(Isaiah 38:7 NIV)
A neglected road sign stands to alert travelers, who heed, of
the need to slow down as they move ahead. Like all signs,
this sign was placed for a specific reason. With one word, it
declares that something should be done, in order to save, or
spare, the possibility of trouble or harm.
A popular song of the 1970's, that had a comeback in recent
years, was a song titled "Signs." The song laments about
all the signs we encounter in our lives. The refrain of the
song ends with the words; "do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?" Our world certainly seems to depend on signs. Signs direct us to where we want to go and
how to get there. Signs tell us what to do and what not to do. Signs alert us to points of
interest and warn us of dangers. Signs tell us who or what we ought to support, or
condemn. Signs contain messages on how to live, or how not to live. Like the song, we often complain about signs. Yet, at the same time, we want signs. We
especially want signs from God. We want to know if God really exists. We want to know if
He really cares about us and loves us. We want to know if we can depend on the things He
promises us. We want to know if we have something good to look forward to, at the end of
our lives. In other words, we want some sort of sign, to assure us, to guide us, a sign we
can rely upon. The people of Jesus' day were no different. They constantly wanted, and expected, Jesus to
give them signs. They wanted proof of His claims, and of His teachings. Wherever He
traveled, people followed Him in the hope of seeing a sign that they could believe. As for the people then, the "good news" for us, today, is that God has given a sign for us to
follow, a sign to place our hopes on, a sign to believe in. Throughout the Word that God
spoke through His prophets, He told of the sign that would come. To those who believe, this
sign would be the fulfillment of the promises that God has made. This sign was declared
long before the fulfillment actually took place. God gave His sign to alert people to what
was coming. Through the birth, suffering, death, resurrection, and the promised coming again, of Jesus
Christ, God has given us the sign of His fulfilled promise
Psalm 86:17 prays: "Give me a sign of your goodness..." The cross of Jesus Christ, stands
as God's sign, the sign of which the prophet Isaiah spoke, in the words of Scripture quoted
above.
Below are a few additional words concerning the sign of God's goodness toward us, in His
Son Jesus Christ.
"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14 NIV)
"This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12 NIV)
"It will be a sign and witness to the LORD Almighty... he will send them a savior and
defender, and he will rescue them." (Isaiah 19:20 NIV)
"Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.' So they asked
him, 'What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What
will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them
bread from heaven to eat.' Jesus said to them, 'I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has
given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from
heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world.' 'Sir,' they said, 'from now on give us this bread.' Then Jesus declared, 'I am the
bread of life. He who comes to me will never go "You performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this
day, both in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours."
(Jeremiah 32:20 NIV)
"How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his
dominion endures from generation to generation." (Daniel 4:3 NIV)
