Week Three - Day Three
Freedom For The Captive
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem. Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the Lord has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem.
Isaiah 52:7-9
This prophecy is delivered to Israel in Babylonian exile. Picture God’s people, displaced from their land, removed from their homes, stripped of their culture and identity, and oppressed by foreign rule. They are essentially slaves in this strange land, deprived of their freedom. At this point, there seems to be no hope of rescue from their captivity. They are prisoners, longing to be set free.
We too live as exiles. Living as sinful people in a sinful world leaves us living as captives. We often feel hopeless as we experience hardship after hardship. But just as Israel receives hope to return to Jerusalem, this Christmas season we live in the joy that Jesus has come to set us free. Jesus is the good news that brings peace, the good news that brings beauty to the mountains.
Picture the joy on the shepherds’ faces as they share with the world that Jesus is coming. Jesus brings us joy. We live in the joy of the arrival of our King, the One who has come to set us free from our captivity. We live in the hope that one day, Jesus will return and set us free, once and for all.