Isaiah 40, 41: Comfort in the Wilderness: Chapter 2: Preparing for Deliverance

After speaking words of comfort to the heart of Jerusalem, Isaiah 40:3, 4 (NASB) says,

³ A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. ⁴ Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley.”

The implication is that Jerusalem will return from its Babylonian captivity along the desert route and that the “voice” is commanding the people to make the road smooth so that the people may return quickly and without obstruction. By this interpretation the valleys represent the people’s depression and discouragement, while the mountains and hills are their pride. These are to be corrected by hope from the prophetic word and by the humility of repentance from pride.

Secondly, this is a prophecy of the coming of the Messiah, which requires preparation ahead of time. The Messiah’s coming must be preceded by repentance, and this is how John the Baptist saw his calling as the voice in the wilderness. His message was primarily that the people should repent, developing a new way of thinking that aligned with the mind of God.

John the Baptist

The voice is heard in the wilderness, not in Judah proper. Hence, John the Baptist did not preach in the temple in Jerusalem but issued his call from afar. Though John was of a priestly family, his temple was in the wilderness. So we read in Matt. 3:3,

³ For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!’”

Again, in Luke 3:3-6 reads,

³ And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight, ⁵ every ravine will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low; the crooked will become straight, and the rough roads smooth; ⁶ and all flesh will see the salvation of God’.”

Mark 1:2-4 combines Mal. 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3, 4, saying,

² As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: [Malachi 3:1] “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way; ³ [Isaiah 40:3] the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight’.” ⁴ John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

So John “appeared in the wilderness” and baptized at the Jordan in the same place where the Israelites had first crossed under Joshua. Hence, even as Moses had prepared the hearts of the people so that Joshua could bring them into the Promised Land, so also was John preparing the hearts of the people so that Jesus (Yeshua) could bring them into the Promised Land.

In that sense, John was like a second Moses. Moses’ ministry ended shortly after the commissioning of Joshua, and likewise, John’s ministry ended shortly after he commissioned Jesus (by baptism).

Mark also cites Mal. 3:1, which interprets Isaiah 40:3, for it identifies the “voice” as “My messenger” charged with preparing the hearts of the people through repentance.

In John 1:23, John the Baptist identified himself to the Pharisees as the “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” His baptism was the manner in which every mountain of pride was made low and every depression was leveled. Many of the common people did indeed repent, “but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John” (Luke 7:30). Their prideful rejection of John’s baptism ensured that their hearts would not be prepared to receive the Messiah.

It is clear that John the Baptist did not devote his energy to highway construction. Isaiah’s words, then, should be understood as metaphoric language having a more spiritual meaning. In one sense, the way was being prepared for the exiles to return to the Promised Land; and in another sense, the way was being prepared for the Messiah Himself.

In both cases, repentance was the way to prepare for “the return,” pictured as leveling the wilderness highway.

Elijah and Elisha

In Matt. 11:13, 14 Jesus said,

¹³ “For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.”

Even before John was born, his father knew that he would come “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). John himself denied being Elijah himself (John 1:21). Nonetheless, he had an Elijah calling in that he was to prepare the way for Christ in His first appearance.

But Elijah himself did not complete his calling, for after he fled from the wrath of Jezebel, God told him to anoint Elisha. Elisha received the double portion necessary to complete the calling, and so while Elijah performed eight miracles, Elisha performed sixteen.

So we understand that before the second coming of Christ, the way must again be prepared, this time by a body of people coming in the spirit and power of Elisha. This, I believe, will be accomplished by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and this is the main topic of the last half of Isaiah’s book.

Hence, there is a difference between the two comings of the Messiah. The ministry of John the Baptist was done by the power of the Holy Spirit through him, but the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost after Christ’s first mission was completed. The second appearance of Christ will be similar in that the Holy Spirit will be poured out again, but this time on Tabernacles to prepare the hearts of the people for the second coming of Christ.

At the present time, we are called to function in the spirit and power of Elisha to prepare the way for Christ’s second coming. Of necessity, that must be done by the power of the Holy Spirit, as with Elijah, but we must receive a double portion of the Spirit to complete that work. This implies a greater work of the Holy Spirit than what was seen in John’s ministry. But the precise nature of that manifestation remains to be seen.