December 12
All People Will See the Glory of the Lord
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 40:4-5
In Isaiah chapter 40, one can’t help but notice the stark contrast between the “glory” of man and the glory of the Lord. Against the backdrop of eternity (or even the sweeping scope of history), against the backdrop of the nature and power of God, man is nothing nor his glorious achievements lasting. Indeed, just after these words, Isaiah soberly reminds us: “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them.” (40:6-7)
The world labors under the curse of sin. At the time of the fall, God “subjected the creation to frustration,” St. Paul tells us in Romans 8. We look around and see that frustration on people’s faces and in their lives. Without God, life is a meaningless existence with little to no point, and the gnawing uncertainty of what happens after death both angers and terrifies the human mind.
Even God’s people feel this burden. We strive and work our entire life only to watch accomplishments, recognition, wealth all melt away. “We finish our years with a groan,” Moses said, as sin causes us to crumble back into the dust from which we were taken, along with any so-called glory we had here on earth.
But Isaiah rightly turns our eyes away from ourselves and the vapidness of life to the works of God, which bring true peace and joy. Above all, it is the person and gospel of Jesus Christ that sets our hearts at rest in God’s presence. Winning our salvation, forgiving our sins, bringing us to faith, keeping us in faith, and spreading the light of his grace throughout the world—this is the true glory of God. Isaiah foretold it, and we now witness it: our glorious Savior has come, and his glorious works endure forever. Throughout the world, people—and, by God’s grace, you and I—have seen this glory of the Lord revealed in his Son. And our salvation in him is firm and secure, for his own mouth has spoken it.
Lord Jesus, lead us by your grace and Spirit to rejoice in your glory and to spread its saving light throughout the world. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Keith Wessel serves Martin Luther College as a professor of Latin and Greek.
