DAILY TEXT, Thursday, October 16, 2025. Make straight the way of the Lord! Make straight for our God in the wilderness (Isa. 40:3).

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Thursday, October 16, 2025

Make straight the way of the Lord! Make straight for our God in the wilderness (Isa. 40:3).

The journey from Babylon to Israel would take about four months, and it would not be easy. But Jehovah promised that He would ensure that the path was clear. For faithful Jews, the benefits of returning to Israel far outweighed any sacrifices they would have to make.

The greatest blessing was related to their worship. There was no temple for Jehovah in Babylon. Since there was no altar or organized priesthood, the Israelites could not offer the sacrifices required by the Law of Moses.

Furthermore, those who respected Jehovah and his standards were only a handful compared to all those who worshipped false gods. Therefore, the thousands of Jews who feared God longed to return to their land and restore pure worship.

What did Jehovah promise the Jews?

The journey from Babylon to Israel would take about four months and would not be easy. But Jehovah promised that he would make sure that the path was clear. Isaiah wrote: “Make clear the way of Jehovah! Make a straight path for our God in the wilderness. [...] The rough ground must be made smooth, and the rough ground made plain.” (Isa. 40:3, 4)

Can you imagine? For Jews, it would be much easier to walk along a straight road and across flat terrain than to have to climb up and down mountains and valleys. It would also be faster and more enjoyable.

What was the name of the symbolic road between Babylon and Israel?

Many roads have names, others just a number. And the symbolic road Isaiah spoke of? Well, it also has a name. The Bible says: “There will be a path there, a way called The Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel in it” (Isa. 35:8). What did these words mean for the Israelites? And for us?

Why was this path said to be holy?

The “Way of Holiness.” Isn’t that a beautiful name for a road? Why was this road called holy? Because no one impure would be allowed to live in Israel—that is, no Jew who pursued immorality, idolatry, or other serious sins. The returning Jews would have to become “a holy people” to their God (Deut. 7:6). Did this mean that those who left Babylon were doing everything right? No. They would have to make changes to please Jehovah.

What changes did some Jews need to make? Give an example.

As mentioned earlier, most of the Jews were born in Babylon, and many were apparently influenced by the Babylonian way of thinking and moral values.

Decades after the first group of Jews returned to Israel, Ezra learned that some of them had married women from other nations (Exod. 34:15, 16; Ezra 9:1, 2). Later, Governor Nehemiah was shocked to find that these Jews' children could not speak Hebrew (Deut. 6:6, 7; Neh. 13:23, 24).

How could they learn to love and worship Jehovah if they didn't even understand the primary language in which God's Word was written? (Ezra 10:3, 55) So those Jews had to make big changes, but they would find it much easier to do so if they lived in Israel, where pure worship was slowly being restored.

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