Based on a series of sermons preached in PCC Prayer Meetings in 2020
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
Isaiah 40:9
In this uplifting chapter of his prophecy, Isaiah seeks to comfort God’s people with the hope of the coming Messiah. So, Isaiah 40 is not only about God in general, but specifically about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ is he whose “reward is with him” (v. 10) “to give to every man according as his work shall be” (Rev 22:12). Christ is he who “shall feed his flock like a shepherd” (v. 11). He is “the good shepherd” who would give “his life for the sheep” (Jn 10:11).
We will address these verses in due time as we work through this chapter. For now, we must consider verse 9 (above) briefly.
Here are three things for our meditation. First, consider how the message of comfort must be shared. Secondly, let us be reminded how we must share it enthusiastically. Thirdly, let us see that the message of comfort is Christ!
1. Bring Good Tidings!
“O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain.”
God has instructed His prophets to comfort His people with the gospel of Christ. But notice how it is not only the prophet who should proclaim the good news or good tidings. It is Zion that is to bring the good news. It is Zion that is being called to go up to the high mountain, no doubt, so that she may shout the good news from the mountain top.
What does that mean? Well, it may be that the prophets are to represent Zion. But is it not more likely that God intends for Zion as a whole to be the bearer of good news?
Zion or Jerusalem, the people of God are not only to be a royal priesthood, but a kingdom of prophets declaring the good news to the world. We must—as the sons of God—shine as lights in this crooked and perverse generation where there is no hope, no peace and no comfort apart from Christ.
If we have enjoyed the blessing of the good news of salvation, then it will not be well for us to hold our peace. Like the lepers who discovered the retreat of the army of Ben Hadad during the siege of Samaria, we can only enjoy our discovery fully when we share the good news with others. Therefore, let us resolve not to keep the good news to ourselves! Let us, instead, be prepared to shout it from the mountain top.
Indeed, let us, as Isaiah reminds us, secondly, proclaim the good news boldly.
2. Boldly Proclaim!
“O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid”
Not only must we bring good tidings, we must do so boldly and confidently. “Lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid,” saysIsaiah. We must not be half-hearted or afraid of being perceived as overly enthusiastic. Or to put it in another way, we must not be ashamed of the gospel. This is the gospel of joy, peace, hope and comfort. We must certainly not speak of it as if it is unimportant and optional.
Indeed, experience teaches us that those who share the gospel exuberantly not only become instruments for bringing others to Christ, but also deepen their own appreciation of the goodness of the gospel.
How does that work? Well, think of it this way: when you learn something, you appreciate it. However, it is when you begin to teach what you have learned that you appreciate it most.
This is true for all matters of learning. It is the way that the Lord has made us. But it is especially true for spiritual truths.
Why? Because when we recall any spiritual truth and try to understand it so that we can teach it, we are not only forming new connections of the truth we are considering, but receiving the help of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual things “are spiritually discerned,” says the apostle Paul (1 Cor 2:14).
Therefore, the more we share the gospel and its interconnections with others, the more we will appreciate them spiritually.
But let us be clear. The gospel is not just a message. The gospel, in essence, is Christ!
This is precisely what Isaiah emphasises next.
3. Behold Christ!
“Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!” says the voice. What is it to behold? It is to see!
But how can human flesh see God? “No man hath seen God at any time,” says the Lord Jesus (Jn 1:18). How then can we see God? “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father,” answers the Lord Jesus (Jn 14:9).
All flesh (cf. Isa 40:5) can see God and His glory because the Son of God took on human flesh. In Him the fullness of the Godhead dwells.
And that is the good news! We may know God. We may see God. We may be assured of His love, His kindness, His compassion towards us because we see Christ, even Christ, the Son of Man, our elder brother, our compassionate Great High Priest, who was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin.
So let us, dear brother or sister in Christ, say to one another, “Behold your God!” Let us behold Him in everything we do. Let us behold Him in our prayers, in our singing, in our hearing of His word, in our fellowship with one another, in our conversation, in our walk, in our labours of love for one another, and in our witness. Let us behold God in Christ in everything in our lives.
May He be the banner of love and war over us; may He be lifted up like the brazen serpent for our healing; may He be the light of the world to us! It is in this way that we may find true comfort in the complicated world we live in.
Conclusion
Oh, may the Lord comfort us as we exhort one another to behold Christ!
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
Oh, may we truly behold and experience our God in Christ, that we find true comfort and assurance in Him in these uncertain days.
May we encourage one another by making Him known, not only by a few words here and there, but by all that we do day by day in our conversation, in our worship, in our conduct, in our demeanour! Oh, may we enjoy the peace and comfort that Christ brings us. Oh, may we have His grace to testify of the same comfort and peace to this world of pain and sorrow! May our loved ones and our adversaries behold Christ, find forgiveness in Him and glorify Him! Amen.
—JJ Lim