(Isaiah 40:1-31)
1 “Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.
2 “Speak kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her warfare has ended,
That her guilt has been removed,
That she has received of the Lord’s hand
Double for all her sins.”
3 The voice of one calling out,
“Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the uneven ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Call out.”
Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”
All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
The people are indeed grass!
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.
9 Go up on a high mountain,
Zion, messenger of good news,
Raise your voice forcefully,
Jerusalem, messenger of good news;
Raise it up, do not fear.
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God will come with might,
With His arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His compensation is with Him,
And His reward before Him.
11 Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in the fold of His robe;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
And measured the heavens with a span,
And calculated the dust of the earth with a measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?
13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has informed Him?
14 With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?
And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge,
And informed Him of the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
Nor its animals enough for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.
18 To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
19 As for the idol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith plates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To prepare an idol that will not totter.
21 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
And spreads them out like a tent to live in.
23 It is He who reduces rulers to nothing,
Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.
24 Scarcely have they been planted,
Scarcely have they been sown,
Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the storm carries them away like stubble.
25 “To whom then will you compare Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Raise your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who brings out their multitude by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you say, Jacob, and you assert, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to the one who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
2 “Speak kindly to Jerusalem;
And call out to her, that her warfare has ended,
That her guilt has been removed,
That she has received of the Lord’s hand
Double for all her sins.”
3 The voice of one calling out,
“Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the uneven ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
6 A voice says, “Call out.”
Then he answered, “What shall I call out?”
All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
When the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
The people are indeed grass!
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.
9 Go up on a high mountain,
Zion, messenger of good news,
Raise your voice forcefully,
Jerusalem, messenger of good news;
Raise it up, do not fear.
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God will come with might,
With His arm ruling for Him.
Behold, His compensation is with Him,
And His reward before Him.
11 Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in the fold of His robe;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
And measured the heavens with a span,
And calculated the dust of the earth with a measure,
And weighed the mountains in a balance
And the hills in a pair of scales?
13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has informed Him?
14 With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?
And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge,
And informed Him of the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;
Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
Nor its animals enough for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.
18 To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
19 As for the idol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith plates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To prepare an idol that will not totter.
21 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
And spreads them out like a tent to live in.
23 It is He who reduces rulers to nothing,
Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.
24 Scarcely have they been planted,
Scarcely have they been sown,
Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the storm carries them away like stubble.
25 “To whom then will you compare Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Raise your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who brings out their multitude by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you say, Jacob, and you assert, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to the one who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
I want to quickly point out here, that God tells us to have a good relationship with the nation of Israel and the people! Verse 2 very clearly says that others will hate, attack, and make war against her, more than any other nation. We have seen that in history over the years, and we see that in the news right now. That doesn't justify anyone to attack the Jews! Not at all. This just shows and confirms that God's word and His prophecies are true.
We are reminded that God is eternal, unchangeable, all-knowing and all-powerful. Everything else is temporary, and everyone is nothing and life is meaningless without God! Now, from this passage, we can see how most Israelites took this passage out of context while waiting for their Messiah who will one day fulfill all of their covenants. That is still to come, in the Millennium, after the 7 year Tribulation.
Israel had the prophecy of Daniel, which speaks of the cut-off point. That has already happened, when Israel rejected their Messiah, Jesus Christ, the first time. That was because they were wanting their Messiah to come, get rid of all their enemies, sit on the throne, and usher in worldwide peace. Again, that will happen, in the Millennium, the thousand year reign. What they didn't want to understand, was that Jesus came the first time to bring spiritual peace... for the entire world!!!
That part was and is very necessary for Israel to have their covenants fulfilled. The Lord made it very clear (throughout the Old Testament) that the more they were obedient to the Lord's will, the more they would have of their promised land, seed and blessings. The more righteous their king was, the more peace they would experience. But it wouldn't take long for them to rebel against the Lord, and things would fall apart, and they would find themselves in captivity...
This is just one of the reasons why the Lord Jesus' involvement is critical. When one makes Him their Lord and Savior, and personal King of their heart, one is sealed by His Holy Spirit and is changed from the inside-out, while clothing one in the Lord's righteousness! So then, when they as a nation believe and accept Him into their hearts, they will then also make Jesus their physical King! It is then that they will have the perfect King who will guide them in His righteousness, and THEN they will have their promised land, seed and blessings in its entirety!
It's human nature to want the shortcuts, and to have things done their own way. But for things to work properly, things have to be done God's way. You know, since He created the universe, and is all-knowing and all-powerful, and everything!!! As well, God is love, as well as just and righteous!
"Hate" wants to silence and do away with everything that one disagrees with. God's hate is towards the sinful acts of people. This is why He came to pay the price for all sins, so He could extend His free gift of forgiveness and salvation to all people, so that He can have a personal relationship with us. Therefore, true (agape) love is a sacrificial, unconditional love towards all people, with a desire that all come to know the good news! And love gives everyone a fair opportunity - to either accept or reject Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
Jesus Christ did come the first time in might and glory, but as our perfect example of obedience. He humbly submitted Himself to God's will, to become fully man (while still being fully God), to serve and minister to the people, and then willingly gave up His life to take on all the punishment meant for us, and rose again to conquer death, making eternal life possible - through Him.
It is only in and through Him that a person can have new and eternal life. It is only in and through Him that we can have a close, personal relationship with God, Himself! As believers, we have a loving, heavenly Father who really cares. And once we are His child, He wants to gather us up and carry us! Guide us! Help us! Protect us! Provide for us! And reward us! There isn't any other relationship that is able to top that!!!
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