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Humble Hero
Isaiah’s Portrayals Studied
John studied Isaiah’s grand portrayals of the Messiah’s glory day
[40]
and night. See
Isaiah 11:4
;
32:2
;
62:4
. The glorious vision filled the
heart of the lonely exile. He looked on the King in His beauty, and
self was forgotten. He saw the majesty of holiness and felt himself to
be inefficient and unworthy. He was ready to go forward as Heaven’s
messenger, unshaken by anything human, because he had looked
upon the Divine. He could stand fearless in the presence of earthly
monarchs, because he had bowed low before the King of kings.
John did not fully understand the nature of the Messiah’s king-
dom, but his hope centered on the coming of a King in righteousness
and the establishment of Israel as a holy nation.
He saw his people self-satisfied and asleep in their sins. The
message God had given him was to startle them from their dullness
and apathy. Before the seed of the gospel could take root, the soil of
the heart must be broken up. Before they would seek healing from
Jesus, they must be awakened to their danger from the wounds of
sin.
God does not send messengers to lull the unsanctified into fatal
security. He lays heavy burdens on the conscience of the wrongdoer
and pierces the soul with arrows of conviction. Ministering angels
present the fearful judgments of God to deepen the sense of need.
Then the hand that has humbled in the dust lifts up the repentant
one.
On the Edge of Revolution
When the ministry of John began, the nation was moving toward
revolution. Archelaus had been removed as king, and Judea had
been brought directly under the control of Rome. The tyranny and
extortion of the Roman governors and their efforts to introduce hea-
then symbols and customs kindled revolt, which had been quenched
in the blood of thousands of Israel’s bravest.
Amid the discord and strife, a voice spoke up in the wilderness,
startling and stern yet full of hope: “Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand!” With a new, strange power, it moved the people.
Here was an announcement that the coming of Christ was right