Three Voices (1)
| A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isaiah40:3-5) |
From vv.3-11 there are three voices, we'll look at each in turn...
The first voice is very appropriate at the start of Lent: It is the voice that calls to us in the wilderness. Israel found itself in the wilderness of exile - but God lovingly offered them hope - He would come to them.
The right thing to do when preparing for the Lord's coming is to make a highway for the Lord to come to us. Righteousness and repentance are the straight paths that God likes to use.
But Isaiah's call for straight paths takes on epic proportions: entire valleys are raised up and mountains and valleys are made low and rugged places become a plain. What started out as being in the realms of what people can do (straight paths) has become something that more appropriately fits in the realms of what only God can do.
This is a good picture for Lent.
There is always the danger that Lent becomes legalism and salvation by works - that we're out to impress God by our hard work. But as with the little boy's loaves and fish (trying to make straight paths) God is able to take the little we give and turn it into more.
Lent is not so much that we resolve to return to God, and then work hard at it so that we earn His favour. Lent is about hearing God's voice and then seeing what He does when we respond.
It is significant that Matthew sees this passage as fulfilled by John the Baptist. John baptised people who were repentant. He also baptised Jesus who had no need to repent, but Jesus' baptism (in which He identified with our sinful state) put Him on our road and He turned it into a highway.
CHALLENGE: Are you doing well with your Lent commitments? Remind yourself that these are just small acts of grateful devotion, we couldn't build the highway - Jesus did.
