Tuesday, February 16
What kind of event is described in Isaiah 40:9-11?
Later in Isaiah there appears a male herald of good news for Jerusalem (Isaiah 41:27, Isaiah 52:7). But in Isaiah 40:9 the herald to proclaim “Behold your God!” from a mountain is feminine, a fact brought out in the Hebrew.
In Psalm 68, David praises God because He “setteth the solitary in families: He bringeth out those which are bound with chains” (Psalm 68:6). Though here these words apply to the Exodus from Egyptian bondage, Isaiah uses the same ideas with reference to proclamation of a second “Exodus”: the return from Babylonian captivity.
Meanwhile, the New Testament applies Isaiah 40:3-5 to John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Christ, the eternal Word who became the Lord’s presence in flesh among His people (John 1:14).
Even earlier than John, others spoke about the good news of His coming. Among the first of these were the elderly Simeon and Anna, who met baby Jesus when He was dedicated at the temple (Luke 2:25-38). Like Isaiah’s heralds, they were male and female. Simeon was looking forward to the consolation/comfort of Israel in the form of the Messiah (Luke 2:25, 26).
In light of Isaiah’s prophecy, it does not appear coincidental that Anna, a prophetess, was the very first to publicly announce at the temple mountain to the people of Jerusalem that the Lord had come: “And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:38). This was the birth of Christian evangelism as we know it: proclamation of the gospel, the good news, that Jesus Christ has come to bring salvation. Later, Christ entrusted to another woman, Mary Magdalene, the first tidings of His triumphant resurrection (John 20:17, 18), the act which ensured that His gospel mission to planet Earth was accomplished. Flesh is like grass, but the divine Word who became flesh is eternal (see Isaiah 40:6-8)!
Look at Isaiah 40:11. What kind of imagery is presented here? Write out for yourself a paragraph on how you, personally, have experienced shepherding by the Lord. Why is it good to recount in your mind the way the Lord has led you?
