“Wisdom cries outside; she utters her voice in the streets. She cries in the chief place of concourse.” Proverbs 1:20,21
Dear Ones:
There were times in Israel’s history where she was commanded by God to shout. Such was the day that the walls of Jericho fell when Israel did so. Why the “shout?” It is a powerful declaration, and means of declaring, the desire and will of the soul. Scripture tells us that, with regard to the Lord Jesus: “…In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and CRIED, saying, ‘If any man thirst, let him come to Me, and drink.'” (Jn. 7:37) Why do we see him do this in this way? Why the cry? It is the expression of the intensity of His heart and soul. The power and volume of His cry is meant to arrest the attention of those who hear His voice. The purpose of the “cry” is to communicate a message from God which is of utmost importance. It must be listened to. It must be adhered to, as it is coming from the living God, and is imperative for the true, eternal blessing of man.
In the book of Isaiah, chapter 40, we read where God is seeking to comfort Jerusalem. At one point in His message of comfort, He says: “CRY unto her that her warfare is accomplished.” (v.1) God knows that if Jerusalem is to benefit from His “good words” of comfort, hope, and healing, then she must come go grips with the fact that there has come an end to God’s judgement of her previous rebellious actions. She MUST believe that a new era has begun, a new day has dawned, NOT in the context of judgement, but of blessing. He will later declare to her: “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and NEW THINGS do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Is. 42:9) Why the “cry?” If Israel is to benefit from God’s “new mercies,” she must come to grips with the imperative issues at hand. This is the intent of the “cry.”
In the same chapter, in reference to John the Baptist, who would come bringing “glad tidings,” Isaiah writes: “The voice of him that CRIES in the wilderness, ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'” (v.3) What is the ultimate purpose of speaking in this manner, to the people of old, and to us today? Isaiah continues to write: “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” (v.5) The intensity of the cry of the heart of God through His messengers, brings us face to face with what He desires to do, and that is primarily, to REVEAL Himself to the world IN Christ, by the Spirit. It is also a declaration of what the individual believer can SEE. God gives us the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation” in the knowledge of Christ, and strength to believe Him to dwell in the heart by faith. The cry of His heart is not only to “behold the Lamb of God,” but for us to KNOW the God of glory.
Dear Father, open our eyes to see the intensity of Your heart in the words of Thy Son, who stood in the thoroughfare and cried to those who passed by, calling them to come to Him. Give us grace to see and to grasp Your purpose in the revelation of Him, not only to save us from sin and death, but to usher us into a LIFE by the
Spirit, an eternal LIFE, that of Christ. We thank Thee for such great and powerful proclamation of love, and Your call to us to KNOW it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad