Voice In The Desert
Also in the book of Malachi (4:5) God promised to send a prophet, “Elijah.” Elijah had lived in dry, desert places. An earlier prophet, Isaiah, had told of one coming in the desert.
A voice cries: “In the wilderness [desert] prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God… And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed [shown], and all flesh [people] shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken“ (Isaiah 40:3-5).
For over 1000 years, from Moses to Malachi, God had spoken often. He had sent many prophets to Israel. Their work resulted in the Old Testament. But after the prophet Malachi there were about 400 years of silence—no true prophets spoke from God. There were no new writers of the Old Testament. God’s people wondered when God would fulfill His promises. When would God’s preparing messenger come? When would God show His glory?