In Isaiah 40, we heard the prophet’s
call to speak words of “comfort” to God’s people at the end of their exile in
Babylon: ‘Arise, shine, for thy light is
come.’ Now, the capture of Babylon by King Cyrus of Persia (c.540 BC) has given
the exiles the opportunity to return to Judah and Jerusalem and restore their
community in the Promised Land.
The exhortation to “wake up” is
appropriate at any time, but especially when there is an opportunity to redeem
Israel for the covenant people of God. But this oracle is an extraordinary
expression of faith, since it presents the victory as one achieved by God, as
the messenger announces YHWH’s entry into his holy place and the complete transformation
of Jerusalem from captive slave to victor. On Psalm 124, David Mitchell (The
Songs of Ascents) comments that “it was only because the Holy One was with
them, only because of his covenant bias towards them, that Israel even
survived, either before (King David’s) reign or during it”.
With the cry of triumph ‘Your God
reigns’, the people of God will once more know God’s name. It is no surprise
that this victory hymn finds its quintessential expression in the glorious
music of Handel’s Messiah, where the messenger proclaims peace, glad tidings
and salvation. Christians, of course, interpret this as a reference to the Messiah,
Jesus Christ. But if the seasonal spirit of goodwill is to be a marker of peace
and harmony in contemporary society, we should recall the original setting of
this prophecy and pray that God’s universal salvation may spread to the ends of
the earth.
Comme ils
sont les bienvenus, au sommet des montagnes, les pas du messager qui nous met à
l’écoute de la paix, qui porte un message de bonté, qui nous qui nous met à
l’écoute du salut, qui dit à Sion : “Ton Dieu règne !” (v. 7, traduction œcuménique).
Jonathan
Halliwell
Attribution:
Snowdon, after an April Hailstorm [or Snowdon through Clearing Clouds], Alfred William Hunt (British, Liverpool 1830–1896 London), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2016, www.metmuseum.org.
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