Chapter # 1 Paragraph # 4 Study # 11
February 5, 2023
Broadlands, Louisiana
(Download Audio)
Thesis: Witness-John's use of the conditions of the terrain of the wilderness to summon his audience to the building of a straight highway for the establishment of a relationship with God is powerful in that it tells us what such a relationship requires.
Introduction: In our study last week, I tried to make a case for the use of the physical creation as a basis for understanding what I call "The Relational Creation". I rooted our attention in Isaiah's prophecies of a physical creation reality of a highway that will be built from Assyria to Egypt through Israel (
Isaiah 19:23-25) so that we could understand Witness-John's use of that physical reality to address "The Relational Reality" in
Isaiah 40:3 and its context. In Witness-John's "elevation" of the physical into the relational, we have a tried and true use of the physical as a basis for understanding the relational. This is most pronounced by Jesus' use of "parables" to set forth certain truths of the coming Kingdom of God.
However, there is a widespread and erroneous practice throughout current visible Christianity that was introduced early in the history of The Faith that argues that we should not take the prophecies of future physical realities "literally", but, rather, we should take them "spiritually". This is not what I am advocating by arguing for a "physical"/"relational" method of interpretation of the Scriptures. The difference between the false "spiritual" understanding and my "relational" understanding is this: those who take the "spiritual" interpretation approach deny the physical element and dismiss it; whereas my "relational" interpretation approach does not deny the physical element, but simply uses the obvious physical reality to illustrate the more nebulous relational reality. An example is this: those who interpret "spiritually" say the Church is "Spiritual Israel" and the promises made to Israel regarding physical things are not to be taken at face value. The result of this is the blatant denial of a coming Messianic Kingdom that will last a thousand years; that there will be no "Rapture", no "Tribulation", no "Earthly Messianic Kingdom", and no "thousand years" of a Kingdom on earth of righteousness, Peace, and Joy". And, if these interpreters are consistent, there will also be no physical highway from Assyria through Israel to Egypt.
The outcome of last week's study was to be this: we are to understand that John refused to preach anywhere but in the wilderness, because there is a very real subliminal, relational, impact made by the actual, physical environment which has an impact upon the hearers of the words spoken in that environment. Thus, when Witness-John compelled the "wilderness environment" for the setting of his message, he fully intended for the people to sense the likeness between the wilderness and the corruption of their hearts and minds. That's why he, while they were in the wilderness to hear his words, called them "a brood of vipers". He was using the physical presence of vipers in the environment to argue that the condition of their hearts and minds were just as "poisonous" as if they were the vipers of the wilderness.
This reality of the physical illustrating the relational is the foundation of our study this morning.
- I. Witness-John's Explanation Of The Methodology Of The Relational Highway.
- A. His quote of Isaiah 40:3 as a "just as Isaiah said" fact means that we are to take Isaiah's words as the basis for our understanding of his message.
- 1. This means we have to understand what Witness-John's message actually was and was not.
- a. It was not a summons to build Isaiah's "highway from Assyria, through Israel, to Egypt".
- b. At this point, Author-John assumes his readers' awareness of Witness-John's message.
- c. In Mark's Gospel we have a succinct declaration of John's message: Mark 1:2-5.
- 1) Mark's record of John's message is highly condensed: repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
- 2) The key word here is "repentance".
- 2. Thus, this means that we are to seek to understand what "repentance" actually is.
- 3. Therefore, we have to take Isaiah's words of "physical reality" as the illustration of just what the relational issue of "repentance" actually is.
- B. The confusion here is massive in our culture.
- 1. On one extreme we have those who say that "repentance" means making a commitment to never do a certain action again.
- 2. On the other extreme we have those who say that "forgiveness" does not require repentance.
- 3. And somewhere in the middle of this muddle are those who say that the Gospel of Salvation by Grace through Faith is completely divorced from any necessity of repentance.
- 4. Thus, the outcome has been that "repentance" is grossly misunderstood.
- C. Therefore, we seriously need Isaiah's words to show us the way.
- 1. The chief question is this: what does it mean to "repent" so that God will "forgive"?
- 2. The answer is in Isaiah's analogies of "building a highway through the wilderness".
- a. The first analogy: "Let every valley be lifted up".
- 1) 40:4a -- "Let every valley be lifted up".
- a) Isaiah's use of "valley" begins in 22:1-5 where the Lord breaks down the walls and creates a "crying to the mountain" (seeking a "god" who will help).
- b) He associates the "valleys" with "the drunkards of Ephraim" (28:1-4) whose lives are so pathetic that they have no hope at all, staggering in their own vomit (19:14) and "falling to never rise again" (24:10).
- 2) The significance of this analogy is this: the despair of the drunkard must be addressed by the identification of the "God" Who will give hope in the face of "no hope": despair must be replaced by a "hope founded in a real God".
- b. The second analogy: "Let every mountain be made low".
- 1) 40:4b -- Let every "mountain be made low".
- a) Isaiah 2:11-17 uses "high" things as arrogant usurpers of "The Mountain of the Lord".
- b) The litany of the "high" things includes "lofty mountains" and "hills that are lifted up".
- 2) The significance of this analogy is this: the self-confidence of the arrogant has to be brought low.
- c. The third analogy: "Let the rough ground become a plain".
- 1) 40:4c -- "Let the rough ground become a plain".
- a) In this verse, it is the "hilly" ground that is to be smoothed out.
- b) This is the same basic idea of the mountain being brought low, but deals with lesser issues that arise out of the greater issue of proud independence from God.
- 2) This verse acknowledges a plethora of downline issues from the main "mountain".
- d. The fourth analogy: "Let the rugged terrain [become] a broad valley".
- 1) 40:4d -- Let "the rugged terrain [become] a valley".
- a) Isaiah does not elaborate with other uses of "rugged terrain", but the idea is a continuation of "the rough ground" of the previous "valley" issue.
- b) Just as "hilly" is related to "mountain", "rugged" is related to "valley".
- 2) The point is that just as the pride of the mountain produces all kinds of issues downline, so also does the despair of the valley produce all kinds of downline issues.
- D. The Conclusion of the Matter.
- 1. "Repentance" has to do with two things.
- a. The proper identification of the "God" Who gives hope where there is none.
- b. The proper attitude of humility before this God so that "Grace" will be extended.
- 2. Thus, "Repent" means "consider the 'God' to whom you are going to turn" and humble your heart before Him in admission of your great need".
