Isaiah 52:12, commentary and pictures

The verse promises a safe going out that needs no hurried rushing or panicked escape, because the Lord Himself goes ahead of His people and the God of Israel guards them from behind. He surrounds them on every side as front guard and rear guard, helping, shielding, and defending them as they move forward in obedience. Christ Himself is that guard before and behind, watching His people with sympathy, pleading for them, and giving them strength. This protection belongs to those who trust wholly in God rather than in human wisdom or support, who walk humbly, pray, wait patiently, and follow His counsel instead of choosing their own course. So workers carrying the gospel into needy fields and cities may advance with courage, knowing heavenly angels and the Lord's own presence go before them and close up behind them.

Leaving Without Haste

The verse promises a secure departure without haste or flight, because the Lord goes before His people and the God of Israel guards their rear. They need not flee in panic, for God guides and protects them as they leave, going ahead of them and standing as guard behind them. In a time of peril and divine judgment He is the defense and protection of those who walk humbly before Him and trust Him. His standing as both advance guard and rear guard means dependence on the Lord as helper and strength. Those called to leave what is unclean share in this same assurance, that they need not flee in panic because God protects them as they separate themselves and obey His call.

The verse forbids hasty, rash moves. It calls instead for trusting God and waiting patiently for Him to open the way. It is a comforting promise that encourages God's people who press on in the pathway of truth and righteousness. It gives reason to praise His holy name with all that is within the soul.

Christ and Coming Victory

Taken with Isaiah 51 and Isaiah 53, Isaiah 52 discloses that God has provided fallen and sinful humanity a Saviour who gives life. That Saviour is the only hope of attaining a life commensurate with the life of God.

Isaiah 52 is prophecy of Christ's work to help and bless His people, and it is to be studied at a time when the liberty of Christ's church is in danger and oppression by transgressors threatens to appear as triumph for evildoers. It gives assurance that nothing should discourage God's people, for God has victory in store for them. It calls for genuine missionary work in public ministry and from house to house, for awakening from sleep to perform the appointed work, for wide-awake watchfulness and earnest faithfulness that puts away all selfishness, for unity in seeing eye to eye, and for presenting present truth clearly in neglected cities in the power of the Spirit. Through such labor the power of Christ's grace and the arm of the Lord as seen in Christ's life will be revealed and confidence restored.

God Before and Behind

The Lord goes before His people as front guard and brings up their rear as rereward, guarding them behind as they move forward, helping and protecting them in important work so they need not faint, lose faith, or give in to discouragement but can have courage, patient waiting, faith and trust, continue the work undertaken in reverence, and know He will strengthen and protect those working with Christ to help others and will not abandon those who trust wholly in Him and depend on Him as Counselor.

He is in front and behind their Helper, Support, Strength, Shield, Defense, Counselor, Stronghold, Friend and Redeemer, the source of strength to be known better and relied upon when testing and proving come so the precious work is not made of no effect, whose strength and grace make the path of duty plain, make the Lord's will clearly understood, keep from failing and discouragement, bring out free from all entanglements, and keep from losing heart when perplexities and trials come.

Christ, the Lord Jesus, Himself is the front guard and rearward, the helper, strength, wisdom, frontguard and rearguard with almighty power to lean on, to be made the efficiency when weakness is felt and when discouragement and trial come in God's work; He looks on with sympathy and pleads on their behalf, so faith need not fail but workers should put faith into their work, sing praise instead of groaning, refuse to speak discouragement, and move forward expecting triumph and victory, and when trust is put in Him and the walk is humble with God in His work He is helper, strength and wisdom before and behind, protecting on every side.

When workers enter the cities with the gospel they have the sure assurance that heavenly angels will guard them as front guard and rereward, giving the greatest advantage possible. Work done for God for the conversion of souls must have the righteousness of Christ going before it and the glory of the Lord guarding behind it, and this leading and covering is what fulfills God's purpose, brings the ingathering of souls, spiritually benefits the workers, and glorifies God in word and deed; without this, restaurant work fails its object of saving souls and exerting a strong religious influence to God's glory and is better closed so workers can be used in other lines; and the Lord's teachings and truths serve as both front guard and rereward, guiding and guarding the work of education as an image of His complete protection and guidance.

His guarding surrounds on every side with complete protection, and in time of danger, upheaval, peril and divine judgment He is refuge, defense, protection and present help so His people need not flee in panic, while in the time of trouble that comes as a thief in the night those whose life is hid with Christ in God and who walk humbly before Him, feel their weakness and put their trust in Him need have no fear and can be of good courage, for He will be their strength going before as frontguard and behind as rereward. The promise is a present opportunity to be guarded because Satan seeks to lead God's people into strange paths, as warned after the departure from America for Australia when money seemed plentiful, a hospital was built in Boulder, Colorado, and there were not enough capable people to use funds wisely. The Lord of hosts stands behind as rear guard, protecting and supporting those who act faithfully when facing opposition in correcting wrongs in society, the church and the workplace.

Applied to nations and cities, if they heed His messages of mercy He will protect them from calamity by going before them and guarding them behind, and if they refuse His guidance they are left to follow their own counsel and bear the results.

Trust and Obedience Required

The protection is received by trusting wholly in God as Helper and Strength who goes before as front guard and behind as rearward, and He will not abandon those who so trust. He is to be known better and relied upon when testing and proving come, so that the precious work is not made of no effect. His people are to trust in a power above human fallacies and opposition and to walk humbly before God in prayer and belief, accepting truth from His Word. Had reliance been placed on God rather than on human support, He would have been Henry's strength and front guard and rereward. He becomes strength and front guard and rearward to the believer who walks obediently and lawfully and who recognizes weakness and comes to Him.

His people must follow His light and work in harmony, for He is their adviser and front guard and rearward in that course, but choosing their own course instead of following His counsel forfeits this guidance. They can press onward in obedience, depending on His counsel and trusting His presence to sustain their work. In soul-saving work human plans must follow God's directions rather than individual ambition, with success depending on faithful cooperation with His guidance and power. Prosperity and success depend wholly on the Lord, yet His servants must stand in their lot and place, depend on His counsel, and press onward in obedience with assurance His presence goes with them and He will never fail them.

Courage, patient waiting, and trust are required, for He is helper, support, front guard, and rereward. No hasty, rash moves are to be made; trust in God and patient waiting for Him to open the way are required. The path of duty is then made plain and the Lord's will understood clearly, and His strength and grace are received so that His people do not fail nor become discouraged but come out free from all entanglements. Holding to God's word by faith through discouragement and believing He hears and answers prayer lays hold of that protection in moving forward.

The promise forbids discouragement and forbids giving the enemy advantage, calling for trusting in the Lord, waiting patiently for Him, humbling under the mighty hand of God, working and waiting and watching and praying, and being careful in speech to give Satan no handle, with assurance that God will not suffer the enemy to overcome.

When discouragement and trial come, God Himself is helper and strength with almighty power to lean on, going ahead as front guard and guarding behind as rear guard, heaven still has all its angels ready to help as in ancient Israel, and Christ looks on with sympathy and pleads on their behalf so faith need not fail; therefore workers are to put faith into their work, sing praise instead of groaning, refuse to speak discouragement, and move forward expecting triumph and victory. Taking hold of infinite power as He guards ahead and behind as strength, shield, defense, front guard and rearward, His people walking humbly with increased faith and praise can press forward to establish memorials in Washington that will hasten the third angel's message to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. By the same taking hold, walking humbly, praising with increased faith, they can make decided moves quickly to bring things into order, be sanctified and ready, refuse divided loyalty, pray much, speak no irritating word, provoke to love and good works rather than anger, and stand as giants against discouragement and difficulty without fear of wrath overtaking them.

The Lord's protection as front guard and rearward is for those who choose self-sacrifice for His cause, whom He does not abandon to the enemy as they proceed without panic. It is a present opportunity to be guarded on every side as Helper before and behind, because Satan seeks to lead God's people into strange paths. That danger was warned of after the departure from America for Australia, when money seemed plentiful, a hospital was built in Boulder, Colorado, and there were not enough capable people to use funds wisely.

Walking humbly means keeping Christ as efficiency, front guard and rearward, going before and behind; even men who have spoken righteousness by faith under the Spirit lose spiritual eyesight and become self-exalted if they fail to keep Him there. That guarding presence gives courage to workers and opens the way for truth to find access to many who never heard it, calling for every talent to be improved because the Lord is soon to come. Those who lean hard upon God, trust fully in Him, and walk in humility can realize this protection as helper and deliverer before and behind, and He will bless them as they let the light of health reform shine in clear, bright rays and make their knowledge of truth a blessing to others.

Protection in Gospel Work

Obeying the call to leave one field of labor for another field just as needy brings the promise that the Lord will go before and will work for His workers where fields are opening on every hand and workers are few, so a son called to the South to help his needy father should not hesitate or question the will and way of the Lord but should come as answering prayer and duty, trusting the Lord to go before him. The verse commands going forward rather than remaining in a mistaken position, for God goes before His people as front guard and is their rereward with His glory behind them, accompanying and protecting those who obey His call.

Workers entering a city like New Orleans must make the strength of the God of Israel their front guard and rearward, being men and women who have knowledge of the truth and understand the way of the Lord, who have the good of the cause at heart, who keep the glory of God always in view, and who work with wisdom and in the fear of the Lord, and when they seek Him for counsel and instruction He will certainly hear and answer their prayers, with heavenly angels guarding them as front guard and rearward as they enter the cities with the gospel. In Nashville the same going before and guarding behind strengthens and protects the workers as they carry forward their work despite difficulties, and it strengthens and protects those working with Christ to help others. In Washington God is the people's front guard and rearward as they meet discouragement and difficulty, protecting and defending them as they go forward without fear.

In sanitarium work heavenly angels go before as front guard and behind as rereward to give the greatest advantage possible, promising success in the name of the Lord in all required business where God's blessing rests on every line set in operation, so that one line can help the other lines and surrounding settlements become acquainted with the Word of the Lord. Work done for God for the conversion of souls must have the righteousness of Christ going before it and the glory of the Lord guarding behind it, which fulfills God's purpose, brings the ingathering of souls, spiritually benefits the workers, and glorifies God in word and deed, and without this restaurant work fails its object of saving souls and exerting a strong religious influence to God's glory and is better closed so workers can be used in other lines. The promise that the God of Israel will be the rear guard belongs to workers who proceed safely, establish a firm foundation, and act in righteousness and truth as God accompanies and protects them moving forward.

The Lord going before and guarding the rear is protection and guidance as workers advance together in God's work, keeping power from the enemy in every circumstance, and support and protection for Mary as she travels. He guards Dores as he follows the path chosen for him and gives himself to ministry, and He goes before and behind those who trust in Him to protect them in a difficult situation, so they need not be intimidated or led by unconsecrated people. He stands as Counselor, Stronghold, Front Guard, and Rearward for the California Conference president, and His presence and protection as front guard and rereward is with those gathered for conference as He goes before and brings up the rear.

He is strength and protection when His people leave home, and His help as front guard and rereward sustains a demanding journey and speaking while weak, surrounding and protecting His servant continuing work despite opposition and physical weakness. The Lord of hosts stands behind as rear guard, protecting and supporting those who act faithfully in correcting wrongs in society, the church, and the workplace against opposition. Christ is near parents as help, strength, counselor, and protection as they guide their children, to be sought for instruction where they are and depended upon. He is guide, helper, strength, and redeemer, giving assurance and courage while His people endure affliction. He is front guard and rearward to the one who refuses to make wealth serve selfish purposes and instead takes the Lord as counselor and protector, and Jesus as front guard and rereward gives help and power that God alone can provide as His people live by His Word.