“Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”” Isaiah 40:9 ESV
Reflection: what is the best news you could receive today?
News is a curious thing. Most would probably say that they prefer to hear more “good news”. But when you stop and think about it, it is strangely the “bad news” that sells. If you tune into any news channel, open any newspaper, the top news stories are not about people being healthy and happy, having jobs and what they need, and so on. For instance, we don’t hear reports about 94% employment rate; no, we hear about 6% UNemployment rate. Strange, right? The focus is about the negative side of any story. And, when you have watched or listened to the news, ask yourself whether you ever feel more positive, joyful and energized, or more negative, anxious, even depressed from hearing the “bad news” happening around the world? Yet, many tune in to this bad, or “negative news”. Why is that?
The tempter, the devil, whispers to us, trying to temp us in our flesh to go against the will of God. Tempt us to sin. And he reminds us, whispers about our sins of the past, of our guilt and shame. We all know so very well that, in ourselves, we fall short of the glory of God, that we exist in this fallen world. We try, but then we fail. And, the burden we may carry with us, that the devil seems to enjoy reminding us of, can get heavier and heavier. Our entire demeanor can even show on a person that they are carrying this heavy burden. And, if we think about what all this negative news we hear, in a way they become “tools of darkness”, as they sell what is negative, what is dark. They sell all what is wrong with the world, the sin, the corruption, the evilness of man without God. We resonate with the negative news in our flesh, because we know that in ourselves we too have faults, sin and shame.
But this is not the full picture. It is a half-truth, a deception by the enemy.
We read today from Isaiah chapter 40, something very different. We read of “good news”, of what the Lord Himself has declared and done. The chapter starts out with “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” Isaiah 40:1-2 ESV. Did you see that? He talks about the end to the hostility with God, a pardon and payment for all sin. We know of course how this was fulfilled, how God Himself stepped into this world, to do this, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. He Himself paid for all our sins, becoming an atonement for us. He Himself paid for all our sins, becoming an atonement for us, so that we could be righteous before God. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV. This is, of course,
The best news of all! Our sins are forgiven.
This is the news that the devil hates to be shared and known. The Lord God tells all His people, His messengers therefore to “Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” Isaiah 40:9-11 ESV
You might remember the story when Jesus took a few of His disciples up to a high mountain. They got a glimpse of His majesty and His glory. It was revealed to them, although the experience was short. But Jesus was still there, walking with them back down into the world, into the valley again. And he told them to proclaim the good news, as Isaiah saw would happen, “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” Matthew 28:18-20 ESV. He promised to be with them, as He promises to be with us. All we have to do is to “lift it up, fear not;” but to proclaim it and make disciples.
Let’s use our voices, to lift people in desperate need of good news. Would you share the best news that someone might need to hear today, of Jesus, our Savior?
