October 17, Isaiah 40
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her thather warfare is ended, that her iniquity is
pardoned, that she has received from the
LORD's hand double for all her sins.
- Isaiah 40:1-2
The Bible is composed of 66 books, and the book of Isaiah has 66 chapters. Genesis through Malachi (the Old Testament) make up the first 39 books of the Bible. Then Matthew through Revelation (the New Testament) are books 40 through 66. Isaiah is similarly structured, with Chapter 40 beginning new assurances and messages of hope for God's people after the judgment-heavy first 39 chapters. Yes, there are glimpses and promises of grace in the first part, and reminders of God's calls to repentance and holy living in the second. But the striking change of tone from
Isaiah 39 (judgment) to 40 (comfort) always reminds me of the fresh winds of hope, peace and life that blow through the New Testament in contrast to the Old.
Judah, like her sister Israel before her, refused to listen to the stern warnings and impassioned calls to repentance God sent them through the prophets. So Judah suffered the strong discipline of being conquered and carried away into captivity by the Babylonians. After their beloved Jerusalem (including their temple) had been destroyed, God sent them words of comfort and promise to encourage them. The Lord instructed his messenger to comfort his people, and assure them that his divine wrath had passed.
Perhaps the reason Chapter 40 reminds us so much of the New Testament is that every one of Chapter 40's verses are quoted, referenced or related to major doctrines in the New Testament. A good example is the prophecy about "the voice of one crying in the wilderness." All four gospel writers quote these words and apply them to Messiah's forerunner, John the Baptist. The hope of Israel's faithful remnant focused on the promise that Messiah would be born through Abraham's descendants.
John's wilderness cry announced to the nation that the long-awaited One had come. Our hope centers in the fact that Jesus came to save us and that he is coming again for his people to be with him forever. The gospels, the book of Acts and the epistles contain dozens of quotes from Isaiah. James, Peter, Paul and the author of Hebrews all quote from Isaiah 40 in their epistles.
Isaiah stressed that God is greater than any idol or any nation. God made everything, but the idols are made by their own worshipers. All the nations are nothing and emptiness compared to God.
God is not only a God of wrath against evildoers. He is compassionate and kind to his people. He is the mighty Creator and Lord of all the universe. But he is also a gentle shepherd. He protects, feeds and supports them. He carries lambs close to his heart, and gently leads his young sheep.
Do Isaiah's descriptions of God in this chapter stir your heart? I encourage you to read them again, ponder them, savor them. Feel the awe of his mighty power. Rejoice in his great love and gentleness toward his people. Know that he will strengthen you and me, not only to soar like eagles and run without weariness. He will also bless us to be faithful and not faint in our daily walk with him.
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—October 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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