PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD
(week 38/17)
DEOYE OBE, OLUBI JOHNSON AND GBOYEGA ADESIYAN

 Isaiah 40:3-5 KJV: 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. (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: (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, through the prophetic ministry (voice ministry) typified by John the Baptist, is declaring unto God’s people to prepare a way in the wilderness, so that the glory of God can be manifested and seen by all flesh.

The wilderness is symbolic of our souls in a state of spiritual barrenness:

  • Will: stubborn and rebellious not tempered with humility.
  • Mind: not enlightened by revelation knowledge (2Cor. 4:6; Eph.1:17-18),
  • Emotions: not controlled by the power of the fruit of the Spirit.

The way/highway, however, is the way of divine love perfected in our hearts. It is the more excellent way!

1Corinthians 12:31 KJV: But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

1Corinthians 14:1 KJV: Follow after charity, and desire spiritual [gifts], but rather that ye may prophesy.

The way is to be prepared in the hearts of men:

The highway is supposed to lead us to Zion.

Psalms 84:5 AMP:… In whose heart are the highways to Zion.

Zion represents the perfect Church that is without spot, blemish or wrinkle (Eph.5:27) or the Church in the perfection and the fulness of Christ (Ps. 50:2).

Now, why must we prepare the way of the Lord, a highway unto Zion?

  • The glory will be manifest only in Zion (Ps. 102:16).

However, the church, under a wrong leadership, has forsaken the highway to Zion for the byways of an over emphasis on prosperity, healing, and deliverance, and a stubborn refusal to go beyond the foundational principles of Christ which cannot lead to Zion but only to perishing in the wilderness (1Cor. 10:5).

Shamgar which means ‘stranger’ typifies these strange children (Ps. 144:11) who are a result of the wrong “Shamgar” leaders in the Church who ‘lead’ the children of Israel with an ox goad which is a sharp, pointed instrument used to prick cattle. These strange children do forsake the highway to Zion, being content to dwell in the byways which lead them astray.

Judges 5:6-7 KJV: In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travelers walked through byways. (7) The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.

SAUL

1Samuel 11:5AMP: Now Saul came out of the field after the oxen...

However, God is removing the Saul/Shamgar leadership and is raising up a new leadership after the pattern of David or an apostolic and prophetic ministry that will prepare the highway to Zion through their teaching on perfecting the love of God.

Psalms 78:70-72 KJV:  He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: (71) From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance. (72) So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

Ezekiel 34:23 KJV: And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

How we prepare the way of the Lord is revealed in the scripture in Isa. 40:4-5.

(1) Valleys represents low self-esteem, condemnation and discouragement

The antidote is revelation of our rights in God through the frequent cleansing by the blood and growth in divine love (Eph. 1:6,7).

(2) Mountains and hills are representative of pride, arrogance.

The antidote to this is daily walking in the fear of God by cultivating honesty and humility of heart (1Pet. 5:5-7).

(3) Crooked places are a lack of revelation knowledge which we overcome by praying daily from Eph. 1:17,18 for the spirit of wisdom and revelation.

(4) The rough places represent unbelief, and need to be smoothened by obeying the distilled instructions of wisdom of fathers (The How of the How (Pro. 4:1,13)).

We start on the way, representative of praying without revelation knowledge in the Outer Court. But as we continue with a pure motive of not just having our needs met but seeking the kingdom (Rom. 14:17, Matt. 6:33), we begin to see God, and transit to the highway, represented by the Holy Place in the Tabernacle of Moses and then to Zion the perfection of beauty and finally inherit the glory, represented by the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle (Jn. 14:21-23, Matt. 5:8).