Good Tidings

Isaiah 40:1–11

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.

The writer knows a people who have experienced defeat and destruction. In that situation, it is easy to question what kind of God we have and what that God has in mind for us. It is to these people that Isaiah directs his message. God’s people experience comfort, firm in the knowledge that their Lord is coming. The ephemeral quality of our existence contrasts sharply with the Word that stands forever. Isaiah assures us that God has not forgotten or forsaken God’s people. The one who comes indeed comes with might and comes in a way that changes the very landscape, does not come to destroy us but rather to comfort us, feed us, and gather us to Godself. God’s coming is not to be feared but to be welcomed. Truly, these are good tidings for all people!

Prayer: We thank you that you have not forsaken us but rather come to comfort us. Help us to tell the good tidings of your coming. Amen.