Meditations on Isaiah 52

Beautiful Feet?

Isaiah 52 Read it yourself

For too long God's people have been asleep. They have lost strength; they are schlepping around in pajama pants and worn-out old tee-shirts. They have been bound as if they were slaves.

Wake Up! Shake off the lethargy and laziness, get dressed to be seen. Go out with the good news that the captives have been set free.

Do you want beautiful feet? "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news..." How poignant is that to me. It was a few years back when my vanity got the better of my judgment and I pumice-stoned all the ugly callouses off my feet. (You can read about that here). I have been afflicted for years now with ugly toenail fungus. It's almost like God saying, "So your going to idolize your feet, have some fungus." I don't necessarily think God is vindictive, but I do believe he lets idolators make fools of themselves. See 1 Kings 18:26-29.

I asked my doctor about how to get rid of toenail fungus and he said, "Well they have this drug that will clean it up, but when you stop using it, the fungus comes back, and the longer you use it the more likely you will damage your liver." How ever ugly my feet are, I would much rather have them than a defective liver. I have been painting my toenails for the last couple of years with apple cider vinegar. It seems that the fungus can't live in the acidic environment produced by the vinegar. But its a routine that definitely doesn't enhance the look of my feet.

From God's perspective those bringing the good news are those with beautiful feet. Not only that, but where are the beautiful feet? "How beautiful upon the mountains." That is exactly where I intend to be in a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to meeting other people like myself, who enjoy the mountains as I do. Who knows, perhaps I am a missionary to 'hiker trash'. At the very least I can express the joy and freedom that I have experienced in my relationship with Christ. Perhaps I'll have an opportunity to serve those wandering souls along the JMT.

"All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." Surely that includes the JMT. I love how the chapter ends. "for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand" Isaiah refers to people who are ignorant of the good news, they haven't been told nor have they heard. He prophesies that they will be from many nations and that theye are 'sprinkled' by God.

To be sprinkled is to be cleaned. The ancient Judaic ceremonies included many instances of the cleansing of articles and people by the sprinkling of the blood of a sacrificed animal. These were all prophetic symbols and pictures of the reality of the Lamb of God, Jesus, being sacrificed in order to bring us sinners into a new and dynamic relationship with our God. According to Isaiah, when these sprinkled people are told, they will see, and when they hear, they will understand.