The Path to God

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The Path to God
Isaiah 40:1-5
Isaiah had been there for years as a voice to the royal house of Judah. The message switches in chapter 40 to one of hope in times of trouble. As with Hosea before him, his message to the people is salvation by grace. The debt they had was too great, so God was going to pay the price.
The command to the prophet was to "comfort" the people of God. This didn't mean to make them feel comfortable. But he was to stand alongside then and support them.
Instead of despair, there was hope. For sure, hard times were coming--from inside the kingdom and from the outside--but God was in control.  The road ahead was going to be long and obstacles remained, but the path to God was on schedule.
It is important to note that the people of God cannot remove the barriers that keep them from the LORD. That path to God is cleared from His side. About 600 years later a latter day prophet named John would point the way to Jesus, the Way.
The long expected Messiah--of whom Isaiah had previously prophesied--would be leveled of all his majesty. The mountains of sin would crush the life out of the giver of life, but His Resurrection would destroy every trace of the former "Badlands" providing the clear pathway to the New Jerusalem.

As we enter the Christmas season, let us not lose sight of the Cross. Jesus came to die, and then live, that his people may walk in the presence of the Father.

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