Tuesday: The Birth of Evangelism
Isaiah 40:9-11
What kind of event is described in Isaiah 40:9-11?
Later in Isaiah there appears a male herald of good news for Jerusalem (Isa: 41:27, Isa: 52:7). But in Isaiah 40:9 the herald to proclaim “Here is your God!” (NRSV) from a mountain is feminine, a fact brought out in the Hebrew.
Image © Kim Justinen at Goodsalt.com
In Psalm 68, David praises God because He “gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity” (Ps: 68:6, NRSV). Though here these words apply to the Exodus from Egyptian bondage, Isaiah uses the same ideas with reference to proclamation of a second “Exodus”: the return from Babylonian captivity.
Meanwhile, the New Testament applies Isaiah 40:3-5 to John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Christ, the eternal Word who became the Lord’s presence in flesh among His people (John 1:14).
Even earlier than John, others spoke about the good news of His coming. Among the first of these were the elderly Simeon and Anna, who met baby Jesus when He was dedicated at the temple (Luke 2:25-38). Like Isaiah’s heralds, they were male and female. Simeon was looking forward to the consolation/comfort of Israel in the form of the Messiah ( Luke 2.25-26).
In light of Isaiah’s prophecy, it does not appear coincidental that Anna, a prophetess, was the very first to publicly announce at the temple mountain to the people of Jerusalem that the Lord had come: “At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38, NRSV). This was the birth of Christian evangelism as we know it: proclamation of the gospel, the good news, that Jesus Christ has come to bring salvation. Later, Christ entrusted to another woman, Mary Magdalene, the first tidings of His triumphant resurrection ( John 20.17-18), the act which ensured that His gospel mission to planet Earth was accomplished. Flesh is like grass, but the divine Word who became flesh is eternal (see Isa: 40:6-8)!
| Look at Isaiah 40:11. What kind of imagery is presented here? Write out for yourself a paragraph on how you, personally, have experienced shepherding by the Lord. Why is it good to recount in your mind the way the Lord has led you? |
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Isaiah 40 has so many ideas in it that we are a bit inclined to skip over some of them. I don't want to let this passage go unnoticed:
Most of Australia is classified as arid or semi-arid. That means for much of the time the land is dry and most of the plant life is dead. Then the rain comes and for a few brief days the billabongs are full and the creeks flow. And within days the whole desert will turn green. for a couple of months, life returns to the desert. It is not unusual to see irruptions in the bird populations. Clouds of chattering budgerigars colour the sky. Then almost as quickly as it came, life disappears. The grass turns to seed and withers, the flowers dry out, and the birds disperse. Life is ephemeral.
This passage in Isaiah was written in the time of the Euphrates empires, and reading their histories one notes that most of them did not last all that long. Even Babylon the Great lasted for only about 4 generations. Not only are our own lives short, the empires that we build and defend are also short-lived and end up as archaeological curiosities.
The significance of this passage in Isaiah is the contrast between our transience and the Word of God. We may come and go, but God lasts forever.
Against this background, the call to evangelism in today's lesson makes a lot of sense. After being told to get up into the mountain to bring good tidings, we are given the message:
The message is one of compassionate care and love. I am redirected to 1 Cor 13
The things that we think are important are no longer important when we understand the love of God. Salvation is not just the vindication of right doctrine, not just eternal life in the hereafter. It is about the abiding principle of selfless compassionate love and understanding in the present. There is nothing transient about that. It lasts forever.
Behold your God! (Is. 40:9) Try saying it 3 ways: Behold your God. Behold your God. Behold your God.
Behold
Look at Him! Look at His face (2 Cor. 4:6). The compassionate Jesus speaking tenderly to the woman thrown at His feet. The steely-eyed Jesus, face set like a flint, determined to rescue us no matter the cost (Is. 50:6-7). Behold Jesus, 1st mission on earth completed, hands raised in blessing, not eager to race away from the exhaustion and pain, but his whole self overflowing with love and longing and reaching out to His followers (Luke 24:50-51).
Peter and Judas both betrayed Jesus. Peter looked at Jesus' face after he sinned and Judas did not. Look at the difference that made in their lives. It is Jesus' face that convicts us, that brings us to repentance, that lets us see what sin is and assures us we can escape it. When on the cross Jesus said to John about his mother Mary, "Behold thy mother", Jesus wanted John to accept sonship responsibility for His earthly mother. With "beholding" God comes the responsibility to fulfill the duties of His sons and daughters.
Your
Yaweh is everyone's God, whether they claim Him or not. Jehovah, by whatever language, is the atheist's God and the agnostic's God and so on, listing followers of every religion and belief system down through time and those with no belief system. I don't need to bring anyone to Jesus, because He is already there with them. He made us and therefore He owns us. We are made in His image whether we want to acknowledge that or not. Just as a child can disown seeing or receiving her parents and yet can't ever disown that they ARE her parents, we can shut God out but He will always be our God and heavenly Parent. Our witness can help another see the spiritual "family" resemblance and their worth to the family.
God
Who is this God? There are 100s of names for God in the Bible and most of these describe His character. We could have weekly Bible studies just about His names and character traits and that would take us years. How would that change us? We're told it's by beholding our God that we receive His mind (Phil 2:5).
How beautiful that our lesson today highlights women who behold God. Acts 1:14 specifically mentions that women and Mary, Jesus' mother, participated in the Church's first prayer meetings. Mary, who had been filled by the Spirit before, asking for a fresh infilling of His Presence. It's by taking the veils off our faces and exposing everything to His grace, studying His face in the Word and praying, that we are transformed (2 Cor. 3:18). Like a bride with her veil lifted and ready to live married life together, let us, His Bride, meet together to continue in prayer and supplication to see our Savior. When we "behold our God" we are joined with His Spirit and prepared to introduce Him to others.
Feed, gather, carry, gently lead are the key descriptive words in Isaiah 40:11. What is it that’s needed that Jesus isn’t providing?
I don’t know of anything He cannot or will not do to help me in my struggles in this life, not even one. I often don’t understand but that doesn’t mean He isn’t providing exactly what I need.
I think that if the news about this pandemic can spread worldwide so can the Good News of salvation.
Revelation 14 tells us the message will be preached to everyone via a message in the sky - maybe satellites? It tells that the good news will be spread in the context of bad news. Just like the good news and hope of vaccines because of the pandemic.
I believe that reading 2Thess 2:3-12 and Rev 13:14-17 there will be a worldwide crisis and everyone will have to choose whether to wear a mask and be vaccinated or not. In other words choose who controls our lives and tells us what we can or can't do!
Shirley- you relate the spreading of the pandemic as the spreading of the gospel. That sounds so nice and excellent, but the problem that will occur is; in the pandemic many have lived and many died, even those who were unaccounted for. Many died leaving everything they ever owned.
When the gospel message continues to spread as it is supposed to be, many faithful Christians will lose what they ever had and owned, many will die in this spiritual/physical battle for truth. Are we preparing to both be a super spreader of the gospel and to die? Are we teaching others about this time that is soon to break on us? Many will tell us they don't want to die. In my daily conversation with people, many don't want to die. We have to decide which side are we standing on.
Evangelism is about living, teaching, preaching, and dying for the truth. Nothing short of that.
As in everything, God can always lead us if we allow Him to. Because He loved us first, it is just a matter of faith! He guides us according to what is best for us! Although we might feel that troubles bring us discomfort, they move us, to where God knows is better for us!
It’s exciting to realize that we have the privilege to be the beautiful feet that bring the good news to the world today of a Savior Who came, lived and died for the human race to be saved.
We are the voices that cry out He is the Creator of all things, His laws are just and He’s coming again for those who accept His gift of life and salvation.
It is interesting how the lesson author emphasized the gender of the heralds and the fact that a female was the first to announce AT THE TEMPLE the coming of the Messiah.
If sin first came through a woman then the announcement that there is a solution to sin should also first come through a woman.
..Lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Isa 40:9.
The Birth of Evangelism
What was the reason Jesus came to this earth and what did he do?
Humans had sunken into gross darkness, sin was inside and outside of the temple. Many of the spiritual leaders were corrupted and did everything the heathen, ungodly and unchurched people were doing. But we are told in every era there are the remnant. Yes, the remnant who still went/go to the temple/church despite the leaders were/are doing wrong. One such was Simeon and Anna. Luke 2:25-39.
In our era, what are we called to do now that this world is sunken into spiritual darkness?
I met this woman recently who had this chain of beads. Every time she makes the sign of the cross, she kisses this chain of beads and mutters some words. Then one time she told me that she has a prayer book. I told her she doesn't need those, she should pray directly to Jesus. She can speak to Jesus just like how we are speaking to each other and encouraged her to pray about everything to Jesus.
The darkness had also crept into the SDA church, we call it creeping compromise. Some embraced tradition and custom over the word of God and called it love for everyone. Every holiday men are together, we are embracing and following them. Some have not put away wrong behaviors and actions, still eating everything. On social media, how many people know about the SDA church, and what do? Are we afraid of saying some things in love from the word because we will be shut down or ostracized? What about in our homes and with our close families. Do we show love to them but still point out sins? If we are supposed to call men out of darkness into this marvelous light, we have to know the light for ourselves. Men have lost sight of a Holy God.
'It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth.' {COL 415.3}
It is interesting that the margin notes from the KJV, offers another reading of Isa.40:9KJV – O, thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up they voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
Spiritual Zion and Jerusalem could be the stand-in for those who bring the ‘Good News’ as is John the Baptist and all who go out to proclaim that the Spirit of the Lord will be revealed; then, this revealing was to be in the future, but for us it has been revealed – Isa.40:12-14KJV.
I do not see evidence that suggests that this proclamation refers to a second ‘Exodus’, the Exodus from Babylon. I think that this prophecy in its spiritual context refers to the liberation from all oppression and bondage by the forces which control the unredeemed man and his actions.
It must have been an indescribable delight for Simeon and Anna to meet the Lord’s Christ and see the promise fulfilled. Anna “gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem (or Israel)”- Luke2:38.KJV. The people of Israel were waiting to hear the ‘Good News’ that the Savior had arrived.
The Good News is not the physical appearance of God’s Son, the Savior Christ Jesus, but it is the life-giving Word of the Spirit of Truth and Light contained in Him and His message which has arrived with and as Him. Faith is all it takes to accept it.
Everyone who speaks the Father’s Words is spreading the Power of The (His) Word – John1:1-14KJV.
And I've always thought that Gen 3:15 was the birth of evangelism.