Isaiah 52:9-12, Part 4

"For ye shall not go out with haste, nor by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward." (Isaiah 52:12)

We discussed the "shall not go out with haste" portion of this verse so we will conclude this reference by addressing the last line, "for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward."

I am always curious when I see different names for the same person used in one verse. In this instance, the first part says, "the Lord" while the second part says, "the God of Israel." So what is the difference? I suspect it reflects a change in covenant status. Take for example this passage that uses Jacob (pre-covenant) and Israel, (post-covenant):

"For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land...," (Isaiah 14:1)

I suspect/believe the same precedence is being followed in Isaiah 52:12. The "Lord" goes before Israel and prepares the way and then, (after Israel resumes covenant status/obedience in their relationship with God), the "God of Israel" has Israel's back, in a manner of speaking.

Having the Lord "go before" is illustrated in Numbers 10:33-35:

"And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days journey: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days journey, to search out a resting place for them. And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp. And it came to pass when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee."

The Lord agreed to go before Israel and disperse her enemies before her. Next we look for an example where the Lord is Israel's "rereward."

The term means rear guard,so the God of the covenant, (ie, God of Israel) will guard behind Israel to thwart unsuspected attacks when all of Israel has their sites on forward progress. There is an obvious military application to this but there is also a more subtle, spiritual application as well. If Israel maintains their covenant relationship with the Lord He protects them from all enemies, both seen and unseen.