Isaiah 40 - Outline of Isaiah (Book Notes menu page)

III. Salvation (poetry), ch. 40-66
  A. Peace assured through knowing the Lord GOD... (The God of Peace), ch. 40-48
    1. Who Tends His Sheep and governs His Creation, 40:1-31
1. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her,
that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned:
for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.
  Comfort {console} ye... saith your God.- He is the God of all comfort. 2Cor 1:3,4; Joh 14:16
    Yet, His Holiness demands that sinners must be discomfited (cp. Isa 1:24, where 'ease' is the same word as 'comfort' in v.1 above). God's people will be comforted, in the future Messianic Kingdom, when His judgment upon sin is complete. Only then will His anger be relieved and turned away from His people. Isa 12:1
  As shown in our outline of Isaiah, there are three major divisons to this book.
  - The first is: Judgment (ch. 1-35) for God must judge sin.
    In this section we saw the LORD as the great King, exalted far above earth's rulers.
    He is "Holy, Holy, Holy." But the earth is full of iniquity.
    He intervenes to punish the nations, and eventually, to establish righteous government in the earth:
    "Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness..." (Isa 32:1)
  - The last section (to which we have just come) is: Salvation (ch. 40-66).
      In this section, the LORD, the Holy One and King, declares that He is the only Savior.
      He intervenes in the Person of His suffering Servant (the Messiah),
      to bear the iniquity and punishment of His people, that they may enter into everlasting joy (Isa 51:11; 52:13-15; 53:5,6).
      Because these two sections are so different in emphasis, some scholars think they must have been written by different authors and at very different times. Yet, the testimony, of Scripture and of our Lord Jesus, is that Isaiah wrote both sections (see the Book Notes at Isaiah 1:1). Similarly, many readers imagine a conflict between the 'vengeful God' of the Old Testament and the 'gracious God' of the New Testament. Yet, in both OT and NT, the same God graciously offers redemption for sinners, who turn to Him in repentance.
      Is it merely coincidental that Isaiah contains 66 chapters compared to the Bible's 66 books? The OT contains 39 books, corresponding to Isaiah's first two sections (39 chapters) which emphasize judgment according to God's Law, whereas the remaining 27 books (of the NT) or chapters (of Isaiah) emphasize salvation by Grace.
  - The middle section of the book is an Historical Interlude (ch. 36-39),
      which ties these two diverse sections together, in the King on David's throne.
      Hezekiah's experiences (ie., his deliverance from a deadly disease and from the overwhelming power of an enemy), foreshadow the Messiah's death and resurrection to put away sin, and His ultimate victory over Satan and the Antichrist. In Christ, at a moment in history, sin was judged and salvation was obtained for all who trust in Him (Gal 4:4,5; Heb 9:24-28). In the future, when He again enters into human history to reign in Jerusalem, "there will be peace and truth" all His days (cp. Isa 39:8; Rev 11:15).
    speak ye comfortably to {lit., to the heart of} Jerusalem... (v.2)- cp. Isa 12:1,2
    - that her warfare is accomplished...-
      The word for 'warfare' {HB=tsaba'} has several meanings: warfare, an army, a host, a multitude (eg., v.26). This sense is expressed in one of God's names: "the LORD of hosts." However, the LORD is the Commander, not only of armies, but also of time. He determines the "appointed time" for everything (see this word in Job 7:1).
      Israel will not be comforted, until her 'appointed time' of trouble has been completed, at the end of the 'times of the Gentiles' (Luk 21:24; Jer 30:7).
      This awaits Christ's second coming. cp. Isa 35:3,4; Jer 29:11; Rev 11:15-18
  - that her iniquity is pardoned {HB=ratsah, satisfied, reconciled}...- cp. Isa 43:25; 44:22
      Christ paid the price of pardon for sin, on the cross. Isa 53:5-11; Col 1:20-22
      These things will be fully accomplished at a specific time (Dan 9:24-27; cp. Psa 102:13).
    she hath received... double for all her sins.- (Observe that the word 'Comfort' is doubled in v.1.)
      This statement has two aspects (from the sense of the Hebrew word for 'double')...
      1. The acknowledgment of debt satisfaction.-
      In the culture of Isaiah's day, the debtor and the creditor each held a copy of the legal document of indebtedness. When the debt was satisfied, the creditor gave his copy to the former debtor, who then held two copies. The 'double' received from the hand of the creditor was evidence that the debt had been paid in full.
  - The sufficiency of the satisfaction.-
    (Every aspect of the debt due has been completely resolved.)
    1. Double (Sufficient) punishment for past sin...- Jer 16:18; 17:18; cp. Rev 18:6
         This 'doubling' refers to all that is deserved, rather than an excessive sentence. (cp. Isa 51:19, where the judgment of Israel involved 'two things')
         Consider also: 'the wages of sin is death' (Eze 18:4; Rom 6:23), but 'death' has both physical and spiritual aspects (Rev 20:12-15). Also, as the previous reference declares, physical death is temporary (for all will be raised, Joh 5:29; Heb 9:27,28), but spiritual death is eternal for all who are not found written in the Lamb's book of Life.
         In the Time of Jacob's Trouble, the LORD's judgment upon the nation will be 'sufficient' to cause many to turn from sin and false confidences to the Redeemer.
    2. Double (Abundant) grace in consolation for past troubles... (cp. Rom 5:20,21)
         Israel's blessings, in the Millennial Kingdom, will outweigh all previous troubles. Isa 61:7; Zech 9:12
         Example: Job 42:10-13, When the LORD 'turned the captivity' of Job, He restored twice as much as he had lost (doubling the size of his livestock herds). The LORD also doubled his children, by giving him one additional set of ten children. (His first set of ten children were not lost, for they were with the LORD.)
    3. Double (Inexhaustible) propitiation of sin...-
         Christ paid the price 'for all her sins' (v.2). He offers forgiveness for everything...
         and also for everyone. He paid the price, not only for believers, but also for the whole world (1Joh 2:1,2). He made full redemption freely available, for 'as many as receive Him' (Joh 1:11-13). Thus, there can be no question that the price is paid.
         The LORD's promise of Israel's doubled 'Comfort' (ie., consolation) rests upon Christ's one sufficient sacrifice (Heb 10:11,12).
         Furthermore, God has confirmed, the High Priestly work of Christ by 'two immutable things' (Heb 6:17-20, ie., His unchangable truthfulness and His infallible oath: Psa 110:4).
      [NOTE: Some scholars, using the English sense of the word 'double,' attempt to limit the phrase "double for all her sins" to the seventy years of the Babylonian captivity. To do this, they either assume that Judah neglected 35 sabbatical years, which were doubled to make a 70 year sentence (Lev 26:43; 2Chr 36:21; Jer 29:10), or, they interpret the five judgmental periods of seven 'times' (in Lev 26:18,21,24,28,), as five 7 year periods (5 x 7 = 35; 35 years x 2 = 70 years). However, the theme of this section of Isaiah, obviously looks far beyond Israel's partial restoration following that captivity, to the coming of the Messiah and His future Kingdom.]
    Outline of v.1-11 [adapted from GWms]
      1. Sin: Gone, v.1-2
      2. The Redeemer: His work glorious, v.3-5
      3. The Redeemer: His Word eternal, v.7-8
      4. Messiah: Come, v.9-11
3. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the LORD,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low:
and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see [it] together:
for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].
  The voice... in the wilderness...-
    Each of the Gospel writers apply this passage to John the Baptist, who announced the first coming of Jesus Christ (Mat 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luk 3:4-6; Joh 1:23).
  the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together...-
  - At Christ's first coming, His glory was revealed, but not everyone saw (cp. Luk 2:10,11; Joh 1:14; 2Cor 3:14-18; 4:3-6).
  - At His second coming, every eye will see Him (Mat 24:27; Rev 1:7).
    Thus, John the Baptist's ministry foreshadowed that of Elijah, who will announce Christ's second coming.
    (cp. Mal 4:5,6; Mat 17:10-13; Rev 11:3-6; Mal 3:1-3; Psa 102:16; Hab 2:14)
  for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.-
    Nothing can hinder or prevent the fulfillment of God's stated purposes.
6 The voice said, Cry.
And he said, What shall I cry?
All flesh [is] grass,
and all the goodliness thereof [is] as the flower of the field:
7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it:
surely the people [is] grass.
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
  the voice said, Cry...- This is the voice of the Holy Spirit,
    who puts His message in the mouth of His prophets (cp. Jer 1:6-9; 2Pet 1:21).
  What shall I cry? -
    The message is the same for the heathen ('all flesh') and for Israel ('the people').
    All men, regardless of their status in this life are under the sentence of death (Jam 1:10,11).
    Salvation from this condition is available only through faith in God's unfailing Word (1Pet 1:24,25; Rom 3:19-26).
9. O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength;
lift [it] up, be not afraid; {ie., proclaim the good news boldly}
say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong [hand],
and his arm shall rule for him: {eg., Zech 14:3,4}
behold, his reward [is] with him, and his work before him. {cp. Rev 22:12; Isa 49:4}
11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd:
he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry [them] in his bosom,
[and] shall gently lead those that are with young.
  Behold your God... the Lord GOD {Adonai-Jehovah} will come...-
    Israel will recognize their Messiah, at His second coming, as Immanuel {God with us}. Isa 7:14; 25:9; 35:4
  ...with strong hand... his arm shall rule...-
    As God, the Messiah will accomplish His purposes entirely in His own strength, without the aid of others. His arm is powerful to recompense His enemies (Heb 10:30), yet, tender to care for His own.
  ...he shall feed {ie., tend} his flock like a shepherd...-
    He will tend to each of His own according to their individual needs (eg., lambs: gathered and carried; those with young led softly, as in Gen 33:13,14)...
    cp. Jer 31:10; Joh 10:4-16; Heb 13:20,21; 1Pet 2:25; 5:4
    How poorly the sheep, secured in the Shepherd's hand, comprehend the power of that hand (cp. Joh 10:27-31 with the verses below).
12. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
and meted out {HB=takan, balanced, equalized, arranged}
heaven with the span {ie., the width of one's extended hand},
and comprehended {ie., enclosed, contained} the dust of the earth in a measure,
and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
  The questions of v.12 relate to the LORD's omnipotence.
  The questions of v.13,14 relate to His omniscience, and infinite wisdom.
13 Who hath directed {HB=takan, regulated} the Spirit of the LORD,
or [being] his counsellor hath taught him? {cp. Rom 11:33,34; 1Cor 2:16}
14 With whom took he counsel,
and [who] instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment,
and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations [are] as a drop of a bucket,
and are counted as the small dust of the balance:
behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon {a region famous for its forests and fruitfulness}
[is] not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before him [are] as nothing;
and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.
  all nations before him are as nothing...- Men, in their pride, fail to comprehend their insignificance.
    The nations are not like a drop 'in' a bucket, but like the drip falling off the bucket as it is drawn from the well. The lost drop has no value, and represents no loss of the bucket's content.
    Fine dust on a merchant's scales has no effect on the value of his goods. Likewise, the LORD considers the isles {ie., islands, coastlands, inhabited parts of the earth} to have negligible weight. Psa 62:9
  Who...? - Who is this great God? He is our Savior. Titus 2:13
    This is the God of Israel (v.1), the LORD who pardons Israel's iniquity (v.2), the Glory of the LORD who came and is coming again (v.3-5), the Lord GOD who will powerfully deliver Jerusalem (v.9,10), the Shepherd of Israel who will tenderly tend His sheep (v.11), He who has all power, wisdom and knowledge, and who exercises full authority over the affairs of men (v.12-17).
    But, before Israel's God can take His rightful place among His people, they must be convinced of Who He Is, lest they return to their previous spiritual confusion.
18. To whom then will ye liken God?
or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
19 The workman melteth a graven image,
and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.
20 He that [is] so impoverished that he hath no oblation
chooseth a tree [that] will not rot;
he seeketh unto him a cunning workman
to prepare a graven image, [that] shall not be moved.
21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard?
hath it not been told you from the beginning?
have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
  to whom then will ye liken God?...- Here (as in several other passages),
    Isaiah highlights the contrast between the true God and idols. Whether the rich man worships an ornate image of gold, or the pauper worships a piece of wood, any 'god' made by man is the fabrication (lie) of the self-deceived. Isa 2:8; Rev 9:20
  have ye not known? have ye not heard?- These questions are addressed to Israel.
    They should have known, because they had heard (Rom 3:1,2). The One who pre-existed 'the beginning,' had told their forefathers how He had laid the earth's foundations. How could they turn from the Creator God to man-made idols? In doing so, they had become just like the Gentiles.
    Yet, apart from God's specific revelation (in His Word), it should be self-evident, even to Gentiles, that there is a true and living God, who has created all things. Rom 1:19-23; Rev 4:11
22 [It is] he that sitteth upon {ie., above} the circle of the earth,
and the inhabitants thereof [are] as grasshoppers;
that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain,
and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
  The Creator lives apart from His creation.
  He observes mankind from outside the 'circle' or 'vault' of the earth.
  Thus, long before scientific man would understand, the Creator's words revealed that the earth is a spherical body hanging in space.
23 That bringeth the princes to nothing;
he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown:
yea, their stock {stem, tree trunk} shall not take root in the earth:
and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither,
and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these [things],
that bringeth out their host by number:
he calleth them all by names by {ie., because of} the greatness of his might,
for that [he is] strong in power; not one faileth.
  that bringeth the princes to nothing...-
    While the Creator exists independently of His creation (v.22), all that He has made is under His control. He is intimately involved in the affairs of His creatures (v.23-26).
    The rulers of this world consider themselves important, even indispensable.
    But the LORD brings each of them to nothing (Psa 146:3,4; 1Cor 2:6). Their time in the sun is brief.
  yea, they shall not be planted {or, they shall barely be planted}...- In the NASB, v.24 reads:
    "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." (cp. Isa 11:4)
  to whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? -
    Just as idols are nothing in comparison to Him (v.18-22), so, the great men of the earth lack any lasting significance.
  He is strong in power; not one faileth.-
    In contrast to the temporary earthly constructs of man, the LORD has ordered the heavenly bodies, understands their intricacies, and maintains them in their orbits. cp. Col 1:16,17; Heb 1:3
    It is this great God who is the Shepherd of Israel. The greatness of His realm has not distracted Him from the care of His people.
27. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel,
My way is hid from the LORD,
and my judgment is passed over from my God?
  {or, "the justice due me escapes the notice of my God." [NASB]}
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard,
[that] the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth,
fainteth not, neither is weary? [there is] no searching of his understanding.
  As the heathen are without excuse for ignoring the God who reveals Himself in creation (v.21), so, Israel is without excuse for their ignorance of the LORD who committed His Word to them (Jer 4:22; Mal 2:17; Rom 3:1-4). He knows them perfectly, and will reward them appropriately, though they try to hide themselves from Him (Isa 28:15; 29:15; Jer 17:9,10).
29 He giveth power to the faint;
and to [them that have] no might he increaseth strength. {Psa 29:11; Col 1:9-11}
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
  This was Israel's experience in going their own way, in relying upon the arm of flesh. Isa 9:16,17; 30:1-3,15-17
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
[and] they shall walk, and not faint.
  they that wait upon the LORD...- are those who trust in Him (Isa 8:17; 25:9; Psa 27:13,14; 123:2).
    Those who look to the LORD are given strength beyond their own.
    Those who wait upon the LORD...
    - shall renew [their] strength...-
    Note that 'their' is absent from the HB text. It is the LORD's strength, not their own.
    Also, the word 'renew' {HB=chalaph, change, pierce through, hasten on}, unlike the English word, does not suggest a regathering of a believer's personal strength. Consider these translations of this line:
    - "Yet, those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength..." [NASB]
    - "But those expecting the LORD pass to power..." [YLT]
    Conscious of personal weakness, the waiting believer receives sufficient strength from the Lord. 2Cor 12:9,10
  - shall mount up {ie., ascend} with wings as eagles...-
      This is Salvation and Deliverance, accomplished by the LORD who came down to lift us out of bondage to sin and Satan.
      cp. Ex 19:4; Deu 32:11,12; Rev 12:14; Rom 8:2-4; Eph 2:4-9
  - shall run, and not be weary {ie., not grow weary in toil}...-
      This is enabling power, given by the LORD, that His servant may fulfill the task committed to him.
      God's messengers run with His message. Psa 18:29; 119:32; Hab 2:2 (cf. Jer 23:21)
      The LORD provides His servants what they need for the task. Mat 28:18-20; 2Cor 3:5
  - shall walk, and not faint {ie., not be fatigued; not be drained of life as by hunger and thirst}...-
      This is the spiritual 'newness of life,' by which the child of God lives to please Him, without swerving in changing situations.
      (Deu 10:12; Psa 119:45; Mic 6:8; Gal 2:20; 2Cor 4:16; Heb 12:1-3)
    Observe the way the word 'faint' is used in the closing verses of this chapter.
      The LORD does not faint (v.28), because He has life in Himself. The young men of the rebellious nation faint (v.30), because the LORD draws back from them in judgment (eg., Amos 2:14-16). But weak men, who know, trust and depend upon the LORD are endued with His strength enabling them to endure and empowering them for His service (v.29,31; eg., 1Cor 2:3,4).
    How the LORD yearns to comfort Israel! (v.1) ...if only they would return and rest in Him. Isa 30:15

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