Isaiah Calls Out Comfort Beside a Soaring EagleBible World
40:1Isaiah 40:1
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
God gives the command to bring comfort to His people with the assurance that their warfare and hardship are ended and their iniquity is pardoned, so neither suffering nor sin has the final word. It opens an extended promise to prepare the way of the Lord, to see His glory revealed to all flesh, to stand on His word that stands forever when flesh falls as grass, to hear good tidings proclaimed to Zion, to be shepherded and gently gathered by His coming strong hand with reward, and to receive unfailing strength from the everlasting Creator as the faint who wait on Him. It is covenant mercy after chastisement, dispersion and captivity meant to humble Israel to seek the Lord, who does not leave His own hopeless, and it calls them to trust the Lord alone rather than men or flesh while working most earnestly for repentance. Its visions of future glory and sure mercies sustain true believers through persecution, discouragement and afflicting judgments near the close of earth's history, calling them to faith that takes possession of the heart and speaks faith, hope and courage. That comfort is to be proclaimed in ministry as the living gospel that freely accepts the repentant, gives the Spirit, restores sons and daughters to holy privilege, removes obstacles to redemption in dark places, and is presented as affirmative eternal truth with minds stayed on God, studied and prayed over daily for reformation and true higher education.
Comfort Promised and Explained
The command is doubled for emphasis: bring comfort, bring comfort to God's people as a divine commission and appointed work for His messengers. The prophet receives this charge to carry consolation to them, joined to visions of future glory and sure promises that hold them through persecution and hardship with hope and joy toward God's purpose for His church. That comfort is defined in the words that follow as the declaration that Jerusalem's appointed warfare and hardship are accomplished and ended and her iniquity is pardoned. Suffering and sin therefore do not have the final word for God's people.
The opening call introduces a long connected promise that moves from pardon to preparation, bidding that the way of the Lord be made ready. It then reveals the glory of the Lord to all flesh, sets perishing flesh as grass against the word of God that stands forever, and sends the proclamation of good tidings of God to Zion and the cities of Judah. It promises the coming of the Lord with strong hand and reward to feed His flock like a shepherd, to gather lambs and carry them and gently lead those with young. It closes with assurance of unfailing strength from the everlasting Creator to the faint who wait on Him.
This comfort is covenant mercy given after chastisement, dispersion, and captivity. The humiliation was meant to lead Israel to seek the Lord, and He does not leave them hopeless but encourages them to return to Him.
The same prophecy is the one invoked by John, whose wilderness message prepared the way for the Lord as part of the gospel work of bringing people to humility and obedience to Christ. The verse also teaches that the Lord alone is to be trusted, and men are not to trust in men or make flesh their arm. He comforts and strengthens His own people while calling them to diligent work for repentance with most earnest effort, because the Lord will not be trifled with.
Strength for Trial and Discouragement
The commission to bring comfort to God's people comes accompanied by visions of future glory and sure promises, and those messages of comfort have sustained God's children through persecution and hardship, giving believers hope and joy across the centuries as they look toward the fulfillment of God's purpose for His church. The verse was written to comfort true believers amid God's afflicting providence in judgments coming upon the world near the closing of this earth's history. Those judgments include earthquakes and storms on land and sea and heavy calamities by sea and by railroad, with awful calamity because Lucifer has perverted his higher education and wars against God and causes calamities. While many who have greatly sinned against God perish physically, the sincere, humble, righteous followers of Christ also feel the result and are themselves afflicted.
Its comfort is a declaration from the Lord full of promises, encouragement, and assurance that will certainly be fulfilled, and in the latter days those who fulfill its conditions place themselves where the Lord will surely do all He has promised. It opens a chapter of promise that confirms the sure mercies and grace and glory of God. It speaks comfort to discouraged believers, calling them to have faith in God, to speak words of truth, and to gain precious victories. Their message is thereby made a message of faith and hope and assurance, lived by letting faith take possession of the heart and by talking faith and hope and courage.
It is a call to comfort God's people by presenting the gospel as a living power that changes lives. God freely accepts those who repent, gives them His Spirit, and sends them to proclaim His boundless mercy. His servants are to show through their words and lives that His love restores people to their holy privileges as His sons and daughters, with Christ's tenderness and grace reflected in His disciples.
Proclaiming Comfort in Ministry
The comfort promised opens into mission in spiritually dark places, where the assurance that Jerusalem's hardship is ended and her iniquity is pardoned is to be carried by servants who proclaim the Word, clear away obstacles to the redemption of sinners, and announce the Saviour who gives everlasting life to those who believe. The work is not merely to speak of comfort but to remove hindrances so that sinners can reach redemption and hear of life that endures forever.
The message of Isaiah 40:1-11 is to be presented as powerful, affirmative eternal truth as it is in Jesus. The mind is to be stayed and fixed on God and filled with His Holy Spirit and with love, so that the trumpet gives a certain sound. Those who bear it stand on the platform of eternal truth, without accusation and without anything said to arouse enmity and strife.
The verse opens the Lord's instruction on the correct meaning of true higher education, set against the world's so-called higher education that disregards truth and righteousness. That false education exalts worldly learning and human instructors above God's teaching, while learning from God is gained from these chapters. The whole fortieth chapter is to be studied in connection with Isaiah 42 and Second Peter in order to understand the deeply spiritual, reformatory work to be carried forward. That work calls for thorough reformation led by Spirit-led men of clear understanding, with hearts prepared to receive His messages and with no haphazard work.
Isaiah 40-41 is given as daily counsel from God, to be read and prayed over. By this daily use unbelief is to be put away and the light of the Word appreciated. Commercialism woven into religious experience is to be removed, and the refining influence of the Holy Spirit received.
God gives the command to bring comfort to His people with the assurance that their warfare and hardship are ended and their iniquity is pardoned, so neither suffering nor sin has the final word. It opens an extended promise to prepare the way of the Lord, to see His glory revealed to all flesh, to stand on His word that stands forever when flesh falls as grass, to hear good tidings proclaimed to Zion, to be shepherded and gently gathered by His coming strong hand with reward, and to receive unfailing strength from the everlasting Creator as the faint who wait on Him. It is covenant mercy after chastisement, dispersion and captivity meant to humble Israel to seek the Lord, who does not leave His own hopeless, and it calls them to trust the Lord alone rather than men or flesh while working most earnestly for repentance. Its visions of future glory and sure mercies sustain true believers through persecution, discouragement and afflicting judgments near the close of earth's history, calling them to faith that takes possession of the heart and speaks faith, hope and courage. That comfort is to be proclaimed in ministry as the living gospel that freely accepts the repentant, gives the Spirit, restores sons and daughters to holy privilege, removes obstacles to redemption in dark places, and is presented as affirmative eternal truth with minds stayed on God, studied and prayed over daily for reformation and true higher education.
Comfort Promised and Explained
The command is doubled for emphasis: bring comfort, bring comfort to God's people as a divine commission and appointed work for His messengers. The prophet receives this charge to carry consolation to them, joined to visions of future glory and sure promises that hold them through persecution and hardship with hope and joy toward God's purpose for His church. That comfort is defined in the words that follow as the declaration that Jerusalem's appointed warfare and hardship are accomplished and ended and her iniquity is pardoned. Suffering and sin therefore do not have the final word for God's people.
The opening call introduces a long connected promise that moves from pardon to preparation, bidding that the way of the Lord be made ready. It then reveals the glory of the Lord to all flesh, sets perishing flesh as grass against the word of God that stands forever, and sends the proclamation of good tidings of God to Zion and the cities of Judah. It promises the coming of the Lord with strong hand and reward to feed His flock like a shepherd, to gather lambs and carry them and gently lead those with young. It closes with assurance of unfailing strength from the everlasting Creator to the faint who wait on Him.
This comfort is covenant mercy given after chastisement, dispersion, and captivity. The humiliation was meant to lead Israel to seek the Lord, and He does not leave them hopeless but encourages them to return to Him.
The same prophecy is the one invoked by John, whose wilderness message prepared the way for the Lord as part of the gospel work of bringing people to humility and obedience to Christ. The verse also teaches that the Lord alone is to be trusted, and men are not to trust in men or make flesh their arm. He comforts and strengthens His own people while calling them to diligent work for repentance with most earnest effort, because the Lord will not be trifled with.
Strength for Trial and Discouragement
The commission to bring comfort to God's people comes accompanied by visions of future glory and sure promises, and those messages of comfort have sustained God's children through persecution and hardship, giving believers hope and joy across the centuries as they look toward the fulfillment of God's purpose for His church. The verse was written to comfort true believers amid God's afflicting providence in judgments coming upon the world near the closing of this earth's history. Those judgments include earthquakes and storms on land and sea and heavy calamities by sea and by railroad, with awful calamity because Lucifer has perverted his higher education and wars against God and causes calamities. While many who have greatly sinned against God perish physically, the sincere, humble, righteous followers of Christ also feel the result and are themselves afflicted.
Its comfort is a declaration from the Lord full of promises, encouragement, and assurance that will certainly be fulfilled, and in the latter days those who fulfill its conditions place themselves where the Lord will surely do all He has promised. It opens a chapter of promise that confirms the sure mercies and grace and glory of God. It speaks comfort to discouraged believers, calling them to have faith in God, to speak words of truth, and to gain precious victories. Their message is thereby made a message of faith and hope and assurance, lived by letting faith take possession of the heart and by talking faith and hope and courage.
It is a call to comfort God's people by presenting the gospel as a living power that changes lives. God freely accepts those who repent, gives them His Spirit, and sends them to proclaim His boundless mercy. His servants are to show through their words and lives that His love restores people to their holy privileges as His sons and daughters, with Christ's tenderness and grace reflected in His disciples.
Proclaiming Comfort in Ministry
The comfort promised opens into mission in spiritually dark places, where the assurance that Jerusalem's hardship is ended and her iniquity is pardoned is to be carried by servants who proclaim the Word, clear away obstacles to the redemption of sinners, and announce the Saviour who gives everlasting life to those who believe. The work is not merely to speak of comfort but to remove hindrances so that sinners can reach redemption and hear of life that endures forever.
The message of Isaiah 40:1-11 is to be presented as powerful, affirmative eternal truth as it is in Jesus. The mind is to be stayed and fixed on God and filled with His Holy Spirit and with love, so that the trumpet gives a certain sound. Those who bear it stand on the platform of eternal truth, without accusation and without anything said to arouse enmity and strife.
The verse opens the Lord's instruction on the correct meaning of true higher education, set against the world's so-called higher education that disregards truth and righteousness. That false education exalts worldly learning and human instructors above God's teaching, while learning from God is gained from these chapters. The whole fortieth chapter is to be studied in connection with Isaiah 42 and Second Peter in order to understand the deeply spiritual, reformatory work to be carried forward. That work calls for thorough reformation led by Spirit-led men of clear understanding, with hearts prepared to receive His messages and with no haphazard work.
Isaiah 40-41 is given as daily counsel from God, to be read and prayed over. By this daily use unbelief is to be put away and the light of the Word appreciated. Commercialism woven into religious experience is to be removed, and the refining influence of the Holy Spirit received.