What can be written about Handel’s Messiah that has not already gone into print somewhere? Nevertheless, I thought it would be of some benefit to slowly work through Handel’s great Oratorio to see the genius that lies behind the music. And yes, perhaps it should have been saved for Advent - but who here in Sydney keeps to the church calendar anyway? 
So, without further ado, Handel’s Messiah:
The libretto, written by Charles Jennens, draws from the KJV and Great Bible (used in the 1662 BCP). It is divided into three Acts, with wikipedia giving us a helpful outline:
- Part I: The Birth
- Scene 1: The prophecy of Salvation
- Scene 2: The prophecy of the coming of the Messiah
- Scene 3: Portents to the world at large
- Scene 4: Prophecy of the Virgin Birth
- Scene 5: The appearance of the Angel to the shepherds
- Scene 6: Christ’s miracles
- Part II: The Passion
- Scene 1: The sacrifice, the scourging and agony on the cross
- Scene 2: His death, His passing through Hell, and His resurrection
- Scene 3: His Ascension
- Scene 4: God discloses His identity in Heaven
- Scene 5: The beginning of evangelism
- Scene 6: The world and its rulers reject the Gospel
- Scene 7: God’s triumph
- Part III: The Aftermath
- Scene 1: The promise of redemption from Adam’s fall
- Scene 2: Judgment Day
- Scene 3: The victory over death and sin
- Scene 4: The glorification of Christ
So we begin with the Salvation, or Gospel Promises of the Old Testament. Where else to start but with Isaiah 40?
Whether you accept the modern novelty of ascribing Isaiah to multiple authors (something that Jesus Himself didn’t see the need to do - see John 12:38-41) or not, there is no doubt that Isaiah 40 presents a dramatic shift in the book. For 39 chapters we have dealt with the rebelliousness of Israel and their kings in the face of political pressure from first the Assyrians and then the rising power of the Babylonians. So pressing is the threat of Babylon that Isaiah shifts the events of the visit of Babylonian envoys out of its chronological position and puts it at the end of his first section, in chapter 39. The envoys come and see the riches of Israel, but it is with a darker motive…
Isaiah 39:5 Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. 7 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 8 Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.
And, of course, it comes to pass. Babylon invades and the people are exiled. It is into this situation that chapter 40 speaks:
Isaiah 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins. 3 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.
The God who punishes His people for their sins is the same God who brings them comfort. There will be a day, He promises, when all will be restored. More than that, there will be a day when God Himself returns to His people, comes to them to save them from their enemies.
Recently I finished A.J. Abrams’ great book “The Year of Living Biblically”. Abrams, a secular Jew, tried for a whole year to live accordiong to the Bible. He methodically sets out to keep every rule and law he can find in it. And the tragedy of the whole thing is that by the time it’s over he has an incredibly impressive beard but has missed the point. For the Old Testament is not so much a book of rules but a promise of the great rule-keeper and saviour. Time and time again we are told that God is going to send someone to sort everything out. Even my 8 year-old Scripture class at the local primary school know more than Abrams - they know that we’re looking for the Serpent-Crusher as we work through the OT. And now, through the words of Isaiah, God tells us how good it will be - He Himself will come and save His people. What greater comfort could there be?
But there is more - for when God comes everything will be set right…
Isaiah 40:4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain
But there is something every greater that must be noted. So great, in fact, that we switch from a soloist to the whole chorus. What could demand such an escalation?
Isaiah 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
God’s glory will be revealed. The very essence of who God is in all his majesty and splendour. And all flesh will see! Salvation, of course, is ultimately being able to stand before a holy God and not be destroyed. It is something that not flesh can manage for we are all sinful. The last time Isaiah encountered God’s glory was his vision of the throneroom (Isa. 6). He quite rightly exclaimed “woe is me!” as he considered his sin and the sin of his people.
But now the great promise is of all flesh seeing the glorious God and not being blasted away in God’s righteous justice but, rather, to be in a restored relationship with Him.
And finally we are reminded that it is God Himself who will bring this about. He is the Saviour and He is good to His word. He has spoken it, it will happen.
These words from Isaiah 40 are picked up in Mark 1 to speak of the coming of Jesus Himself. Right from the start, having proclaimed Him the “Son of God” and “Christ” (Mark 1:1), Mark leaves us in no doubts as to who Jesus is - He is the promised returning saving God of Isaiah 40.
10 Comments •
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, David!