The German composer, Handel, opened his famous concert, Messiah, with this song from Scripture. The Prophet Isaiah wrote in chapter 40 a message to “Comfort My people, Israel” to let them know their appointed time has come to deliver them and remove the yoke of those who serve themselves of them.
“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare/appointed time is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she has received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
Isaiah 40:1-5
“O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain; O, that brings good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”
Isaiah 40:9-11
Jesus quoted Isaiah to comfort
Jesus quoted Isaiah many times. For instance, ”There was delivered to Jesus the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised; To preach the acceptable year of the Lord…”
Then he closed the book, and he gave it back to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the congregation were fastened on him. And he began to say to them,
‘This day this scripture is fulfilled in your ears.’”
Gospel of Luke 4:17-21
To comfort all that mourn
This is the quote from Isaiah 61. It goes on to say:
“…To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called Trees of Righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.”
Isaiah 61:1-3
The voice that comforts
When John the Baptist started his ministry:
“He came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all people shall see the salvation of God.”
Gospel of Luke 3:3-6
The Spirit of Elijah
A messenger told Zacharias of his son that was to be born:
“…you shall call his name John. You shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord … he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit… And he shall turn many of the children of Israel to the LORD their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the heart of the Father to the children, and the disobedient to the Wisdom of the just/righteous; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Gospel of Luke 1:13-17
Another Comforter to come
Jesus spoke of ‘another Comforter’ the Father would send in his Name:
“He that has my commandments, and keeps them, it is he that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Judas said to him, not Iscariot, ‘Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?’
Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If a man loves me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him. He that does not love me does not keep my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
These things I have spoken to you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Truth), whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you.”
Jesus – Gospel of John 14:21-26
Elijah shall come
The Prophet Malachi, in the last book of the Old Testament said of the Day of the Lord,
“For, behold, the day comes, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yes, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that comes shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch…
Remember the Law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the Father to the children, and the heart of the children to their Father, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”
Malachi 4:1-6
A Deliverer sent to Comfort
Before he was stoned to death, Stephen recounted what God had said to Moses:
“…I have seen, I have seen the affliction of My people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you into Egypt.”
This Moses whom they refused, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer… He brought them out, after that he had shown wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
This is that Moses which said to the children of Israel, ’ A prophet shall the LORD your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.’
This is he, that was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel which spoke to him in the mount Sinai and with our fathers: who received the living Word to give unto us: To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into [the ways of] Egypt… Which of the prophets haven’t your fathers persecuted?” …And then they stoned Stephen”
Stephen – The Acts of the Apostles 7:34-39
Promised Prophet
“And the Lord said to me … I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto you, and will put My words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in My Name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die… you shall not reverence him.”
Deuteronomy 18:17-20
“Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; don’t you believe it. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very Elect. Behold, I have told you before.
Jesus – Gospel of Matthew 24:23-27
Wherefore if they shall say to you, ‘Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of Adam be.’”
“For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say to you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days…”
Peter – The Acts of the Apostles 3:22-25
The time has come to listen to the Word of God and seek His face if you wish to be “delivered from evil.” It is life to those who will receive it.
“For he whom God has sent speaks the Words of God.”
John the Baptist – Gospel of John 3:34