Commentary on Isaiah 40:1-5, 25-26, 29-31 By L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. The International Bible Lesson (Uniform Sunday School Series) for December 5, 2010, is from Isaiah 40:1-5, 25-26, 29-31. [Included below for context: Isaiah 40: 27-28, which is not included in the official uniform lesson series.] Five Questions for Discussion follow the Bible Lesson Commentary. The International Bible Lessons can be read at: http://internationalbiblelessons.com/; new International Bible Lessons are also published each Saturday in The Oklahoman newspaper. Isaiah 40:1-5 1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. After the Jews received their just punishment from God for their idol worship, rebellion against God as their King, and blatant disregard for God s law, Isaiah foretold that God would comfort His people, for their time of punishment would come to an end. Today, believers stand amazed that God claims us as His people when we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty
2 is paid, that she has received from the Lord s hand double for all her sins. Just as in the days of old, God wants to comfort us when we suffer, either as just punishment for our sins or undeservedly at the hands of sinners. God sends His people to speak tenderly to us, just as He sent the prophet Isaiah to speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Sometimes God sends us to speak tenderly. The prophet Jeremiah foretold that the Jews would suffer 70 years in exile in Babylon after Jerusalem was destroyed. Isaiah foretold that after they had suffered what they justly deserved that God would comfort them. God fulfilled His promises when He raised up King Cyrus, the Persian, and he freed the Jews to return to Jerusalem. God is just. In His justice, they suffered what they deserved, double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries out: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. About 400 years of prophetic silence covers the history of the Jewish people between the last book of the Old Testament and the first book of the New Testament, until John the Baptist appeared to preach in the wilderness and prepare the way for the coming Jesus the Messiah. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. We want to aim our hearts directly toward God to prepare the way for Him to enter into our lives. John preached this message.
3 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. This description reminds us to confess our sins, turn from our sins, and ask for God s forgiveness; exactly as John the Baptist preached. Our sins might be as high as a mountain, and our sins can lead us into the depths of despair. Any disobedience can lead to the creation of rough places in our lives and relationships that will hinder our relationship with God and can bring great sadness to those with spiritual sensitivity. 5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. After we have done what God requires, God will make Himself known to us. Just as John the Baptist preached prophetically, Jesus revealed Himself as Lord and Savior to those who had made themselves ready by responding rightly to the preaching of John, who preached a preparation message. Many people saw Jesus, and He spoke to them during his public ministry. Today, believers in Jesus come to know Him and recognize the truth of His words in the Bible. Isaiah 40:25-26
4 25 To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. When we read the Old Testament, there is no idol that is equal to God, and God wins every contest against every idol and their priests, just as Elijah called down fire from heaven. Unlike false gods and the practices of those who worship them, God is morally pure or holy. If we compare the God of the Bible to the idols and false gods of today, the God of the Bible and the life and ministry of Jesus the Son of God remains far superior to any of them in holiness and power. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. Isaiah encourages us to look up at the stars and remember that God created the heavenly host. Speaking poetically, Isaiah says that the stars come out and shine when God calls them by name and brings them out in great numbers on a starry night. Many of God s attributes are listed in this verse. Isaiah s words emphasize the strength and power of God who as the Creator of all will comfort us personally and meet our individual needs, by name, just as every star has a name and God calls them to shine by name. Though we cannot see and number all of them (and astronomers seem to find new stars
5 often), God knows the number of stars in the heavens, and keeps count when a star dies or a new star is created. Isaiah 40:27-28 [not included, but here for context] 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God? Not all of the Jews recognized that they were suffering just punishment for their sins, and that God had told them in advance through the Law of Moses and the prophets that He would punish them (as He was doing) if they broke His law and practiced what the nations did in the Promised Land before He destroyed them and helped the Jews establish themselves in the land. They thought God did not see them suffering. Some thought God was unjust. Some thought God was disregarding their rights as the children of God. In the following verses, God responds to their complaint. 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. Isaiah continues to encourage them by telling them about God s attributes. God is everlasting, so he has
6 not passed out of existence. God is the creator of the Earth from end to end, speaking poetically. God is not like a human being in the sense that God will never faint or grow weary. God will never let us down because He has fainted in a distressing situation. God will never be unable to help us because He has grown weary; for, as Isaiah said, God is great in strength and mighty in power. If we are suffering, we might not understand why; but God understands why and his understanding is unsearchable. We can pray, and He will explain, when He knows we are ready to understand more of His ways. The first place to go for understanding is always the Bible. Isaiah 40:29-31 29 He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Because of who God is, with all of the attributes Isaiah has listed and more, God is capable of giving us power. We may faint because we are in distress, but God will not faint and He will give us power. We may feel powerless in a situation; if so, we can pray, because God strengthens the powerless. We may feel faint before we need to do something for God; such as, teach a Bible class or counsel someone in need. We can remember that after our prayers for help, God s power will get us through somehow (but not always exactly as we expected).
7 30 Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; We associate strength and vitality with young people. Young men in battle or shortly afterward will often feel faint and be weary. It is obvious that we can become weary after serving the Lord without rest or in arduous and trying circumstances. No matter what our physical makeup or age, there will be times when we are exhausted. These are special times when we should call upon the Lord for help, because He has promised to help us and He never fails to keep His promises. 31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. God promises us that if we trust in and rely on Him then He will renew our strength. Often we will need to wait patiently, knowing the needed strength will be given, perhaps after a long rest (as God helped Elijah rest and fed him). God will lift us up so we will be able to serve Him once again and not be weary until the task is done up to that moment in time. We may not run, but perhaps we can walk in serving God, and not faint or quit before our work for God is done.
8 Five Questions for Discussion 1. How might Isaiah s words comfort those who heard them before their time of exile and the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple? How might they comfort the Jews later, after they were led into exile and began suffering? How might they bring comfort and encouragement after they learned Cyrus the Great had freed them to return to Jerusalem? 2. What do you feel comforting about these words from Isaiah? How can different situations make the Bible s teaching and God s promises more meaningful to us and others? 3. These words of Isaiah especially helped those who returned to Jerusalem after their exile. How did John the Baptist s preaching fulfill a second time these words of Isaiah? Why was John s preaching important? 4. Why does Isaiah list some of God s attributes? Compare and contrast the attributes Isaiah mentions with the idols of the Old Testament and the false gods some people worship today? Prepare yourself to be ready to share the difference the true God makes, for you may be given the opportunity to do so. 5. Did the verses that were omitted in the official Bible lesson, but included in this commentary, aid your understanding of the Bible lesson? In what ways can
9 you apply the Bible lesson to your needs, mentally, physically, and spiritually? Pray for someone that may need the comfort and encouragement of these words from Isaiah, and pray for the people who will comfort them. Copyright 2010 by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr. Permission Granted for Not for Profit Use.