Isaiah 40:1-11
1
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
3
A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
5
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6
A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7
The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass.
8
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
9
You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”
10
See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
11
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
This is the word of the Lord.
Horatio Spafford was an influential lawyer in the 1800’s. He had wealth, a family and security. in the Chicago fire of 1871 he was ruined financially as the fire destroyed his properties. In a bid to seek work elsewhere he decided to journey to Europe. He sent his wife and 4 daughters ahead of him on a ship. The ship collided with another vessel along the Atlantic and sank. All four of his daughters perished. His wife sent him the infamous telegraph ‘saved alone..’ As Spafford travelled to meet his grieving wife he was inspired to write this iconic hymn “When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know. It is well, it is well with my soul.” In the face of such grief and sorrow Spafford had an even stronger hope in our Lord.
This passage in Isaiah is a wonderful message of certain hope and comfort. The Lord is providing a promise of hope for His broken-hearted people of Judah. We can see this theme of certainty for God’s people throughout all 11 verses. Look at verse 1 God says, ‘my people’ and ‘your God’. Though their unbelief and sin has brought them low, causing them to distance themselves from their Lord, bringing trouble and destruction as weighty consequences, we see His love. Despite the evil in our world God is still trying to reach us.
Evil can try and do its work but in spite of this God is still building His highway within history. God still identifies with His people, revealing His steadfast character and abounding grace for the fallen. We have a hope in our God, he is not fickle minded or wavering. He is certain, he is sure and he is unchanging. We see this love for His people reiterated again in verse 2 as God ‘speaks tenderly’ to Jerusalem (to His people). He wants to win back their hearts and devotion for Him and His word. He is pursuing them in love, blessing them with a secure hope for the future.
We reach this well known portion of Scripture in Verse 3, “A voice of one calling: In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord”. We hear this voice again in the New Testament in Luke 3:4. John the Baptist fulfils this prophesy as he says, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord.” This is the voice of announcement and preparation of the hope to come. John the Baptist was a forerunner, speaking of Christs coming. Isaiah is all about this hope we have, this hope in Christs coming to save the lost. As we move onto verse 4 we can see it uses very poetic language and this is significant for us. It has a double meaning, it firstly reflects the rough terrain as if you were approaching Jerusalem from the East. However, It also reflects the deep personal repentance and social reform of our characters as we encounter Christ, remaking the world as a place fit for the coming King.
Verse 5 describes the Lord’s glory being revealed (or seen) as God leads his people. We are told ‘all the people will see it’.
This glory revealed (Jesus Christ) will not be a private viewing for only the elite to see, but in front of the entire world. Every single person will encounter this glory causing some of us to triumphantly rejoice and some of us wanting to hide our faces away. From this promise of God’s presence in His son Jesus Christ, flows all of God’s gracious promises, and from this divine purpose flows the whole of history.
The fulfilment of this comforting promise does not depend on favourable trends in our climate, politics, or culture but only on the promise of God himself, “for the mount of the Lord has spoken.” This assurance in Christ is seen again and again throughout the passage. We are told the word of our Lord endures forever. This promise doesn’t have an expiry date, it’s not something that is redeemable only for a period of time. What comfort we have in a promise that lasts an eternity. There is a good God and He is in charge of our universe.
As our passage comes to an end we are commanded to preach Christ. To bring the good news to Zion, Jerusalem and to Judah. “Here is your God!” We must bring this good news to the whole world. We are his reward, His people and He carries us close to His heart. God has come for you. How comforting it is to know we have a blessed assurance. This is the heart of the gospel message, we must prepare the way of the Lord in our lives and in our hearts.
Isaiah lived and was prophesying 700 years before the birth of our Messiah. As we go out from here into our weeks we have a message of total certainty for our future. Do not put your hope in things of the world that our fleeting, ‘the grass withers and the flowers fall’ but the word of our God endures forever.” Our hope is in Christ who lived and was crucified for our sins on the cross. To wash us white as snow. His great love for us is revealed throughout the Bible, it is saturated with love. We must ask ourselves where are we going to spend eternity? Are you preparing the way of the Lord in your hearts, in your lives in the eternal promise of our Lord? There is nothing about our hearts God doesn’t know, but he still offers us forgiveness at the cross. “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart”
What a hope.
Father we thank you for this hope we have in you and in your Son who came to seek and save the lost. I pray that we will never forget this certainty or take it for granted. Help us and remind us of this Good News everyday. Amen
By Sophie Clarke
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