ISAIAH 40: 1-11
THE CREATOR COMFORTS
(Psalm 23)
How majestic is the second part of the Book of Isaiah. The new section opens by stirring the people of God with the promise and hope of redemption and restoration. The Prophet begins with the sharp contrast between the failure of the past and the hope of the future. Israel is to be comforted in the assurance that her trial has ended and her sin been purged. What great news!
This Good News must be announced [and a herald and forerunner of the coming King is called upon to express God ultimate hope]. Though humanity continues to pass away, there is hope for something eternal. That hope is the Word of God which not only will be fulfilled but will stand forever. That Word of God here is the [comfort and restoration based on] atonement and forgiveness provided when the glory of the Lord is revealed.
The way will be prepared and God will come. Frail humanity will be visited by the God who will indwell His people. We are told to proclaim the glad tidings with the strong voice of gladness and certainty.
The structure of the section naturally suggests a fourfold division.
I. A VOICE OF COMFORT, 1-2.
II. A VOICE OF COMING, 3-5.
III. A VOICE OF CONTINUANCE, 6-8.
IV. A VOICE OF DECLARATION, 9-11.
The recurring themes of the ensuing chapters are the fact and the means of restoration. The first two verse dramatically set the tone of the next 27 chapters. The opening words are an assurance that all is paid, all is forgiven. "Comfort, O comfort My people," says your God. (2) "Speak kindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has ended, That her iniquity has been removed, That she has received of the Lord’s hand Double for all her sins."
Without any transition or preparation, the repeated imperatives strike the hearer with sudden intensity. Comfort is the wonderfully tender word given to those who return to God. They speak of the compassion expressed to someone who is grieving over the death of a family member (Gen. 24:67; 37:35; 2 Sam. 10:2; Jer. 16:7). God is the God of All Comfort (2 Cor. 1:4). Whatever may lie ahead for the people of God, His ultimate purpose for us is not destruction but redemption, not death but life.
Furthermore, these are the words spoken to My people by your God. What a world of yearning love there is in the two little words ‘My’ and ‘your’! The rebellious are still His; He who has hidden His face from them so long is still theirs. And what was true for them is true for us. Sin may separate us from God, but it does not separate Him from us, for He formed an imperishable bond with us, which is the ground of our comfort. Without question this is the language of the covenant (Exod. 6:7; 19:5; Lev. 26:12; Deut. 26:17-18; etc.).
This tone of kindness and gentleness is also unveiled and reinforced in the permanence of His relation of love even to sinful and punished men. Note the tender manner of His voice to us, and prescribe the tone for all His servants: ‘Speak kindly to Jerusalem,’ with loving words, which may win His people’s love. To speak to someone’s heart is to speak encouragement. [The encouragement might be admonishing (2 Chr. 30:22) or affectionate (Gen. 34:3; 50:21; Ruth 2:13), or even congratulatory (2 Sam. 19:8 [Eng. 7]), but in all cases ] its purpose is to move someone who might be paralyzed by circumstances to take heart and believe. [Her lover has not cast her off. However serious his anger with her may have been, she has every reason to continue to believe in his love (cf. 12: 1; 40:27-31; 49:14-18; 51:3).]
[Is she not the bride of Christ, fallen though she be? Are not Jerusalem’s people the beloved of Jesus who unveiled the heart of God to us that our hearts might be won? How shall human voices be softened to tenderness worthy of the message which they carry? Only by dwelling near enough to Him to catch the echoes and copy the inflections of His voice.]
It is as if the prophet says, "Alright, so much for the past. It’s all true, but it’s not all there is to the truth: Don’t forget that the sin which brought about the long, hard service it is forgiven, and, more wonderful and gracious still, God’s mercy regards that the repercussions which came from their unfaithfulness have more than purged it. Israel has suffered immensely for her sins, but now it is complete; she need fear nothing more from God’s hand.
The captivity may be in the foreground of the prophet’s vision; but the
wider sense of the prophecy embraces the worse captivity of sin under which we all groan, and the divine voice bids His prophets proclaim that YAHWEH comes, to set us all free, to end the weary bondage, and the punishment for our sins.
II. A VOICE OF COMING, 3-5.
This section answers how comfort can be offered to a sinful, ruined people. A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. (4) "Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
There is something very impressive in the abrupt bursting in of a second voice, again unnamed. The cause for encouragement is the coming the Lord into the sphere of human activity. Neither Israel nor any other human agency is the cause of the comfort here extended. It is the coming of God, the revelation of Him to human sight.
It calls for faith on the part of the people. They do not yet see the King, but they dare to believe that He is coming. It also speaks of some form of activity on the part of those who had formerly been paralyzed by discouragement and hopelessness, (as in v. 27).
The reverberating call is really one to prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness of human sin, by raising up what transgressions or sorrows has cast-down, to subdue lofty thoughts and self-sufficiency by humble self-renunciation, to make the ‘crooked things’ or ‘rugged things’ of oppression straight or smooth by forsaking evil, and fill in the deep rough valley of human need.
The moral preparation, not the physical, is meant. It was fitting that the road for such a coming should be prepared. But the coming was not so contingent on the preparation that the ‘glory of the Lord’ would not ‘be revealed’ unless men made a highway for Him. [The revelation of His glory to the individual soul must be preceded by preparation; but that raising out of sin cannot be done by man. Christ must come to the heart before the heart can be prepared for His coming.]
John the Baptist came crying in the wilderness, but his fiery message did little to cast up a highway for the footsteps of the King. John’s immovable humility pierced to the very heart of the prophecy when he answered the question ‘Who art you?’ with ‘I am a voice. The voice was unnamed; why, what does it matter who I am?’
Verse 5 states what happens for those who prepare the way in their life for the Lord. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
Then (waw) indication that the direct result of the Lord’s coming will be the revelation of His glory. [The revelation of God’s glory is one of the main concepts in the entire book. Words for" glory" occur 37 times: 20 in chs. 1-39 and 17 in chs. 40-66, 5 of which are in ch. 66. The great sin of humanity is our attempt to usurp the glory of God to ourselves without submitting to Him.]
When this One comes it will be the revelation of ‘the glory of the Lord,’ and will be for all mankind, not for Israel only. Jesus’ lowly life and shameful death were a strange revelation of God’s glory. If His life revealed God’s glory, then it cannot consist in power or any of the majestic ‘attributes,’ but in love, mercy, and patience. It is God revelation for all flesh which will one day acknowledge His glory. Nothing in the world can deter Him, not deserts, mountains, or valleys. He is unstoppable reality. This certainty is secured because it has come from the very mouth of the Lord.
We each have obstacles in our lives that hinder us from hearing God’s word. That’s why God says ’Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God’ " (v. 3). When it comes to communicating with His people, God wants nothing to hinder His truth from reaching us. He wants every obstacle out of the way.
Think about obstacles that may be blocking God’s access to your life. Check any that apply. Then pray about what you need to do to remove these obstacles. Write notes below or on a separate sheet of paper.
__ any voids or areas of deficiency or need (valley) that need to be filled?
__ any problems or barriers (mountains and hills) that need to be brought down or made low?
__ any broken relationships that make the way rough and need to be smoothed out?
__ any crooked or wicked way, any twisted behavior that needs to be straightened out?
__ any sin or unholy behavior that keeps you separated from fellowship with God?
God asks people to prepare the way for the coming King. What’s blocking His access to your life? Could it be you? Get out of His way! Perhaps other people are hindering His truth from reaching you. I challenge you to listen and obey in the importance of this moment and let God’s power and presence transform your perspective.
With every head bowed, let’s pause to pray. Ask God to help you remove any obstacles that are blocking God’s access to your life. Invite God to grip you with His awesomeness.
III. A VOICE OF CONTINUANCE, 6-8.
A voice says, "Call out." Then he answered, "What shall I call out?" All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. (7) The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.
Yet another voice, [whether sounding from heaven or earth is as uncertain as is the person to whom it is addressed,] authoritatively commands a third to ‘cry out.’ Then the voice is asked what call is to be conveyed. The voice answers that this herald is to proclaim man’s frailty and the everlasting vigor of God’s Word, [which secures the fulfilment of His promises].
What better picture of insignificance and temporality could be found than grass? Quickly grown and quickly withered, it is blown this way and that by every wind. An hour or so of deadly hot wind will scorch the pastures, and all the petals of the flowers among the foliage will fall. So it is with humanity [whose frailty is contrasted to the unchangeable stability of God’s Word.] Everything lovely, bright, and vigorous in humanity wilts and dies. One thing alone remains fresh from age to age, — the uttered will of Yahweh. His breath kills and makes alive. [What turns the grass brown here is not merely wind - it is the breath of the Lord. By using the word ruah the prophet is able to draw upon all the connotations from breath to wind to spirit to Spirit.]
There is not much in man that encourages future hopefulness. God reassures His hearers declaring that His promises for the future do not depend upon man but upon the sure Word of Yahweh. Verse 8 declares, The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.
[Isaiah wonders why preach to slow to respond rebellious people whose short lives accomplish little of real value? The message he receives is you proclaim God’s Word because it gives people the opportunity to receive it, grow and be changed forever by that which stands forever.]
After having learned how empty and destitute we are, how transitory and fading is the glory of the flesh, the only consolation left for us is that we be raised up by the Word of the Lord, as by an outstretched hand. We are frail and fading, but the Word of the Lord is durable and eternal. The life which we need is not found in nor is it from our selves, but in and from God’s Word. [Calvin ]
We must fly to God, by whom alone we shall be established. Let not men therefore faint or be discouraged by the knowledge of their frailty and emptiness. The eternal Word is given to them by which they may be abundantly supported and upheld. We are likewise taught that we ought not seek consolation from any other source than in God; since nothing eternally durable or stable will be found on the earth. Nothing is more foolish than to rest satisfied with the present state, which we see to be fleeting; and every man is mistaken who hopes to be able to obtain long term happiness till he has ascended to God. Life flows to us from Him. This life flows to us from receiving His eternal Word (Jas. 1: 21-25).
The manner of seeking God is pointed out also. It is by the Word of God, from which we must not turn aside in any manner. If we make any departure from it, we enter into strange labyrinths from which in our own strength we shall find no way of extricating ourselves.
The Word is called eternal, not only in itself, but in us. This wonder ought to be noted and taken to heart, because otherwise we will seek after the temporary things and ways of earth. Peter’s interpretation of this passage applies to us, when he says that "we are regenerated by this incorruptible seed, that is, by the word which is preached. All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower fades; but the word of the Lord endures for ever. And this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you" (1 Peter 1:23- 25). Life is offered for the dead who shall come thirsting to the fountain that is proclaimed to them, the word of God. [Calvin ]
[This message reinforces God’s merciful promises so that trembling hearts may not falter when they see the natural order failing. Rest assured that God’s promises are as good as God’s deeds, and so we may hope when all things visible would preach despair. This understanding was given to fortify confidence in the prophecy of a future revelation of the glory of God. It remains with us to inspire confidence in a past revelation, which will stand unshaken, whatever forces war against it. Its foes and its friends are alike short-lived as the summer’s grass. Man’s defenses and attacks are being antiquated while being spoken; but the bare Word of God, the record of the Incarnate Word, (who is the true revelation of the glory of God,) will stand forever, — ‘And this is the word which by the gospel is preached to you.’]
IV. A VOICE OF DECLARATION, 9-11.
Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!"
The prophet who seems to be the speaker in verses 9-11, [or perhaps the same anonymous voice which commanded the previous message] summons Jerusalem to become the ambassador of her God. With mounting urgency the voice calls Jerusalem to become part of God’s great work. Salvation is not simply so those of Jerusalem can bask in God’s mercy. Rather, it is for the sake of the world (2:1-5; 66:18-19). This task of lifting up the good news begins as Zion, understanding the Lord’s Word, shouts the good news to all the villages around (52:7-10).
Either the new message of comfort or the coming of the Lord is the reason for the good news. Jerusalem or Zion (the double name so characteristic of the second part of Isaiah) is to relay the good tidings of victory. A victory won by the revelation of the Word of God substantiated by the presence of God.
[ The word rendered ‘tell good tidings’ is a feminine form, and falls in with the usual personification of a city as a woman. She is bid to bear to her daughter cities the glad tidings, that God has revealed Himself. It is the same thought as ‘ Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.’] The prophecy refers to the Church. It sets forth her task as being the proclamation of her indwelling King. The possession of Christ makes the Church the evangelist for the world; for it gives the capacity and the impulse as well as the obligation to speak the glad tidings. Every Christian has this command binding on him by the fact of his having Christ.
The command sets forth the bold clearness which should mark the herald’s call. Naturally, any one with a message to boom out to a crowd would seek some vantage-ground, from where his words might fly farther. If we have a message to deliver, let us seek the best place from which to deliver it.
There are too many of God’s heralds who are always apologizing for their message, and seeking to reconcile it with popular opinions. We are prone to speak truth less confidently because it is denied; but, while it is needful to speak with gentleness and in meekness to them that oppose, it is cowardly to let one tremor be heard in our tones though a world should deny our message.
The injunction do not be afraid will be repeated often in the next chapters. Zion need not fear that God has cast her off, nor that His word will fail. She is to take the position of a prophet, declaring God’s plan even when that activity is far in the past or in the future, all in the sublime confidence that God’s Word will stand.
The command of verse 10 tells the substance of the Church’s message. Behold, the Lord God will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him, And His recompense before Him.
Its essence is the proclamation of the manifested God. He who would come, and will come again, has already come. This is what we proclaim. God does not save His people with programs sent from afar. Neither does He save them from a distance. He comes! To gaze on Jesus is to behold the Lord God. God has made Himself known in the twin glories of power and gentleness (v. 11). He comes as a strong one to rule. His dominion rests on His own power, and not on human allies. God is not just another god, He is the mighty one whose arm (a symbol of strength) would rule in authority as well as in fairness and justice.
His reign is retributive, and that not merely as recompensing evil, but as rewarding the faith and hope of those who waited for Him. The reward and the recompense which He bestows and pays to His faithful servants is with Him and He presently holds it out before us, to encourage those who trust in Him and wait for Him.
Have you experienced the strong arm of God? I hope so, but if this is the only arm you know, then be gripped by His other arm described in verse 11.
In verse 11 the speaker begins to show how one can depend on God to defend and care for those who will turn to Him. Like a shepherd He will tend His flock. In His arm He will gather the lambs, and carry them in His bosom. He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
Our Lord is frequently spoken of in the Bible as the Shepherd. Here the lovely figure of the Shepherd is carrying the lambs in His arms. What a tender, reassuring truth this is for all who are His Sheep. The strength of Jesus’ mighty arm is used, not to wield an iron scepter, but to gather us to His bosom and guide us in His ways.
The Good Shepherd carries the lambs in His bosom because He has a tender heart. The sighs, ignorance, and feebleness of the little ones of His flock bring out His compassion. It is His responsibility as a Good Shepherd to consider the weak. He purchased them with His blood, and they are His property. He is responsible for each lamb, bound by a covenant not to lose one. They are all a part of His glory and reward. How may we understand the expression, "He will carry them"? Sometimes He carries them by not permitting them to endure much trial or carry them throug great trail. Sometimes they are carried by being filled with an unusual degree of love so that they have the ability to stand firm. Though their knowledge may not be deep, they have great delight in what they do know. Frequently, He carries them by giving them a very simple faith which takes His promises just as they stand. As they run straight to Jesus with every problem He takes them into His arms. The simplicity of their faith gives them an unusual degree of confidence which carries them above the world.
Notice that He carries the lambs in His bosom. His affection for His lambs is boundless. Would He put them in His bosom if He did not love them deeply? Here is tender nearness. They could not possibly be closer. Here is perfect safety. Who can hurt them when they are carried in His bosom? An enemy would have to hurt the Shepherd first. Here is perfect rest and sweetest comfort. May we become more fully aware of the infinite tenderness of Jesus!
God is a shepherd, scooping up His lambs and carrying them close to Him. God provides special treatment for special needs. At certain times our Shepherd will say, This one is hurting. Careful of her wounds. We’re going to have to carry her for a while." This tender care of God reminds us of His unique and personal care for us. This is the comfort we need.
God is figured as having two arms in verses 10 and 11. One arm is mighty, powerful, stretched forth in strength and righteousness. One arm tenderly cares for the weak and wounded. Almighty and tender... one awesome God.
CONCLUSION
Remember the last time you purchased a new automobile? After a search of numerous car lots and after much research in automotive magazines, you decide on and buy the vehicle which best meets your needs. Then, the rains come, the other drivers descend upon it, and the warranty expires. All too soon, it is time to seek another new car.
Every other thing on the earth is deteriorating. Even civilizations come and vanish. Governments rise and fall. Cities are built to the heights of brick and mortar and then are covered by the sands of time. Even our bodies that stand on the horizon of time are laid to rest in the grave of history.
We look at all of this and strain our eyes seeking stability. We long for comfort in the midst of change. There is hope for our despair. The creative Word of God brings the flowers to life and the dead in Christ to resurrection. The eternal Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, reaches across history with redemptive hope.
Here is the paradox introduced at the beginning of the book: if I insist I am permanent, then I become nothing; if I admit that God alone is permanent, then He breathes His permanence through His Spirit filled Word into me. Whatever lay ahead for the Israelites, they could know that God’s word of promise would not fail them. You can know the same thing also. Come to Jesus, for there is no greater security than to be in the Good Shepherd’s arms.
Remember, "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever" (v. 8). Our words are like grass-they dry up and blow away. But God’s Word endures forever. Mediate on His Word and let it bring you into God’s presence so He can wrap His arms around you.
