ISAIAH 55:12 - "Metaphorically Speaking"

"For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands". There are several different ways that we can view the second part of verse twelve; one is metaphorically. Which if we did, we would most likely consider this to express a feeling, or an emotion: the expression of joy and peace that is within us. To relate this type of expression to something more familiar, it would be like someone saying, "it was like being in heaven", to express a moment of enjoyment; or a term which is used for someone that is giving a speech, "knock 'em dead". But remember, this is God speaking, and what He says matters far more than that. However, if we are going to look at this portion of the scripture from that point of view, we must remember this: that even though this world may be ruled by Satan, the earth is the Lords, and so are we who have been chosen. When Jesus came into Jerusalem on the colt, He received great praise and worship, as the people declared: "Blessed be the King that cometh in the Name of the Lord; peace in Heaven, and Glory in the Highest". Then some of the Pharisees from among the crowd said to Him, "Master, rebuke thy disciples"; but Jesus answered: "I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out". (Luke 19:35-40) Was Jesus speaking metaphorically? No, I don't think He was; because He commands water to be turned to wine, trees to whither and die, oceans to stand still, the wind not to blow, and the earth to stop it's rotation; He commands worship also! There is another place in the scripture where there is a similar declaration to verse 12; it is found in Psalms 96; you remember that Psalm don't you? Remember that I was stuck on verses 1-5 for several days, verse 5 being: "For the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens". Now look at verses 11-13: "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the Lord: for He cometh, for He cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His Truth." Now, if we look at the whole of Psalms 96, we will see that it is speaking to declaring God among the heathen, or the lost, (that means walking dead for you in Shasta Lake). In Luke 9:1-6, Jesus is sending out His disciples to go about the region and share the Good News, and to perform signs and wonders; in verse 5 He tells them: "And whosoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them". This He did to demonstrate several things: first, that this rejection was not of them, but of Him; secondly, that those of that city were accursed, and thus, so was the very dust of that land; and thirdly, that the joy they would have experienced in proclaiming the Good News, and by performing signs and wonders, would not be affected by the rejection that they might receive. So, if we are to consider that the 'For' in verse 12 of Isaiah is in relation to verses 10 & 11, which speak about God's Word going forth; we can assume that the joy and the peace spoken about here is associated with the declaration of His Word; just like Psalms 96 speaks about declaring His Word among the heathen, or the lost. In other words; there is a special Joy and a Peace that is obtained by doing His work, which is far, far better than the Joy and the Peace we would know if we were not. Then, what we are talking about, is fullness of Joy; wait a minute; full? "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness." (Isaiah 55:2)