Psalm 9 and John 1:23

Psalm 9: 19-20 Rise up, Lord! Don’t let men be defiant! May the nations be judged in your presence! Terrify them, Lord! Let the nations know they are mere mortals!

There are many nations around the world who are defiant toward the Lord. There are many individuals who are defiant toward the Lord. There are times when I am defiant towards the Lord. We should all know that we were made from the dust that the Creator created. We should also celebrate the fact that He breathed life into that dust and that He loves us.

John 1:23 John said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) So they asked John, “Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

So, I looked up the original language for the Old Testament and the New. Isaiah 40:3 is the verse being quoted from here. The Hebrew word “Lord” used in Isaiah 40:3 is the word for God. It is not used for any other meaning. The Greek word for “Lord” used in John 1:23, is always used in the New Testament when writing about God and also about Jesus, who is the Light, who is the Word, who is fully God.

So John denies that he is the Messiah, Elijah, and the Prophet as mentioned in the Old Testament, so they want to know who he is. He says that he is the one spoken of in Isaiah, who cries out in the wilderness to make the way straight for the Lord (God, Jesus, the Light, the Word). And this is their response, why are you doing this and that when you aren’t who we thought you were? Keep this in mind, he just told them he is the person in the Book of Isaiah, a very important prophetic book, he is the person mentioned in Isaiah who will prepare the way for God on this earth. This is not the reaction I would have imagined.

Lord, I thank You for waiting. I thank You for waiting long enough for me to get to know You, and to put my faith in Jesus. Lord I know there will come a time when You will terrify those on this earth who deny you. I ask you to prepare folks who have a heart to make the Good News of Jesus Christ available to those who do not know You, before Your day comes. Also, help me to see the errors of my ways, the errors of my beliefs about You. Prepare my heart to share the truth of Your Gospel.

Larry