Isaiah Lesson 13 - Chapters 40-42 Our study of Isaiah - Chapters 40 through 42 Tips to understanding our scriptures. Those passages dealing with the first or second advents are printed in bold italics. Beginning with Chapter 40 Isaiah switches from the history of the last four chapters to the prophetic poetry of the rest of the Book. Isaiah 40-66 (probably written in Isaiah's last years during the reign of Manasseh - see footnote on Isaiah 57:5) seem to be one long continuous prophecy, quite unlike the earlier prophetic portion of Isaiah which was broken up into numerous short prophecies. Perhaps the reason is that this section of Isaiah really focuses in on the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In Chapters 40 through 42, a good deal of the difficulty is that both Advents of Christ are in view almost simultaneously. Both the witness of John the Baptist and the witness of the 144,000 are in view in chapter 40. In Chapter 41, to me, it is clearly speaking of Christ in His Second Advent. In Chapter 42, the servant is one who has the Spirit of God with Him, who comes in weakness. This is clearly Christ in His First Advent. Our study of Isaiah - Chapter 40 Tips to understanding the chapter. There are two voices heard in the chapter. The first concerns the first five verses and focus on the testimony of the forerunning witness of the First Advent, John the Baptist. The second voice concerns the testimony of the forerunning witnesses of the Second Advent, the 144,000, and is detailed in the next six verses. Then in verse twelve the chapter switches to contrast the majesty of God with the vanity of the idols Israel has turned to worship. It concludes with one of the great promises for our life on this earth. 1 / 18
Isaiah Chapter 40 The Coming Messiah Isaiah 40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 40:2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been [a] completed, [b] that her sin has been paid for, [c] that she has received from the LORD's hand double [d] for all her sins. 40:3 A voice of one calling: "In the desert A voice of one calling in the desert [e] "Prepare [f] the way for the LORD." Make straight in the wilderness a highway [g] for our God. [h] [i] 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. [j] 40:5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, [k] and all mankind together will see it. [l] For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." [m] 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. 40:7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 2 / 18
40:8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." [n] 40:9 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. [o] You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, [p] lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!" 40:10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. [q] See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 40:11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms [r] and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. [s] The Majesty of God versus the Vanity of the Idols Israel had turned to. Isaiah 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? 40:13 Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? 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? 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. 40:16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. [t] 40:17 Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. 3 / 18
[u] 40:18 To whom, then, will you compare God? [v] What image will you compare him to? 40:19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. 40:20 A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple. 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? 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. [w] 40:23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. 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. 40:25 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. [x] 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. 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"? [y] 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. [z] 40:29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 40:30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD [aa] will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; 4 / 18
[bb] they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. [cc] Our study of Isaiah - Chapter 41 Tips to understanding the chapter. It begins with a rebuke and warning to the world system and its willing clients and speaks of a coming judgment. It then turns to describing His righteous servant to whom He will give the task of conquest. Many commentaries claim that the "one stirred up from the East" is Cyrus, the ruler of the Medio-Persians, who arose 150 years after the time of Isaiah to defeat the Babylonians. It is true that Cyrus is mentioned by name in Chapters 44 and 45, but here I think the scripture is speaking of another who will come from the East, Jesus Christ. In Chapter 41, the "one from the East" who is raised up is spoken of as one who "treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay." This servant is one who "calls on my name"(isaiah 41:25). Cyrus, was never a believer (Isaiah 45:4). [dd] To me, it is clear that what is described in Chapter 41 is Armageddon and the return of Christ. Isaiah Chapter 41 Isaiah 41:1 "Be silent before me, you islands! [ee] Let the nations renew their strength! Let them come forward and speak; let us meet together at the place of judgment. [ff] 41:2 "Who [gg] has stirred up one from the east, [hh] calling him in righteousness to his service? [ii] He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with 5 / 18
his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow. 41:3 He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before. 41:4 Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? [jj] I, the LORD--with the first of them and with the last--i am he." [kk] 41:5 The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward; 41:6 each helps the other and says to his brother, "Be strong!" 41:7 The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer spurs on him who strikes the anvil. He says of the welding, "It is good." He nails down the idol so it will not topple. 41:8 "But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, [ll] 41:9 I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, You are my servant'; [mm] I have chosen you and have not rejected you. 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 41:11 "All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. 41:12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. 41:13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. 41:14 Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you," declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. 41:15 "See, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. 41:16 6 / 18
You will winnow them, the wind will pick them up, and a gale will blow them away. But you will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Israel. [nn] 41:17 "The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 41:18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. 41:19 I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, 41:20 so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it. 41:21 "Present your case," says the LORD. "Set forth your arguments," says Jacob's King. 41:22 "Bring in [your idols] to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, 41:23 tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear. 41:24 But you are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; he who chooses you is detestable. [oo] 41:25 "I have stirred up one from the north, and he comes-- one from the rising sun who calls on my name. [pp] He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay. [qq] 41:26 Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so we could say, He was right'? No one told of this, no one foretold it, no one heard any words from you. 41:27 I was the first to tell Zion, Look, here they [rr] are!' I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good tidings. [ss] 41:28 I look but there is no one-- no one among them [tt] 7 / 18
to give counsel, no one to give answer when I ask them. 41:29 See, they are all false! Their deeds amount to nothing; their images are but wind and confusion. [uu] Our study of Isaiah - Chapter 42 Tips to understanding the chapter. The chapter begins with a further explanation of the good tidings of Isaiah 41:27 which would be rejected in the day of John the Baptist and the First Advent of Christ. Isaiah Chapter 42 Isaiah 42:1 "Here is my servant, [vv] whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 42:2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 42:3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. [ww] In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; [xx] 42:4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope." 42:5 This is what God the LORD says-- he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and 8 / 18
life to those who walk on it: [yy] 42:6 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 42:7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. [zz] 42:8 "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give [aaa] my glory to another or my praise to idols. 42:9 See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." 42:10 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them. 42:11 Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar [bbb] lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela [ccc] sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops. 42:12 Let them give glory to the LORD and proclaim his praise in the islands. 42:13 The LORD will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies. 42:14 "For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant. [ddd] 42:15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands [eee] and dry up the pools. 42:16 I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. 42:17 But those who trust in idols, who say to images, You are our gods,' will be turned back in utter shame. 9 / 18
42:18 "Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! 42:19 Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? [fff] Who is blind like the one committed to me, blind like the servant of the LORD? 42:20 You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing." [ggg] The next section is equally a warning to the Israel of Isaiah's day as to the Israel of the future day. Isaiah 42:21 It pleased the LORD for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious. 42:22 But this is a people plundered and looted, all of them trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons. They have become plunder, with no one to rescue them; they have been made loot, with no one to say, "Send them back." 42:23 Which of you will listen to this or pay close attention in time to come? 42:24 Who handed Jacob over to become loot, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned? For they would not follow his ways; they did not obey his law. 42:25 So he poured out on them his burning anger, the violence of war. It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart. 10 / 18
Questions: 1. According to Isaiah 40:6-8, what should be our priority in life? 2. What does the first voice in Isaiah 40:3 concern? How do we know that? 3. What does the second voice in Isaiah 40:6 concern? Why do we suspect that? 4. How does Isaiah 40:10 indicate this is the Second Advent. 5. 30-31) Which passage in Isaiah 40 a one of the great promises of strength to believers? (verses 6. 10) Which verse in Isaiah 41 is one of the great promises of strength to believers? (verse 7. Why do we know that Isaiah 41 is not speaking about Cyrus? 8. Which Advent is Chapter 42 speaking about. Why do we know that? [a] Speaking in the prophetic past tense. That is, speaking of a future event as if it were past, because God sees the future as clearly as we see the past. [b] That is, the mission of Israel, which was to bring forth the Savior of Mankind and witness 11 / 18
His saving work. [c] This could only be speaking of the death of Christ on the cross. This brings the first advent into view. [d] This was an expression which meant that a debt was paid in full. There could be no question of interest or additional penalty. How could this be? No ordinary man could repay the debt. It was because God himself paid the debt as a man on behalf of Jerusalem and all mankind. [e] This is clearly talking about John the Baptist, not Elijah. Elijah will preach in Jerusalem as one of the two witnesses of Revelation 11:3. John the Baptist indeed always preached in the desert which was the Jordan River valley below the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 3:1, 11:7, Mark 1:4, John 3:3). [f] Remember, there are no punctuation marks in the Hebrew. This has also been translated, "A voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way for the LORD,'" which I prefer. [g] Ironically, John the Baptist baptized the Lord at the place that the main highway from the east crossed the Jordan River in the wilderness that is the south Jordan River valley. [h] See Isaiah 57:14 "And it will be said: Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.'" [i] Quoted in Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, John 1:23. There, the Gospels make it clear that this is speaking of John the Baptist. [j] This describes poetically the ministry of John the Baptist. He was to remove the obstacles that religion and the world had built between the minds of the people and the truth of God's plan 12 / 18
for His Messiah. [k] That is, in the person of Jesus Christ, not because of the power of God, but because of His love. [l] The Gospel is for all mankind. [m] From the mouth of the Lord is the word of God. Jesus is the Word of God. [n] Jesus is the living word. John 1:1. [o] Since these verbs are all in the feminine singular, this sounds like it is talking of Christ's bride the redeemed of Israel who will witness for Him in the last half of the Tribulation. Revelation 14:1 "Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads." [p] On Mt. Zion Jesus cried out "It is finished!" John 19:30. [q] This seems to speak of the second advent when Jesus will come with power, to rule. [r] Isaiah 11:12 "He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth." Zechariah 8:7-8 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.'" [s] Jesus was often compared to a shepherd. (Matthew 18:12, 26:31,Mark 6:34, John 13 / 18
10:1-16). [t] Only the sacrifice of God's Son was a true atonement. Animal sacrifices were merely an image. [u] That is, as offerings. [v] Considering all His characteristics, both compassion, love, and limitless power and knowledge in one. [w] Perhaps an indication of God's intention for us to inhabit the heavens (the universe). [x] God's prince and ruler, Jesus Christ. [y] This verse is the reason that the chapter begins with "Comfort my people." [z] These verses (12-28) bring attention to the incomparability of God's power and wisdom. Then in the next three verses God invites us to share His strength and wisdom. [aa] That is, hope in His promise of redemption, atonement, and salvation. [bb] Since the wings of eagles are a metaphor for the power and protection of God (Exodus 19:14, Deuteronomy 32:10-11), this is saying they will operate on God's power. [cc] Notice that this was a promise that applied to Old Testament saints. 14 / 18
[dd] Isaiah 45:4 "For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you (Cyrus) by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. " [ee] The terms "island," and "islands" appear 16 times in Isaiah, and one time in Ezekiel, but no other place in the Old Testament. Most places, it refers to Tyre and its colonies. Remember, that Tyre is often used as a metaphor for the worldly or Satanic point of view, or the people that live under such a system. In the New Testament it is applied to Malta, Crete, and Cypress. [ff] The final battle, popularly known as Armageddon. Isaiah 66:15-16 "See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the LORD will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the LORD." [gg] "Who" is the LORD. [hh] Jesus Christ will return from the east (Ezekiel 43:1-4, Malachi 4:2, Zechariah 14:4 ). [ii] The same is spoken of in Isaiah 42:6. There it is unarguably Jesus Christ. [jj] Since this is speaking of the Second Advent, this sounds like a description of the resurrected generations of Israel who make up the 144,000 witnesses. [kk] Revelation 1:17 "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.'" 15 / 18
[ll] Romans 4:13 "It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith." [mm] Here is a seeming paradox. The servant (singular) is called from all the corners of the world. This cannot apply to one person, or even to the nation Israel which it might be said was called from Egypt (in the beginning) or from Babylon (after the exile), but not from the four corners of the world. This paradox is resolved when we understand that when God sees those who have trusted in Him (from the four corners of the world), He doesn't see us, He sees His Servant Jesus Christ the true fulfillment of the name Israel (Prince of God). In other words, this verse teaches both positional truth, but also the inclusion of all the Gentiles who believe in Israel. [nn] In other words, they will not rejoice in the destruction of their enemies but in the fact that God's glory has been given to them. The same thought as Luke 10:20 "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." [oo] Detestable by God. [pp] Here are two directions that the promised one is to come from. The north and the east. How is this possible. Because he will come twice. First from Galilee at His first advent, and then from the rising sun at His second advent. (Zechariah 14:4 "On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem." [qq] The Lord uses governments as mortar to shape the history that is for His ends alone. [rr] "They" are the words of good tidings. [ss] John the Baptist. 16 / 18
[tt] The leaders of Jerusalem in Christ's day. [uu] A prophecy of the reception of the Gospel by the Jews at Christ's first advent. [vv] Clearly, Jesus Christ. [ww] In other words, he will not come at first in power and destruction, but in weakness and humility. [xx] Christ's victory will be won by His own faithfulness not by his power. [yy] This is an interesting statement. Here Jesus, the creator God, speaks of His future person, the God-Man Christ Jesus. [zz] Very similar to the prophecy that Jesus proclaimed was fulfilled with His coming in Luke 4:18-19: quoting Isaiah 61:1-2a "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor." [aaa] Better understood, "I will not allow my glory to be attributed to another." [bbb] Kedar - far to the south in Arabia. Kedar was one of the sons of Ishmael. See also Ezekiel 27:21. [ccc] A city of Moab or Edom. Thought by some to be the later site of Petra. 17 / 18
[ddd] In these two verses, there seems to be a vision of both Advents, the Birth of Christ, and His triumphant return. [eee] The Hebrew word yai here can mean "coasts," although the concept is applied to islands which are all coasts. Here it seems to mean that the rivers will no longer flow, but be broken up into lakes. [fff] 1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." [ggg] Isaiah 42:17-20 seems to be speaking of Israel as the one who is supposed to be the servant of the Lord, but has chosen to be blind and deaf. 18 / 18