“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people ...”
NP
1901
Previously unpublished.
“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. 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: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 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. The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the godliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever. O Zion, that bringeth good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 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. ... Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; 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 40:1-11, 28-31.] 16LtMs, Ms 45, 1901, par. 1
“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judgment unto the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench; he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law. ... I the Lord have called thee in righteousness and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” [Isaiah 42:1-4, 6, 7.] 16LtMs, Ms 45, 1901, par. 2
“Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go out by flight; for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward. Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men; so shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.” [Isaiah 52:9-15.] 16LtMs, Ms 45, 1901, par. 3
Let all who believe read and study these eloquent words. What is the great object of divine compassion?—the uplifting of fallen humanity. For this purpose messengers from the throne of God are sent to this earth. In second Kings we read how holy angels came on a mission to guard the Lord’s chosen servants. The prophet Elisha was in Dothan, and thither the King of Syria sent horses and chariots and a great host to take him. “And when the servant of the man of God was risen early and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not; for they that are with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about.” [2 Kings 6:15-17.] 16LtMs, Ms 45, 1901, par. 4
Angels of God came down in mighty power, not to consume, not to despise, not to rule or exact homage, but to minister to those who should be heirs of salvation. They came in mighty power to encamp round about the Lord’s weak and helpless ones. 16LtMs, Ms 45, 1901, par. 5
Some look with contempt upon those whom the Lord honors. They regard them with indifference because they have not had the advantages of education they themselves have enjoyed. But though not highly educated, these children of God are consecrated to His service and work for Him with self-denial, and in His sight they are much farther advanced than many who have had greater opportunities and have been entrusted with a greater number of talents. Let us rejoice that the Lord does not measure the workers in His vineyard by their learning or the educational advantages they have had. The tree is judged by the fruit it bears. The Lord will co-operate with those who co-operate with Him, even though, judged by the world’s standard, they may not be educated. 16LtMs, Ms 45, 1901, par. 6
Whoever works unselfishly for the Lord, planting the seed of truth in waste places, will garner an abundant harvest. They will see first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. 16LtMs, Ms 45, 1901, par. 7
There are many souls to be brought to a saving knowledge of the truth. The prodigal is far from his father’s house, perishing with hunger. He is to be the object of our compassion. Do you ask, How does God regard those who are perishing in their sins? I point you to Calvary! “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins,” “and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” [1 John 4:10; 2:2.] 16LtMs, Ms 45, 1901, par. 8
We have been chosen as laborers together with God. Then shall we not give the gospel plan our entire sympathy and co-operation? Shall we not, by self-denial, do all we can to advance God’s enterprise of mercy? Shall we not refrain from spending our money for needless or expensive things? For our sakes Christ “became poor that we through his poverty might be made rich.” [2 Corinthians 8:9.] Can we behold the divine condescension, the suffering endured by the Son of God, without being filled with a desire to sacrifice something for Him? Is it not a high honor to be allowed to co-operate with Him? The Lord is our Shepherd. He left His heavenly home to seek for us. Shall we not become His under-shepherds, to seek for the lost, straying sheep? Shall we not reveal in our lives His divine tenderness and compassion? 16LtMs, Ms 45, 1901, par. 9