sermons by IVOR POWELL

ISAIAH, WHO BELIEVED THE KING WAS COMING

"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. 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:

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" (Isa. 40:3-5).

Isaiah wrote a Bible within a Bible! His first section (chapters 1-

39) resembles the Old Testament; the second part (chapters 4O-66)

suggests the New Testament at the heart of which is chapter 53, a

clear account of the death of Christ (see the author's book, Bible

Pinnacles, pages 75-76). Isaiah's fortieth chapter is therefore the

commencement of his "New Testament," and it begins with the

ministry of John the Baptist "a voice crying in the wilderness.

There are three interpretations of this Scripture, each with its promise

of approaching royalty.

The Promise of a Great Deliverance

The statement "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in

the desert a highway for our God," was a reference to the custom of

sending workmen ahead of a mier to do whatever was necessary to

facilitate the king's progress. It was often necessary to repair roads

and move hills of sand so that the visiting monarch could make a

triumphant entry into a city. Using that illustration, Isaiah proclaimed

God would visit the captives in Babylon and servitude would end.

He urged the Hebrews to repair the highways of life that the Lord's

progress would not be hindered. Jeremiah supplied additional details

of that great event. He wrote, "For thus saith the Lord, that

after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and

perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this

place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the

Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected

end" (Jer. 29: 10-11). These Scriptures with their repeated promises

indicated (a) God's grace was greater than Israel's sin, (b) God saw

the end from the beginning and knew what He was doing, and (c)

no difficulty was too great for the Lord to overcome. These facts,

when accepted in faith, turn darkness into light, despair into liberation,

and disappointment into laughter.

The Promise of a Gracious Deliverer

Many years later John the Baptist used Isaiah's statement to

inform listeners he was "the voice crying in the wilderness." He

knew the King was approaching and urged everyone to prepare for

His arrival (see Luke 3:36). The people were asked to remove

obstacles from their highway of life. This was a vital part of John's

message of repentance. Probably John was mindful of the astonishing

effect of Christ's ministry. Valleys of depression would disappear

as sufferers found new meaning in life. Mountains of difficulties

would be removed, crooked lives made straight, and the roughest

places in life made smooth. John quoted the text, "And all flesh

shall see the salvation of God." People residing in Palestine were

privileged to witness the healing power of Christ, but that hardly

exhausted the meaning of the text, "all flesh shall see the salvation

of God." It therefore becomes necessary to consider a third interpretation.

The Promise of a Glorious Domain

The text can never be completely fulfilled until the Lord returns

to earth to establish His kingdom. Then the valleys will be exalted,

and the high places will be made low when an earthquake divides

the Mount of Olives. "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the

mount of Olives . . . and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the

midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall

be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward

the north, and half of it toward the south" (Zech. 14:4). The

reign of Christ will provide unprecedented opportunities for witnessing

the power of God, for "the wolf also shall dwell with the

lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid... and a little

child shall lead them" (Isa. 11:6).

This remarkable text touches every aspect of life; it embraces the

past, present, and future. People who suffer in valleys of depression

and others confronted by insurmountable obstacles find encouragement

in the promises of Isaiah. Men and women who know the

transforming power of Christ appreciate His ability to straighten

crooked lives and smooth the rough places of life. Isaiah evidently

believed it was wiser to consider the promises of God than to gaze

dejectedly at the imprisoning walls of Babylon.