Sunday, January 19, 2014
Comfort Ye My People
Today as I was looking out onto a fresh wooly blanket of bright white snow in the woods, I remembered some words from a song I had heard years ago, “Comfort Ye My People”, which comes from Isaiah 40. Reading over this scripture I remembered several parts of it. However, today I saw some things I had not seen before.
Isaiah 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
In the first five verses God is telling Isaiah to cry out comfort to Jerusalem. God told Isaiah that they had accomplished their warfare and turned away from their sins. I had not noticed before this part about warfare. We are to battle against darkness at all times and in all places. Paul tells us this in his letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
God told Isaiah that this battle to which all believers are called will have a victorious end. In the verses in Isaiah 40:6-9 God tells Isaiah not to be afraid to speak, and to tell people behold God.
Isaiah 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
God was encouraging Isaiah not to be afraid to speak about God’s majesty and His deliverance, even before people could see His deliverance. This is also warfare, to declare God and His works that may not yet be revealed. For most of the rest of this passage Isaiah reminds the people about how great and large God is when compared to any part of creation, and that all of creation does exactly as He commands it to perform. All of these are meant to cause us to remember who God is, and how powerful He is, in preparation for the comforting words at the end of this declaration.
Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Our God has already declared us the winner of our warfare. When we speak these same things, we are just agreeing with what He has already declared. His words never fail. Today, pronounce strength to yourself and those that follow God’s ways, for He shall truly renew your strength.
Prayer
Father, we exalt You as our Most High King! We praise Your name and declare Your mighty works in us and in the earth. Let it be known Father that You are our God. Show us a sign for good, that all men may know that there is but one true God. Bring Your kingdom to earth in our lives today more fully. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.