Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-20
COMFORT FOR GODS PEOPLE.
Isaiah, xl.1-11. 4
Golden text-"As one whom
his mother comforteth, so will {
comfort you.--Isaiah, lxvi.13.

Our lesson calls for us to consider
| one of the most eloquent passages OF
Gods Word. Probably no other portion
of the Sacred Scriptures has exerted
so profound an influence upon the world
leaders," Hills tells UP that Luther
| read 1t In the fortress of Salisbury, John
Brown read it in the prison at Harper's
| Ferry. Webster made 1t the model for
| his eloquence, Wordsworth, Carlyle and
score of others refer to its influence
upon their literary style, their thoughts
| and life" Handel welded some of the
glowing words of this lesson to the
STRAINS Of music of almost unearthly
beauty"
Comfort, the word that without any
introduction suddenly appears In the
writings of Isaiah, is the key word for
| our lesson and the great prophecy which
begins with this lesson and runs through
| to the end of the book 1t has as a
background the preceding 80 chapters
of prophesying with its key word war
| fare" marked by conflict, suffering and
special Affections. Isaiah had seen God.
That vision of Jehovah had changed his
career by its revelation of the Lords
personality, His holiness and justice.
The Divine Personality called for the
| inevitable punishment Of sin. Isaiah
recognized that God sent chastisement
in order to bring men into subsection to
His moral government and consequent
enjoyment of His favor.
It was a dark hour for the nation
when the prophet was ordered to speak
unto Judah the message of comfort.
They were faint-hearted and diScour-
| aged. Historians tell us that half a
| hundred years had passed since Nebu-
| chadnezzar had conquered Judea, cap
tured Jerusalem and laid 1t in ruins, de-
Stroyed its walls and Notifications,
devastated the country and deported the
inhabitants into Babylonia as slaves"
In the horrors of their exile their faith
| and hopes were almost blotted out
through the destruction of the temple
and its worship.
The synagogue, which was the germ
of modern democracy kept alive the
fire of religious faith in the peoples
hearts. They were, nevertheless. dis
couraged, respondent and despairing as
a nation when Jehovah sent the prophet
with message that aroused their hopes.
| It assured Judah that their faith, Ian
guage and liberties had not been COM
| pletely destroyed by their exile. In fact,
slavery had saved them. and God prom
| ised to supply them with His strength.
Comfort in the English language comes
| from two Latin words-"with" and
strength" When God seeks to comfort
! His people it means that the stress,
suffering and sorrow of the nation was
to be ended through the importation OF
Divine power. This has made Jellovah's
message of cheer to Judah a source Of
comfort for Gods people everywhere,
since the mysterious voices summoned
he 70 ho nf
the Lords care for His own to judah.
The Source Of Comfort.
We do not know who the mysterious
voices were that spoke to the prophet
These invisible messengers of Jehovah
gave the prophet threefold foundation
for his message from Gods Word. There
was cheer Tor them to learn that Her
welfare is accomplished, for it meant
that Judah's days of trial were ended.
It viii bring cheer to the nations of the
world when they know that their days
of warfare arc ended. There was COM
fort in the message Her iniquity Is par
doned." Sin was the cause OF her
troubles. The assurance that God, who
alone had power to forgive sin, had
pardoned her iniquity would fill them
with courage; confidence and comfort.
She hath received of the Lords hand
double for all her SINS" This teaches
us that the people had suffered SO ter
ribly in the exile from home. the slav-
cry, the mockerv that it seemed to
them as if the penalty had already been
paid twice over. When the God of all
comfort sent the message of comfort
to them that He had brought their hard
trials to an end the people would be
filled and overcome by the consolation
and comfort it brought to them.
All the four evengelists teach us that
there is a distinct prophetic reference
to John the Baptist, the forerunner Of
the Lord Jesus as 'the voice of one cry
ing in the wilderness, prepare We the
way of the Lord While this Is true
yet their first and historical meaning re-
ferS beyond question to the return of
the Jewish exiles from Babylon. They
had to experience repentance and refor-
nation before the Lord would appear
among them to guide them back to the
Promised Land, through the wilder
ness.
In the first call there was sum-
mons for the people to get ready for the
coming Of their God to guide them back
home personally. Preceding the visit
of royalty In the East, the highways
are repaired, so that there will be no
difficulty in their journey. A few years
preceding the opening Of the World
War, the Kaiser made visit to the
Holy Land to dedicate church. This
visit was made the basis for building
new roads in Palestine, which resulted
in Turkey having an excellent system
Of military roads in the Holy Land at
the opening of the war. The assur-
ance Of the presence and power Of Je-
hovah meant the completion of His
plans to I'LL the whole earth with His
glory. One can trace the providential
preparations for the final supremacy
of the gospel of grace and glory among
men in the worlds history. One can see
it in the Jewish theocracy, the disper-
sion of the Hebrews among all nations
and in the intellectual and moral
progress of the world preceding the adj
vent of Jesus Christ to dwell among
men. Modern civilization traces itself
from His birth in Bethlehem's manger
during the days Of the supremacy of
the Roman empire that depended upon
power to enforce its laws Up to the
present moment, when Christianity,
through the work of, the missionaries Of
all the various religious bodies, is seek
ing by the preaching Of the gospel to
unite the world into brotherhood of
nations and Of men.
Gods Glorious Triumphs.
In the record of missionary conquests
one reads the story of the triumphant