They have known defeat, have been sent into exile, and now are being promised restoration.
They have been helped, and now they have a job to do.
Isaiah describes the role that Israel is to play: to say to the prisoners, "Come out," and to those in darkness, "Show yourselves."
As I read these verses, I am assuming that the original interpretation centered on those exiles being the prisoners and those in darkness could have also meant the exiles or it could mean the people who were left in Judah and were forced into collaboration and cooperation.
But, whoever was the first to hear Isaiah's words, many of us who have come after them need to heed them as well:
Come out of whatever it is that is keeping you from freely following God.
Quit keeping your loyalty to God a secret.
And, let us read those ancient promises as still holding for us. As we emerge from our fears and insecurities, we will travel a path toward much blessing. We will be sustained along the way. The Lord has sent us a guide and a leader.
And, as we are asked to cast off our timidity about being God's people, we are to demonstrate and practice that life of care for others who just never have had a chance to hear about it before.
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