Our Prophetic Duty

Our Prophetic Duty

Isaiah 40:1-11

            We tend to think of prophets as old men with long grey beards and absolutely no sense of humor—right?  On the other hand, when was the last time you actually saw a prophet?  But if you did see one, that’s probably what you’d expect.

            The clearest picture we have of a biblical prophet is of John the Baptist.  Matthew tells us he wore some sort of garment made of camel’s hair and a leather belt.  We can be pretty sure it wasn’t like the camel’s hair sport coats or topcoats we find today in elegant men’s wear stores; and the belt was probably closer to a leather thong than something you’d buy in one of those places.  Matthew says he ate locusts and wild honey—certainly not the kind of diet we’d go for.  We can imagine the rest of his appearance wasn’t any less wild, living as he did in rough conditions by the riverside.

            Perhaps this picture of John the Baptist has colored our image of all other prophets, but I rather doubt it.  I would guess the ancient Hebrew prophets didn’t care much about how they looked.  They had been given a message to deliver, and that message came straight from God.  Their only concern was to make sure they obeyed God’s commands.  I suspect they didn’t take much time to make sure their wardrobe was up to date, or their hair was neatly cut and coiffed.  I may be wrong, but I don’t think so.

            If this description of a prophet’s appearance is accurate, then Isaiah was no exception.  Let’s assume that when he appeared in public he attracted attention.  People looked at him with awe (if not reverence), and were inclined to listen to him if only because of the shock value.  Did his appearance have any effect on how his message was received?

 One thing we know for sure about Isaiah:  he was an excellent poet.  So much of his writing is in verse form.  It’s one of the reasons I love to read him.  Today’s passage is no exception.  We’re not hearing Isaiah’s voice here, but God’s, and God is speaking not to Isaiah but to members of the heavenly council.  These other-worldly beings have been called together by YHWH, the Lord of hosts and the Holy One of Israel.  He gives them instructions.

            “Comfort my people.  Speak kindly to them.  Tell them conditions are going to be better from now on.  Their iniquity is pardoned, and their sins forgiven.”

            One of the members of the council cries out: “Prepare the way of the Lord.  Smooth out the path.  Repair the road.  Don’t leave any rough spots.  Straighten it so the King’s passage—and the way of God’s people—will be easy.”

            Another voice tells Zion to shout out the good news.  God is returning to Jerusalem.  YHWH will once again dwell in the Holy City.  The voice says, “Behold your God.”  God comes with the strength of a warrior and the gentleness of a shepherd.  This combination of strength and compassion may be confusing to those who don’t know God, but to those who follow Christ it’s perfectly understandable.

            I believe Isaiah’s message was meant to describe more than the Israelites’ return from exile.  I believe it was delivered for the ages, and that includes us.  We are expected to prepare the way for those who need to return to God.  God expects us to make the way easy for them, not to throw obstacles in their path.  God expects us to say, “Behold your God.”  We are to prepare the way, then show the way through the words we speak and the way we live. 

            And here’s the best part:  we don’t have to dress outlandishly or eat weird things.  All we have to do is be ourselves—redeemed followers of Christ.  God’s prophets.