Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
I have struggled in two areas in life: understanding why anyone would pay $500 or more for a pair of shoes and why anyone would have more than ten pairs of shoes. I know it is one of the great mysteries of the universe! I know you struggle with these two questions as well. You probably stay up late tossing and turning in bed, don’t you!
But shoes helped the Roman army become as unbeatable as they were. Their shoes enabled them to travel great distances in a time of sandals or bare feet. They protected their feet from the rocky terrain and other harsh conditions.
Boots worn by the military today owe their development to the Romans. But the research and technology that goes into today’s combat boots is extensive. I found my combat boots to be my most comfortable footwear. I shed a tear when my last pair literally fell apart after many years of daily use. I haven’t found suitable replacements.
The message carried by those wearing combat boots isn’t necessarily a peaceful one. Those who wear the uniform want peace more than anything. We don’t want to risk our lives for meaningless causes. We might like shooting guns and blowing things up, but we don’t like killing people.
But the perception, even in peace keeping missions, is that the military is dangerous. There is always the threat of violence inherent in any military presence. The military is the enforcement and protection branch of the government.
Although our text today was written hundreds of years before the evolution of the Roman army, the Assyrian and Babylonian armies carried great strength. They had carried the Israelites into captivity in a foreign land. They had decimated the population and destroyed cities. They captured the leaders and intellectual class and enslaved them for work in their own countries.
So for Isaiah to pen these words about feet bringing good news, the imagery would not have been lost on the hearers. They had heard the feet of the invading armies that had carried them into captivity. And now they are being told that feet will be carrying a message of peace, good tidings and salvation. That is good news.
Put yourself in their shoes. They have been cooped up, unable to live life they way they were used to. The government was telling them what they could and couldn’t do. Every movement was monitored. Public gatherings were restricted. They missed their old lives, but it seemed as though the old life would never return. Predictions abounded that they would never return to the Promised Land.
And then enters Isaiah who turns on the light of hope in them. They will be bearers of that good news as they return to Jerusalem. Their feet will be the feet of the LORD. Their feet will be proclaiming to the nations that the LORD reigns! What others thought was impossible will happen. Israel will return.
So as we sit in isolation, limited in our social options and constrained by government boundaries of behavior, let us be willing to bring the good news. Our God reigns! This virus and the resulting reactions haven’t taken the LORD by surprise any more than the Exile did. He is going to use this circumstance to bring glory where it is due. He will be the One exalted. All others will fall.
So how is the message of hope coming from your life today? Are you projecting peace, good tidings and salvation? Or are you ‘woe is me’-ing your way through these days?
Let us of all the people on the earth be those who bring good news!
The Arnold Journey 