A banquet speaker once said, "My job is to speak and yours is to listen. I hope we stop at the same time." In Old Testament days, the prophet’s job was to speak. Often, the listeners quit before the message ended. What do you suppose would happen if men like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Elijah returned to address modern society? We can’t meet them in person, but we can rejoice that God recorded and shared their words in His book.
It’s easy to see the parallels between Old Testament depravity and today’s events. We, like our Old Testament counterparts, tremble to think that God’s judgment remains upon us as He punishes sin. It’s good that God shared these prophecies with us, for they still show us our sinfulness and need for repentance. They warn us to fear, love, and trust God, as Martin Luther was apt to say as he explained the commandments.
The old prophets also had Good News. Isaiah shared the Gospel even before anyone knew there was a Gospel! The entire 40th chapter offered welcome relief to his prophecies of doom. For the ancient believers, it pointed toward a Savior who would re-create a right relationship with God. We modern believers know Isaiah’s prophecy came true on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ’s birth. But we also share the prophet’s words for our future.
Christ will come again. No one will mistake Him for a poor, helpless baby next time. He will come in glory, not humility. He will destroy everything evil, but God's people need not fear. He will come to take us home. Isaiah gives us something to hope for as he promises, "But those who wait on the Lord…shall mount up with wings like eagles" (Isa 40:31).
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