By Adam Winn, Ph. D.
Chair and Professor, Department of Biblical and Religious Studies at Samford University
LOOKING FORWARD TO HOPE
Isaiah 40:1–5, 9–11
We can have a sure hope of comfort and forgiveness. (1–2)
Isaiah 40:1–11 has tremendous significance for Christian hope as we approach the celebration of Christmas. Correctly understanding this hope takes us back long before the first Christmas to the time of Israel’s exile in Babylon.
God speaks a message of comfort and hope to the people, namely that their time of punishment in exile has come to an end. In the following verses, this hope is described in further detail.
On one level, there is a specific hope of Israel returning to the promised land, yet on another level there is an even greater hope — one that we remember and celebrate as we approach Christmas.
We can have a sure hope that we will see the glory of God. (3–5)
These verses describe the God of Israel paving the way for His people to return to the promised land. God will go before them and prepare a wilderness highway to their home.
In raising every valley and lowering every mountain, God promises to remove all obstacles for their return and He will be glorified.
Israel’s return to the land is only the beginning of the future blessings that God has promised both Israel and the rest of the world through Israel. For the next 500-plus years, Israel will live under foreign occupation that is often oppressive.
The Jews who live in these times will see in this text of Isaiah a greater meaning and hope — a hope of a future glorious age in which God will be fully present with His people.
In this time, all the valleys and hills (troubles and difficulties) of the broken creation will be made level in a new creation.
It is from just such an understanding that the earliest Christians connected this text to the resurrected Messiah.
The voice calling in the wilderness is understood as the voice of John as he prepares the way for Jesus.
The earliest Christians understood that the God of Israel is fully present in the person of Jesus.
They also understood that in many ways, Jesus has begun filling the valleys and lowering the hills of our world through the forgiveness of our sins and the sanctifying work of God’s indwelling Spirit.
Yet they also understand that Jesus will fully complete this work when He comes again to bring a new heaven and a new earth!
We can have a sure hope of good news and care. (9–11)
Here the text continues to describe the future rule and restoring work of the God of Israel. The Christian knows that this text is pointing to Jesus. Of Him, the prophet says, “Here is your God!”
The text perhaps describes to some extent the earthly work of Jesus at His first coming (gathering and feeding His flock), but it more fully describes the work of Jesus at the Second Coming when He will rule over His righteous and renewed creation and gather all of His people to Himself, bringing both gifts and justice.
This text from Isaiah reminds us that as we approach the Christmas season we must look both backward and forward — backward 2,000 years to the presence of God in Jesus and the forgiveness and restoration He brings and forward to the time when He will return and establish a new heaven and a new earth. In these things we should have tremendous hope!
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