Isaiah 40:9 – Behold Your God
Zion is Jerusalem. It was where the Temple was, it was where the priests offered sacrifices, it was where God’s king ruled, it was where the prophets preached. All of these things were pictures of the coming Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. God would have us look beyond the Temple, beyond the priests, beyond Hezekiah the king. He would have us look to the New Testament Zion, which is the people of God, to its Temple, with the cornerstone that is the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Temple is gradually coming toward completion, as it is built with you and with me and with every believer who has lived and will live. God would have Jerusalem to cry out good news and glad tidings all around.
Not only are Zion and Jerusalem told to give good tidings, they are told what the content of those tidings are, and that is, ‘Behold your God.’ The Assyrians praised their own gods and said, ‘none can stand before us.’ God says, ‘But they were nothing to me. I destroyed 185,000 overnight. But don’t only look to that. Look to Me.’
The godly in the times of Isaiah, the godly in all the days leading up to the coming of Christ were waiting. Think of the joy when Christ came. Think of the joy for Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, Simeon, Anna, John the Baptist, and so many others. They beheld their God. Do you remember when the gospel first came to your heart with power? Perhaps you had been feeling more and more burdened by your sin. Perhaps you had been pushed to seek some way to be right with God. And perhaps even you had heard the gospel, but it had bounced off a hard heart. But now the Spirit came with power, and as the minister preached, or as perhaps you read some Christian book or the very Bible itself, suddenly where you had only heard words before, now, by God’s grace, you beheld your God. Do you remember the blessing of beholding your God? But far greater is coming. One day Jesus shall take us to Himself. And the joy that shall be in our hearts shall be, in a way, nothing compared to the Saviour’s joy. He willingly came to rescue you from your sin and a curse and death. He willingly underwent all those for you. We say to people all over the world, and right in our own neighbourhoods, and in our families, and among our friends, look to Jesus. Behold your God! Call upon Him to save you from your sin.
Questions
- Who is the Temple today?
- What brings great joy?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the salvation of family and friends.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.