Behold Your God: The Proclamation of the King
Introduction: A Message From the Mountain
We live in an age of timid Christians and bold pagans. The world shouts its rebellion from every screen, every classroom, and every seat of power. It preaches a gospel of autonomous man, a gospel of licentiousness, a gospel of chaos. And in response, what is the church often found doing? Whispering. Mumbling. Apologizing for the very truth that can save the world. We have been cowed into believing that our message is a private preference, a quiet hobby, something to be kept in the closet while the real business of the world is conducted by serious people.
Into this pathetic scene of cowering piety, the prophet Isaiah speaks a word like a thunderclap. He does not tell the bearers of good news to find a safe space. He does not tell them to nuance their message until it is palatable to the ruling class. He commands them to get up on a high mountain, to raise their voice with power, and to shout the central truth of all existence to the cities of Judah. And what is that message? "Behold your God!"
This is not a suggestion. It is a military command. It is the charge given to the heralds of a conquering king. The context of Isaiah 40 is one of comfort after exile, of hope after devastation. But it is not a limp, sentimental comfort. It is the comfort that comes from the declaration of absolute sovereignty. It is the comfort that comes when the true King arrives on the scene. This passage is a direct assault on every form of unbelief, whether it is the overt idolatry of the ancient world or the sophisticated idolatry of our secular age. It tells us what our central task is, what our message must be, and what the nature of our God is like. It is a summons to leave the valley of fear and to take the high ground of bold proclamation.
We are called to be that herald, that bearer of good news. And if we are to be faithful, we must understand three things from this text: the nature of our proclamation, the power of our King, and the tenderness of His care.
The Text
Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Raise up your voice powerfully, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Raise it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
Behold, Lord Yahweh will come with strength, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him And His recompense before Him.
Like a shepherd He will shepherd His flock; In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
(Isaiah 40:9-11 LSB)
The Unashamed Proclamation (v. 9)
We begin with the charge given to the messengers.
"Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Raise up your voice powerfully, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Raise it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, 'Behold your God!'" (Isaiah 40:9)
The bearer of good news, the evangelist, is identified here as Zion, as Jerusalem. This is corporate. The church is the herald. And the first command is one of posture and position: "Get yourself up on a high mountain." Good news is not to be whispered in a corner. It is to be broadcast from the highest point. This is a command to take the strategic high ground, to refuse to be marginalized. The world wants to put the Christian faith in a cultural ghetto. God commands us to plant our flag on the mountain top for all to see.
The second command concerns volume and tone: "Raise up your voice powerfully." The gospel is not a timid suggestion. It is a declaration of fact. It is the announcement of a new administration. When the herald of a king entered a conquered city, he did not mumble. He spoke with the authority of the one who sent him. We are ambassadors for Christ, and we are to speak with the authority He has given us. This is why the next phrase is so crucial: "Raise it up, do not fear."
Fear is the great silencer of Christian witness. We fear being mocked. We fear being cancelled. We fear losing our jobs, our friends, our status. But Isaiah says that the herald of the true King has no business with fear. Why? Because of the message we carry. What is this powerful, fearless, mountain-top message? It is four simple words: "Behold your God!"
This is the bedrock of all reality. This is the answer to every human question and the solution to every human problem. Look! Here is your God. Stop looking at your fears. Stop looking at the headlines. Stop looking at the impressive but impotent rulers of this age. Stop looking at your own inadequacies. Behold your God. This is not a call to behold an abstract principle or a set of moral teachings. It is a call to behold a Person. And as the New Testament makes clear, this is a call to behold Jesus Christ, who is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). The good news is not just that God exists, but that He has come to us. He has a face. His name is Jesus.
The Conquering King (v. 10)
Verse 10 explains why we should not be afraid. It reveals the nature of the God we are beholding.
"Behold, Lord Yahweh will come with strength, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him And His recompense before Him." (Isaiah 40:10 LSB)
The God we proclaim is not a weak and distant deity. He is "Lord Yahweh," the covenant-keeping God of Israel, and He comes "with strength." The arrival of God is a power encounter. His arm, a symbol of His might and action in history, is "ruling for Him." This is the language of a victorious king taking possession of his kingdom. This is not a future hope in the sweet by-and-by only; this is a description of how God operates in history. When Christ came, He came with strength. He bound the strong man and began to plunder his house (Mark 3:27). His resurrection and ascension were the ultimate demonstration of this ruling arm. All authority in heaven and on earth was given to Him.
This is why a postmillennial optimism is not wishful thinking; it is baked into the biblical description of God's character. He comes to rule. His arm is not withered. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and it will accomplish its purpose. The nations are His inheritance. He is not losing. He is not wringing His hands in heaven, hoping we can hold the line. His arm is ruling for Him, right now.
And when He comes, He brings payday with Him. "His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him." This is a dual-edged sword. For His servants, those who have faithfully proclaimed His name from the mountain, He brings reward. He comes to vindicate His people. But for His enemies, for those who have shaken their fist at Him and persecuted His church, He brings recompense. He is the judge of all the earth, and He will do right. This is a profound comfort and a sobering warning. Justice is not an abstract ideal; it is an attribute of the coming King. He will settle all accounts.
The Gentle Shepherd (v. 11)
If the passage ended at verse 10, we might be left with an image of sheer, terrifying power. But verse 11 gives us the other side of the picture. The conquering King is also the tender Shepherd.
"Like a shepherd He will shepherd His flock; In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes." (Isaiah 40:11 LSB)
The same "arm" that rules with strength in verse 10 is the arm that gathers the lambs in verse 11. This is magnificent. Our King's power is not the brutish, impersonal power of a tyrant. It is the strong, protective, and tender power of a shepherd. He knows His flock. He doesn't drive them; He leads them. He doesn't use them; He serves them. Jesus identifies Himself as this very shepherd: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11).
Notice the specific, intimate care described here. He gathers the lambs, the youngest and most vulnerable, "in His arm." He carries them "in His bosom," close to His heart. This is a picture of profound intimacy and security. For the weakest among us, for the new believer, for the Christian struggling with sin and doubt, the King does not stand off at a distance and shout commands. He draws near, scoops them up, and holds them securely.
And He "will gently lead the nursing ewes." He is attentive to the burdens and needs of His people. The ewes with young are under particular stress, they cannot be rushed. The Shepherd-King accommodates His pace to theirs. He is not a taskmaster who demands more than we can give. He is a compassionate leader who knows our frame and remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:14). This is the character of our God. He is strong enough to rule the universe and gentle enough to carry a lamb.
Conclusion: Shout It Out
So what is the takeaway for us? It is profoundly simple. Our task is to do what the text says. We are to get up on the high mountain of public life, of our workplaces, of our neighborhoods, and we are to declare without fear, "Behold your God!"
We are to show our unbelieving world what He is like. He is the conquering King, whose arm is ruling and who will bring justice to the earth. The secular project is failing, the walls are crumbling, and people are afraid. We have the only answer. The King has come, and He is setting up a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We must tell them that history is not a random series of events; it is the story of His victory.
And to the fearful and struggling saints, we must also proclaim, "Behold your God!" He is the gentle Shepherd. He sees your weakness. He knows your struggle. His arm is not too short to save, and it is not too rough to hold you close. He will not lose you. He will carry you. He will lead you gently home.
This is the good news. It is news about a Person. He is a lion and a lamb. He is a king and a shepherd. He is Jesus Christ the Lord. Let us not be ashamed. Let us not be afraid. Let us raise our voices with power and make His glory known. Behold your God.