Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days.
The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses.
With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands,
and encourage those who have weak knees.
Say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
He is coming to save you.”
Isaiah 35:1, 3-4
The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
Psalm 19:1-4
I love the Lord because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.
Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath!
For the word of God is alive and powerful.
It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword,
cutting between soul and spirit,
between joint and marrow.
It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God.
Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes,
and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
So God’s rest is there for people to enter,
but those who first heard this good news failed to enter
because they disobeyed God.
So God set another time for entering his rest,
and that time is today…
…the Holy Spirit says,
“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts…
Remember what it says:
“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your heart…”
We also know that the Son did not come to help angels…
Therefore, it was necessary
for him to be made in every respect like us,
his brothers and sisters,
so that he could be our merciful
and faithful High Priest before God.
Then he could offer a sacrifice
that would take away the sins of the people.
Because God’s children are human beings—
made of flesh and blood—
the Son also became flesh and blood.
For only as a human being could he die,
and only by dying could he break the power of the devil,
who had the power of death.
Only in this way could he set free
all who have lived theirs lives as slaves
to the fear of dying.
For the message God delivered through angels
has always stood firm,
and every violation of the law
and every act of disobedience was punished.
So what makes us think we can escape
if we ignore this great salvation
that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself
and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?
