Beacons of Comfort

 

 

1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and cry to her that her warfare is ended,
    that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
    double for all her sins.

3 A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The Word of God Stands Forever

6 A voice says, “Cry!”
    And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades
    when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
    surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.

9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news;
 lift up your voice with strength,
    O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
 lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah,
    “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
    and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
    he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
    and gently lead those that are with young.
- Isaiah 40:1-11

This is a familiar Advent passage. It speaks obvious comfort and hope. Indeed, the original hearers were receiving a much more cheerful message that Isaiah’s previous prophecies. Here, the people of God are at the tail end of their Babylonian captivity. They are about to be released and sent back home.

One might expect God to send a message of comfort at the beginning of an exile, not the end. But the Lord knew His people. These cries of “comfort!” are meant to prepare the Israelites. Remember from Day 1, God promised always include His preparing. He is readying the people for two things: their return home, and His return as well.

As with any familiar passage, it’s easy to take the meaning, or apparent meaning, for granted. But Paula Gooder reflects on a few amazing things that our modern English translations sorely miss: First, verse 1 is a plural command. She writes, “God is not here telling his prophet to go and comfort his people. Instead, the cry goes out, ‘is there anyone out there who will comfort my people?’” The Lord’s heart for Jerusalem’s restoration swells as He desires comfort for His people.

The second fascinating thing about these verses, according to Gooder, is the number of voices speaking. (I have left the verse numbers in the passage above to help you follow along).
•    Verse 1 begins with God speaking—asking, “is there anyone who will comfort my people?”
•    Verse 3-5 continue with a new, unnamed voice.
•    The beginning of verse 6 adds another voice, though Gooder notes it could be the same one again from v.3-5.
•    The second half of verse 6 is spoken by “I”—the prophet Isaiah
•    Verse 9 concludes with a command for Zion/Jerusalem to speak.

This chain of dialogue can be likened to the passing of a baton in a race, beginning with God and ending with the heart of his people, Jerusalem. Following the exile, the city lay broken and bruised, yet this message commands Jerusalem to rise up and proclaim the good news: the Lord is coming!

Reading this, an image from the third Lord of the Rings movie springs to mind. The small Hobbit, Pippin, musters great courage and climbs high above the city of Minas Tirith to light the warning beacon. Before long, we see beacons being lit along the White Mountains, ultimately notifying the land of Rohan that Gondor is in danger.

For Jerusalem, the present danger has almost passed. This is not a call to arms for war, but it is a call to arms. The message of Isaiah 40 is not passive. It is a cry for transformation. And it includes a very active waiting. For God is on the move, and we have a job to do.

My Bible’s commentary on verse 3 puts it this way:

“Preparing a straight highway means removing obstacles and rolling out the red carpet for the coming of the Lord. The wasteland is a picture of life's trials and sufferings. We are not immune to these, but our faith need not be hindered by them. Isaiah told the people to prepare to see God work. John the Baptist used these words as he challenges the people to prepare for the coming Messiah (as seen in Matthew 3:3).”

We surely live in a desert, a valley, a wasteland full of trials and suffering. But it will not always be so. “Prepare the way of the Lord,” the prophets shout. This Advent, as we look forward to the second Advent, let us let God comfort us with His steadfastness, and say together, “Behold, your God.”