Isaiah 40 - Printer Friendly

Here begins the second half of Isaiah's epic book. This milestone brings a complete change of tone and focus. The first half of Isaiah dealt mostly with God's judgment on Judah and on the nations. The second half focuses on God's comfort for His people and eventually describes the coming of the Messiah. The first half was set mostly during Isaiah's time and under the threat of the Assyrian Empire. The second half speaks to those living in Isaiah's future: God's people exiled in Babylon.

This chapter begins with the Lord commissioning Isaiah to comfort the people of Israel. This might have been targeted directly at the Jewish people living during the Babylonian exile (2 Chronicles 36:17–21). God announces that the times of hostility are over and the peoples' sins have been forgiven. This passage also makes a significant reference to a person—a "voice"—who declares that the Lord God is coming. This will be fulfilled through the life of John the Baptist, who calls for people to prepare for the coming of Jesus, the Messiah (Matthew 3:3). His glory will soon be revealed, and all humanity will witness it (Isaiah 40:1–5).

Next, the Lord tells Isaiah to remind the people that human life is temporary. People are compared to small plants which seem to grow quickly but wither away under hot winds, storms, or other causes. The imagery emphasizes the short, fragile nature of such things. In contrast, the Word of the Lord —His messages to the people—is timeless and invincible (Isaiah 40:6–8).

Though man's earthly existence is frail, God is coming to save His people. Jerusalem should bravely command Judah's other cities to take notice of God's work. All the Lord's power and loving care are arriving at once. Also arriving are the rewards God has in store for His faithful people. Like a shepherd who guides flocks, cares for their young, and provides for them (Psalm 23:1–3), so too will the Lord care for Israel (Isaiah 40:9–11).

Isaiah's declaration resembles God's answer in the book of Job (Job 38:1–7). God is the unique Creator of all things. No one needed to help Him. Who would have the knowledge to tell God something He did not already know? The Lord alone created and formed all the land and seas of the world. The nations the Israelites fear are nothing to God. Verse 15 is the origin of the common English expression, "a drop in the bucket," meaning something too small to make a difference. Such are the enemy nations who threaten Israel. The idea is further emphasized by comparing them to dust on a scale: they won't matter at all. An entire nation of wood and animal sacrifices would never be enough to properly honor Him (Isaiah 40:12–17).

This means that the Lord God of Israel cannot be compared to any other deity. This rejection also conflicts with Isaiah, which leads to the question of representation (Isaiah 40:18–20). If God is incomprehensible by nature, what image could capture His reality? The idol-makers of the surrounding nations had answers—craftsmen overlaid carved wood with gold, selecting quality material for permanence. Isaiah's point is not that the workmanship falls short. It is that the entire enterprise is theologically absurd. The God who measures the heavens in His palm cannot be contained in an object made by the creatures He created (Isaiah 40:18–20).

Creation itself testifies to God's transcendence. A Hebrew word used here describes God's viewpoint by referring to the horizon: the "circle" of the earth. This term is sometimes taken to mean "vault" in the sense of a "vaulted ceiling" or a large dome. As the eternal Creator, the Lord is not restricted by what He made. He existed before it and stands entirely apart from it. The God who speaks through Isaiah is not merely Israel's national deity. He is the maker and owner of everything that exists (Isaiah 40:21–22).

The most powerful rulers of the earth are nothing in comparison to the omnipotent Creator. Human lives are short and fragile, while God is everlasting and eternal. God can remove the greatest person from the world with no effort at all. They have only just taken root when He blows on them to make them wither away into nothingness. The passage then poses the ultimate challenge to any rival claim of power: against whom would you measure the Lord? This is the all-powerful and all-knowing God who not only made every star, but He also knows and sustains each one (Isaiah 40:23–26).

Isaiah then transitions into a well-known and well-loved portion of Scripture. Those who suffer sometimes fear that God doesn't know their circumstances. Or that He is wrongly failing to help. The response is a reminder that God is unchanging and sovereign over all things. All power ultimately comes from Him. Human effort will fail, but those who rely on the Lord will always be supported to do His will (Isaiah 40:27–31).