Isaiah 40:1-5 reads "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."
Isaiah is a powerful book; chapters 1-35 are prophetic, with the theme of condemnation. Chapters 36-39 are historic, with the theme being confiscation. Remember, Isaiah's ministry prophesied of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. Finally, chapters 40-66 are Messianic, with the theme being consolation. At the time of Isaiah, Israel was in a low point, spiritually. There was idolatry running rampant, and the Lord was angry with His chosen people. Understand, all human life is warfare. But, the Lord offered redemption, through the mouth of Isaiah, which was vindicated in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. But it is interesting that the Lord set a precedence, in that one was called to prepare the way for the coming of our Lord. Verse 3 of chapter 40 in Isaiah proclaims the ministry of one John the Baptist, who was that voice in the wilderness. We read his words from Luke 3: 2-4 "And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. As it is written in the book of the prophet Esaias; and these are the words, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight." How interesting that the words Isaiah spoke of John, are the words that John speaks to us! The coming of John was no accident or coincidence. John's arrival was the arrival of the one who would persuade the people to the way of the Lord. But what is his meaning of "make His paths straight", and who is this message for?
There was a practice among the eastern Monarchs who, when entering into a journey through a desert country, sent men ahead as harbingers, to prepare all things for their passage; open passes, level ways, and remove impediments to the journey. The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus gives an account of one Semiramis (824-811 BC), who was the Queen of Assyria. On her march to conquer Persia, the Queen came to the Zarcean mountains, known today as the Zagros. They run from western Iran, through northern Iraq, and into Turkey. This mountain range presented her majesty with craggy precipices, and deep hollows which could not be passed. Instead of making a long trek around the mountain, the Queen commanded her troops to make her path straight; to shorten her travel. So her men set out to ease her passage, and leave an everlasting memorial of their ruler. So, they precipices were dug down, and the hollows filled up, at great expense, both in money and in man power. This road was known as the "Road of Semiramis".
By the time John came into being, the Jews were a desert country, filled with high and low people, and different depths of belief and action. It was destitute of all religious cultivation, and was lifted up in pride. Of this people, Jesus himself said "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased of him; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted of him." Obviously, the type and shadow here are evident. The practice of making His paths straight is a spiritual preparation. Certainly, no one can make themselves taller or shorter, but it is the inner man to which the Lord speaks.
So, if we see the meaning of making His paths straight, what is the meaning behind this verse? To understand these words deeper, we must look to the clue found in the word "paths". This word is plural. So do I make the assumption that Jesus should to be reigned in, or that He walks in crooked paths? Never! Scripture tells us that God does not walk in crooked paths. As for us, John 14:6 tells us there is only ONE path to the Father, and that is through Jesus. Wait; if we have only one path to the Father, can Jesus have many paths to us? Absolutely! We are not talking about e-mail, telephone calls, or texting, so what are these paths? Might I suggest a more human aspect: Isaiah was A path that the Lord used to reach His creation. John the Baptist was A path that the Lord used to reach his creation. And YOU are a path that the Lord desires to use to reach his creation! The people of Israel were supposed to be this avenue, and they will fulfill God's purpose. As those who have been grafted in to the house of Israel, this calling extends to us. It is our duty to prepare ourselves, make His paths straight, in order that the Lord might use us to reach His creation. To do this we must purge out the dross; we need to make our high places low in humility, and we need to fill our low places with the life of Christ, so that God has an obstacle free path to His children. When we do this, we become the "Road of Jesus" unto the salvation of others, and to the glory of God.
Yes, this world is a dark place. But it is our calling by creation to be a light in these last days, to PREPARE the way. Jesus tells us, in Matthew 5, to be a candle light to this world. This world needs to be attracted to the light of Christ! We have been placed in this time, this part of history for a purpose such as this. What purpose does a candle light have at noon day? None! Candles were created for the purpose of being a beacon IN darkness. I pray that the Spirit might convict you of your responsibility to reach out to those in need of light. We can be this people. We need to be the testimony, to this world that, not only is God real and alive, but he's still in the business of providing miracles in the lives of His people. This is our calling; to His honor and glory be the offering of our lives. God bless.
