Comfort to the exiled

Text

Isaiah 40:1–11 NKJV

1 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. 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.” 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. 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; 5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 6 The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” 9 O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” 10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 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.

Preface

Chapter 39 of Isaiah ends in judgment.

The book up until now has been an indictment of the sins of the people of God.

The primary one is a failure to trust in God. Instead Ahaz makes a treaty with Assyria to protect himself from the alliance of Israel and the Arameans. (chapter 7)

Since Ahab refuses a sign, Isaiah is given a vision of the future - he looks forward and sees Mary in Bethlehem, giving birth to one who is both God and man.

He is Immanuel. God with us.

God will bring judgment on Judah. His people will go into exile. Nothing unclean can dwell in Immanuel’s land. It is holy.

So Judah is cast out of it. They refuse the water of life and are swept away by the river.

Dating

Isaiah had an unusually long career, spanning many decades. He was, according to tradition, sawn in half by Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah. (see Hebrews 11)

Towards the end of his career, he sees Jerusalem led away into exile - not by Assyria, but by Babylon. A “far country” that posed no threat to Jerusalem, as far as Hezekiah was concerned. Hezekiah foolishly boasts of his treasure, and Babylon takes note.

Isaiah sees Babylon in the first 39 chapters. And it is 100 years in advance.

You could describe these chapters as “the tower of Babel, expanded.”

And just as Babel is contrasted with the city whose builder and maker is God, so also Babylon is now contrasted with the New Heavens and the New Earth, whose builder and maker is God.

Babylon builds with the bricks and mortar of the world, with all of the enslavement and terror that involves. Babylon becomes a symbol of the kingdoms of this world, those kingdoms who exalt themselves above God, amass power to themselves and threaten God’s people (Revelation 18)

They are beautiful, musical, with dancing and wine and lights and gardens - but underneath is vanity, emptiness, debauchery, oppression.

Sexual “freedom” always ends up enslaving those at the bottom of the hierarchy.

Patriarchy only benefits those at the top. Someone has to make the bricks.

Judah had lusted after the other nations. They wanted to be just like the rest of the world.

So God will grant them what they wish.

They will be destroyed, crushed, and led to captivity - just like the rest of the world.

Comfort

Using this historical setting as a backdrop, Isaiah now points us to Christ.

At first glance, it appears as if Isaiah is speaking about the return from exile, which will happen after the years of captivity are fulfilled.

But he is pointing to something far greater - deliverance from the bondage of sin and the power of the devil. The re-creation of all things and the gathering of the people of God in the new heavens and the new earth.

So it begins with a word of “comfort”

According to Hosea, God cuts off his people when they go into exile. He says, “You will no longer be my people, and I will no longer be your God.”

This is the result of the broken covenant. This language was first introduced to the nation in Egypt. You are my people, and I am your God. “Let my people go!”

It means something to be the people of God. Remember Exodus - the glory of the Lord seen in the cloud and in the fire, that went with Israel. When Israel rejected the Lord and worshiped the calves, God threatened to take his presence away. His glory would depart.

But Moses made intercession

Now, however, the glory has departed. Chapter 39 ends with Isaiah seeing the exile. The glory departs. Hosea says to Israel - you are no longer my people.

This is what exile means. Isaiah saw the northern kingdom go into exile. And now, he sees the vision of the same thing with the southern kingdom.

But now - comfort!

The first part to note is the language:

Comfort ye, my people. Says your God.

Now, Isaiah is seeing the covenant relationship restored. He is seeing what Peter saw with his own eyes

1 Peter 2:9–10 NKJV

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

I am hoping to show you that Isaiah is pointing towards something greater than simply the return from exile.

The voice, here mentioned three times, points to John the Baptist

Mark 1:1–4 NKJV

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” 3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ” 4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

And Mark calls this announcement the beginning of the gospel.

That is this voice. It is calling out, a calling out one calling out - the repetition is emphatic.

In Isaiah, it is anonymous. In these 11 verses, there are three messages that the voice is called to give - all of them, messages of comfort.

In verse 2 - the message is to the heart of Jerusalem. He speaks words of invitation and warmth - wrapped up cozy, and safe. The creator of heaven and earth is wooing his people.

This is the gospel - the good news. The proclamation of the king that the warfare has ended. The atonement has been made. God is reconciled to his people.

Three messages

Here are the three messages of comfort:

Verse 3 - the anonymous voice. God is coming to redeem his people, and he again will dwell with them and be their God. His glory will be revealed to the world.

Verse 6 - The anonymous voice: Flesh is grass. Nothing will stop God from fulfilling his promise. No threats or schemes or conspiracies will stop God’s word. God’s word will come to pass, for it is identical to God himself. God is one. His word, his strength, his wisdom, his decree are all one. Here God, his spirit, and his word will fulfill all of his good pleasure. Again, the theme of faith, which Ahaz failed

Verse 9 - the anonymous voice speaking to Zion. The shepherd king is coming with healing, compassion, wisdom, to feed his flock. Zion will again be inhabited by The Lord Himself. Immanuel.

This is partially fulfilled when Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.

But the glory of the Lord does not descend then. There is so much left undone.

The kingdom of God is so much greater than an earthly city.

God’s intention, his plan of comfort and redemption, is not simply building a better Babylon.

The conquering hero conquers by offering himself as the sacrifice for sin. This is the “double payment” referred to in verse 1.

Either - the payment is the exact due of justice.

OR - the payment is double what is owed

OR - two-sided, like a paper folded over. That God’s purposes are not fully seen until revealed.

The voice is speaking to the church - it is the message of every minister of the gospel. Since the gospel declares this to be the “beginning of the gospel” the message is relevant and proclaimed to all until Jesus comes again.

The kingdom was inaugurated when the virgin conceived. He conquered on the cross and rose victoriously over death. He ascended and is ruling all things for his purposes.

And his people, are already and not yet redeemed. We are His People, delivered from sin, from death unto life. But we are still in exile in Babylon waiting his return. So these promises and these instructions are to each of us.