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Words of Hope

Isaiah 40.1-11

Good News Translation (GNT)

  1  "Comfort my people," says our God.
    "Comfort them!
  2  Encourage the people of Jerusalem.
    Tell them they have suffered long enough
    and their sins are now forgiven (a)
    I have punished them in full for all their sins."
  3  A voice cries out, "Prepare in the wilderness
    a road for the Lord! Clear the way in the
    desert for our God!
  4  Fill every valley; level every mountain.
    The hills will become a plain, and the rough
    coutry will be made smooth.
  5  Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it.The Lord himself
    has promised this."
  6  A voice cries out, "Proclaim a message!"
    "What message shall I proclaim?" I ask.
    "Proclaim that all human beings are like
    grass; they last no longer than wild flowers.
  7  Grass withers and flowers fade when the Lord
    sends the wind blowing over them. People
    are no more enduring than grass.
  8  Yes, grass withers and flowers fade, but the
    word of our God endures forever."
  9  Jerusalem, go up on a high mountain and
    proclaim the good news! Call out with a loud
    voice, Zion; announce the good news! (b)
    Speak out and do not be afraid. Tell the
    towns of Judah that their God is coming!
10  The Sovereign Lord is coming to rule with
    power, bringing with him the people he has
    rescued. (c)
11  He will take care of his flock like a shepherd;
    he will gather the lambs together and carry
    them in his arms; he will gently lead their
    mothers.

  Footnotes
  Isaiah 40:2 and their sins are now forgiven;
  or
  they have paid for what they did.

  Isaiah 40:9 Jerusalem, go up...news!;
  or
  Go up on a high mountain and proclaim
  the good news to Jerusalem!
  Call out with a ;loud voice and announce
  the good news to Zion!

  Isaiah 40:10 the people he has rescued;
  or
  the rewards he has for his people.

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Taken from 'word-on-the-web' supplied by the
Scripture Union

Words of Hope

The weekly problem for the minister of God's Word is 'What shall I preach this Sunday?'

Longing for a voice from heaven to give them the message, they might envy the experience of Isaiah.

The message the preacher is commanded to proclaim is twofold.

Life is frail and transitory! Even the rich and powerful are like the grass or the flower of the field.

In Israel, neither lasted long because of the strength of the Mediterranean sun.

In such a world we need something we can build our lives upon.

The powerful antidote to the uncertainty of life is the eternal Word of God.

If we have confidence in God's Word, we will be able to proclaim the same truths as were declared by the prophet.

There is comfort for God's people, for the gospel brings the forgiveness of sin and the end of enmity with God.

The coming of Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of verse 3. He is the revelation of the glory of the Lord, the one that all people will see.

Nothing can stand in the way of the coming of Jesus, neither earthly powers nor the sin of our lives.

What parts of my life need levelling out?

When we have confidence in God's eternal Word, we will have the same confidence in God himself.

We are to encourage each other and say to the world around us, 'Behold your God!'. That is not just a quick glance. He is to captivate us.

When we do so we see that he has the strength of the mightiest ruler and also the gentleness of the tenderest shepherd.

When the promised Christ came, we saw those truths embodied in him.

Other versions are available here

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