1 Awake, awake! Put on your strength, Zion. Put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city: for from now on the uncircumcised and the unclean will no more come into you. 2 Shake yourself from the dust! Arise, sit up, Jerusalem! Release yourself from the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion! 3 For the LORD says, “You were sold for nothing; and you will be redeemed without money.” 4 For thus says the Lord GOD: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there: and the Assyrian has oppressed them without cause. 5 “Now therefore, what do I do here,” says the LORD, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock,” says the LORD, “and my name is blasphemed continually all the day. 6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore they shall know in that day that I am he who speaks. Behold, it is I.” 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! 8 Your watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD returns to Zion. 9 Break out into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The LORD has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 11 Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing! Go out from amongst her! Cleanse yourselves, you who carry the LORD’s vessels. 12 For you shall not go out in haste, neither shall you go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. 13 Behold, my servant will deal wisely. He will be exalted and lifted up, and will be very high. 14 Just as many were astonished at you (his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men), 15 so he will cleanse many nations. Kings will shut their mouths at him: for they will see that which had not been told them; and they will understand that which they had not heard.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, 1706
Verses 1-12
The gospel proclaims liberty to those bound with fears. Let those weary and heavy laden under the burden of sin, find relief in Christ, shake themselves from the dust of their doubts and fears, and loose themselves from those bands. The price paid by the Redeemer for our salvation, was not silver or gold, or corruptible things, but his own precious blood. Considering the freeness of this salvation, and how hurtful to temporal comfort sins are, we shall more value the redemption which is in Christ. Do we seek victory over every sin, recollecting that the glory of God requires holiness in every follower of Christ? The good news is, that the Lord Jesus reigns. Christ himself brought these tidings first. His ministers proclaim these good tidings: keeping themselves clean from the pollutions of the world, they are beautiful to those to whom they are sent. Zion’s watchmen could scarcely discern any thing of God’s favour through the dark cloud of their afflictions; but now the cloud is scattered, they shall plainly see the performance. Zion’s waste places shall then rejoice; all the world will have the benefit. This is applied to our salvation by Christ. Babylon is no place for Israelites. And it is a call to all in the bondage of sin and Satan, to use the liberty Christ has proclaimed. They were to go with diligent haste, not to lose time nor linger; but they were not to go with distrustful haste. Those in the way of duty, are under God’s special protection; and he that believes this, will not hasten for fear.
Verses 13-15
Here begins that wonderful, minute, and faithful description of the office, character, and glory of the Messiah, which has struck conviction to many of the most hardened unbelievers. Christ is Wisdom itself; in the work of our redemption there appeared the wisdom of God in a mystery. Those that saw him, said, Surely never man looked so miserable: never was sorrow like unto his sorrow. But God highly exalted him. That shall be discovered by the gospel of Christ, which could never be told in any other way. And Christ having once shed his blood for sinners, its power still continues. May all opposers see the wisdom of ceasing from their opposition, and be made partakers of the blood of sprinkling, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost; obeying him, and praising his salvation.