Christmas Day A 1st Reading

Isaiah 52:7-10

Dr. Stephen Riley | School of Theology and Christian Ministry, NNU

How beautiful, indeed, are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says “Your God reigns!” The journey of Advent has now given way to the amazement of Christmas as we celebrate the great good news of Immanuel, God is with us!

As we have tracked through Isaiah this Advent, we have been reminded of Israel’s long journey in exile and some of the events that brought them there. We’ve heard texts that reminded us of what happens when kings and their people miss the signs of God right before them and turn to worldly powers instead trusting in God. We have thought about their deep hope in the restoration power that God promised them, a power that at times seemed far away and without effect in their reality. We have listened to texts that speak of amazing things such as wolves and lambs living together and deserts blooming with life. These incredible reversals of reality have given us hope that exile would not be the final word.

Today, as we hear this portion of scripture from second Isaiah, there are some important issues within the text to consider. First, note that context for this proclamation is war. The city is waiting for news of victory and has sentinels perched for the messengers running from the battle who will declare the good news that God has won. Israel understands itself to be in a battle for survival, but the one who fights for them is God alone. Second, see that it is the LORD who returns to Zion. It is not entirely clear if the messenger is the LORD, but it is clear that Yahweh has returned to Zion. In this context of exile, this is indeed the greatest good news. The exile is over. It is not over because Babylon, Persia or any of the other nations that Israel would serve decides that exile is over. Rather the exile is over because God has returned and has brought about salvation. Third, observe that the LORD bared a holy arm to the nations. In the Hebrew, the words of “holy arm” are important because they signify that this victory is of a particular type. The word for arm in this context is the same word used when Israel talks about God rescuing them from Egypt with a “strong arm.” In essence, God has not just won a victory over any foe but has gained a complete liberating victory for Israel over all the nations. This victory is not just an end to the exile, but it is, in fact, the second Exodus. Finally, it should also be noted that the phrase “Your God Reigns” has strong allusions to the Psalms, where many scholars, have observed that “Yahweh reigns” is the primary theological claim of Israel’s poetry. This victory is not just a second Exodus with the defeat of a new Pharaoh, but this entire text is a declaration that God is the rescuer of Israel and the true king over all the earth.

In light of these issues within the text, we should consider its impact on us today. Two things immediately come to mind. First, it is interesting that this proclamation would have been read in the exile among those under the thumb of the Babylonian empire. In this original context, it would have indeed been a subversive text, one that would have unnerved the empire’s claim to total domination. Instead of Babylon, with its gods and military power, Israel proclaimed that God, by the might of God’s holy arm, would bring about salvation for all to see. Today, many will read this as they sit within the security of their home, protected by a nation state that proclaims its sovereignty. There are others, however, who will read this text under the very real threat of empires that attempt take away any sense of peace. It is imperative that as we read this passage, we remember our hope is primarily in God and not in the empires of this world or our making. It is also important to know that while this announcement of good news offers hope, it is a hope not fully realized for all. Not every Babylon has fallen, not every Pharaoh has been defeated, not every slave has been set free. Until the Lord’s holy arm shows God's salvation to all nations, we still have work to do. With that in mind, in what ways can our proclamation this Christmas Sunday subvert those empires seeking to enslave us and keep us from experiencing the very real salvation that God offers? We might also ask how we can be proclaimers of peace among empires that work against the purposes of peace and salvation today? How can we be the messengers or the sentinels who do practical work that enables all to see God’s salvation in tangible ways?

Second, it is worth noting that juxtaposed to this text of subversive salvation in Isaiah is one of the Servant Songs of 2nd Isaiah. While our passage for this Sunday celebrates God's salvation brought about by God's holy arm, the very next text speaks of a servant who would suffer greatly at the hands of others and would bring about healing by his suffering. This text of great joy is followed by an acknowledgment that salvation does not always come in the form we expect. The writer of our Isaiah text sees a victory brought about by God’s holy arm, one that all nations could experience. For this author, God is mighty to save. However, it is just a few verses later that the compilers of scripture placed a voice to remind us that salvation also comes in the form of a suffering servant. As many will sing “Joy to the World” this Sunday, we should remember that we sing that the LORD has come as a helpless babe in a stable. God’s great news of peace came in human flesh and came to sojourners under the threat of the Roman Empire. Perhaps, in our reading of this passage, we too can hear and then look for the vulnerable places that God is showing up. For those who are faltering to find hope this Christmas, maybe our preaching should look for places that are not so obvious where God is barring the “holy arm” in unusual ways. We must do this because there are those whose sentinels are still straining to hear the good news and, until Christ returns and makes all things new, we must continue to the feet on the hills that proclaim the message of peace, salvation, and hope for all to hear.