1 The promulgation of the gospel. 3 The preaching of John Baptist. 9 The preaching of the apostles. 12 The prophet by the omnipotence of God, 18 and his incomparableness, 26 comfort my people.
Isa 40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Isa 40:2 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.
Isa 40:3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isa 40:4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
Isa 40:5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
The Word of God Stands Forever
Isa 40:6 A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
Isa 40:7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass.
Isa 40:8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
The Greatness of God
Isa 40:9 You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”
Isa 40:10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
Isa 40:11 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.
Isa 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
Isa 40:13 Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD, or instruct the LORD as his counselor?
Isa 40:14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?
Isa 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.
Isa 40:16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
Isa 40:17 Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.
Isa 40:18 With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him?
Isa 40:19 As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it.
Isa 40:20 A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple.
Isa 40:21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
Isa 40:22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
Isa 40:23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
Isa 40:24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
Isa 40:25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
Isa 40:26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Isa 40:27 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Isa 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.
Isa 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Isa 40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
Isa 40:31 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.
Isa 40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
This chapter begins the third and last section of the book of Isaiah. In many ways 40–66 constitute the most important part of Isaiah’s prophecy. Chapters 1–35 consist largely of a series of denunciations against transgression and pronouncements of judgments to follow. In 36–39 there is a recital of incidents connected with Sennacherib’s invasion, Hezekiah’s illness and recovery, and the visit of the Babylonian envoys.
In the chapters that follow, the message of the prophet is entirely different in tone and theme. Pronouncements of judgment and doom are largely in the past, and the remainder of the book deals with promises of the outpouring of God’s grace upon the righteous.
It is largely 40–66 that have earned for Isaiah the name of “gospel prophet.” Here, in the most sublime language ever to grace the lips of an inspired orator, Isaiah sets forth the glorious future of Israel as God’s faithful “servant,” her deliverance from every foe, the coming of Messiah, and the establishment of the Messianic kingdom.
The prophet’s mind goes forward to a time when God will be gracious to His people and will grant them the blessings of righteousness and peace. There are many predictions regarding the coming Messiah, His character and offices, His life, and His self-sacrificing service and death.
There are views of the enlargement of the church and of the ingathering of the Gentiles. Also, there are thrilling pictures of the earth restored to Edenic peace and beauty. Throughout this section Israel (that is, the people of Judah, as the northern kingdom no longer existed) appears as the chosen people of God, His “servant,” His “elect,” in whom He “delighs” (42:1; etc.).
Danger from Assyria, the chief enemy of Judah in chs. 1–39, was now, for the most part at least, in the past, and through the prophet Isaiah God prepares His people for an even greater calamity—the Babylonian captivity a century later. In the new section beginning with ch. 40 God finds Israel discouraged because of the seeming failure of His purpose for them as a nation, and bids them look forward in faith to the glorious prospect that awaited them upon their return from captivity (see pp. 31, 32).
In the earlier part of the book, Isaiah proclaims a message of rebuke; now he sets before them one of comfort and hope. The previous section deals largely with the unrighteousness of the people; this, with the righteousness of God. Chapters 1–39 are concerned largely with the success of the enemy in drawing God’s people away from their high ideals;
Chapters 40–66, with the Lord’s success in drawing Israel back to its ideal position as the light and hope of the world. Here is a striking picture of Messiah as God’s Servant, and of men walking in His footsteps and being His witnesses.
Here are sublime pictures of God as the hope of His people, and of His people returning to Him and occupying their appointed position as His representatives on earth. Here, they are delivered from the power of Babylon, they reoccupy the Land of Promise, and the waste places of earth become “like the garden of the Lord” (ch. 51:3).
Isa 40:2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD’s hand Double for all her sins.”
The book of Isaiah opens with a message of stinging rebuke to Jerusalem (ch. 1:2–10). She was then “a besieged city,” and a wicked city like Sodom and Gomorrah (ch. 1:8–10). But now Isaiah foresees a time when “her warfare” is ended and God sends a message of consolation to her. Punishment has been meted out because of her sins, and now pardon and restoration are offered
Her warfare.
The warfare referred to includes the military invasions of Isaiah’s own time, the conquests of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar more than a century later, and, figuratively, the broader warfare of the church against the powers of darkness in all ages. Looking forward with prophetic vision to the time of restoration at the close of the Babylonian captivity, Isaiah speaks with confidence, as if the foes of Israel had already been vanquished.
Isa 40:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
It was God’s purpose that, upon restoration from Babylonian captivity, Israel as a nation should bend every effort to its own preparation and that of the nations about for the coming of Messiah. A glorious future awaited the nation, as the divine program was to proceed apace and without interruption until Messiah should appear and His eternal kingdom be set up.
The process of preparation was to reach its climax in the life and ministry of John the Baptist, to whose work these words specifically pointed forward (see on Matt. 3:3). Likewise it is the privilege of the church today to “prepare … the way of the Lord,” that He may return to earth in power and glory.
As with Israel of old, this work of preparation is twofold, and consists first of a transformation of character, and second, of the proclamation of the gospel message to all mankind. Compare Isa. 62:10–12; Mal. 3:2.
Isa 40:4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth;
Preparations for the coming of an earthly monarch involved the repair of the way over which he was to travel, that his progress might be unhindered. As applied to the coming of King Messiah, the words have a spiritual application (see on Matt. 3:3).
It was the work of John the Baptist to call upon men to prepare their own hearts and lives for the coming of Jesus (Matt. 3:5–12; Luke 3:3–17). God’s messengers in the last days are to proclaim a similar message.
Isa 40:5 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
The glory of the Lord. As revealed in the life and ministry of our Lord (John 1:14; 2:11; 2 Peter 1:16; see on Luke 2:52). At Christ’s second coming, men will behold His visible glory (Matt. 16:27; 25:31; Rev. 1:7).
The Word of God Stands Forever
Isa 40:6 A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
The Lord’s messenger found himself in perplexity. What message could he give appropriate to a time when the nation was suffering because of its sins? What message was there for “Sodom” and “Gomorrah” (ch. 1:9, 10) in the day of doom?
Isa 40:7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass.
Like a withering blast the breath of God’s displeasure brings to nought the counsels of evil men. That which is unholy cannot abide in His presence. God sends forth His Spirit in order that men who are unclean and unholy may be transformed and renewed in the image of their Creator, but if they resist, they will perish like a flower of the field.
Isa 40:8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
Man is not immortal. So far as the element of life is concerned, he is not superior to the grass of the field (see Eccl. 3:9–21).
The revealed will of God constitutes the spiritual food on which man is to subsist (Matt. 4:4; John 6:48–63). Truth never changes, for its Author is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Heb. 13:8). Those who come to Him for the sustenance of their souls will never “hunger” (John 6:35), nor will they “thirst” (John 4:14). Isa 40:9 You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”
The Greatness of God
Isa 40:9 You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”
Zion. See on Ps. 48:2. Her “good tidings” are the message of God’s goodness and forgiveness. In a time of peril and darkness Zion has a message of hope and light.
Behold your God! Again and again in this section of the book, Isaiah points to evidence of the infinite power of God, by way of encouraging the disconsolate people of Judah to believe that the glorious promises might yet be theirs (see chs. 40:4, 5, 8, 10, 15, 17, 18, 26–29; 41:20; 42:13, 14; 43:13–19; 44:6; etc.). The great mistake of the professed people of God was that they took their eyes away from their Lord and Maker, and looked to themselves instead.
Their great need was a vision of God and of His mercy and justice. Isaiah was given such a vision at the time of his call to prophetic office (ch. 6:1, 3). Having seen God himself, he was henceforth to help the people to see Him also, for only thus could they have life and hope. The grandest work ever entrusted to mortals is that of calling lost men and women to behold their Redeemer.
Isa 40:10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
Isaiah here pictures the coming of the Lord in judgment (Isa. 25:9; 62:11, 12; Rev. 22:12). The arm of God is extended in mercy to the righteous and in judgment to the wicked (Isa. 51:5; 52:10; 63:5; cf. Matt. 25:33, 34, 46).
Work. Also, “wages,” that is, the reward to be paid for work performed (49:4; 62:11).
Isa 40:11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.
The solicitous care of Christ for His people, providing for them and protecting them from harm, is often compared to the work of a gentle and faithful shepherd in caring for his flock). As a shepherd gathers his lambs, carrying those that are too feeble to walk, and leading the ewes gently so Christ exercises every possible care for His flock. God is not an unfeeling master or a cruel tyrant, but the very embodiment of consideration and love.
Isa 40:16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. Isa
The exalted picture Isaiah here gives of the wisdom, power, and eternal majesty of God is unsurpassed in Scripture (see Job 38:4–37). Again, in Isa. 40:26–28; 41:19, 20, the prophet refers to the power of God as manifested in the works of creation. Compare Ps. 96:5. See on Isa. 41:21.
God is the great Master Worker of the universe, the One who fashioned the heavens and the earth. For Him no task is too great and no responsibility too small. Things infinitely large and incomprehensible to man are as nothing to Him. It is our privilege to trust in a God that is great and wise and good. All His wisdom and power are at the command of those who believe and trust in Him. Compare Isa. 57:15; see DA 827.
Isa 40:13 Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counsellor has taught Him?
Confronted with a difficult task, a man usually looks to those of experience for wisdom and direction. God neither asks nor needs help from anyone. There is none wiser or more able than He. Paul refers to this passage of Isaiah in Rom. 11:33, 34, in his mention of the infinite wisdom and knowledge of God (see 1 Cor. 2:16).
3sa 40:14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding?
The series of questions here asked has to do with knowledge, and understanding, and wisdom, a recurring theme of the book of Proverbs. God is the embodiment and personification of wisdom, and all knowledge and understanding come from Him (see on Prov. 1:7).
Isa 40:15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
In the days of Isaiah, Assyria was the greatest nation of the earth, feared by all others.
But the Lord would have His people know that this greatest nation was as nothing before Him. When men fear God, they need have no fear of the so-called great powers of the earth. Regardless of the plans and purposes of men, God brings His own will to pass (see Isa. 14:24–27; see on Dan. 4:17).
Isa 40:16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
The Hebrews made much of sacrifices in their religion, but if all the wood of the great forests of Lebanon were used as fuel for a mighty sacrifice composed of all the beasts that lived there, the oblation would not be commensurate with the majesty of God.
Isa 40:17 All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.
Isa 40:18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?
Isa 40:19 The workman molds an image, The goldsmith overspreads it with gold, And the silversmith casts silver chains.
Idols must be made by the hands of men, but the men who make the idols are themselves the handiwork of God. In the days of Isaiah, men employed their greatest ingenuity and their most precious metals in the manufacture of idols, but even then these were only the products of men’s hands.
What virtue could there be in setting up as objects of worship these things that are themselves made by man? Isaiah summons men to worship the true God because He created them. What folly for men to worship, instead, the things they themselves have made! As well might the Creator worship His creatures!
Isa 40:20 Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks for himself a skilful workman To prepare a carved image that will not totter.
Howlong will such a god endure?—till the wood rots away. Isaiah sets before his people the folly of worshiping gods made with human hands.
Isa 40:21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Are you completely lacking in knowledge? Does common sense not make clear to you the folly of your course? Isaiah here appeals to the basic intuitions of men, to say nothing of divine command or revelation.
Even without the benefit of revelation men have sense enough, if they use it, to realize that idols made by the hands of men are not suitable objects of worship (see Rom. 1:18–23).
Isa 40:22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
Above the great universe He has made, the Lord of heaven reigns supreme over all. The picture here seems to be that of God enthroned above the vast vault of heaven. Even the greatest of men are utterly insignificant in comparison with Him. In the “heaven of heavens” (1 Kings 8:27) God dwells, as it were, in a curtained tent (see Ps. 104:2; cf. Isa. 66:1).
Isa 40:23 He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.
Isa 40:24 Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, When He will also blow on them, And they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.
Isa 40:25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
The characteristic attribute of God is not so much His great wisdom or power, as His perfect holiness. This is the secret of His wisdom and power. Righteousness is the foundation of His throne. In sharp contrast, the deities of the heathen—Baal, Molech, Ishtar, etc.—are vile creatures, the vices and passions of men deified.
Isa 40:26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
As we contemplate the number of the stars, their orderly arrangement, their glory and beauty, we cannot but be impressed with our own insignificance and the transcendent power of God. All the heavenly bodies pursue their assigned paths; each has its name and place, and each has its role in the great procession of space. Not one is missing.
Isa 40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
Judah felt that God had forgotten them and that He was not treating them justly. But there were many things they themselves failed to understand. Seated on His throne in the heavens, God sees all, knows all, and takes everything into consideration. He weighs carefully every factor, the past as well as the present, the future as well as the past. There is nothing that He fails to consider, no detail that escapes His notice. Whatever He does is wise, right, just, and good. Who is man to feel that he is being neglected or treated unjustly by God?
Isa 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable
How old are the oldest and wisest of men compared with the eternal God? Our world has been in existence for but a moment, in comparison with eternity. The wisest of the wise among men are at best the incarnation of weakness and folly, as compared with the Eternal One. No man can fathom the depths of God’s providence and wisdom (Ps. 145:3; Rom. 11:33). He who “tells the number of the stars,” and whose “understanding is infinite,” is good and kind enough to supply all the needs of men (Ps. 147:3–5; see Acts 14:17).
Isa 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
The God who faints not imparts strength to fainting hearts. Whatever man’s needs may be, God is able to supply them all (see Ps. 104:27; 145:15). Those who in meekness and lowliness of spirit realize their own frailties and shortcomings are the most certain of having their needs supplied (Isa. 57:15; Matt. 5:3–6).
God’s ear is always attuned to the cry of those who feel themselves insufficient for the tasks at hand and who desire the help of Heaven. It is in the weakness of humanity that God’s strength is made perfect (2 Cor. 12:9). This fact has been proved in the lives of countless thousands.
Isa 40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
Young men at the height of their vigor become weary and exhausted; even youths in the prime of life reach a point beyond which their strength fails. Many a struggle is lost because of weakness of body or spirit, even on the part of the most virile.
Isa 40:31 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
The Christian life is a constant process of receiving from God and giving to God. Strength is expended in service for the Master (cf. Mark 5:30), but there are always new supplies of grace and vitality available from Him who knows not weariness. He who does not continue to receive strength from God will soon find himself in a position where he is unable to serve God. See DA 827.
One of the most magnificent sights of the wild is an eagle soaring in the sky, higher and higher, with seemingly little effort. Similarly, the child of God who draws his strength from above is enabled to go ever onward and upward, always reaching new heights of achievement (see Ps. 103:5).
Day after day it is the privilege of the Christian to go on from grace to grace and from victory to victory (see 1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 2:14; Ed 18; DA 679). Strength is added to strength, and progress is constant. Higher and still higher goals come into view, and eventually the Christian attains to “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).