52:1 Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful clothes, O Jerusalem, holy city! For uncircumcised and unclean pagans will no longer invade you.
Israel was sitting in the dust in sack clothes and mourning her condition. Jehovah commanded the Jewish Remnant to wake up and notice what was going on in the world around them. The Millennial Kingdom has arrived. The Jewish Remnant needs to wake up, clothe herself with royal clothes, and enter into the city of Jerusalem. She can now live in the city without the threat of Gentile invasions.
52:2 Shake off the dirt! Get up, captive Jerusalem! Take off the iron chains around your neck, O captive daughter Zion!
The Jewish Remnant was to no longer to sit in the dust and mourn. She was to wake up, shake off her dirt, and move to Jerusalem. She was to take off her chains of slavery and move to Jerusalem.
52:3 For this is what the Lord says: “You were sold for nothing, and you will not be redeemed for money.”
Jehovah did not sell Israel into slavery for money. He did not need the money. Israel was sold into slavery for her sins. Jehovah will not buy Israel out of slavery with money. He will buy her out of slavery with His own blood, but this redemption price will not be revealed until the next chapter.
52:4 For this is what the sovereign Lord says: “In the beginning my people went to live temporarily in Egypt; Assyria oppressed them for no good reason.
Jehovah is the covenant-keeping-promise-keeping God, so He will keep His promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. Jehovah is sovereign over all of history. He planned all of history in advance before the foundations of the world were even created. Therefore, Jehovah allowed Egypt and Assyria to enslave Israel.
52:5 And now, what do we have here?” says the Lord. “Indeed my people have been carried away for nothing, those who rule over them taunt,” says the Lord, “and my name is constantly slandered all day long.
Jehovah will also allow Babylon to enslave Israel. All of these nations taunted Israel. They slandered the name of the one true God. The thinking of these nations was, “If Jehovah is the one true God, then why did He allow the Egyptian, Assyrian, and Babylonian gods to capture His people? He must not be as strong as these other gods. Therefore, I am going to worship the gods who defeated Jehovah.”
52:6 For this reason my people will know my name, for this reason they will know at that time that I am the one who says, ‘Here I am.’ ”
Jehovah did not save Israel because of her righteousness. He saved her so that the Gentiles would not think that their demonic gods were superior to the one true God. He did not want to give the Gentiles any excuse for worshiping demonic idols.
52:7 How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains the feet of a messenger who announces peace, a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
A messenger will arrive in Jerusalem and give her good news. This good news is a message of peace. He will announce the national salvation of the Jewish people. He will announce the earthly rule of the Messianic King.
52:8 Listen, your watchmen shout; in unison they shout for joy, for they see with their very own eyes the Lord’s return to Zion.
The watchman will sit upon the wall. They will see the messenger approaching Jerusalem with the good news. They will shout for joy. Their own eyes will see the Messianic King return to Jerusalem. All of those who are looking for “the Blessed Hope” will shout for joy.
52:9 In unison give a joyful shout, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the Lord consoles his people; he protects Jerusalem.
The Antichrist will destroy Jerusalem during the Great Tribulation and turn it into a city of ruins. The Lord Jesus Christ will return and rebuild Jerusalem to be the capital city of the Millennial Kingdom.
52:10 The Lord reveals his royal power in the sight of all the nations; the entire earth sees our God deliver.
The Hebrew for “Lord” is יהוה (Jehovah or Yahweh), meaning the covenant-keeping-promise-keeping-God.
The Hebrew for “royal power” is אֶת־זְרֹ֣ועַ קָדְשֹׁ֔ו (et zeroa kadshu), meaning “the holy arm.” This is the same holy arm which was introduced in Isaiah 51.
The Hebrew for “nations” is הַגּוֹיִ֑ם (ha-goyim), which means “the Gentiles.”
The Hebrew for “deliver” is is יְשׁוּעַ֥ת (Yeshuat), which is the Hebrew name of Jesus.
The Hebrew for “our God" is אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ (elihinu), meaning “our triune-Creator-God.”
In Hebrew, this verse literally reads, “The covenant-keeping-promise-keeping-God reveals His holy arm in the sight of all of the Gentiles.” The entire earth sees Yeshua (Jesus) as our triune-creator-God.
Every eye will see the return of the Messianic King as the holy arm of Jehovah (or Yahweh). This includes both dead and living. The dead will see the return of Christ from either heaven or Sheol. The living will see the return of Christ from their physical location on earth.
52:11 Leave! Leave! Get out of there! Don’t touch anything unclean! Get out of it! Stay pure, you who carry the Lord’s holy items!
When the Jews leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem, then they are not to bring any of the unclean pagan items with them.
52:12 Yet do not depart quickly or leave in a panic. For the Lord goes before you; the God of Israel is your rear guard.
When the Jewish Remnant does return back to Jerusalem, then they will be in no hurry as they were during the days of the Mosaic Exodus. They will not have to flee with their shoes on and there staff in their hand. The Messiah will lead them. Jehovah will follow them.
52:13 “Look, my servant will succeed! He will be elevated, lifted high, and greatly exalted— (הִנֵּ֥ה יַשְׂכִּ֖יל עַבְדִּ֑י יָר֧וּם וְנִשָּׂ֛א וְגָבַ֖הּ מְאֹֽד׃)
Isaiah 52:13-Isaiah 53:13 is one of the greatest chapters in the Word of God. It predicted the death and resurrection of Jesus 700 years in advance.
Many modern rabbis will spiritualize these passages and falsely claim that the Servant of Jehovah is not the Messiah, but the servant is a personification of the Nation of Israel. This is biased interpretation. The rabbis do not want to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, so they are forced to spiritualize this passage to make it fit their own human interpretation. Every rabbi before 1050 A.D. interpreted the Servant of Jehovah to be the Messiah. This argument will be discussed in this chapter verse-by-verse.
To understand Isaiah 52:13-Isaiah 53, then it is important to understand the four previous Servant-of-Jehovah passages.
First (in Isaiah 42:1-4), the Servant of Jehovah was introduced. His mission was announced.
Second (in Isaiah 49:1-13), there were three predictions about the Servant of Jehovah. In verses 1-4, He would accomplish His mission with great difficulty, because He would be rejected by Israel. In verses 5-7, since the Servant of Jehovah would be rejected by Israel, then He would become a light to the Gentiles. Many of the Gentiles will believe in Him. In verses 8-13, all of Israel will flock to the Servant of Jehovah. This will be the time of Israel's final regathering and national restoration.
Third (in Isaiah 50:4-9), the Servant of Jehovah will suffer, but His death was not yet announced.
Fourth (in chapters 52:13-53:12), the reason for the suffering of Servant of Jehovah would be revealed. Also, the Servant of Jehovah would die for the sins of Israel.
These four servant passages reveal a progression of the role of the Servant of Jehovah. First, His mission was announced. Second, He would accomplish His mission with difficulty. Third, He would suffer. Fourth, He would die for the sins of Israel.
Isaiah 52:13-Isaiah 53:13 will become the national confession of Israel at the end of the Great Tribulation just prior to the Second Coming of the Messiah. Jesus will not return until the Jews cry out “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
The Hebrew word for “look” is הִנֵּ֥ה (hinah), meaning to pay close attention, because an important theological concept is to be introduced.
The Hebrew word for “succeed” is יַשְׂכִּ֖יל (yashacal), a qal imperfect prophetic verb, meaning He will prosper. It will look as though the Messiah will fail in His mission, because He will be executed. However, this was all part of God's sovereign plan. The Messiah will be successful in His mission. This verb is also used in other messianic passages, such as Jeremiah 23:5, “I, the Lord, promise that a new time will certainly come when I will raise up for them a righteous branch, a descendant of David. He will rule over them with wisdom and understanding (יַשְׂכִּ֖יל) and will do what is just and right in the land.”
The Hebrew word for “elevated” is יָר֧וּם (arum), a qal imperfect prophetic verb, meaning He will rise. This prophetic verb refers to the Messiah's resurrection.
The Hebrew word for “lifted high” is וְנִשָּׂ֛א (va-nasa), a vav conjunction with a qal imperfect prophetic verb, meaning He will ascend. The Messiah will ascend into heaven forty days after the resurrection.
The Hebrew word for “elevated” is וְגָבַ֖הּ מְאֹֽד (va-gava moed), a vav conjunction with a qal imperfect prophetic verb, meaning He will be very exceedingly high. He is presently sitting at the right hand of God the Father.
This one verse summarized the resurrection, the ascension, and the current position of the Messiah. This cannot be Israel, because she is still living on earth nationally in unbelief.
52:14 (just as many were horrified by the sight of you) he was so disfigured he no longer looked like a man;
The Servant of Jehovah will have His physical body disfigured at the cross. He will be so disfigured, that He will no longer even look like a man. This cannot be Israel, because she was never so disfigured in this manner. This is a specific prophecy about an individual, not a corporate nation.
Since the Holy Spirit never gave the graphic details of the cross, then it is unbiblical for preachers to do so in their sermons. The unregenerate man and the carnal Christian desire to hear the morbid details of the crucifixion, but the graphic details are not a part of the Word of God. God turned off the lights at the crucifixion for three hours. He did not allow man to see the Lord Jesus Christ on His altar.
52:15 his form was so marred he no longer looked human— so now he will startle many nations. Kings will be shocked by his exaltation, for they will witness something unannounced to them, and they will understand something they had not heard about. (כֵּ֤ן יַזֶּה֙ גֹּויִ֣ם רַבִּ֔ים עָלָ֛יו יִקְפְּצ֥וּ מְלָכִ֖ים פִּיהֶ֑ם כִּ֠י אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־סֻפַּ֤ר לָהֶם֙ רָא֔וּ וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־שָׁמְע֖וּ הִתְבֹּונָֽנוּ׃)
The Hebrew word for “startle” יַזֶּה֙ (yizeh), a qal imperfect prophetic verb, meaning He will sprinkle. This verb was often used when the Levitical priests sprinkled the blood of a sacrificial animal for atonement.
The Hebrew word for “nations” is גּוֹיִ֣ם (goyim), meaning Gentiles. The blood of the Messiah will be sprinkled over the Gentiles for atonement.
The Hebrew for “kings will be shocked” is יִקְפְּצ֥וּ מְלָכִ֖ים פִּיהֶ֑ם (yippitsu melekim piyiham), a qal imperfect prophetic verb, meaning the kings will shut their mouths. Whenever an important person walks into the room, then everyone shuts their mouths in respect and gets quiet. This is the same reaction that the future Gentile kings will have when they hear about the exaltation of the Messiah.
When the Messianic King returns, then all of the kings of history will realize why He was marred. They will be startled by this information. They will be shocked by His exaltation, because they thought that He was just a man. They will have a new understanding about the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ. They will understand that God the Son became a man and died for the sins of mankind.