Prepare the Way for the LORD (Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-20; John 1:19-28)
“Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her forced labor has been completed; her iniquity has been pardoned. For she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.”
A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
The Enduring Word (1 Peter 1:22-25)
A voice says, “Cry out!” And I asked, “What should I cry out?” “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Here Is Your God! Go up on a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news. Raise your voice loudly, O Jerusalem, herald of good news. Lift it up, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”
Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and His arm establishes His rule. His reward is with Him, and His recompense accompanies Him. He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or informed Him as His counselor? Whom did He consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the paths of justice? Who imparted knowledge to Him and showed Him the way of understanding? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are considered a speck of dust on the scales; He lifts up the islands like fine dust. Lebanon is not sufficient for fuel, nor its animals enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before Him; He regards them as nothingness and emptiness.”
Of all the chapters of Isaiah, the 40th chapter must be one of the best known, particularly because so many different parts of it have been quoted. George Handel drew heavily on this chapter for some of the most stirring solos in The Messiah. Countless posters, memes, etc., have encouraged people with the quotes from Isaiah 40:31. There is so much meat in this chapter that we are going to examine it in two parts. What does this chapter tell us about God?
- God is a Comforter. ““Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.” Before Jerusalem was finally overthrown, it was no longer a holy city but had become full of idols. Men and women were worshiping the sun, fertility gods and goddesses, and practicing all kinds of witchcraft to ensnare other’s souls. When God says that the iniquity of Jerusalem has been pardoned and that she has paid double for all her sins, He isn’t joking. While Jerusalem was destroyed by the Assyrians, it was eventually rebuilt under Ezra and Nehemiah, only to be destroyed again by the Romans in 70 A.D. Why should this passage encourage us? Romans 3:23 tells us “For all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God.” There is not a single one of us who does not need pardon for sins and comfort for the things we have suffered.
- When Messiah comes, everything that is wrong will be put right. ““Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Who among us does not long for righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit? As governments disappoint and economies crash, our longing becomes stronger. The Messiah will do what no government programs can possibly do: put things right permanently.
- God’s word stands forever. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” No matter how good or noble a person is, that individual is still fallible and sometimes says things that aren’t true. But God’s word is truth. The first chapter of Romans describes those who have chosen to shun the truth. Romans 1:18 – 23 says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”
- God’s glory will be clearly seen by everyone. “Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and His arm establishes His rule. His reward is with Him, and His recompense accompanies Him.” There will be no arguing with the Creator of the universe.
- God cares for those who love Him as a shepherd cares for his sheep . The Bible repeatedly refers to us as sheep. That’s no compliment! Sheep are brainless, interested mostly in the next blade of grass and in getting water. Sheep will veer into weird places from which they must be rescued, wandering off into the wilderness where they may become prey for wild animals. Face it, we all need a Shepherd.
- God’s glory and power and majesty are beyond anything we can imagine. “All the nations are as nothing before Him; He regards them as nothingness and emptiness.”
APPLICATION: These verses deserve to be read slowly and meditated upon. We are created to worship something or someone bigger than ourselves; however, many of us are like those described in Romans 1. Here God is setting forth many of His attributes, wooing us to Himself.
What’s so important about the Shepherd? Jesus told his disciples that a good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The shepherd protects, comforts, heals, and guides the sheep. The shepherd leads the sheep into safe places, green pastures and still pools of water from which it is safe to drink. The shepherd cares for all the needs of the sheep. No matter how self – sufficient we might think we are, any one of us can be felled by sickness or accident. We are vulnerable in every particular.
We are all sinners in need of pardon and forgiveness. We are all small creatures who need to worship. Even if we shun God, we are still going to fixate on something else. That to which we give the most time and energy becomes our god. Let us worship the Creator and not the Creature.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You for being our Comforter, our Shepherd, our Protector, and our Guide. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment