Copyright Mike Sullivan, 2018.
This study is part of a ten-week teaching series on Isaiah given at Xenos Christian Fellowship in 2017 and 2018.
40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
So different than the message of judgment we studied last week! What a dramatic shift in tone!
In Isaiah 1-39 there is a strong note of judgment and warning.
In Isaiah 40-66 the tone shifts to emphasize comfort and hope.
God's message of comfort
To understand the shift in tone, you need to know about something called the Babylonian Exile.
Here is the Jewish kingdom of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem [show map]. Babylon was a little north and a long way east of Judah. The Babylonians conquered Judah and deported the Jews along this red path [slide] to their capital. The first deportations began in 605 B.C. By 586 B.C. Jerusalem was utterly destroyed.
The Jews were in exile in Babylon for a total of 70 years before they came back to Jerusalem [show timeline]. The oval [show oval on timeline] represents their time in exile. Isaiah 1 through 39 is filled with warnings for people living before the exile, and Isaiah 40 has words of comfort for people living toward the end of the exile.i
It's hard to overstate how devastating it was for the people of Judah to be conquered and carried away to Babylon. This is how Jeremiah the prophet described it...
Lamentations 2:10 The leaders of beautiful Jerusalem sit on the ground in silence. They are clothed in burlap and throw dust on their heads. The young women of Jerusalem hang their heads in shame. 11 I have cried until the tears no longer come; my heart is broken. My spirit is poured out in agony as I see the desperate plight of my people. Little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the streets. 12 They cry out to their mothers, "We need food and drink!" Their lives ebb away in the streets like the life of a warrior wounded in battle. They gasp for life as they collapse in their mothers' arms. 13 What can I say about you? Who has ever seen such sorrow? O daughter of Jerusalem, to what can I compare your anguish? O virgin daughter of Zion, how can I comfort you? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you?
Such adversity—even God's own prophet struggles to find hope. And so, to Jews living in the aftermath of this destruction in the latter part of the exile, Isaiah says...
40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.ii
Isaiah's message is simple: "be comforted, your time of hard service in Babylon is coming to an end."
How will this come about? A messenger from God calls out...
40:3 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
At first this sounds like ODOT planning some kind of road work—filling up valleys, bringing down mountains, making a smooth highway. But Isaiah uses a highway here as a symbol for God breaking into history to rescue his people. God is telling the exiles in Jerusalem, "I'm coming to rescue you!"
That's God's plan. But how will the exiles respond?
Receiving God's comfort
If you were one of the Jewish exiles in Babylon, how would you have received this promise of comfort?
They had been in Babylon for almost 70 years. They had no land, no king to lead them, no army to defend them, no freedom. I can hear them saying, "you're coming now? Where have you been?"
Many of the people originally deported from Jerusalem grew old in captivity and died. Most of the people hearing this message were born in exile and had never seen Jerusalem. I can hear them asking, "Take comfort? In what? These words?"
Isaiah predicted that the exiles would not receive this message of comfort well. He actually anticipated the specific objections they would raise...
40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"?
The exiles would likely think, we've been in exile such a long, long time. Our situation is beyond God's reach. He can't do much about it. He just isn't powerful enough.
Isaiah predicts others would reach a darker conclusion: "my cause is disregarded by my God." God may know our plight, but just doesn't care.
"My way is hidden from the Lord..." "my cause is disregarded by my God..." Have you ever felt that way?
E.g., Look at this old car in the weeds [show picture]. It has a shattered window. It probably doesn't run anymore. There might be an animal living in the back seat. But no one cares, because no one ever thinks about this car. It's broken beyond repair. It has been forgotten and set aside.
People feel the same way for a variety of reasons:
Moral failure:
E.g., ___ dug himself a hole so deep, he wasn't sure he could ever climb out. If you have battled with addiction or angry outbursts or other sinful habits you haven't been able to overcome, you can reach a point where you conclude, God has had enough and set me aside.
Tragedy:
E.g., Several years ago, after meeting like this, a guy shared he had lost several family members in a house fire. What do you say to someone who wants to know why God didn't intervene?
Disappointment:
E.g., You may be disappointed about being single and hopeless about ever getting married. Or, you're disappointed about being married, and hopeless it will ever be good. Maybe there is a confusing set of problems between you and your spouse and you're not sure what to do or if anything can be done.
In times like these, you may know that God is a God of comfort, but you still feel hidden from God and disregarded by him.
We talked about how a word of judgment is hard to receive. Sometimes, when we're in pain over failure, overwhelmed by tragedy, deeply disappointed about how things are turning out, it can be just as hard to receive a word of comfort.
E.g., I remember receiving a letter from ____ after Edith had had a series of pregnancy losses. I knew she was writing to comfort us, but I didn't want to open it because I didn't want to be comforted.
If you can relate to that... if you can relate to how the exiles felt, we will talk this morning about how to find your way out of that kind of despair and hopelessness.
Questions for God
The Bible is filled with people in pain who have questions for God. Let's look at the kinds of questions they ask and see how Isaiah responds.
Is God a promise-breaker?
Right before the exile, God spoke through Jeremiah the prophet and made this promise...
Jeremiah 31:37 "I will not reject all the descendants of Israel because of all that they have done."
But after decades in captivity, the exiles did feel rejected and set aside. They wondered if God had broken his promise to them. And that's a scary thought. If a friend promises to return tools they borrow but never does, or if they promise to pay you back for a movie ticket and forget, you can roll with that. People are people. They don't always keep their promises. But God—shouldn't he be held to a higher standard?
Aware of what the exiles will be thinking, Isaiah writes...
40:6 A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
We live in a world that is constantly changing. Green grass grows and withers; flowers bloom and fade; people live and die. Nothing is permanent. But God's word is different. It stands forever. When God makes a promise, he keeps it.
If you don't think that's true... If you are convinced God is a promise-breaker, he would probably ask, "which one of My words has failed? Can you give me an example?"
Us: "God, you promised me abundant life."
God: "That's true, I did promise abundant life. But did I ever say it would be devoid of suffering? Didn't I promise you would face sorrow and adversity."
Us: "God, didn't you promise there would be no tears?"
God: "No. I promised one day when you are with me forever, I'll wipe away your tears."
If you take a close look at what God has actually promised, you'll find he has never broken his word. What confounds this area for us is our tendency to confuse what God has promised with what we want.
There are many things that we dearly want and expect. We mentioned a few earlier...
If you are single... a spouse.
If you are married... a better spouse.
If you're looking for work... a job. And if you have a job... a better one.
If you're serving or leading... visible results from your efforts, a thriving community of people who are growing and following God, a group that multiplies!
We have many expectations, and when reality fails to meet those expectations, it is tempting to accuse God of being a promise-breaker. But this is where we need to cross-examine ourselves and ask, "Is it true? Is God guilty? Or has he simply failed to meet my expectations?"
Once we've made that distinction, here's another helpful question: "Does God have good reasons for not giving me what I'm hoping for?"
E.g., Can you remember thinking you had to have something—maybe a relationship, maybe a job—and then realizing later, wow, it would have been a disaster if God had given me what I wanted? Sometimes God refuses to meet our expectations because giving us what we expect is the last thing we need.
So, you can conclude God is a promise-breaker. But where's the evidence? If you convict him of promise breaking, you'll obstruct his desire to bring you comfort, comfort he wants you to experience right now, even in the midst of hard times.
Is God both powerful AND concerned about me?
Isaiah tries hard in this chapter to convince the exiles that God is powerful enough to help them. Of God, Isaiah says...
40:12a Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
The oceans are huge, the heavens are beyond imagination. God can hold all of it, the whole universe, in his hands like you hold your car keys. That's a powerful God.
40:12b Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
Who, apart from God, is powerful enough to do these things?
40:15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust... 17 Before him all the nations are as nothing...
The nations... their art [David statue], music [symphony], science [radio telescope], architecture [building], military power [aircraft carrier]... humans are amazing. But the sum total of all of this human brilliance and strength is nothing compared to God's power. It's like lighting a match to compete with the sunrise. Everything pales in comparison to God's power.
So, is he powerful enough to bring comfort and hope? Isaiah's answer is a resounding YES! God can sustain us through anything we may face. But hearing that raises a troubling question: if God is that powerful, that capable, then why doesn't he care enough to help me?
Ever feel that way? If you do, next time you're outside on a starry night, try this...
40:26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
God is powerful, but his power isn't just about forming galaxies and filling oceans. His power enables him to give his full attention to everything and everyone he has made. Look how he brings out the starry host one by one and gives them each a name. Because of his great power, not one of them is missing. He can keep track of every star, every planet, every person, even you and your situation.
Look at what Isaiah tells the exiles:
40:9b …lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!" 10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
God is coming with power. He is powerful enough to help his people. That's clear.
But look at the deep concern he has. He gathers his people like lambs and carries them close to his heart. God is this way with us. He doesn't just feel responsible for us, he deeply cares for us. Do you believe that's how God feels about you?
God says he is powerful enough to help you. But he is also deeply concerned about you and your specific situation.
Can you affirm both truths? Peter says...
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
There's the emphasis on God's power. But he also says...
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
I know there are times when it seems like there is no sign of God's power or concern, when it feels like God can't help or doesn't care. But that is never true. Later in Isaiah, he reminds the exiles:
Isaiah 49:15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands...
I'm a messed up parent in many ways, but when I think about the depth of concern I have for my two daughters, I can't imagine being disinterested in their struggles. If I'm that way, God is obviously even more concerned for each of us.
So, is lack of help from God, or a perceived lack of help, a proof that God either isn't powerful or doesn't care? You'll have to decide. But Isaiah's emphatic answer is, "no!" God is able to sustain you and committed to sustaining you through whatever you are facing because he loves you deeply.
Is there a solid basis for hope?
Isaiah askes the exiles...
40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
We've seen Isaiah press two points with the exiles again and again:
God is an inexhaustible source of power—he won't grow weary.
God is concerned—he is ready to give strength and power to the weak.
But here he asks, don't you know this? Haven't you heard this?
There's a corrective tone here. Isaiah isn't wondering if they know these truths about God. He's pointing out what they have forgotten.
The Jewish exiles knew from their past history that God was ready and able to provide comfort and strength. Just consider what their ancestors experienced...
God rescued them from Pharaoh by making a path through the Red Sea.
God sustained them with food and water in the wilderness.
God empowered them to defeat their enemies and occupy the Promised Land.
God delivered them during the reign of Hezekiah when Jerusalem was surrounded by an enormous Assyrian army.
The exiles could go back to these events and find a solid basis for hope. But living in a foreign land, enduring the hardship of exile, they had begun to forget. They forgot God's past acts of faithfulness, and we do, too.
We could easily make the same mistake unless we recall our own history with God.
You may be wondering—what history with God? I don't even believe in God! Well, whether you believe in God or not, you do have a history with him. He formed you before you were born. It says in Psalms that you were fearfully and wonderfully made.iii He's followed you your whole life and wants a relationship with you. Like Isaiah says, he's filled in the valleys and lowered the mountains and made a way for you to come to him through Jesus Christ. Jesus said,
John 14:6 "I'm the way the truth and the Life, and no one comes to the father but through me."
Jesus has made it possible for you to come to God—that's part of your history, and that's a solid foundation for hope.
If you do know Christ already, you have additional events in your history to remember. You've seen God change you and other people. Some of us have overcome addiction or crippling insecurity or seen him heal broken relationships. You've seen God work, you have a history with God, and you need to go back through the pages of your journal, so to speak, and remember what God has done.
What happens when we do this? Our hope in the Lord is rekindled, and that leads to great things...
40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Even people with boundless energy get tired. But when we cultivate hope in God, like we've described here, we tap into God's unimaginable power and he renews our strength.
Eagles can fly for a long time without any effort, rising on thermals, gliding down, and rising again. It's effortless because they are boosted by rising air, a power outside of themselves. Isaiah wants the exiles to experience that same lift even as they wait to return home. What does that look like in practice? Not a cessation of our difficulties. That's not what he promises here.
...if we are sick, we may stay sick.
...if we have financial difficulties, those may not go away overnight.
...our difficult marriage may or may not improve.
God doesn't promise to end our hard times, but rather to sustain us through them.
He sustains us through...
His presence:
Have you heard this verse before?
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil..."
What comes next?
"For you are with me, your rod and your staff [God's caring presence], they comfort me."
Does he promise you'll avoid the shadow of death? No. He promises to be with you through it.
God's presence is a huge source of comfort. And this isn't just an abstract concept. When we come to him in prayer, God is there, ready to minister to us. You may not always sense it, but God is always with you.
Other people:
How many of us have had someone say just the right thing at the right time to comfort us when we wanted to quit? That's how God used Titus to comfort Paul.
2 Corinthians 7:6 But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus...
This is such an important way to receive strength from God—through other people. God built you to be in relationships with others. You aren't designed to fly solo—we operate best when we have each other's love and support. Perhaps God saw that you were in pain and steered you in our direction. You truly do need the support of others, and if you are willing, you can receive God's love and support through his people.
The hope of eternal life:
2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.
This verse says you can have the hope of eternal life, a hope that can strengthen your heart no matter what life throws at you. To have that, you simply need to put your trust in Christ. Look to him to save you. Call out to him and ask him to forgive you of your sins. When you do that, you can know you'll be with him forever, and that is a source of eternal comfort, even in the worst times.
Those are just a few of the many ways we can experience God's comfort.
Final Thoughts
Everyone goes through stretches where they lose hope. We opened with Jeremiah's despair over the state of Jerusalem. Let's close by looking at how he dealt with his despair:
Lamentations 3:16 He has made me chew on gravel. He has rolled me in the dust. 17 Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. 18 I cry out, "My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is lost!"
In essence, Jeremiah says, "God, you have let me down!!" Jeremiah is letting his circumstances dictate how he sees God. That's a tendency we will always battle. But look at how Jeremiah refuses to stay there...
Lamentations 3:19 The thought of my suffering... is bitter beyond words. 20 I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. 21 Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: 22 The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease.
"Yet" signals Jeremiah's choice to step out of his downward spiral and instead fix his eyes on God's love and mercy. He isn't minimizing how bad things are for Jerusalem, but he's checking himself and deciding, who God is and what he has done will dictate how I see my circumstances.
That is hoping in God, and when we do that, we experience the comfort and renewed strength that Isaiah promises.
i Isaiah anticipates the Babylonian exile earlier in the book as well. See 3:18-26; 5:13; 6:12; 39:5-8.
ii This could mean "twice as much" but more likely means "an exact match" as when the opposite edges of a sheet of paper meet and match when the paper is folded in half. This is a way of saying the punishment fits the crime.