Isaiah 40--"The Voice of Him that Crieth in the Wilderness"

Isaiah 40 is a transition marker in the Book of Isaiah. The message shifts from Israel's fallen state to a Messianic message of hope in Jesus and His Atonement.

And we all know whose voice cries in the wilderness, right? If you said it was John the Baptist, you are right. It is quoted in the New Testament:

"For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, (Isaiah) saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" (Matthew 3:3).

But could there be other "voices?"

A Divine Council

Often the leitwort (theme word) voice is emphasized in Hebrew to mean the voice of the divine council. The word voice appears in verses 3 and 6 of Isaiah 40. 

"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness . . ."

"The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry?"

The King James Version suffers a translation failure here. Many Bible translations have the latter part read, "And I said, What shall I cry?" Clearly there is a dialog involving members of the divine council. In fact the first verses address the divine council.

"Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

"Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins (vv. 1-2).

The word ye addresses the divine council in the second person.

Members of the Council

So who are the members of this divine council? John the Baptist would have to be included. And Isaiah is re-commissioned to carry the Messianic message, after receiving his first assignment in Chapter 6.

Isaiah is often dual prophecy, or multiple prophecies, and this is no exception.

John the Baptist was the forerunner preceding the coming of the Savior. His role was to make straight a highway for our God. To "make straight" would be the equivalent of removing obstacles in the highway. It's like straightening a room by tidying up a bit. Definitely John the Baptist fits this role.

Joseph Smith

Just as there is a Second Coming, there is also a second "Elias" to prepare the way of the Lord. Joseph Smith, as the prophet of the Restoration, is another voice crying in the wilderness. The Lord states in modern revelation:

"And verily, verily, I say unto you, that this church have I established and called forth out of the wilderness" (D&C 33:5; see also 86:3).

It is the voice of Joseph (and the Lord) calling the Church out of the wilderness in preparation for the Second Coming. Joseph sits (or rather stands) in the council.

Orson Hyde

The "ye" in the first two verses particularly addresses Orson Hyde. On Sunday October 24, 1841 Orson Hyde offered a dedicatory prayer on the Mount of Olives, asking the Lord to remove the "barrenness and sterility of this land," and he dedicated the land for the return of the Jews. Indeed, he spoke "comfortably (intimately in Hebrew) to Jerusalem.

However, what is less known is that Elder Hyde received his commission as a member of the divine council in an open vision over a year previous to his visit to Jerusalem. He saw Jerusalem and other European cities he would be visiting. He quotes verse 2 as part of the divine message.

I have included an excerpt from his writings found in History of the Church, Volume 4, page 375:


My labors since that period have been bestowed upon the Gentiles in various countries, and on both sides of the Atlantic, until in the early part of March, 1840, I retired to my bed one night as usual; and while meditating and contemplating the field of my future labors, the vision of the Lord, like clouds of light, burst into my view (see Joel 2:28). The cities of London, Amsterdam, Constantinople and Jerusalem, all appeared in succession before me, and the Spirit said unto me, "Here are many of the children of Abraham whom I will gather to the land that I gave to their fathers; and here also is the field of your labors. Take, therefore, proper credentials from my people, your brethren, and also from the Governor of your state, with the seal of authority thereon, and go ye forth to the cities which have been shown you, and declare these words unto Judah, and say, "blow ye the trumpet in the land; cry, gather together, and say, assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defensed cities. Set up the standard towards Zion—retire, stay not, for I will bring evil from the north and a great destruction. The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way—he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate, and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished—that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord's hand doubly for all her sins. Let your warning voice be heard among the Gentiles as you pass; and call yet upon them in my name for aid and for assistance. With you it mattereth not whether it be little or much; but to me it belongeth to show favor unto them who show favor unto you." The vision continued open about six hours, that I did not close my eyes in sleep. In this time many things were shown unto me which I have never written; neither shall I write them until they are fulfilled in Jerusalem.


Witnesses for the Divine Council

The Second Coming will be quite different from that humble birth scene in a manger in Bethlehem. Isaiah records, "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it" (verse 5). While the advent of our Savior was witnessed by a few shepherds, and perhaps a few others, the Second Coming will be the biggest media event ever. "All flesh shall see it together," on the Internet, tablets, iPhones, television, and whatever else has been invented by then. The entire population of the earth will become witnesses for the Savior.

"His Reward Is with Him"

Isaiah promises, "Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him" (Isaiah 40:10). At the dedication of the Kirtland Temple the Prophet pleaded with the Lord, "That when the trump shall sound for the dead, we shall be caught up in the cloud to meet thee, that we may ever be with the Lord" (D&C 109:75). Those who are caught up in the cloud to meet Him will be rewarded indeed.

In the final verse there is another great promise. 

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31).

This is one of my favorite scriptures. One day, while writing a book, I felt a prompting to research eagles' wings on the Internet. There were hundreds of sites, but I felt impressed to click on a particular one.

I learned that eagles suffer a midlife crisis and their feathers and talons become brittle, making flight very difficult. The eagle sits on a cliff, and in some accounts, other eagles drop down food. The eagle begins to pluck out the hardened feathers and strikes his beak against the rocks until it breaks.

He waits in his weakened state as the transformation slowly begins. Then tiny baby feathers begin to grow and his beak becomes sharp. The claws grow out to become more powerful than ever. After the transformation the eagle can fly higher and longer than ever before, as he ascends to new heights.

What beautiful Isaiah imagery this is. I have inserted a similar link. I don't believe this is the original link I found, but it serves as another witness of the masterful writing of Isaiah. Here is the link I found today:

http://www.drcm.org/monthly-reflections-archive/488-qthey-shall-mount-up-with-wings-like-eaglesqisaiah-4031


Not Merely a Waiting Game

Within the last few months I learned another special gem connected with this verse. To "wait upon the Lord" is not a mere passage of time. The original Hebrew word for wait is qavah, and it means to twist or bind together like a rope. This becomes significant in the next chapter of Isaiah when the Lord says, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." You may recognize these words as the basis for the hymn, "How Firm a Foundation." 

Then the Lord says, "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee" (see Isaiah 41:10,13).

The Lord can bind us to Him like a rope if we will abide in His covenants. Modern revelation states, "And thus ye shall become instructed in the law of my church, and be sanctified by that which ye have received, and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me" (D&C 43:9).

Here is the link for the Hebrew word qavah:

http://www.blbclassic.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H6960&t=KJV



I am grateful for the inspired writings of Isaiah, and the renewed strength that comes from the Lord's covenants and His Atonement.