The Valley Exalted, and the Mountain Laid Low

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"Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be laid low—and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places 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 it." Isaiah 40:4, 5

We can have no doubt as to the primary and original meaning of these words, for the Holy Spirit himself, in the New Testament, is their divine interpreter. We read thus, Matthew 3:1-3, "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"

The language of the text is, of course, highly figurative, and is an illusion to a practice in ancient times of Oriental monarchs. There being in those days no highways nor beaten roads in most parts of their dominions, when they intended to visit some of their distant provinces, they were accustomed not only to send messengers beforehand to announce their approach, but pioneers also to remove all impediments to their progress. There were often deep valleys and morasses, which had to be filled up; hills and mountains to be laid low; crooked paths and intricate roads amid woods and forests, to be straightened; and rough places, overgrown with thorns, thickets, and briars, and overspread with loose rocks and stumbling stones, which had to be smoothed and taken away. As the king traveled in great state, it was necessary to make room for the royal chariot—for the approach of majesty with all its splendor; and as the monarch never journeyed unattended, the road was to be made wide enough for his suite of servants and numerous cavalcade as well as for himself.

The Holy Spirit, adopting this Eastern practice as a scriptural figure, represents thereby the obstacles that were to be removed for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords; for it is of him that the text speaks. As regards his first coming in the flesh, which is the primary meaning of the text, there were many obstacles in providence to be removed. Many barbarous and warlike tribes had to be subdued by the Romans and molded into one universal, united Empire, that there might be a free communion by sea and land; one language—the Greek tongue—had to be generally spoken, that there might be a ready means of communicating the mind and will of God to the Gentile world. The Jews had to be subdued and brought under the Roman yoke, that Christ might appear in the flesh and die upon the cross—a purely Roman punishment. Roads had to be made, bridges built, ships constructed and navigated, towns and cities and colonies spread far and wide, general civilization advanced, and laws enacted and put in force, that the gospel might be preached to all nations. All the obstacles of barbarism, war, bloodshed, anarchy, and violence had to be removed, that the Prince of Peace might come and establish his kingdom upon earth.

But besides the removal of these outward obstacles, the words have a special application to the ministry of John the Baptist, who, by his preaching in the wilderness, prepared a way for the manifestation of the Lord Jesus as the promised Messiah.

But the words of the text are applicable not only to the first manifestation of the Son of God in the flesh, and the preparations made for it by the preaching of John in the wilderness, but to the removal also of those obstacles which precede the inward revelation of Christ to the soul; and it is in this latter point of view that I shall, with God's blessing, now consider them. In doing this, I shall–

I. First, direct your attention to the spiritual and experimental exalting of every valley, the making low of every mountain and hill, the straightening of that which is crooked, and the making plain of that which is rough.

II. Secondly, dwell upon the inward revelation of Christ, as intimated by the words—"The glory of the Lord shall be revealed."

III. Thirdly, open the gracious promise, that "all flesh shall see it together."

IV. And fourthly, unfold God's own solemn ratification, that these things shall surely come to pass—"The mouth of the Lord has spoken it."

I. The spiritual and experimental exalting of every valley, the making low of every mountain and hill, the straightening of that which is crooked, and the making plain of that which is rough. I have just hinted that the figurative language of our text represents the removal of obstacles; but looking at the figures one by one, I shall, with God's blessing, attempt to show how they individually bear upon the experience of a Christian. In this sense, what valleys have to be raised, what mountains and hills to be leveled, what crooked things to be straightened, what rough places to be made plain, in order that the glory of God may be revealed! Everything in sense and nature is opposed to the revelation of Christ to the soul. Everything within us, everything outside us, is opposed to his grace and his love, and to the manifestation of these blessings to the heart.

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