Isaiah 52:9
Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
The ruined and desolate places of the city are called to burst together into united joyful song because the Lord has comforted His people and set Jerusalem free, giving them common ground for rejoicing. This call belongs to the announcement of good news of peace and salvation that God reigns, when the watchmen see eye to eye over the restoring of Zion and His saving power is laid open before all nations to the ends of the earth. That comforting and redeeming is God's victory through Christ, who at infinite cost gave His Son to rescue fallen humanity, join heaven to earth, and lift men and women to become sons and daughters of God. It is a prophecy to be looked for and fulfilled by God's people in the last days, especially when the liberty and life of the church are threatened, and it is cause for joyfulness rather than fear. Its joy belongs with the good news of His salvation, grace and goodness, which is to be carried throughout the world and among all nations until the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord.
Meaning and Context
The ruined, desolate and waste places of Jerusalem are summoned to break out together into united, joyful singing because the Lord has comforted His people and has redeemed Jerusalem, and that comfort and redemption are set forth as the ground for shared joy and song. The call is to sing together, with the desolate places rejoicing in common because comfort has come to God's people and freedom and redemption have come to Jerusalem. That rejoicing belongs with the good news of God's salvation, grace and goodness, to be proclaimed so that people may hear and the earth may be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.
The verse belongs to the proclamation of good tidings of peace and salvation that God reigns, with the watchmen seeing eye to eye at the bringing again of Zion. It stands with the beautiful announcement of good news, peace, salvation and the reign of God, in which watchmen in full agreement lift a shared song. In the same context salvation is made open and shown before all nations and to all the ends of the earth, as the following verse declares that all nations shall see it.
The verse stands in Isaiah 51-53 and among the prophecies regarding Christ's work in Isaiah 52-54. In Isaiah 51-53 it belongs with the revelation that fallen, sinful man has been furnished a life-giving Saviour in Jesus Christ. As part of Isaiah 52-54 it is numbered among the prophecies regarding Christ's work.
Redemption and Last-Day Fulfillment
The comfort and redemption of the people and of Jerusalem are part of God's victory through Christ, in which the good news of salvation is proclaimed among all nations until the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord. That comforting and redeeming means God redeeming the members of His fallen human family at infinite cost by the gift of His Son. Jesus Christ is furnished to fallen, sinful man as the life-giving Saviour and the only hope of a life that measures with the life of God, who clothed His divinity with humanity to stand at the head of humanity, encircling the race with His human arm while grasping the throne of the Infinite with His divine arm, and placing man on vantage ground with God. In this way men and women are enabled to become sons and daughters of God.
The joyful comforting of His people and redeeming of Jerusalem means God has victory for His people even when oppression of the church looks like victory for transgressors of the Sabbath and causes rejoicing among evildoers. The verse stands among the prophecies regarding Christ's work in Isaiah 52-54, which are to be studied for help and blessing, especially when the liberty of the church is endangered.
The verse is a prophecy to be looked for and fulfilled by God's people in the last days. Its fulfillment comes when the Lord makes an impression on human minds and human hearts, and it is cause for joyfulness.
Proclaiming the Good News
The joy of the waste places belongs with the good news of God's salvation, to be proclaimed so that people may hear of His grace and goodness. That comfort and redemption are part of God's victory through Christ, whose good news of salvation is to be proclaimed among all nations until the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord. The chapter to which the promise of joy for desolate places belongs sets forth the work of proclaiming the message throughout the world and doing soul-saving work in the cities.
It belongs to the beautiful announcement of good news, peace, salvation, and the reign of God, with watchmen in full agreement lifting a shared song and with salvation made open before all nations. Truth is therefore to be presented as comforting good news, offered with a spirit that draws people rather than turning them away. The words and manner are to be courteous, pleasant, and Christlike, making the rich fruit of God's Word desirable so that people receive it, instead of harsh, fierce, forbidding, and condemnatory presentation that turns people away and mars its influence.
The verse is part of the stirring call to carry God's word in mind, seek the Lord, and do the essential work of this time. That essential work is to make the testing truth of the commandments of God straight and plain for the saving of souls, refusing divisive questions that give the enemy opportunity for doubt. Joy and comfort come when His people make self-sacrificing gifts to establish schools and educational centers and send workers to all parts of the world, so that His blessing rests on them, His work stands in its highest beauty, and His salvation is seen.
The verse calls for true missionary work in public ministry and house-to-house labor instead of discouragement and sleep. Sanctified ability is to proclaim present truth in neglected cities in clear lines and in the power of the Spirit. When that wholehearted work is done the efficacy of the grace of Christ is seen, the watchmen on the walls of Zion are wide-awake and arouse others, selfishness is separated from the lives of God's people, workers see eye to eye, the arm of the Lord seen in the life of Christ is revealed, and confidence is restored with unity in the churches.