How Di Feet Fine for Di Mountains

One watchman squeeze im eye dey look far. Something dey move for di hills wey dey far. One person. E dey run. E dey run well-well, dey come di city. Na bad news, or good one? Di watchman hold im breath.

For di old world, no phone, no radio, no newspaper. When dem win or lose battle for far place, na with leg news dey travel. One runner go comot from di battlefield and race across di hills come di city. For dat time, watchmen dey stand for di city walls, dem dey look di end of di sky. For di book of Second Samuel, King David dey wait for di city gate while one watchman for di wall dey call down: I see one man wey dey run alone. Then anoda one! Each time, everybody dey wonder: wetin be di news wey e dey bring? Isaiah take dis scene and paint am over Jerusalem. But Jerusalem don scatter. Her walls don break. Dem don carry her people go. Which news fit ever come meet city like dat?

“How di feet of di person wey dey bring good news fine for di mountains, wey dey announce peace, wey dey bring good news of good tins, wey dey announce salvation, wey dey tell Zion, Your God dey reign!” People no dey usually call feet fine. Runner feet go dey dusty, crack and pain am from di rocky hills. But when somebody dey bring di news wey you don dey long for, even im dirty feet go fine for your eye. Peace. Good tins. Salvation. And di best news of all: your God dey reign. E still be King. E never lose. E never forget you.

And then di watchmen hear am. “Your watchmen raise dia voice, dem dey sing together; because dem go see with dia own eye when di Lord return to Zion.” No be only one watchman, all of dem, dem dey shout together. And wetin dem see? No be only di runner, but di King imself, wey dey come back to im city. God dey return to Zion. Then Isaiah call di ruins demselves. “Burst into joy, sing together, una waste places of Jerusalem; because di Lord don comfort im people. E don redeem Jerusalem.” Imagine stones wey don fall and wood wey don burn as dem begin sing. Di rubble sef burst into song, because God don buy im people back.

And dis news no be only for Jerusalem. “Di Lord don open im holy arm for di eye of all di nations; and all di ends of di earth go see di salvation of our God.” To open im arm be like when warrior fold im sleeve, ready to act. God wan do something wey di whole world go see. Hundreds of years after, for one hill near Bethlehem, one messenger from heaven show to shepherds wey dey keep watch for night. I bring una good news of big joy, e talk, wey go be for all people. And di Apostle Paul quote Isaiah words about di feet of di people wey dey bring good news, to describe everybody wey dey carry di message of Jesus go give oda people.

Isaiah phrase bringing good news give us one famous word. About two hundred years before Jesus, Jewish scholars translate di Hebrew Scriptures to Greek, for one version wey dem dey call di Septuagint. For here dem use di Greek verb euangelizo, wey mean to announce good news. From di same family of words come euangelion, di word wey di New Testament use for gospel, and di root of di English word evangelist.

How di feet fine for di mountains. You go find am for Isaiah chapter fifty-two, verse seven reach ten. One runner bring di news wey one broken city don dey long for: peace, salvation, your God dey reign. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Which one good news about God you fit carry go give somebody dis Christmas?