Isaiah 52.7-8:
(7) How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” (8) The voice of your watchmen–they lift up their voice, together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion. (ESV)
The prophet Isaiah begins in Chapter 40 and continues through the remainder of the book to emphasize the redemption and restoration of Israel, the coming of the Messiah, and the return of the Lord God of Israel to Zion. In the beginning of chapter 40 there is the statement that the punishment of Jerusalem has ended. She has received a double punishment for her sins. At the time of Isaiah writing these verses there had been no overwhelming type of warfare or punishment experienced by Jerusalem.
And as we work our way through the succeeding chapters of Isaiah we discover that the Babylonians are the ones who have worked to bring destruction to Jerusalem. But the Babylonians will be conquered by the Medes. And it will be the Persian King Cyrus who will issue the decree for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and the return of the people of Israel to Jerusalem, which will lead to the physical restoration of the city of Jerusalem, and accordingly the restoration of Zion and the nation. And God Himself promises to return to Zion.
Within about 150 years from the time of Isaiah’s prophecy, the Babylonians will seize control of Jerusalem and destroy the Temple. Many of the people of Israel will be deported to Babylon where they and their children will remain for 70 years (Jeremiah 25).
But even though we see in the Old Testament many examples of how Israel was unfaithful to God, God always remained faithful to Israel. There is much written in the book of Isaiah about punishment, but God affirms His love for Israel and promises to restore the nation. So much so that even after the great destruction Israel will experience, God promises to give a new birth to the nation (Isaiah 66). And in the same way God does not abandon us whenever we are unfaithful to Him, or whenever we choose to go our own self-centered way against His will. All of God’s children will experience times of discipline and testing, but God is faithful. He will never abandon us.