As we closed Chapter 39 we found Isaiah predicting the Babylonian invasion, which occurred over a century after he gave the prophecy. This is bad news for the nation but the fall of the nation will not be permanent. The Lord will turn things around. In time the people will be able to return and rebuild.
"Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins." (Isaiah 40:1-2) The phrase translated as "hard service" is a word used for "warfare" in Hebrew. By the time the Neo-Babylonian Empire invades Judah and causes the fall of Jerusalem, the people will have fallen into a great deal of heinous idolatry. It will begin soon after Hezekiah's death; his son Manasseh will be one of the most idolatrous kings Judah ever had and he will even sacrifice one of his sons to a heathen god. The Bible makes it clear that the nation fell due to idolatry and these types of idolatrous sins are what are being referenced when the Lord twice repeats the phrase "her sins".
Why did the Lord pay her back "double"? This word does not appear to mean "twice as much", as we commonly understand it. In the original Hebrew the word means "folded in half", such as in the manner of folding in half a piece of paper (doubling it over onto itself). Some of the commentary material I studied offered the opinion that the Lord is saying that the people's sin is met with forgiveness. We might picture this as a sheet of paper with the word "sin" written at the top edge and the words "paid for" written at the bottom edge, then when you fold the page in half the two words touch each other. The forgiveness meets the sin and cancels it out.
"A voice of one calling: 'In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'" (Isaiah 40:3) In the New Testament we will find this verse being applied to John the Baptist who prepared the way for the Lord Jesus Christ by coming onto the scene like an Old Testament prophet preaching a message of repentance. The preaching of John the Baptist prepared the hearts of many people to accept Jesus as the Messiah when He appeared on the scene.
In ancient times it was the practice of a king's subjects to go ahead of him to clear the roadway of obstacles. They would remove things like fallen limbs and large rocks that would impede the king's chariot wheels. They would fill in crevices caused by washouts. The roadway was to be made as smooth as possible for the king. This is what John the Baptist did for the King of kings. This is what godly men and women have done throughout the ages as they proclaim the goodness of a holy God and urge people to turn to Him and repent of their sins. My heart had been softened by hearing the gospel message a number of times. Proclaiming the gospel is a way of preparing the way for the Lord and making a straight, smooth path for Him into the hearts of our fellow human beings.
As we conclude today's study we find the Lord continuing to use the same analogy. "Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken." (Isaiah 40:4-5) A time is coming when every eye will see Him. (Revelation 1:7) The sight of the King of kings is a welcome sight to those who have given their hearts to Him. But the sight of the King of kings is an unwelcome sight to those who have rejected Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment