A sound worth hearing
The Voice in the Wilderness
Long before John the Baptist stood at the Jordan, Isaiah heard a voice crying in the wilderness, telling a captive people to prepare the way of the LORD. It is the sound of hope breaking into desolation. God is coming, so make ready.
“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.”Isaiah 40:3
The sound in Scripture
The sound in Scripture. Into the weariness of exile Isaiah announces comfort, and then a herald's cry: "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 glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" (Isaiah 40:3-5). Centuries later the Gospels take up this very word to describe John the Baptist: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" (Mark 1:3). John came clothed in camel's hair, preaching repentance, pointing away from himself: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). The voice in the wilderness is not the King Himself; it is the herald who runs ahead, clearing the road, telling the people to get ready, because the One they have waited for is about to appear.
What it means
What it means. God prepares hearts before He comes to them. The wilderness voice calls for valleys to be filled and mountains brought low, a picture of repentance that levels our pride and lifts up the lowly so the King has a clear road into the heart. Preparation is the work: turning from sin, making straight the crooked places, removing the obstacles that would keep us from receiving Him. The voice also teaches humility to every messenger. John knew he was only a voice, and his glory was to point beyond himself to the Lord. That is the calling of every witness still. We are not the light; we bear witness of the light. The wilderness setting matters too, for God delights to bring hope into barren places. Where things look most desolate, His herald may be crying loudest, "Prepare, He is coming."
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. The road being cleared leads straight to Jesus. John pointed and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The glory that Isaiah said all flesh would see is the glory of the Word made flesh: "we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father" (John 1:14). Christ is the LORD whose way was prepared, and He is still the One whose voice calls sinners out of the wilderness of their guilt. His sheep hear that voice and follow (John 10:27), and even the dead will hear it and live (John 5:25). Every herald, from Isaiah to John to us, exists to make His paths straight. The preparation is not an end in itself; it is all so that the King may come and be received.
Questions people ask
Was the voice in the wilderness John the Baptist or someone else?
Isaiah first spoke the words as a herald's cry to an exiled people, and the Gospels apply them to John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus. Both point beyond themselves to the coming of the LORD.
What does it mean to "prepare the way" today?
It means repentance, turning from sin and clearing the obstacles of pride and unbelief so that Christ is welcomed rather than resisted. Like John, we also prepare the way for others by pointing them to Jesus, not to ourselves.