Mark 1:1-8 and Isaiah 40:6-8- When The Spirit Withers And The Word Endures

We have been transitioning from the Book of Judges into the Gospel of Mark. Throughout the Book of Judges we saw the importance of true repentance. In Judges 19-21 we were confronted with the fact that repentance was not always done right. We saw this in two ways. First, we try to deal with sin and its effects by running from it and we ignore it. (19) Secondly, we saw that someone can look and sound very religious in their repentance but God sees the heart and He may not accept it. As we considered these things we may have wondered…

• Have I truly repented from my sin?

• How can I be sure that I have repented?

• Do I need help to do this? And if so, Who will help me?

It is because of these concerns that we are looking to Mark 1:1-8 and Isaiah 40 for comfort regarding these things. As we begin to read these texts we see that repentance is central to receiving ‘Gospel Comfort’. After introducing us to Jesus in v.1 Mark immediately quotes from Isaiah 40 and so we have been considering that passage to answer some of these questions.

Two weeks ago we looked at Isaiah 40:1-2 which says, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.”

A shocking aspect of this message of comfort was that in Isaiah 39 God had just told His people that they were going to become exiles. A message of comfort was the last thing you would expect to hear. And yet, where else are we to turn for comfort in a hopeless situation that has occurred because of our own sin!? Throughout the scriptures this unexpected offer of comfort is often used by the Holy Spirit for two reasons.

• It makes rebellious people aware of their guilt even if they do not respond.

• It draws God’s people to Himself where they find shelter and comfort in Him.

In Isaiah 39 when Hezekiah heard these words of judgment he immediately found comfort in knowing that this judgment would not happen in his day. In that moment he did what we are all tend to do, he sought comfort in something other than God. One of the reasons the Holy Spirit has given us this surprising message of comfort is to dramatically show us that God alone can give lasting comfort in hopeless situations and difficult circumstances. Therefore, we ought always draw near to Him.

To help His people accept this comfort, and to set it apart from all other comforts, the LORD gives three facts to support this word of comfort: the warfare is over, iniquities have been pardoned, and God’s people have received from the LORD’s hand double for all their sins. This is the believers comfort in both life and in death.

Last week in Isaiah 40:3-5 we read these words, “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

This was the first of three voices that speak in the first half of Isaiah 40. We had the three facts given in verse 2 and now these voices will also help to support the message of comfort. (1) This first voice emphasizes two things.

• First, this comfort is given to people by and in Jesus Christ alone. You cannot have this comfort apart from Christ. And you cannot continue to enjoy this comfort if you do not abide in Him.

• Second, only those who repent and believe upon Christ enjoy this comfort. Only those who continue to repent and live by faith in Christ can enjoy this comfort throughout their life.

This morning we have come to Isaiah 40:6-8 where we hear the second voice that speaks to us concerning this message of comfort. (1) We read, “A voice says, ‘Cry!’ (Emphatic) And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ (imperfect: continuous, incomplete, open-ended) All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

Illustration: On July 4^th I was outside by my shed and there was a loud boom. I jumped because the noise was unexpected and very loud. I kind of get the feeling that this is what Isaiah experienced when this voice says, “Cry!” This is in the imperative form of the verb so it is a voice that speaks with the force of a command and with a cry of passion. Contrast this voice and the words of verses 1-2 which was a voice of comfort that spoke comfortably, gently, and to the heart. (1-2)

I get the sense that Isaiah understood the importance of this message that he is to speak because he asks, “What shall I cry?” This is an imperfect tense verb which means that Isaiah knows this is a message that he is to speak continuously. This command to ‘cry’ to the people this message is to begin and continue. It is an open-ended message and not a one time mission. Application: The gospel call begins at salvation but its message continues to be important to respond to throughout our sanctification.

What is the message that Isaiah is to speak to the people, “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Similar to the first voice, this second voice has two parts: The Spirit has a withering work and a planting work.

This message is what I would have expected to find immediately after Isaiah 39:5-8. Isaiah 39:5-8 and Isaiah 40:6-8 seem to flow together well, “Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord of hosts: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, ‘The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.’ For he thought, ‘There will be peace and security in my days.’

...A voice says, ‘Cry!’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

When you read those verses two texts together you see that the message of judgment (39:5-8) seems to fit with the text today (40:6-8). If the message of our text today were connected to the message of Isaiah 39:5-8 then the message will be proven to be true when all flesh will be like the grass and the flowers in the field which quickly withers and fades as the Babylonians invade the land. At that time the Word of God would be proved true and enduring.

Doesn’t Isaiah 39:5-8 flow nicely at the beginning of Isaiah 40? If this text were connected to Isaiah 39:5-8 we would understand the intensity of the command to “Cry!” continuously so that God’s people would repent. And yet, by now we know that this text is not connected to Isaiah 39 but to the message of comfort that was spoken in Isaiah 40:1-2. When we first read Isaiah 40:1-2 we expected to read about judgment but we were surprised by a message of comfort. And since that initial message we have been given three facts in verse 2 and three voices that speak to support this message of comfort. The imperative verb ‘Cry’ (6) and the call to continually speak this message is connected to that word of comfort.

Most often you hear the words in our text spoken of in the context of our mortality and the shortness of life. Our life is a vapor and a mist. But is this the message of these verses?

Notice what verse 7 says, “The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely people are like grass.” We might ask, ‘Why does the Holy Spirit wither people?’ And ‘Does He do this to everyone or only some?’

When we ask, ‘Why does the Holy Spirit wither people?’, we might automatically think back to the words of judgment and say that this happens when God’s people sin and don’t repent they can be removed from the nourishing root and begin to wither away. This could be, but we have already noted that the context of this voice is supposed to be a voice of comfort.

We also asked, ‘What type of people is the Holy Spirit withering?’ We might suppose that God is doing this to sinners; however, in verse 6 the people that God withers are described as having a form of beauty. The word that is translated as ‘beauty’ is the word ‘hesed’ and this word is often translated as lovingkindness, goodness, and goodliness. Why is the Holy Spirit withering these types of people?

Let me suggest that our text is giving us a look at the work of the Holy Spirit in the effectual call of sinners and His continuing work in them from that point on. The Gospel is preached to a person and beneath the surface the Holy Spirit is working upon their heart withering all of their self-righteousness, pride, their objections, their moral inability to come to Christ.

Then the Holy Spirit begins to plant the Word of God in its place so that it bears the appropriate fruit of salvation. One of the most convincing facts for this interpretation is seen in how Peter quotes this verse/ This is how the apostle Peter uses our text in 1 Peter 1:22-24 when he writes, “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brother love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for ‘all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the LORD remains forever.’ And the word is the good news that was preached to you.”

Peter uses Isaiah 40:6-8 to talk about what happens when a person is born again and how it continues in their sanctification. When these things happen the Holy Spirit withers what needs to be withered and then plants the imperishable word of God in the heart which will produce the appropriate fruit.

Isn’t it a comfort to see what the Holy Spirit is doing when we are saved and then sanctified?! The immediate context surrounding these verses displays the confidence we can have in this work of the Holy Spirit. Look at verse 4 and notice how the Holy Spirit inspired the words in verses 3-5, “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill (shall be) be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places (shall be) a plane.” Judges showed us how difficult (if not impossible) repentance is for us. But because of the work of the Holy Spirit this will be done in God’s people! He Who begins this work will bring it to completion. (Philippians 1:6)

If we would have written these words we would have said something like, “Every valley must be lifted up, and every mountain and hill must be made low; the uneven ground must become level, and the rough places must be made into a plane.” If it were our responsibility we could not be so confident that this work would get done. Now we can understand why John the Baptist was so excited in Mark 1:8, saying, “I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” We need the withering and planting work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

In the chapter entitled ‘Saving Faith’ in the Baptist Confession we read these words, “The grace of faith enables the elect to believe so that their souls are saved; it is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts.” (14.1) It is the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a person that overcomes all sin and hardness of heart which would forever prevent them from coming to Christ.

In 15:1 we read these words, “Some of the elect are converted after their early years, having lived in the natural state for a time and served various evil desires and pleasures. God gives these repentance to life as part of their effectual calling.” Oh what a wonderful work the Holy Spirit does as He withers what needs to be withered and then plants the Word of God in its place.

Knowing that the Holy Spirit is working for us in this way ought to be such a comfort for us. This ought to make us draw close to the Throne of Grace to find grace and mercy in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) We need this work of the Spirit and in our text we are commanded to preach it continually. The Holy Spirit blows on our self-righteousness, pride, arrogance and these things melt away till we consider all things a loss in comparison to knowing Christ. (Philippians 3:8) The Holy Spirit blows upon small sins and large entrenched iniquities and withers them away by the roots. With man this work is impossible, but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26) The Holy Spirit can remove every love and affection, and every vain thought and worldly wisdom, that has exalted itself above Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5) Then He plants God’s enduring Word in our hearts.

Consider the withering and planting work of the Holy Spirit in Paul’s life. Paul had reason to boast in the flesh and he trusted these things until the Holy Spirit withered them. These things became worthless, rubbish, and dung to him. Then the Holy Spirit planted the seed of the Gospel in his heart where those things once grew. (Philippians 3:1-11) All his self-righteousness was withered away on the road to Damascus. Before that withering work Paul hated Jesus and His disciples, but after this work everything changed. Afterwards Paul loved Jesus and His church and he filled up in his flesh the sufferings of Christ on behalf of the church. (Colossians 1:24)

Have you experienced the withering and planting work of the Holy Spirit?

Christian, are you continuing to experience the withering and planting work of the Holy Spirit?

If you have been asking those questions we began with today, take courage and rejoice in the withering and planting work of the Holy Spirit.