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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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