Isaiah 40:1–11

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. ²Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call out to her. Her warfare really is over. Her guilt is fully paid for. Yes, she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

³A voice is calling out: In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord. In the wasteland make a level highway for our God. ⁴Every valley will be raised up, and every mountain and hill will be made low. The rugged ground will become level, and the rough places will become a plain. ⁵Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh together will see it. Yes, the mouth of the Lord has spoken. ⁶A voice was saying, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry out?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like a wildflower in the countryside. ⁷Grass withers, flowers fade, when the breath of the Lord blows on them. Yes, the people are grass. ⁸Grass withers, flowers fade, but the Word of our God endures forever.

⁹Get up on a high mountain, O Zion, you herald of good news. Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, you herald of good news. Lift it up! Do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” ¹⁰Look, God the Lord will come with strength, and his arm is ruling for him. Look, his reward is with him. The result of his work is in front of him. ¹¹Like a shepherd he will care for his flock. With his arm he will gather the lambs. He will lift them up on his lap. He will gently lead the nursing mothers. (EHV)

Dear Friends in Christ,

“Look!” How many times I’ve yelled that and pointed while driving. When you’re behind the wheel, you have to look out the window. When you’re in the passenger seat, not so much. Some things are just too amazing to keep to yourself. They have to be pointed out and shared. And at the top of that list is the coming of the Savior. “Cry out!” God says to Isaiah. ⁹Get up on a high mountain, O Zion, you herald of good news. Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, you herald of good news. Lift it up! Do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”

Listen to His Gracious Comfort

God gave Isaiah special vision as a prophet—the supernational ability to see things that no one else could. With his regular eyesight things looked bleak for Judah and Jerusalem. He saw people who didn’t care about God, who lived their lives like there is no god. But even when he looked with the supernatural prophetic vision God gave him, he still saw sad things! He could see ahead that things would go from bad to worse spiritually. But by God’s power, as Isaiah looked even further out, over the horizon, he began to see some beauty. He could see that more than 100 years in the future God would begin refining for Himself a righteous remnant. He could see ahead how God was going to preserve believers in captivity, men like Daniel and the three who would risk their lives in a fiery furnace, rather than deny their God. Still further ahead in the future, Isaiah could see the salvation God would finally bring about for all His people, by sending the Savior. That’s why Isaiah begins part two of his scroll with these words: Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. ²Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call out to her. Her warfare really is over. Her guilt is fully paid for. Yes, she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

In his first 39 chapters, Isaiah had foretold Judah’s downfall. Sadly, they had earned what was coming. Babylon would conquer them and take them into exile for 70 years. It was still 100 years off, but their fate had already been sealed. That’s why Isaiah prophetically speaks of that future warfare as though it has already taken place: Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call out to her [that] Her warfare really is over. As surely as the captivity would happen, just as surely they would return to Jerusalem 70 years later. It was already a done deal. In his prophetic vision, Isaiah supernaturally saw the future joy on their faces as they were marching back from exile! By inspiration He could already see Jerusalem’s walls being rebuilt! He saw the temple rebuilt, even though in real time it hadn’t yet been knocked down by the invading Babylonians! He could see God’s face filled with joy again after all the anger! He saw the smiles on old men’s faces, and the glee on the faces of the youth. What a comfort to him! And now God tells him to share that comfort with everyone:

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. ²Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call out to her. Her warfare really is over. Her guilt is fully paid for. Yes, she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.  

It wasn’t their hard service and warfare that paid for their guilt. The 70 years in exile wouldn’t pay off their sin-debt. That would never be enough. The price of sin is eternal death, not a few years living in a foreign country. No, these people had been convicted, but then they had been pardoned. They’d been given a “Get Out of Jail Free” card. How? By the coming Redeemer—the Son of God Himself, the One to be born of a virgin. Through Him, Israel would receive from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.   That “double” is the overflowing mercy of God. As Paul wrote in Romans, “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (5:20). Therefore, Her guilt is fully paid for.

Prepare His Desert Highway

By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah not only saw 100 and 200 years ahead. He was enabled to see the coming of the Savior 700 years down the road. And when he looked, he saw it in incredible detail.  He could see the Son of God Himself, the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” who would “rule on David’s throne and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from now on, into eternity. And in front of Jesus, Isaiah saw John the Baptist, standing on the banks of the Jordan river, preaching repentance to the crowds coming out to him in the wilderness: ³A voice is calling out: In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord. In the wasteland make a level highway for our God. ⁴Every valley will be raised up, and every mountain and hill will be made low. The rugged ground will become level, and the rough places will become a plain. ⁵Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh together will see it. Yes, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Jesus came to earn salvation for “all flesh,” the whole mass of humanity on earth, from Adam and Eve to the last child ever born the morning of Judgment Day. When Jesus died, God’s righteous wrath was appeased. All sins were paid for. Forgiveness was prepared for everyone—Double for all their sins.

But forgiveness, life and salvation come to people through faith. Forgiveness comes through hearing the law, recognizing and admitting our sins and turning to God in faith. John the Baptist wanted people to meet Jesus with faith when He came on the scene. ‘Repent!’ he preached, ‘so you can be forgiven and enter the kingdom of heaven.’John risked his neck in order to call people back to God, so they could listen and hear and believe. ³A voice is calling out: In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord. In the wasteland make a level highway for our God.

Crowds went out from the cities of Judea and Galilee and made their way into the wilderness to hear John preach. They were desperate for spiritual answers. God uses desperation and hardship to get people’s attention, so we seek Him and His answers. Just as God had used the 70 years of exile to purify Israel and get their attention 600 years earlier, now God was using the harsh Roman occupation to do the same in John the Baptist’s Day. God uses crosses and trials to purify us, too, so we’re ready to seek out and listen to His Word, and then He uses His Word to create and strengthen our faith. Faith comes from hearing the … word of Christ, Scripture says(Romans 10:17).The 70 years in exile would have been meaningless, if God had not added His Word—the Word that endures forever.  The Roman occupation at the time of John the Baptist would have driven no one closer to God if John hadn’t preached the Law, called them to repentance, pointed to the Savior and baptized them for the forgiveness of sins. And the same is true for us. Whether it’s government corruption, inflation, personal aches and pains, aging—God uses these hardships to send us back to His Word  for answers and truth.

And what does God say? ⁶A voice was saying, “Cry out!” And [Isaiah] said, “What shall I cry out?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like a wildflower in the countryside. ⁷Grass withers, flowers fade, when the breath of the Lord blows on them. Yes, the people are grass. Life is short. We are small. All our proud accomplishments follow us to the grave. Where are the hanging gardens of Babylon today? What is left of Paul Getty’s gold?  All flesh is grass … ⁸Grass withers, flowers fade, but the Word of our God endures forever. Only God’s promises last forever. They endure because God Himself came down to earth. Just as the “Glory of the Lord”—the pillar of cloud and fire—led the children of Israel through the wilderness to the promised land, so the Glorious Lord Himself, Immanuel, came to dwell with us, and lead His people to heaven. ⁵Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh together will see it. Yes, the mouth of the Lord has spoken. He did come. That’s why we celebrate Christmas.

Go Tell it on the Mountain

John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Through Isaiah, God tells us it’s now our turn to point to Jesus and tell others, Look! Behold! “Here Is Your God!”  ⁹Get up on a high mountain, O Zion—that’s us!—you herald of good news. Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem—that’s us!—you herald of good news. Lift it up! Do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”

Here—in Jesus, through Word and Sacrament—you see your God, the God of mercy and grace who came to give you forgiveness and eternal joy. In Jesus, God Himself came down to earth as a man so He could live a perfect life in your place. He became human so he could bleed His real blood and die your real and scary death. But He’s also still true God. Only God’s Son could fulfill the law. Only true God could shed holy, precious blood, that would actually pay for the sins of the world. This is Jesus! That’s who He is! This is what He’s done for you! Look! “Here Is Your God!”

Go tell it on the mountain! But tell it to the people at the café, too. Tell it to your friends, and the folks at work, tell it to your sons and daughters and parents! Tell them: “Here Is Your God!” … ¹¹Like a shepherd he will care for his flock. With his arm he will gather the lambs. He will lift them up on his lap. He will gently lead the nursing mothers.

Zion is the church. You are Zion. God tells, us ⁹Get up on a high mountain, O Zion and proclaim Him joyfully to everyone. That’s our joyful privilege: To share the good news of Jesus, to tell people that you know where God is—that you find God in Jesus and you find Jesus in church; that Jesus is their Savior; that Jesus wants to gently shepherd them and feed them with His Word! If you’re ever driving others through a national park and you see something others have to see, shout “Look!” In the end they’ll thank you even if you woke them up. If you’re driving through life and you see Jesus in church, forgiving sins and offering life and peace and joy, shout it out even if those around you are half asleep! Tell them, “Here Is Your God!”—here in church; here in His Word. Go ahead! Wake them up and point! Maybe on the Last Day they’ll thank you. Amen.