How Lovely are the Feet of the Messenger

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!
Isaiah 52:7 NLT

My earliest recollection of reading this verse is when I was in my late 20s or early 30s, and I still remember being so intrigued by it. The word beautiful really struck me and has stuck in my mind all these years. To this day, when I hear the Gospel preached on Sunday morning or when I think of Billy Graham’s crusades that I watched with my dad when I was growing up, or in any other setting where I hear His Word of peace and salvation proclaimed - the Spirit raises this verse to mind, and I stand transfixed to that moment in time when the people first heard the messenger on the mountain, proclaiming the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns.

Isaiah’s word imagery is also used in the Old Testament by the prophet Nahum in Nahum 1:15, where we read:  “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.” It is used again by Paul in the New Testament, in Romans 10:14-15, as a reference to “missions” and carrying the Gospel to the unreached - where Paul poses the question,  “How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news.”

What a beautiful message of peace that Paul delivered, bringing us the ‘good news’ of our salvation!

In Isaiah’s day, the messenger’s words were meant to leave Judah rejoicing in deliverance from captivity to their enemy. For, “By nature, we are not at peace with God but are enemies to Him, living in rebellious pride.”¹ The same was true in Paul’s day, and even now, the words should evoke rejoicing in the goodness of our salvation and the freedom it brings us. Both are gifts of God’s grace that should move us to take up “Our responsibility to share the gospel of peace, telling people that they can turn to God and come to Jesus for forgiveness. Whether through our words, actions, or simply the way we live our lives, we have the privilege and responsibility to share the Good News of salvation and the peace that only God provides.”² For by it, we have been delivered from captivity to the law of sin and death!

While there may be other worthy applications, the one that jumped off the page to me was - be ready with the Gospel. Or, as Peter taught³, we must be ready with an answer for the hope that is in us. The enemy wants us to be silent, but we are meant to be excited about the message of the good news, and we are warned not to let the enemy stop us. We are to live as Paul taught - unashamed of the gospel, the Good News about Christ, for God is at work, saving everyone who believes.⁴

While it is easy to get caught up in the imagery of the messenger, we must be careful not to overlook the beauty of the message that was brought - the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! We must also remember that as disciples of Christ, we have been charged with the same mission of carrying the good news of the Gospel: Jesus Saves!  “This Good News of salvation is not just for us; it is for everyone. We have been given the privilege of sharing it with the world.” So, “let us take courage, lift up our heads, and go forth with joy, knowing that our feet are beautiful because they carry the Good News of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

“God has called each of us to be a messenger of His love and grace to those around us.”

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_{1 The Armor of God journal by Love God Greatly / w3d4
2 The Armor of God journal by Love God Greatly / w3d4
3 Instead, you must worship Christ as the Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.   1 Pet. 3:15
4 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.  Romans 1:16}