Isaiah: Merciful & Mighty

Isaiah 40:1-11; Week 2

Good morning. We are in our 2nd week, looking at the book of Isaiah. Last week, we went through Isaiah 1: 1-20; we talked about God being displeased with the people of Judah…remember, after Israel's split, Judah was the southern Jewish state, while Israel was in the North. Judah had made some alliances with the very people who conquered the Northern kingdom…and God was not pleased with this, at all. As a result, God compares the people of Judah to Sodom and Gomorrah. He told them that they have blood on their hands, and that he will no longer listen to their prayers. God tell His people that if they are willing and obedient, He will bless them, but if they refuse and rebel, they will be cut off from God’s best for them.

If you recall, last week I told you that Isaiah is divided up into 2 major sections. Chapters 1-39 and 40-66. Much of the 1st section focuses on God’s judgment of Israel and Judah, while the 2nd section, chapters 40-66, focus on God’s provision for Israel and the coming Messiah. Today, we are going to examine Isaiah 40:1-11. Chapter 40 is the very beginning of the 2nd major section in Isaiah. What we will notice is that Isaiah’s tone changes quite significantly.

PRAY!

If one were to pick up and Bible and read Isaiah chapter 40 without any contextual knowledge, the words and phrases written by the prophet can be difficult to understand. We really do not see that too much in the N.T., as most of them were letters, written to a specific audience. Isaiah was written to millions of people and is more poetic in nature. In fact, Isaiah chapter 40 is very much poetic in it’s structure…meaning, it is written like a poem, similar to the book of Psalms. One of the things that can make this type of writing difficult to understand, is that the writer uses a lot of metaphor’s and analogies…similar to how Jesus spoke in parables…sometimes the actual meaning is veiled behind a cultural reference or something we do not understand nowadays. I’ll give you an example, before we turn to Isaiah.

Matthew 8:21–22 ““Lord,” another of his disciples said, “first let me go bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.””

If we do not know the customs of the 1st Century Jews, this can seem almost cruel…after all, how long does it take to bury someone? Jewish custom was that a person gets buried within 24 hours of their death. The reason for this is because they had no embalming methods, and after a person had passed away, in the hot middle east sun, you wouldn’t want to wait more than that. Anyway, because of this, if in fact his father had died, it would have been less than 1 day previous. Every single source I could find…people I agree with, generally, and those I generally disagree with all said the same thing…it’s more than likely that this man’s father was still alive…but was old and perhaps ready to die. The reason that this is a common thought is because the particular phrase the guy says. When the man says, let me go bury my father, It does not indicate a brief period of time. Of course, this completely changes our perception of this passage. More than likely, this guy wanted to make sure he was around to get the inheritance.

By Jesus saying: Let the dead bury the dead…he is speaking spiritually…let those who are dead spiritually deal with matters such as that, you need to follow me.

So, that is an example of how we can sometime get confused by something the biblical authors write. This is why I am so big on understanding context…and why I push it so much.

Now let’s go ahead and turn to Isaiah chapter 40. We are going to be breaking these 11 passages into smaller sections, into 4 sections: vs. 1-2; 3-5; 6-8 and 9-11.

Between chapters 1 and 40, the Lord goes back and forth between pronouncing judgment on Judah, to reassuring Judah of his love for her. Then, starting in chapter 36, we read about God doing some amazing things and saving Hezekiah’s life, as he had gotten very sick and was dying. Not only that, but in chapter 36 and 37, the Assyrian king actually attacked Judah, but God ended up delivering his people in spectacular fashion....it’s a great story, which deserves a read.. I’ll read you just one quick excerpt

Isaiah 37:36–38 “Then the angel of the Lord went out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and left. He returned home and lived in Nineveh. One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. Then his son Esar-haddon became king in his place.”

Then, in chapter 39, right before our chapter, Hezekiah makes a huge mistake and Isaiah prophesies that one day, Babylon will defeat Judah and carry them off. That is how chapter 39 ends…which again, is the end of the 1st “section.’ Then as chapter 40 begins, we see a change in tone. Instead of pronouncing judgment upon Judah, the Lord begins to speak through Isaiah a comforting message of restoration.

Isaiah 40:1–2 ““Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and announce to her that her time of hard service is over, her iniquity has been pardoned, and she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.””

As I was reading these first few verses, the tone remind me of a love letter, almost. God is saying that the people of Israel have paid for their disobedience and are now being reconciled to the Lord, once again. We can find similar wording by the prophet Hosea when the Lord was speaking about forgiving Israel for their sin:

Hosea 2:14 “Therefore, I am going to persuade her, lead her to the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her.”

In fact, the context of this passage has to do with God accusing Israel of committing adultery against him. He is saying that He will pursue his bride and convince her to come back.

Here in Isaiah ch. 40, the Lord is speaking to the children of Israel, in order to comfort them. The idea of comfort indicates a motherly or fatherly love to their children. This is very fitting, as in the book of Isaiah, God will often refer to Israel as His daughter. Isaiah points out 3 things in verses 1 and 2…or 3 reasons that the people should be comforted. 1. Their hard service; 2. Their iniquity is pardoned;3. Double for their trouble.

1. Their hard service is over

The NASB says: “that their warfare has ended.” The Hebrew phrase used here “hard service,” is actually a military term, used to describe a soldier who had been sent to a war zone…that is why the NASB translates it a bit better, in this case. Because of their sin, the people of Judah had been suffering at the hands of a foreign power, forced to leave their land and submit to an ungodly king. God tells the people to take comfort, as their time away is coming to an end.

2. Their iniquity has been pardoned

I do not think anyone could make the claim that God was too easy on the people of Israel. It is for sure that God was and is patient. He gave Israel every chance to make things right. He sent prophets their way to warn them…guys like Isaiah. Typically, they were a lot like we are…we don’t listen. Danger can be staring us right in the face, and we are just whistling through the forest, while a lion is stalking us from the shadows. Once God acted though, it was normally pretty severe. That said, when God decided to restore His people, His grace and love was just as severe…except in a good way, instead of bad.

3.Has received double from the Lord

The actual verse reads: she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. Admittedly, this is a kind of weird sounding statement. Pretty much all of the translations that claim to be literal (NASB, NIV, KJV) all word the passage pretty much the same:

That she hath received from the hand of Jehovah Double for all her sins

This what make this passage so interesting, as this is one of the rare instances in scripture where the literal translations get it wrong and the paraphrase versions get it right. The reason for this is because the word “double” in Hebrew means something different than what it means in English. The Living Bible translates this verse as:

and I have punished her in full for all her sins.

Wait a second, that sounds a lot different than the one from before, where the people recieved, from the Lord’s hand, double for all of her sins. Instead, the living bible says they have been punished in full, for her sins. Well, the reason that the Living Bible is more accurate, in this case is because of what the word “double” actually means. In ancient Israel, when someone said a person received double, it meant that the person recieved the full portion due to them. The best English word is actually the word

equivalent

a person or thing that is equal to or corresponds with another in value, amount, function, meaning, etc.

Israel’s mousaid is the equivalent of the US Navy Seals; Israel recieved punishment equivalent to her sins or in equal measure.

All of that to say, what the Lord is saying here is that Israel can now be comforted, as their hard service is over, their sins have been pardoned, their bill has been paid in full…Israel paid to the Lord what they owed…in full. Let’s keep moving on to verses 3-5

Isaiah 40:3–5 “A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain. And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all humanity together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Verse 3 may sound familiar to some of you, as all 4 gospel writers quote it.

Mark 1:2–3 “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight!”

Luke 3:4–6 “as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight! Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low; the crooked will become straight, the rough ways smooth, and everyone will see the salvation of God.”

All of the gospel writers, as well as Jesus, attributed this passage in Isaiah to John the Baptist. What is it about John the Baptist that fits this prophecy? Why are Isaiah’s words about him? Scripture says that J TB preached "a baptism of repentance, and was sent, in order to get the people ready for Christ. J T B was like a plow in a snowstorm…clearing the way, in order that Christ arrive and declare that He is Lord of all. Did J T B have a full picture of what his mission was about? We aren’t sure, but we do know that he was aware of who Christ was…as John did not think himself worthy enough to baptise the Lord.

With all of that said, we now know that (at least ) this section of chapter 40 is about smoothing out the way, so that the messiah can arrive. Isaiah uses the metaphor of building a smooth and straight road…something that most of us can understand. Isaiah mentions 4 things that are done in order to straighten the road:

Valleys are lifted up

Mountains and hill leveled

uneven ground smooth

Rough places are made like a plain.

I’ve read some things that will take these 4 things and link them to certain ideas. For example, the valleys represent depression, while the mountains represent pride, the uneven ground represents anxiety, and the rough ground represents fear…that we must smooth out those things. I suppose that is fine…but I’m not sure that is what Isaiah is refering to…but, then again, he might be.

Now, we understand today that these passages are about Christ, but the people (back then) would not know that....so, we have to think about how ancient Israel would have looked at these passages and what, to the best of their understanding, thought that it meant. Think back to the purpose of these passages…God is comforting the people, as they have been captive and in exile for around 70 years…give or take. The Lord then delivers them from their oppressor and they are able to go back to their homeland. After all, one of the major consequences Israel faced was being torn from their land. Isaiah is saying....make smooth the road, because the glory of the Lord is going to appear. In the Old Testament, hundreds of years before the events in Isaiah...Israel entered into the promised land. Once that happened there was only one location that the glory of God was manifest was the holy of holies…in the temple.

Leviticus 16:2 “The Lord said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron that he may not come whenever he wants into the holy place behind the curtain in front of the mercy seat on the ark or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.”

Once a year, on Yom Kippur, or, the day of atonement, the high priest was permitted to enter the holy of holies. While in the room the priest first atoned for his own sin, then atoned for the sin of the people of Israel. This room was separated from the rest of the temple by a heavy veil or a thick and heavy drape. This is where the Lord would appear. Well, if the Lord was going to appear in the Temple, that means that the people of Israel had to get back to Jerusalem…meaning, they had to leave Babylon (where they were in exile and make the journey back to Judah.

Photo of Babylon to Jerusalem

This journey would have been through the desert, full of mountains and dangerous valleys…the ground would have been full of thorns and thickets and would have been very tough to walk in certain places:

make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain.

for the ancient Israelites, these words would have been more about their journey back to Jerusalem…where they are making a way through the desert for the Lord, so His glory can, once again, shine in the Temple. Imagine how the Israelites were probably equal parts excited and terrified on their way back, after the exile in Babylon…God has spoken loving words of comfort, but what will it be like back in Jerusalem? Have other people moved in? Is is all destroyed, how much will they have to rebuild. All of these questions were, no doubt, heavy on their minds.

Now, we’ve got to move forward quickly here,

Isaiah 40:6–8 “A voice was saying, “Cry out!” Another said, “What should I cry out?” “All humanity is grass, and all its goodness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flowers fade when the breath of the Lord blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.””

As the Lord continues to speak comfort and restoration through Isaiah, to the people of Israel, the metaphor of clearing the road for the Lord gives way to a comparison of the temporal, or temporary verses the eternal. God is comparing thing that will last forever, verses the things that fade away. This is a common theme in scripture, especially in the New Testament. In fact, in the book of 1st peter, the writer quotes this verse, bringing it to complete fulfillment:

1 Peter 1:23–25 “because you have been born again—not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God. For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.”

When I say that something in the O.T is brought to fulfillment in the N.T., similar to the passages we’ve covered today…that means that what the original writer spoke about…like here in Isaiah, where the prophet talks about the word of God living forever, or to make a path for the Lord….the N.T. writers then fill in the missing details. For example, making a straight path for the Lord means that J T B was to prepare the people for the messiah, while the eternal word of God is actually the good news, the gospel.

As I mentioned before, in Isaiah 6-8 the prophet is comparing the temporary verses the eternal. For the children of Israel, this probably spoke to their captivity in Babylon….that as bad as things may get, only God and his word last forever. Even when we are at our absolute worst, whether that is a result of our own sin, or it is an attack of the enemy, regardless of how bad it may be, it will not last. Isaiah says that just as the flower fades, so to does everything around us…only God’s word lasts. We see this idea used by Paul in 2 Cor. as well.

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 “For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Let’s go ahead and look at our last 3 passages.

Isaiah 40:9–11 “Zion, herald of good news, go up on a high mountain. Jerusalem, herald of good news, raise your voice loudly. Raise it, do not be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Lord God comes with strength, and his power establishes his rule. His wages are with him, and his reward accompanies him. He protects his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in the fold of his garment. He gently leads those that are nursing.”

In these last 3 passages we see a couple of different ideas, each of which relate back to the previous proclamations of comfort and peace for the people of Israel. Isaiah calls Jerusalem a herald of good news. This can be somewhat confusing if you are not aware of certain practices of the ancient middle east. Throughout history, from back in the ancient Middle East, all of the way up to the 18 or 19th century, towns would employ a

Town Crier/Town Herald.

These people were given the task of going into a number of town and delivering the national news…otherwise known as, what those in charge wanted you to know. Up until the 18th century, the majority of the population could not read or write…once the printing press was invented and newspapers were published, people began learning. Another way that the town heralds were used were by army commanders. If you recall, last week, in Isaiah chapter 1, after the Assyrian king captured a number of cities in Judah, the commander sent people to try and negotiate with Hezekiah. This would have typically been a herald…someone that would go in and read a treaty or conditions for surrender. In fact, the Living Bible translates verse 9:

9 O crier of good news, shout to Jerusalem from the mountaintops! (TLB)

Well, here in verses 9 and 10, Isaiah is saying that the city of Jerusalem is the herald, that the herald should lift up their voice and announce that the Lord, strong and mighty has come and is about to establish His rule. Not only that, but the Lord is coming with a reward and will protect those who trust in Him.

The phrase “His wages are with him, and his reward accompanies him” is a tad bit confusing. The NIV says:

See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. (NIV)

even this is somewhat confusing, especially if you do not know what recompense is.

See, his reward is with him, to each as he has done. (TLB)

In other words, as I mentioned a moment ago, the Lord is coming to town and will reward those who follow.

Lastly, Isaiah uses the very familiar imagery of the shepherd protecting the lambs and sheep.

He protects his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in the fold of his garment. He gently leads those that are nursing.”

Remember, the Lord is comforting the people of Israel, bringing them out of captivity…they are preparing a path for the Lord, as His armies are marching toward Jerusalem, who announces that the Lord is coming and that all who follow will be rewarded and protected, like the shepherd protects the vulnerable lambs…especially the most vulnerable…those who are still nursing. Of course, this probably reminds you of another famous passage that talks about the Lord being our shepherd…and protecting us while on a journey through the valley of the shadow of death.

Psalm 23:1–4 “The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.”

Of course, we know today that Isaiah was prophesying about the eventual Messiah. In the book of John, Jesus refereed to himself as the great shepherd.

John 10:11 ““I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

John 10:27–28 “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Even though Israel had rebelled against the Lord, the Lord declares that their penance is over; their punishment is complete and are now being reconciled to Him. Imagine how welcome these words would have been to the people of Israel! Estranged from their land and forced to do the bidding of a pagan King. Yet, the Lord is gracious and merciful.

Let’s finish up by applying these passages to our lives.

Just as these passages were a comfort to the people of Israel, today we can look at Isaiah chapter 40 through the lens of the New Testament. We can see that 800 years prior to Christ arriving on the Earth, Isaiah was pointing his readers to Christ…the great shepherd. It is for sure that a portion of the Old Testament focuses on the sin of Israel and the resulting consequences. Just as a portion of the N.T. focuses on the consequences of living a life outside of God’s will. Some people seem to become so overly focused on sin and judgment…I can understand that tendency…well meaning churches and pastor feel as though they need to overcompensate, as much of the church today only shares half of the gospel…even then, it often comes across as more self-help and I can do anything if I just want it bad enough.

The truth is though, that in order to truly appreciate the love and protection of the great shepherd, you must first realize how badly you need the love and protection of the shepherd. We do not need to submit out lives to christ, simply because we are upset at our circumstances or are depressed or we didn’t get what we want…we need the love and protection of the shepherd because we are totally lost without Him. Once we realize that, then we are able to appreciate the richness of the love of the Father for His children. Israel stands as a great example for us today because they represent the natural tendency of all of us…to stray from the path that God as laid out before us. I want to quickly look at 2 ideas from Isaiah 40, as they relate to us today.

The Comforter

We will not spend but a moment on these, but I think they are some great takeaways for us today. Back in verse 1, the Lord says:

Isaiah 40:1 ““Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God.”

The Lord seek to comfort those who are pressed on all sides. Remember though, Israel was in that bad situation because of their sin…yet, the Lord seeks to comfort them, once their consequence was over. This is one of the major difference between O.T. Israel and us today…not the fact that God lends his comfort, but the fact that the spiritual consequences of our sin has been paid for by Christ. After all, Isaiah is pointing to a time where the Messiah will come and declare His people holy and righteous…not because they are, but because He is. Most of us are familiar with this, but right before Christ left the earth, he told his disciple that he must go, in order for the ultimate comforter to arrive.

John 14:26 “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.”

Many translations say “but the comforter.” In other words, the Holy Spirit is the one who brings comfort to all who belong to Christ. Not only that, be we, also, are called to be a comfort to those around us.

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

Notice here what Paul tells the Corinthians…as to why God gives us comfort…so that we may be a comfort to others. If you haven't noticed, there is a common theme in the N.T that says all of the blessings and gifts that we receive…including the good news of the gospel, that we get them so we can share them with others…not so we can horde them and live selfishly. In fact, the more we truly understand the early church and the gospel, the more we understand why Jesus said that the greatest command was to love God and love your neighbor....we love God, in large part, by loving our neighbor (unless we live on a dessert island somewhere.

2. The Herald

Not only did God speak comfort over the people, but he also said that their city, Jerusalem would be a herald unto all people. Later on in the book of Isaiah, the prophet says:

Isaiah 52:7 “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!””

This is very similar wording to Isaiah chapter 40…Today, we are supposed to be that herald. The one who brings good news and comfort to our fellow Christians, but also to those who do not know the Lord. We are to proclaim salvation to those in our circles of influence…meaning, those who surround us on a daily basis. You and I are the heralds of the good news. The prophet Nahum proclaims something similar

Nahum 1:15 “Look to the mountains— the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace. Celebrate your festivals, Judah; fulfill your vows. For the wicked one will never again march through you; he will be entirely wiped out.”

Last passage for today is from the apostle Paul, who, outside of Christ is the ultimate herald of the good news. Paul knew something about bringing the good news of Chris to people. He uses the book of Isaiah and Nahum to remind people of their calling to be a herald:

Romans 10:14–15

“How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”

We must be intentional in being the herald of the Lord. So many of us struggle with fear, anxiety and depression…it is a national epidemic. Not only that, but we have become a very insular people…meaning, we like to live our own life and not deal with other people. The more inward focused we are, the less we bring comfort to others by sharing the hope that we have. As I’ve said before, we do not always have to quote scripture at people…often it’s more about our demenour and attitude. Do we have a sour disposition and are always complaining about something…that is the opposite of how scripture describes the herald of the Lord.

Our challenge this week is to be an effective herald…to proclaim life and comfort over others, just like the Lord speaks over our lives.

Let’s Pray