and gloom are
too often the subjects we talk about and dwell upon. “In these
times,” we often say, “all we hear is bad news.” Contrast our
day to the time when Isaiah penned the words in our focal passage for
today. He was writing a message to Zion—to the Israelites in
Babylonian captivity. In this beautiful hymn telling of God’s
coming deliverance and salvation, he implores “Awake,
awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city.” How
like Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 6:10-20 to put on the whole
armor of God!
This
message of Isaiah was intended to bring hope and encouragement, even
joy, to the captives in Babylon. The day of the Lord, a time of
deliverance was coming. No longer would they have to cower in
sackcloth and ashes, but they could put on the garments of rejoicing;
for oppression—the bad news, even living the bad news—would have
its end. This message also speaks of “end times” hope and the
triumph of the believers. So much is carried with the messenger with
“beautiful feet”!
This
section of Isaiah and subsequent chapters, especially Isaiah 53,
constitute the Messianic hope message of the prophet. “Surely
He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him
stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our
transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the
chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are
healed” (Isaiah
53:4-5). And how beautiful upon the mountains are those who tell
forth this message! The good news may at times be ignored and
seemingly lost amidst all the clamor of bad news. The main message,
despite the naysayers, is “Your
God reigns!”(Isaiah
52:7) God’s
people are to take hope and listen to the messengers who bear God’s
news. It is the news that will ultimately triumph. This is a sure
promise from Sovereign God: “all
the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God” (Isaiah
52:10) Isaiah
wanted his own people, and us today to hear, for his message
miraculously has come to us, and we hold forth hope.
Hope
is at the heart of God’s message of love for any age. They who
bear that message, are distinctive and engender hope:“How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good
news!” (v. 7). Paul
reiterates this theme in Romans 10:14-17: “How,
then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how
are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how
are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to
preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are
the feet of those who preach the good news!’ But they have not all
obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what
he has heard from us?’ So, then, faith comes from hearing, and
hearing through the word of Christ.” The
message can be faithfully preached, but people must hear, respond and
obey.
My
husband, the Rev. Grover D. Jones, felt the distinctive call of God
to be a bearer of this marvelous message of the ages. His ministry
was, geographically, to the people who dwelt in the mountain region
of the state of Georgia. His were, indeed, as the prophet foretold,
“beautiful feet
upon the mountains.” Such
are the feet of those who bear the good news of Jesus Christ wherever
they are. Thank
God today for the beautiful feet of those who are faithful to tell
God’s message and who give hope amidst the bad news! Indeed, “our
God reigns!” –Ethelene
Dyer Jones 04.26.2015
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