Isaiah 40
COMMENTARY:
: 2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). דָּבַר, דָּבַר, דָּבַר [dabar /daw·bar/]- to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing).
DEVOTION: Jerusalem was to be addressed tenderly (lit., “to the heart,” i.e., in gentle, encouraging words; cf. Hosea 2:14) as a mother would speak to her child. The tough and condemning talk of what Israel had been guilty of is replaced now with the encouraging words of discipline and exile almost being over. God had been present in the midst of the difficult times for the children of Israel. He had walked with them in the exile and sought to instruct and encourage them. Now His message was that the time was almost over and to begin to prepare for reconciliation.
It is difficult to discipline children and to get them to understand that the suffering they are encountering is also stressful to you the parent. Parents and children also need to have a period of reconciliation where th e child understands that the parents are prepared to mend a broken relationships and be re-united. Sometimes it is in discussions over the acts of disobedience, at other times it is overt act of love that demonstrates forgiveness and restoration. However that is accomplished the child and parent need to recognize and move forward in restored fellowship.
Perhaps today you need to take a step toward forgiveness and reconciliation. May the Lord give you strength the tenderly love those who are close to you and in need of forgiveness.
CHALLENGE: Today is a good time to consider the relationships that you are having difficulty with. You may need to spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to give you a tender heart and a soft answer. Sometimes we just need to remember how Mom forgave us and then apply that to other interactions. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
: 8 The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. (6965 “stand” [quwm] means rise, to be confirmed, to be valid, or established.)
DEVOTION: There are a lot of comparisons in Scripture. The people of God are compared to sheep. The LORD Jesus Christ is compared to the serpent in the wilderness. The word of God is compared to how long grass takes to die.
We find that the LORD wants HIS people to be comforted. HE wants them to know that their sins are forgiven. HE chastens them for their sins but it is only for a short time compared to eternity.
Some people doubt that the LORD keeps HIS word. Yet, we find that Jesus Christ came at a time appointed. HE had John the Baptist as a messenger that prepared HIS way for HIS first coming as the Savior of the World. Christ died on the cross for our sins. HE promised the disciples after HIS resurrection that HE would return the same way HE left. It has been two thousand years and the LORD has still not returned. It causes problems for some people. They think HE should have returned by now. Should this lead to doubt amongst true believers? NO!!
Our responsibility is to be prepared for the LORD’S return at any time. We should be looking for the return. We should be working until HIS return. We should NOT BE predicting dates for HIS return. The Bible states that only the Father knows the time of HIS return. It was planned from before the foundation of the world.
One thing we do know is that grass doesn’t last very long after it is cut. Plant life has a set time. Some plants live longer than other. If I have anything to do with plants their life expectancy is much shorter than those who know how to plant plants.
However, the life expectancy of the Word of God is forever. It was established before the foundation of the world. It was given to men who would write what they were told by the LORD. It is inerrant. There are no errors in the Bible. It will be validated by the second coming of the LORD. It will be confirmed when all the promises will be fulfilled.
Our relationship to the LORD should be one of trust. All else may wither and fade away but the Word of God is established forever. We can trust its promises and its predictions.
Each day we face the challenge concerning the truthfulness of the word of God by the actions of those who question the truth of the Word of God. Most people look for problems in the Word of God because they don’t want to follow the rules of the LORD in their life. They want to find ways to escape judgment. They have to believe that it is false to have any apparent peace in their life. However, there is no peace.
We should have peace because we know and trust the Word of God. We study to show that we believe it. We use it as our only guide to righteous living. We share these truths with others in the hope and prayer that they will become followers of the LORD Jesus Christ.
CHALLENGE: Share the Word of God as if you believe it. Study the Word of God to become a better follower of the LORD.
: 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. (1254 “Creator” [bara] means form, shape, make, choose, or done.)
DEVOTION: The world is fighting hard to not teach creation in our schools, colleges and universities. Our educators are fighting hard to not teach our children that God created our universe. They want us to believe that there is no God. They want us to believe that this world just happened.
I have read a book called “Darwin’s God” and in it the author uses the premise that Darwin thought that if God had created this world there would be no parasites. There would be no animals made like they were made, because it looked like God used spare parts to Darwin. Darwin’s view of God was that of a limited God.
We have some in “evangelical” circles who like to limit God even today. They want to say that HE created the world through evolution. They want to say that it took HIM millions or billions of years to create our present world. They want to teach us that God only has limited knowledge about what is going to happen next in our world. They don’t think that God could know what was going to happen because it had not happened yet. All of these teaching are being taught by heretics.
HE had to create the way Darwin thought HE should create or else HE didn’t do it. Sometimes we think the same thoughts. This chapter informs us that God knew what HE was doing when HE created this world. HE formed it just the way HE wanted to. HE didn’t ask counsel of anyone. HE never gets faint or weary. Therefore, there is nothing created out of leftovers. Remember not to think as Darwin did. Our God did everything right in creation. HE has names for each of the stars. HE knows our names. HE is watching what is happening in our lives.
Remember verse 31 in this chapter. We have to wait on the LORD. HE is acting in our lives TODAY. Praise HIS name.
CHALLENGE: Remember that the Bible and true science have no conflicts. The Bible is true. True science is true. There is no contradiction between the two. There are many contradictions between the laws of science and evolution.
: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings of eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. (6960 “wait” [qavah) means look for, hope, expect, await, or hope in.)
DEVOTION: Those that know me know that I don’t like to let any grass grow under my feet. I want things to happen quickly. I want everything to be done yesterday. It is something that I have struggled with all of my life.
Patience is s virtue that I have prayed for regularly. The LORD is still working on me regarding this issue. There is promise associated with this verse. I would like to claim this promise.
I don’t know any genuine believer that would not like to have renewed strength when they are facing problems in their life. The nation of Israel because of their historic actions were always drifting away from the LORD just like we do today. We stay on course for a while but then something happens that we think we can do it on our own and we run ahead of the LORD.
Isaiah is a prophet of God that spoke the truth to the children of Israel and the Holy Spirit had him write it down for our benefit too. We need to realize that this is one of the promises that was given to the Israelites and is given to us today as well.
Things are moving faster in our time than ever before in history. We can see things happening around the world when they are happening. We don’t have to hear about it days later but only seconds pass after something happens and it is on the television or on our computer.
If we want the strength that the LORD promises we have to take time to allow HIM to communicate with us regarding what our actions should be next in any given situation. It is not easy but we are to be in prayer moment by moment to let HIM lead us through our daily life.
The promise informs us that if we do this we will not be too tired to do what HE wants us to do. HE will give us the strength we need to do what HE tells us when HE tells us. We will not be so frazzled on a daily basis. It is quite a promise if we obey HIS command to look to HIM for guidance which will give us hope.
CHALLENGE: Can we go to the LORD for guidance in every situation HE allows in our life and then look for HIS solution and act on it? This is a test that we all have to pass if we are going to serve HIM faithfully every day.
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