OUR FATHER WHO IS AWESOME IN POWER
From Psalm 47 and 48;
How beautiful is Mount Zion
The joy of the whole world
City of the Great King
For the Lord Most High is awesome
He reigns in power over all nations
Sing praises to God, sing praises
To Him let us joyfully sing
The Lord is greatly exalted
Amid resounding trumpets, He ascended
For God is the King over all the earth
All the rulers assemble before Him.
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OUR FATHER WHO COMFORTS HIS PEOPLE
Isaiah chapter 39 40 verse 9 1 says this;
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
This verse records the words of the Lord comforting His people.
After the days of the hardship of judgement are over, the Lord speaks tenderly to His people as verse 2 says;
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
The Lord tells His prophet to speak gently to Jerusalem and it is with this tone that the prophecy of the one who was to come as a voice in the wilderness to make straight the way of the Lord is pronounced in verse 3;
A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our Lord.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER ANNOUNCES HIS VISITATION
Isaiah chapter 40 verses 3 - 5 says this;
A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
This passage contains the prophecy written by the prophet Isaiah about the coming of a messenger who would announce the arrival of God among His people.
This herald was the revealed to be John the Baptist by John himself as revealed in the Book of John (the apostle) chapter 1 verse 22 - 24 which says;
Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”
John the Baptist did indeed proclaim the arrival of the Lord and called all people to repentance and baptism in water and when the Lord Jesus presented Himself to John for baptism, John declared to the people that Jesus was the One, the lamb of God who came to take away the sins as John chapter 1 verse 29 says;
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
The prophecy of Isaiah describes the time of the arrival of the Lord as one of great upheaval as conditions were set up to make straight the way of the Lord.
The prophecy then points further forward to a time when the glory of God will be revealed and all people will see it at once which is echoed in the book of Revelation chapter 1 verse 7 which says;
“Look, he is coming with the clouds, and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.
John the Baptist, knowing this about the One whom he was heralding, said to the people inquiring about him in John chapter 1 verse 26 - 27;
“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES FALSE PROPHETS AS A WARNING TO THOSE WHO FOLLOW THEM
Ezekiel chapter 14 verse 11 says this;
Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
This verse is a declaration by the Lord concerning the people of Israel who had been worshiping idols and then inquiring of false prophets.
The Lord warned the false prophets who had prophesied falsely to the people of Israel that He would judge them and they would destroyed from among the people.
It is when the people see this judgement that they would be chastened and no longer stray from the Lord and they would turn from their sinful ways and they would submit to the Lordship of God.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO RESISTS FALSE PROPHETS
Ezekiel chapter 13 verses 8 - 9 says this;
“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, declares the Sovereign Lord.
My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.
This passage declares the opposition of the Lord to the false prophets of Israel. At the time, the false prophets were uttering prophecies of peace independent of God.
Because they had embarked on the deception of the people, the Lord turned against them.
They were disqualified from membership in the council of the people of Israel and were barred from entering the promised land.
Prophets uttering prophecies must be careful to ensure that they are actually hearing God before they make declarations in His name.
Amen.
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OUR FATHER WHO CLARIFIES THROUGH HIS PROPHETS
Ezekiel chapter 12 verse 10 says this;
“Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This prophecy concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the Israelites who are there.’
The prophet Ezekiel had been commanded by the Lord to enact a scene that represented the coming judgement on Jerusalem that would send them all into exile.
Before all the people of the city, he was to pack his belongings, dig through the city wall and then at dusk, he was to crawl through the wall and leave the city carrying his pack on his shoulder.
Ezekiel carried out these instructions in the sight of all the people of the city.
Our passage in Ezekiel chapter 12 joins the narrative after the people did not inquire into what Ezekiel was doing. They did not think that the actions of the prophet concerned them.
In our verse, the Lord directs the prophet Ezekiel to plainly explain to the leaders and the people in Jerusalem that the enactment was referring to the judgement that was going to afflict them because of their violent deeds.
And further to that, the judgement was not going to tarry but would come upon them shortly.
Amen.
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