Isaiah 52:1-6 Awake Zion !
There are three times in the old testament that the Israelites were taken into captivity. First they were enslaved in Egypt. Second they were carried captive into Assyria. Third they were taken captive into Babylonia, where they spent 70 years as the slaves.
As you know the captives lose their property and family, and they are oppressed, become poor and terrible. How much more terrible it is that the Israelites, the people of God were carried and enslaved by the gentiles !
The gentiles said to them, "Where is your god ? If your god existed, why he put you into captivity ?" They defiled the name of God and mocked the God of Israel.
When the Israelites heard these words from the gentiles, they were in big agony and sorrow. But they could not save themselves by their power. But today the prophet Isaiah says to the Israelites.
1. You will be redeemed without money.
We have to pay a lot of money to redeem a slave. And a tremendous amount of money is needed to redeem the whole Israelites.
But today God says, "You will be redeemed without money." That means, God has the plan to redeem us through the blood of Jesus Christ which is more precious than money.
And God has the plan to set the Israelites free from the oppression of the gentiles, so that they may leap like the calves released from the stall, just like the Koreans were set free from the 36 years of oppression of the Japanese.
Therefore our sorrow will be turned to joy, despair to hope, curse to blessing, unhappiness to happiness on that day.
2. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.
The Israelites wanted to keep themselves clean and holy before God. And they never wanted the name of God to be defiled by the gentiles.
But they became corrupt and the temple of God was destructed by the gentiles, and they were carried into captivity. The Israelites were in sorrow and they were mocked by the gentiles.
But today God says, "The uncircumcised who oppresses and mocks you will not enter you again, and you will not be oppressed by them !"
3. Therefore you will know that it is I.
It means, we can know that he is our God because he will do the great things that humans cannot do. Our God is powerful God who set the Israelites free from the slavery of Egypt, and God divided the Red Sea.
He turned the desert into pools of water, and gave manna to the millions of the Israelites. God is the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
There is no word 'impossible' in the dictionary of God. Nothing is impossible with our God. Today the omnipotent God says, "I will redeem you. I will block the entry of the uncircumcised."
Therefore on that day we can know that it is our God, and we will glorify our God because he turned our sorrow to joy, curse to blessing, despair to hope, unhappiness to happiness. I hope all of us to see this day. And today God asks us.
4. Awake Zion.
It means "Get up from the deep sleep of slavery, despair and negative attitude" And it means "Be hopeful and be courageous and go forward with faith." God tells Israelites, "My people, get up and let's go to Israel again !"
Brothers and sisters, we have to answer to God "OK, Lord, let's go together !" But if you do not get up and say, "No, Lord, I am sleepy. I don't want to go with you !", then you will lose hope and future.
Bible says, "Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again." (Proverbs 24:16) Brothers and sisters, you and I are the righteous persons who rise again and again like a tumbling doll.
Therefore let's get out of the sad and painful memory, and let's jump to hope and joy. Don't sink down because of the past sad memory. But go forward with your strength. God wants to go with the marching man, not with the shrinking man.
Of course, it is not easy for the Israelites to get up from the deep sleep of slavery because they spent 70 years in slavery in the foreign land.
Furthermore going home with their whole families is not easy to them. And there is no one in Israel who welcomes them. Instead they have to build their houses again in the barren land. and building the temple of God is not easy to them. But if they do not get up and go forward, they will be slaves forever.
Brothers and sisters, do you want to shrink back for the sake of transient peace ? Or march forward for the sake of the future even though it is difficult ?
Today God says to us. "Awake Zion ! Clothe yourself with strength." That is, "Be courageous ! Cheer up !"
Brothers and sisters, take off the clothes of slavery and put on the clothes of hope and go forward with God. God wants to give the new clothes to those who go forward, and God wants to show new things to them.
I pray all of you to see the new things of God on that day, and to glorify God on that day. Amen !