The Hills Are Alive

“For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12

In Isaiah Chapter 55, the prophet is issuing God’s invitation to come and partake of God’s grace freely.  He said that no one needs money in order to receive grace, and it was useless to work for those things that cannot satisfy a hungry and thirsty soul.  All one has to do is to listen to God and come to Him, but one must seek Him while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near.  Evil must be forsaken and those who turn from their sin can turn to the Lord and find mercy.  God will abundantly pardon.

I like the description of the joyful celebration for all those who turn from sin and place their faith in Christ.  Joy and peace will be abundant for God’s people.  Even nature will become so excited over God’s family that the mountains and hills will sing, and the trees will clap their hands.  Most folks likely think that is impossible because mountains, hills, and trees are not people.  They can’t do what people do.  But God made them, and He can make them do whatever He pleases.  He can make the “hills come alive with the sound of music”.  He can make the wind blow the leaves together like hands clapping against one another.  I can picture that in my mind’s eye.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem several days before His crucifixion, the people were rejoicing and praising God for Him because they had seen the miracles that He had done.  They called Him the King that was coming in the name of the Lord.  When the Pharisees heard that, they were angry and called on Jesus to rebuke the people.  But Jesus answered them and said, “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out” (Luke 19:38-40).  Again we have an object of nature that is personified in order to emphasize the need for people to praise the Lord.  God could certainly make the stones cry out if He wanted to.  Can you imagine if the people realized the Pharisees were angry causing them to stop their praising, and then the big stones around Jerusalem began to praise Jesus, would the Pharisees even notice?  If they did, would they not have understood that God meant business?

In Numbers 22, God made a donkey talk.  God’s servant, Balaam, had been summoned by Moab’s king to come and curse Israel so that Moab could defeat them in battle.  The first time he was asked to come, God told him to refuse.  The second time, God told him to go, but Balaam was much too eager to go, and God sent him a warning.  Balaam was riding a donkey, but the donkey saw an angel standing in the way.  She stopped, and Balaam hit her.  She then crushed his foot against a wall, and he hit her again.  She then fell down under him, and he hit her the third time.  She turned her head around and asked Balaam, “What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?”  He answered her that he hit her because she had mocked him.  If an animal began speaking to me in English, or any language for that matter, I think that I would freak out.

All of these events are examples of the power of God.  He can do what He wants, when He wants, to whomever He wants and be perfectly justified in doing so.  His desire is that everyone worship Him.  That’s why we were created.  Those who choose not to worship Him will miss out on all the blessings that He has for those who willingly worship, love, and serve Him.  Even though He could make the rocks cry out and a donkey talk, He doesn’t force people to love and serve Him.  He desires genuine love from us just like we desire from each other.