The first word of Handel’s Messiah is “comfort”.

The quote comes from Isaiah 40:1 KJV:

“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God”

God both comforts his people himself. And commands us to comfort his people.

The context of this passage from the Prophet Isaiah is that the people of Israel have been conquered by the Babylonians. They are in exile.

Psalm 137 captures their anguish:

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept,

     when we remembered Zion.

There on the poplars

     we hung our harps,

for there our captors asked us for songs,

     Our tormentors demanded songs of joy;

they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

How can we sing the songs of the LORD

   while in a foreign land?

(Psalm 137 1-4)

To be comforted, we must return to the LORD’s Presence. At Mount Sinai, Moses tells us that the Presence of the LORD is: compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands of generations, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. The LORD limits the bad effects of our bad decisions as much as feasible. (Paraphrase of Exodus 34:6-7).

We are in “exile” when we are not compassionate and gracious; when we are quick to anger; when we do not abound in love and faithfulness; when we do not maintaining love to others; when we do not forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin; and when we do not limit the bad effects of people’s bad decisions as much as feasible.

How do we return from such an “exile”? We confess our wickedness, rebellion and sin, accepting the forgiveness of the LORD who limits the bad effects of our bad decisions as much as feasible.

Then, in the words of the Prophet Isaiah, we will make straight the paths and level the hills along the Way back to the Presence of the LORD—the Way of Jesus who embodies the Presence of the LORD.

And then, in the words of the Prophet Isaiah, we will again be able to sing the songs of the LORD.

Many of these songs are found in the psalms of the Bible. For example, when we are in the Presence of the LORD, we can sing joyfully:

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.

     His love endures forever.

(Psalm 136:1)

Sing praises to God, sing praises. (Psalm 47:6)

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Are you comforted by the Presence of the LORD? How? Why?

When are you in the Presence of the LORD? How? Why?

Do you give thanks to the LORD? How? Why?

Do you sing praises to God? How? Why?

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For related ideas, please read my blogs “Jesus Embodies Hesed: The Vision of Isaiah”; “Jesus Embodies Hesed: Fulfilling the Law of Moses and the Prophets”; “Jesus Embodies Hesed: Sowing the Ideals of the Law of Moses and the Prophets”; and “Jesus Embodies Hesed: Saving Lost Sheep, Lost Coins, and Lost Sons”.