The voice of one crying out in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight the paths of our God, in a solitary place. (Is 40:3)
קוֹל קוֹרֵא בַּמִּדְבָּר פַּנּוּ דֶּרֶךְ יְהוָה יַשְּׁרוּ בָּעֲרָבָה מְסִלָּה לֵאלֹהֵינוּ׃
Vox clamantis: „In deserto parate viam Domini, rectas facite in solitudine semitas Dei nostri”.
In Hebrew, desert מִדְבָּר [midbar] means “place of the word”, as it comes from the verb “to speak” דָבַר [dabar]. Therefore, it is not an “empty” place but filled with the Word of God, His speech. In the second part of the verse (Is 40:3b) a similar word appears, but with a slightly different connotation. This is the word עֲרָבָה [araba], which describes a desert place (wilderness) in geographical or geological terms (in a negative sense). The desert מִדְבָּר [midbar] has a much deeper meaning, in the Old Testament, it is a special place of meeting between God and man. There, God revealed His Name to Moses (I Am Who Am), fed the Chosen People with manna, and led them for 40 years. It is a place where our desire for God, our longing for His presence, comes to the fore (see Ps 63:2).
The prophet Isaiah speaks today about a voice crying in the desert… It is there that the voice of the Lord is heard, calling and inviting us to clear the paths of our hearts for Him, to straighten the beaten paths that we travel every day in our wastelands, sometimes dry and lifeless… He wants to speak to our hearts and awaken in us the longing for His presence… Maybe Advent is a good time to go to the “place of the Word” מִדְבָּר [midbar] and to hear His voice?
