Isaiah 12:2-6

Joyfully you will draw water from the springs of salvation, and you will say, "Praise God and call on his name. Proclaim God's deeds to the nations!"

Isaiah proclaimed his message in Jerusalem between 742 and 687 BCE, when Israel was divided and the northern kingdom had been annexed by the Assyrian Empire. At this time, Jerusalem was the capital only of the southern kingdom of Israel, which was known as Judah. To offset the power of Assyria, Judah was allied with Egypt, but its situation was precarious. The prophet Isaiah proclaims that God will protect those who are faithful. The people of Judah are exhorted to praise God and to proclaim the wondrous deeds of God to all the nations.

The prophet calls on the inhabitants of Zion to sing for joy, because the Holy One of Israel is among them. Zion may originally have been the name for the principal hill in Jerusalem, but it came to mean the whole city as the place where God was especially present. In the face of danger Isaiah calls on the people of Judah to trust in God.

Grace and peace...Bob