Isaiah 40:1-11
Has there ever been a more joyous utterance by any of God's prophets?
Has there ever been a message of such trust and hope?
Has there ever been a prophecy that has meant so much on so many levels?
These eleven verses mark the beginning of a thrilling outburst by the second of the biblical poets writing under the prophetic persona of Isaiah. The story told by the first Isaiah ended with the foolishness of King Hezekiah almost daring his surrounding enemies to attack the nation, confiscate the riches of his kingdom, and despoil the house of God. Hezekiah's kingdom was rich and ruled by a complacent power structure that had forgotten its duty to its people and misapprehended the promises that God would secure the future of the house of David. Trusting in its own strength and alliances, the southern kingdom, the kingdom of Judah, was overtaken by the overwhelming power of Babylon. Not only was this conquest a matter of military might, it was a conquest of culture and outlook for the future as well. The sons of the kingdom, in all ways that the concept meant, were taken away to become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
Babylon had secured its domination in place and time, but it did not reckon with the God who mastered space, having created it, and an eternal God who was not bound with the chains of time. God calls his prophet to proclaim a new exodus, a new journey of discovery. Even in places impassable and tortured, God will lead those who will follow seeking God's glory.
It is interesting that, in the middle of this great outburst, the prophet calls on the people to consider their own weaknesses. "All flesh is grass." "The grass withers, the flower fades." God's purposes have a longer, more eternal view. Indeed, the wills of the remnant who returned following the prophets call faded like flowers in a desert wind. Those returning from Babylon could not recreate by themselves a society in which the glory of God could be revealed in both the great and everyday aspects of life.
It is a peculiarity of prophecy that it is internally reinforcing. The warnings of human impotence compared with the power of God give truth to the positive promises of support and care. From the earliest days of the Christian faith, followers of Jesus have seen in his gospel and his promises, the fulfillment of this second Isaiah's prophecies. In each of the gospels, in two letters of Paul, in writings from the tradition of Peter, even in the apocalyptic visions of the Revelation to John, these verses are summoned to prove God's care for his people. Isaiah's vision of a powerful God becoming a tender shepherd is the very archetype of the Jesus who heals, teaches, guides, comforts and overcomes.
In our Advent journey let us not be Hezekiahs, complacently trusting in our own power and our own imperfect understanding. Let it be our prayer to follow God's path through life's wildernesses. Let us accept God's level ways. Let us feel comfort in being carried and led.
~ Larry Adams