Comfort Ye My People

From Darkness to Light  God Prepares the Way John the Baptist Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5)  Isaiah 40:1-11 The Voice 40 “Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God. 2     “With gentle words, tender and kind, Assure Jerusalem, this chosen city from long ago,     that her battles are over.     The terror, the bloodshed, the horror of Mypunishing work is done. This place has paid for its guilt; iniquity is pardoned;     its term of incarceration is complete. It has endured double the punishment it was due.” 3 A voice is wailing, “In the wilderness, get it ready! Prepare the way;     make it a straight shot. The Eternal would have it so. Straighten the way in the wandering desert     to make the crooked road wide and straight for our God.[a] 4 Where there are steep valleys, treacherous descents,     raise the highway; lift it up;     bring down the dizzying heights. Fill in the potholes and gullies, the rough places.     Iron out the shoulders flat and wide. 5 The Lord will be, really be, among us.     The radiant glory of the Lord will be revealed. All flesh together will take it in. Believe it.     None other than God, the Eternal, has spoken.”[b 6 A voice says, “Declare!”     But what shall I declare?     All life is like the grass. All of its grace and beauty fades like the wild flowers in a field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades     as the breath of the Eternal One blows away. People are no different from grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades;     nothing lasts except the word of our God. It will stand forever.[c] 9 Ascend a high mountain,     you herald of good tidings, O Zion; With a clear, strong voice make known to everyone     the joy that belongs to God’s chosen place, O, Jerusalem, You herald of good tidings!     Make the news ring out! Don’t be afraid! Say to these cities, this Judah: “Behold your God!” 10 The Lord, the Eternal, comes with power, with unstoppable might;     He will take control without question or delay. He will see to it that wages are paid,     repairs are made, and all is set right again. 11 He will feed His fold like a shepherd;     He will gather together His lambs—the weak and the wobbly ones—into His arms. He will carry them close to His bosom,     and tenderly lead like a shepherd the mother of her lambs. For Reflection "During the time of Jesus, John the Baptist wanders around Israel in the tradition of the Hebrew prophets warning the people that they need to correct their attitudes and behaviors, to bring them better in line with what God expects and desires. He declares (warns, actually) that God is coming and will set things right. During the circumstances of exile, the people don’t fully understand who or what this voice in the wilderness will be; centuries later, as the early Christian community looks back over the life of Jesus and John, they recognize the anonymous voice. Isaiah’s message is not just doom and gloom. God determines that His people may return home to rebuild their lives! God uses the new king, Cyrus of Persia, to accomplish this glorious restoration. God does not allow His punishment to last forever. Now, in this new time, God smoothes the rocky way between Mesopotamia and all of Israel; He makes the deserts between the present place of exile and their home just east of the Mediterranean Sea burst with sweet water and bloom with beauty and good things to eat. Treacherous roads and threatening beasts yield to God’s desire that they return safely."* *Commentary embedded in the Voice text. Pray Pray, so you can see beyond the word to the word behind the word. Pray that you will consider the words you and others use open to interpretation. Pray for the faith to accept the possibility of alternate meanings. Pray and listen to God's word. Forward to a friend Sign up for our mailing list!