“A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?” “Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field. The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord. And so it is with people. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:6-8 NLT
Isaiah writes to the people of Israel about their future. There are many that believe that Isaiah’s prophetic promises of God had dual fulfillments. The words given were to bring both a stern, sober look at the current state of the nation, but also, a happy ending for those who turned back to God in obedience.
Just a few verses down the “voice” tells Isaiah to shout the news – “Your God is coming!” Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.” We only see this as a fulfillment of the coming Messiah, which would take place in another 700 years! God was also speaking through Isaiah about their very current hope and future. Here in Chapter 40, God gives Isaiah an eternal truth about humanity and how fragile we are in comparison to God’s own word. “People,” God says, “are like grass, and flowers.” Not in inherent value or worth, but in the passing facade of beauty.
In California, after an intense rainy season, our state explodes with a vast array of beautiful flowers that cover the fields and mountains around us. Even our own Death Valley desert has these rare “super bloom” moments that are stunning! These bursts of beauty become an instant tourist attraction, and are so popular they have caused traffic jambs for miles along the highways. Our own human beauty is seen as quickly passing like the fragile floral super blooms. If you have ever seen photos of our famous movie stars in their youth – you know exactly what this looks like. Youth and beauty go together, just has silver hair and wrinkled skin goes with wisdom. What we see in beauty of youth or silvered wisdom is not who we really are! Unlike flowers that fade, we are eternal beings, made in God’s image. Thus the soul of our existence is born but does not die. Death comes to our bodies, like it does to the physical fading of a flower 🌼.
Here’s the miracle – the Word of God is not just true and trustworthy, it is eternal – no death and no end. This makes God’s promises something that can be foretold in 700 BC and be faithfully fulfilled and delivered years later – and beyond. These promises were foretold to give hope. These promises were fulfilled to give definitive proof that God is real and quite capable to stand up against the scrutiny of disbelief. God loves the atheist and the agnostic, Jesus died for them. God’s promises are not fulfilled to bring guilt or shame, but hope. These promises, in God’s word have been openly available to all for thousands of years! Even while Church attendance is down significantly, Bible sales are up 22% over last year, about 80 million new Bibles are printed each year! Clearly, the Word of God stands forever.
Prayer
Dad,
As Ecclesiastes says, everything has its own time. I remember a time as a teenager when I was bored because time and life seemed to move so slowly. Now, on the other side of old, life moves at lightning speed! Flowers fade and our human life is but a puff of smoke. But your Word – wow – it is eternal. It is not only enduring it is powerfully effective to accomplish your will! I am so grateful for the Bible. Amen.