Preachers

ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 10:14-15

1550 Stephanus New Testament Transcription


14 πως ουν επικαλεσονται εις ον ουκ επιστευσαν πως δε πιστευσουσιν ου ουκ ηκουσαν πως δε ακουσουσιν χωρις κηρυσσοντος

15 πως δε κηρυξουσιν εαν μη αποσταλωσιν καθως γεγραπται ως ωραιοι οι ποδες των ευαγγελιζομενων ειρηνην των ευαγγελιζομενων τα αγαθα


Romans 10:14-15

Young's Literal Translation

14 How then shall they call upon [him] in whom they did not believe? and how shall they believe [on him] of whom they did not hear? and how shall they hear apart from one preaching?

15 and how shall they preach, if they may not be sent? according as it hath been written, `How beautiful the feet of those proclaiming good tidings of peace, of those proclaiming good tidings of the good things!'

Greek: Pos oun epikalesontai (3PAMS) eis on ouk episteusan? (3PAAI) pos de pisteusosin (3PAAS) ou ouk ekousan? (3PAAI) pos de akousosin (3PAAS) choris kerussontos? (PAPMSG)

Amplified: But how are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed [in Whom they have no faith, on Whom they have no reliance]? And how are they to believe in Him [adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him] of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? (Amplified Bible - Lockman)

ESV: But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?[3] And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (ESV)

ICB: But before people can trust in the Lord for help, they must believe in him. And before they can believe in the Lord, they must hear about him. And for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them. (ICB: Nelson)

NIV: How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (NIV - IBS)

NKJV: How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

NLT: But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? (NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: Now how can they call on one in whom they have never believed? How can they believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how can they hear unless someone proclaims him? (Phillips: Touchstone)

Wuest: How is it possible then that they shall call upon the One in whom they did not believe? Moreover, how is it possible that they will believe on the One concerning whom they did not hear? And how is it possible that they shall hear without one who proclaims? (Eerdmans)

Young's Literal: How then shall they call upon him in whom they did not believe? and how shall they believe on him of whom they did not hear? and how shall they hear apart from one preaching?


HOW THEN SHALL THEY CALL UPON HIM IN WHOM THEY HAVE NOT BELIEVED: Pos oun epikalesontai (3PAMS) eis on ouk episteusan (3PAAI): (1Kings 8:41-43; Jonah 1:5,9, 10, 11,16; 3:5, 6, 7, 8, 9; Hebrews 11:6; James 5:15)
MacArthur sums up Ro 10:14, 15 noting that...

Paul’s main point in this series of rhetorical questions is that a clear presentation of the gospel message must precede true saving faith. True faith always has content—the revealed Word of God. Salvation comes to those who hear and believe the facts of the gospel.

They - This pronoun is repeated 4 times in the passage and in context appears to refer primarily to the Jews.

NLT Study Bible adds that...

It is natural to presume that the pronoun they refers to “all who call on him” from Ro 10:12 or “everyone” from Ro 10:13. While this verse probably does refer to all people, it also continues the accusation against Israel from Ro 10:2, 3 (see Ro 10:18). (New Living Translation Study Bible. Tyndale House Publishers)

Call on...believed...heard...preacher (literally "one preaching): Note that these verbs are the reversal of the normal pattern by which one comes to believe the Gospel - The good news is proclaimed, heard, believed and the believer calls upon the Lord.

Call - In the previous passage (Ro 10:13) Paul used the same verb for "call" (epikaleomai) as he does in the beginning of this verse.

The ESV Study Bible goes on to explain the relationship between these two verse noting that..

(1) People will call on Jesus to save them only if they believe he can do so; (2) belief in Christ cannot exist without knowledge about him; (3) one hears about Christ only when someone proclaims the saving message; and (4) the message about Christ will not be proclaimed unless someone is sent by God to do so.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

Call upon (1941) (epikaleomai [word study] from epi = upon + kaleo = call) literally means to call upon. Epikaleomai was used as here in Romans to call upon deity for some purpose. For example in Peter's quotation from Joel 2:32 he proclaims...

AND IT SHALL BE, THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED. (Acts 2:21, used in this same sense in Ro 10:12, 13)

Stephen with his dying words called upon the Lord...

And they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" (Acts 7:59, similar sense in Acts 22:16)

Ananias addressing Paul after his conversion declared

why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on (epikaleomai) His name. (Acts 22:16)

Ryrie rightly reminds us that...

Though God's election of His people is of His own free choice and not based on human merit (Ro 9:11, 23), the elect are not saved without believing the message that is preached by those who are sent (Isa. 52:7). (The Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Translation: 1995. Moody Publishers)

AND HOW SHALL THEY BELIEVE IN HIM WHOM THEY HAVE NOT HEARD: pos de pisteusosin (3PAAS) ou ouk ekousan (3PAAI): (Ro 1:5; 16:25,26; Mark 16:15,16; Luke 24:46,47; John 20:31; Acts 19:2; Acts 26:17,18; 2Timothy 4:17; Titus 1:3)

Whom they have not heard - MacDonald asks that...

Of what use is a salvation offered to Jews and Gentiles if they never hear about it? Here we have the heartbeat of Christian missions! In a series of three “how’s” (how shall they call ... believe ... hear without a preacher), the apostle goes back over the steps that lead to the salvation of Jews and Gentiles. Perhaps it will be clearer if we reverse the order, as follows: God sends out His servants. They preach the good news of salvation. Sinners hear God’s offer of life in Christ. Some of those who hear believe the message. Those who believe call on the Lord. Those who call on Him are saved.

Years ago there was a great evangelist named Gypsy Smith. He was born a gypsy in England and came to Christ as a boy. Gypsy Smith used to preach up and down this country. I remember Dr. H. A. Ironside saying that Gypsy Smith came to Moody Church on one occasion and held meetings and told about his conversion and about his gypsy life. The people would sit, entranced with these wonderful stories he told. At the end of the meeting he would give an altar call, and people would surge forward in great numbers. Dr. Ironside said he used to wonder what they were coming for. Did they want to be gypsies, or what? They had really been given nothing in which to believe.

AND HOW SHALL THEY HEAR WITHOUT A PREACHER: pos de akousosin (3PAAS) choris kerussontos (PAPMSG):

Without a preacher - Literally "apart from one preaching" and not the noun "preacher".

Preacher (2784) (kerusso [word study] or kerysso from kerux/keryx = a herald - one who acts as the medium of the authority of one who proclamation he makes; kerugma = the thing preached or the message) means to proclaim (publicly) or to herald or act as a public crier - the town official who would make a proclamation in a public gathering.

Kerusso was used of the official whose duty it was to proclaim loudly and extensively the coming of an earthly king, even as our gospel is to clearly announce the coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords (Re 10:16-note)!

The Imperial Herald would enter a town in behalf of the Emperor, and make a public proclamation of the message which his Sovereign ordered him to give, doing so with such formality, gravity, and authority as to emphasize that the message must be heeded! (Think about this in regard to the Gospel of God instead of the decree of a man! cf 1Th 2:13-note). He gave the people exactly what the Emperor bade him give, nothing more, nothing less. He did not dare add to the message or take away from it. Should this not be the example and pattern every preacher and teacher (and witnessing saint) of the holy gospel of God seeks and strives to emulate, yea, even doing so with fear and trembling! ("not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts" 1Th 2:4-note)

BKC adds that kerusso...

means “to be a herald, to announce,” and is not limited to proclamation from a pulpit. Carrying God’s gracious offer involves human beings whom God has brought to Himself and then uses as His heralds. They share God’s message of salvation because He will save everyone who calls on His name. (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor or Logos)

Wiersbe observes that...

This passage is often used as the basis for the church’s missionary program, and rightly so, but its first application is to the nation of Israel. The only way unbelieving Jews can be saved is by calling on the Lord. But before they can call on Him, they must believe. For the Jew, this meant believing that Jesus Christ of Nazareth truly is the Son of God and the Messiah of Israel. It also meant believing in His death and resurrection (Ro 10:9, 10). But in order to believe, they must hear the Word, for it is the Word that creates faith in the heart of the hearer (Ro 10:17). This meant that a herald of the Word must be sent, and it is the Lord who does the sending. At this point, Paul could well have been remembering his own call to preach the Word to the Gentiles (Ac 13:1-3). (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor or Logos)

God could have chosen any means by which the message of salvation might have come (angelic messengers, direct working without a human preacher), but God’s "normal" way of bringing people to Jesus Christ is through the preaching of the gospel.

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Our Daily Bread has an interesting illustration of Paul's charge to all believers, entitled "The King's Message" - On January 21, 1930, the name of Harold Vidian became synonymous with heroism. On that day, England's King George V was scheduled to give the opening address at the London Arms Conference. The king's message was to be sent by radio all around the world.

Donald McCullough, in his book The Trivialization of God (NavPress, 1995), tells us that a few minutes before the king was to speak, a member of the CBS staff tripped over an electrical wire and broke it, cutting off the whole American audience. With no hesitation, chief control operator Harold Vidian grasped one end of the broken wire in his right hand and the other in his left, thus restoring the circuit. Electricity surged through his body. Ignoring the pain, Vidian held on until the king had finished his address.

I see in this a challenge for Christians. The message of the King of kings must go to the whole world. But only as we allow God's power to pass through us can the Lord's saving gospel be transmitted. Paul wrote, "How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?" (Rom. 10:14). If we are willing to serve as conduits, regardless of the cost to us, the good news will be proclaimed around the world.

Will you be a conduit for the King's message? --V C Grounds (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

When I gave my life to Jesus,
He became my Lord and Friend;
Now His power is flowing through me,
As His message I extend. --Hess

The good news of Christ is the best news in the world.

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A Final Witness -If you were in the midst of a disaster, would you think to witness to people around you? John Harper did.

Harper was a Scottish minister who was traveling by ship to preach for 3 months at Moody Church in Chicago. As the ship crossed the Atlantic, it struck an iceberg and began to sink. Some passengers were able to reach lifeboats, but many, Harper included, were flung into the cold Atlantic.

As the people frantically tried to stay afloat, Harper swam around asking individuals if they knew Jesus. At one point, Harper approached a passenger floating on a piece of debris and pleaded with him to trust Christ. Just before Harper slipped under the icy waters for the last time, he said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

Four years later, at a meeting of survivors of that ship, the Titanic, the man testified that he had been saved twice that night. First, he had trusted Christ because of Harper's witness, and second, he had been plucked from the frigid sea.

Harper's dying wish was that he could bring hope to hopeless people. Is that our living wish? In crisis or at ease, do we let people know about the One who can save for eternity? Harper's final witness reminds us to tell the good news to people who are drowning in their sin. —J D Brannon (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Help us, Lord, to be a lifeline
To a dying world today,
Bringing hope to hopeless people
As we share salvation's way. —Sper

We need to tell everyone about Someone who can save anyone.
(What About Those Who Have Never Heard)

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Undelivered Message - George Sweeting, in his book The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing, tells of a man by the name of John Currier who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee.

In 1968, Currier's sentence was terminated, and a letter bearing the good news was sent to him. But John never saw the letter, nor was he told anything about it. Life on that farm was hard and without promise for the future. Yet John kept doing what he was told even after the farmer for whom he worked had died.

Ten years went by. Then a state parole officer learned about Currier's plight, found him, and told him that his sentence had been terminated. He was a free man.

Sweeting concluded that story by asking, "Would it matter to you if someone sent you an important message--the most important in your life--and year after year the urgent message was never delivered?"

We who have heard the good news and experienced freedom through Christ are responsible to proclaim it to others still enslaved by sin. Are we doing all we can to make sure that people get the message? --R W De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

We who rejoice to know You
Renew before Your throne
The solemn pledge we owe You
To go and make You known. --Houghton

Keep the faith--but not to yourself.

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Brother John - It's only a humorous story, yet it makes a serious point. Brother John was a timid man who dreaded speaking in public. So he was terrified on the day it was his turn to give a devotional message. With his knees trembling, he faced his listeners and said, "Do you know what I'm going to say this morning?" "No," answered the audience. He then said, "Neither do I," and he ran from the room.

The next day he was told to try again. He said, "Do you know what I'm going to say?" This time they replied, "Yes." So he said, "Then you don't need me to tell you." Again he fled.

He tried a third morning, saying, "Do you know what I'm going to say?" Half his hearers shouted, "Yes!" and half shouted, "No!" "Ah," said Brother John, "then let those who know tell those who don't know," and again he fled.

At first, his hearers sat in silence. Then the words hit home: "Let those who know tell those who don't know."

For 3 years, Jesus' disciples absorbed His teaching and observed His mighty works. They had come to know Him as the way, the truth, and the life. He was God in the flesh, the One who is "eternal life" (1John 1:2). In the years to come, they devoted their lives to telling others about Christ.

Today, let those who know tell those who don't. —D J De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love,
Tell of His power to forgive;
Others will trust Him if only you prove
True every moment you live. —Wilson
© Renewal 1952 Rodeheaver Co.

The best news in the world is the good news of Christ.









Romans 10:15 How will they preach unless * they are sent ? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS !" (NASB: Lockman)


Greek: pos de keruxosin (3PAAS), ean me apostalosin? (3PAPS) kathos gegraptai, (3SRPI) Os oraioi oi podes ton euaggelizomenon (PMPMPG) [ta] agatha.
Amplified: And how can men [be expected to] preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings! [How welcome is the coming of those who preach the good news of His good things!] (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
ESV: And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" (ESV)
ICB: And before someone can go and tell them, he must be sent. It is written, "How beautiful is the person who comes to bring good news." (ICB: Nelson)
NIV: And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (NIV - IBS)
NKJV: And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
NLT: And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: And how can they hear unless someone proclaims him? And who will go to tell them unless he is sent? As the scripture puts it: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!' (Phillips: Touchstone)
Wuest: And how is it possible that they shall make a proclamation except they be sent on a mission? Even as it stands written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good tidings of good things. (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: and how shall they preach, if they may not be sent? according as it hath been written, 'How beautiful the feet of those proclaiming good tidings of peace, of those proclaiming good tidings of the good things!'



AND HOW SHALL THEY PREACH UNLESS THEY ARE SENT: pos de keruxosin (3PAAS) ean me apostalosin (3PAPS): (Jeremiah 23:32; Matthew 9:38; 10:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; 28:18, 19, 20; Luke 10:1; John 20:21; Acts 9:15; Acts 13:2, 3, 4; 22:21; 1Corinthians 12:28,29; 2Corinthians 5:18, 19, 20; Ephesians 3:8; 4:11,12; 1Peter 1:12)
They are sent - Don't miss this - God is the One Who sends. We need to listen for that still small voice that we might hear His call. To be sure some are literally (in body) sent to unreached people groups, but all believers are sent (in spirit - through intercessory prayer) to unreached people groups. I have a feeling that some of the greatest missionaries this world has never known will be little old ladies who were confined physically to their wheelchair or their home and yet they traveled (via the prayer air waves) to more countries than any missionary could have ever done physically! You may say "I am a 'lesser' part of the body. God cannot really use me." You are wrong. The devil wants you to believe that lie, but he trembles at those "no bodies" who daily, faithfully drop to their knees and cry out for those who are lost in darkness (cp Paul's being "sent" = Acts 26:17, 18) in every continent of the globe. So may I suggest you get involved on the "front lines" (via prayer, which I have found is far more difficult and challenging than funding a matching grant for some well known ministry - not that the latter is wrong of course!). You say, I don't really know how to be sent.

Sent (649) (apostello from apo = from + stello = appoint to position) literally means to send forth. It can convey the bestowal of a commission, to perform a special task with empowerment of the authority of the sender (in this case God, cp the necessary empowerment for the early church and for the modern church, Acts 1:8).

Scripture to verify that bearers of the good news must be “sent” (this term is the verb form of the noun translated “apostle,” hence “apostled”); people are not saved without the opportunity to hear. [Isa 52:7] announced that there was good news, but heralds still had to bring it to the people. Several verses after [Isa52:7], Isaiah reports the response to the good news the heralds bring (Isa 53:1), and Paul’s readers probably know how this text continues: Israel rejected the good news (Isa 53:2-3). Then begin a lifelong journey of daily prayer for the hidden, unreached peoples of the world using as your guide the excellent resource The Global Prayer Digest (save this link to your toolbar favorites as each day there is a new prayer topic). I believer that through this vehicle of Spirit led intercessory, missionary prayer, our Father in heaven has given each of us as His children the incredible privilege of storing up for ourselves treasure in heaven in the the form of "human souls" (cp Mt 6:20-note, 1Th 2:19, 20-note, Lk 10:2, Col 4:2,3-note, 2Th 3:1, Rev 7:9-note)

If you are a blood bought, heaven bound believer, I submit that you have been "sent". Listen to Paul...

2Cor 5:18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation (i.e., the "good news" that sinners can now by grace through faith be reconciled to God! Ro 5:10, Ep 2:16, Col 1:20, 21, 22) 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

And we can always obey our Lord's charge to...

Therefore beseech (aorist imperative = Like a command from our General. Do this now! Don't delay. The need is urgent!) the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest. (Matthew 9:38)

And so to be "sent" suggests at least two things, first, that one operates under a higher authority and secondly that his message does not originate with himself but is given him by the sending authority (God). The prophets were men who were sent in these two respects as was even the Lord Jesus (Jn 3:34; 7:16). The apostles received their commission from the risen Lord as He in turn had been sent by the Father (Jn 20:21, cp His charge to the church = Mt 28:18, 19, 20). In addressing the Roman church, Paul was careful to state at the very beginning that he was called and set apart for the ministering of the gospel (Ro 1:1-note).

Writing to the saints at Ephesus Paul declared...

To me, the very least (Less than the least, far less, far inferior) of all saints, this grace (charis-word study) was given, to preach (euaggelizo/euangelizo [word study]) to the Gentiles the unfathomable (past finding out, impossible to comprehend; immeasurable; unsearchable) riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8-note)

So no matter how inadequate or "little" we feel in regard to "preaching" the good news, remember that God does not want our ability as much as He wants our availability! "Less than the least" saints make good recipients of His transforming, enabling grace (cp 2Co 12:9,10- notes v9; notes v10), without which we can utter no supernatural proclamation (cp Jn 15:5)

JUST AS IT IS WRITTEN HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS: kathos gegraptai, (3SRPI) Os oraioi oi podes ton euaggelizomenon (PMPMPG) [ta] agatha: (Isaiah 52:7; Nahum 1:15) (Isaiah 57:19; Luke 2:14; Acts 10:36; Ephesians 2:17; 6:15) (Isaiah 40:9; 61:1; Luke 2:10; 8:1; Acts 13:26)

Written (1125) (grapho [word study]) is in the perfect tense which emphasizes the lasting and binding authority of what God inspired the Biblical writers to record. It has been written at some point in time in the past and it "stands" written (cp "Thus saith the LORD")

Although Paul's OT quotation is taken from Isaiah 52:7 (see below), there is a parallel passage in Nahum 1:15...

Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; Pay your vows. For never again will the wicked one pass through you; He is cut off completely. (Comment: Johnson observes that "So complete was [Nineveh’s] destruction that when Xenophon passed by the site about 200 years later, he thought the mounds were the ruins of some other city. And Alexander the Great, fighting in a battle nearby, did not realize that he was near the ruins of Nineveh." [Ref])

Nahum is prophesying the destruction of the Assyrian Empire who were the hated enemies of the Jews. Their key city Nineveh had experienced a genuine spiritual revival (Jonah 3:5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) some 150 years before Nahum when God sent (Jonah 3:2, 3, 4) the beautiful feet of a reluctant prophet Jonah (Jonah 1:2, 3, 4:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11). God had patiently dealt with Nineveh, but now His judgment was going to fall and that was "good news" for the Jews.

Like Nahum's “good news” of peace, God's messengers brought good news of peace with God (Ro 5:1-note), and this is what made the messenger's feet so beautiful (to those who received the message - 1Th 2:13-note).

Paul quotes from Isaiah 52:7 so it behooves the diligent student of Scripture to examine the context of that original passage to most accurately interpret the original prophecy which was addressed not to the Gentiles but to Israel...

Isaiah 52:1 Awake, awake, (Not once but twice! Implication is that the hearer has been "somnolent" and this is a clarion call to arouse, stir or motivate to action) Clothe (Note all verbs in red are commands) yourself (Jerusalem personified - representative of all Israel who will be saved at the end of the Great Tribulation [see Ro 11:26, 27-note] and will enter into the Millennial Kingdom) in your strength (no longer will she [or her occupants the saved Jewish remnant] be trampled on by the nations [= goyim = Gentiles]), O Zion (= Jerusalem); Clothe yourself in your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city (Even the new ESV Study Bible misinterprets this phrase to refer to "the people of God" as in Rev 21:22-27, and in so doing essentially "bypass" the Millennial age - review of many of the explanatory notes of the new ESV Study Bible suggests it takes primarily a "reformed" approach to the interpretation of prophecy and thus replaces the specific, definitive promises given to the nation of Israel and sees them as fulfilled in or to the "church"). For the uncircumcised (could refer to literal circumcision but more likely figurative circumcision of the heart = believers - See Ro 2:28, 29-note, Col 2:11-note) and the unclean (Isaiah had used this of moral uncleanness, Isa 6:5) Will no more (This time phrase marks the end of the present age and the dawn of the new Millennial age) come into you (This clearly speaks of a unique time in Jerusalem's history, a time which will only be fulfilled when the Messiah returns to set up His Millennial Kingdom and rule the world from Jerusalem).
2 Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem (Personified as a city that has suffered severe humiliation [idea of humiliation is be made low, brought close to the dust of the ground so to speak] and abasement); Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
3 For thus says the LORD, "You were sold for nothing (not for the purpose of monetary gain) and you will be redeemed (ga'al = to act as a Kinsman Redeemer who delivers one from a debt they cannot pay) without money." (The implication that is it was Jehovah Who sold Israel into captivity is the same One Who will make provision for release because it is only Jehovah Who can redeem [cp 1Pe 1:18, 19-note] - Jehovah is sovereign over all events national and personal beloved - good news for the saved, bad news for rebels!)
4 For thus says the Lord GOD, "My people (Speaking of Israel) went down at the first into Egypt to reside there (Jacob taking his family to be cared for by Joseph during the famine and then remaining over 400 years, ending in bondage to Egypt), then the Assyrian oppressed (Lxx has "led away" as into captivity) them without cause.
5 "Now therefore, what do I have here," declares the LORD, "seeing that My people have been taken away without cause?" Again the LORD declares, "Those who rule over them howl (usually expresses deep mourning, dismay or distress - meaning uncertain but could be ), and My name is continually blasphemed (spoken of with reproach, rejected, scorned. Jerusalem was known as God's city and it's destruction brought shame upon His glorious Name, cp Ro 2:24-note) all day long.
6 "Therefore My people shall know My name (A clear reiteration of Jehovah's promise of the New Covenant given to the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - see Jer 31:31, 32, 33, 34, 24:7 "they shall know Me"); therefore in that day I am the one who is speaking, 'Here I am.'" (Fulfilled at Messiah's Second Advent!)
7 How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news (LXX = euaggelizo/euangelizo [word study] [gives us English "evangelize"]), who announces peace and brings good news (LXX = euaggelizo/euangelizo [word study] [gives us English "evangelize"]) of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (This was the shout of joy and acclamation that the followers would given when a new king was enthroned. I think it is all the saints of the ages will one day shout also when the New King returns as the King of kings [Rev 19:16-note] in the clouds with great glory [Mt 24:30] to be crowned, assume His rightful place on the throne and reign in Zion, the Holy City, Jerusalem! Maranatha 1Co 16:22!)

Paul applied Isaiah's quotation to the messengers of the Gospel taking the Good News (especially to Israel) today (Beloved, have you ever shared the good news of the Messiah with a Jew?). The “peace” spoken of is “peace with God” (Ro 5:1-note) and the peace Christ has effected between Jews and Gentiles by forming the one body, the church (Ep 2:13, 14, 15, 16, 17-notes).

And so from the original context of Isaiah 52, we understand that God was prophesying the bestowal of His favor upon the holy city of Jerusalem was to be destroyed by the Babylonians (Isaiah prophesied before the fall of Jerusalem in 586BC). The ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy would be marked by the return of the Messiah and the inauguration of His Millennial Kingdom. These tidings are good, for they announce the age of peace when the Prince of peace returns to reign in peace. Paul changes the wording somewhat--the single announcer in Isaiah becomes "they" which depicts all messengers of the good news (not just the formal clergy but every redeemed saint because every redeemed saint has a personal message of "good news" = their testimony. See My Testimony).

BELOVED,
WHAT DO YOUR FEET
"LOOK LIKE"?

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Beautiful Feet-When challenged to speak to others about Christ, some believers excuse their silence by saying, "Well, I am not a preacher." But every follower of Jesus is (or at least should be) a preacher. We don't need a pulpit. It can be done in friendly conversation, by handing out a tract or portion of Scripture, by writing a letter, or by singing a song.

I received the following letter: "Several months ago, on a bus in Detroit, I picked up a copy of Our Daily Bread, which someone had left on the seat. I began reading it and became so interested I wrote to you asking for the current booklet. Through this I began listening to your radio program and was wonderfully saved. I am eager to get to heaven and find out who left that booklet on the seat in the bus!"

A dying woman testified that she was saved by reading a piece of wrapping paper in a package from Australia. The crumpled pages contained a sermon by British pastor Charles H. Spurgeon. The sermon, first preached in England, printed in America, shipped to Australia, and then sent back to England as wrapping paper, was the means of converting a precious soul in London where the sermon was first preached! That is the power of the Word! --M. R. De Haan, M.D.(Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

We do not need a pulpit
From which to speak God's Word;
It only takes our willingness
To share what we have heard. --Sper

Jesus said, "Go into all the world" (Mk. 16:15).
The world begins where your front yard ends.

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Here's another story about "beautiful feet" from Our Daily Bread...In 1983 at age 16, an English girl began an 11-year trek around the world--on foot! Why did she do it? She said, "I had to discover myself."

In case you think you couldn't or wouldn't undertake such a journey, a podiatrist in Washington, D.C., informs us that we already have. He claims that the average person's feet travel more than four times the earth's circumference in a lifetime.

That's a lot of walking! But where are our feet taking us, and why?

In Romans 10, Paul wrote about the feet of those who carry the gospel wherever they go (Ro 10:15). He said that unless someone goes and tells others about Jesus, they will not hear and they will not be saved.

With that in mind, we can walk with a cause--not to discover ourselves but to help others discover Christ. For this reason, God enlists our feet, even calling them beautiful!

But what about people like Joni Eareckson Tada who can't walk? She testifies, "I've learned that you can be in a wheelchair and still walk with Jesus!" Yes, all believers can live for Jesus wherever they go. Our lives can be a shining testimony of the power and truth of the gospel.

Where will your feet be going today? How will you spread the good news about Christ? --J E Yoder (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Help me to see the tragic plight
Of souls far off in sin;
Help me to love, to pray, and go
To bring the wandering in. --Harrison

Loving the lost is the first step in leading them to Christ.