40:6Isaiah 40:6

The commanded cry announces that all human life and all its goodness, beauty, outward glory and finest qualities are as brief, frail, temporary and perishable as grass and field flowers that wither and fade.Ms 116, 1902, par. 29–34+2 They wither when the Lord's Spirit and breath blow upon them, showing that the people themselves are grass.Ms 116, 1902, par. 29–34+2 The cry stands within God's commanded comfort that warfare is accomplished and iniquity is pardoned, between the call to prepare the Lord's way and reveal His glory to all flesh and the declaration that His word stands forever.Ms 45, 1901, par. 1–3+2 Against all human frailty stands God's Word, which lives, is true, endures forever and will surely be fulfilled, giving faith, hope, courage and unfailing strength.Ms 116, 1902, par. 29–34+2 That enduring word is the gospel preached, by which sinners are redeemed not with corruptible silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ and are born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible life to purify the soul in obeying the truth.ST May 20, 1897+1 It therefore humbles all human pride, ancestry, intellect and worldly greatness like Babylon's magnificence to nothing without purity and obedience, and belongs to the preparatory call first borne by John the Baptist and now to be borne in the last days to make His highway straight in repentance for His coming.RH Oct 1, 1903+4

The commanded cry announces that all human life and all its goodness, beauty, outward glory and finest qualities are brief, frail, temporary and perishable as grass and field flowers that wither and fade.Ms 116, 1902, par. 29–34+4 That withering exposes human pride, showing ancestry, natural advantages, outward beauty and earthly glory to have no value without purity and obedience, and it humbles human self-estimate before the greatness and majesty seen in nature.Ms 116, 1902, par. 29–34+4

The withering comes when the Lord's Spirit or breath blows upon them, and the people themselves are grass.Ms 116, 1902, par. 29–34+4 As fleshly traits wither under that blowing, they die away to make room for the Holy Spirit to be prized and for grace to fill the heart.Ms 116, 1902, par. 29–34+2

The cry stands within God's commanded comfort to Jerusalem that her warfare is accomplished and her iniquity pardoned.Ms 45, 1901, par. 1–3+2 It stands between the call to prepare the Lord's way, to make His highway straight and level every valley and mountain, and to reveal His glory to all flesh together, and the declaration that God's word stands forever.Ms 45, 1901, par. 1–3+3 In that setting it is a word of promise confirming His sure mercies, grace and glory, given to remove discouragement.Ms 45, 1901, par. 1–3+2

It belongs with the good tidings of Behold your God, the coming of God with strong hand and ruling arm with His reward and His work before Him.Ms 45, 1901, par. 1–3+2 It belongs with His shepherd care in feeding the flock, gathering the lambs and gently leading the young, and with His promise of renewed strength and unfailing care to those who wait on the everlasting Creator who does not faint.Ms 45, 1901, par. 1–3+3 Set within that promise of comfort and enduring care, human frailty is contrasted with the Lord's unfailing strength.Ms 45, 1901, par. 1–3+2

The chapter teaches true higher education as learning the Lord's will and ways from the pure principles of His Word, which is the highest education mortals can receive and builds experience on a foundation unlike the world's sophistries.Ms 198, 1907, par. 3–4+2 Human wisdom and instruction cannot take the place of God's enduring teaching, for the people are grass while His word remains.Ms 198, 1907, par. 3–4+2

The cry belongs to the preparatory call to prepare the way of the Lord, to make His highway straight, and to level every valley and mountain, first borne by John the Baptist and now to be borne in the last days by all truly engaged in the Lord's work.RH Oct 1, 1903+3 It gives them a decided message to bear, calling for repentance and preparing the way for a revival of God's work, as instruction appropriate for this time.RH Oct 1, 1903+2 In its setting the announcement that all flesh and all its goodness are temporary like grass and the flower of the field, which wither and fade when the Spirit of the Lord blows upon them, stands within that call to repent and prepare, while the word of God stands forever.Ms 112, 1901, par. 16–17+2 Joined to the leveling of every valley and mountain and the revealing of the glory of the Lord to all flesh together, it humbles human pride and lowers human self-estimate before God's greatness and majesty seen in nature.Ms 112, 1901, par. 16–17+2

The same work applies to both Christ's first advent and His second appearing, when history is to be repeated in preparing a people for Him.Ms 201, 1898, par. 6–7+1 It is a call from God for people to hear Christ, share in His divine life, and labor with Him, with spiritual life beginning in new birth.Ms 201, 1898, par. 6–7 It is also a call to Zion and Jerusalem to bring good tidings with strength and without fear to the cities of Judah, Behold your God.Ms 112, 1901, par. 16–17 In the prophecy about preparing the way for the Lord's first advent, the exposure of human life and its outward glory as withering grass exposes human pride, showing that ancestry and natural advantages have no value without purity and obedience to God's commandments, so people must repent and humble themselves before God.Ms 5, 1899, par. 2–5

Near the close of earth's history the chapter comforts true believers amid God's afflicting judgments coming upon a rebellious world.Ms 198, 1907, par. 3–4 Those judgments include earthquakes, storms on land and sea, and heavy calamities by sea and railroad.Ms 198, 1907, par. 3–4 These awful calamities come because Lucifer perverted his higher education and wars against God and all who exalt the Lord, giving the correct meaning of true higher education.Ms 198, 1907, par. 3–4 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 by these judgments upon the rebellious.Ms 198, 1907, par. 3–4

The chapter is to be studied in connection with Isaiah 42 and Second Peter in order to understand the deeply spiritual nature of the work to be carried forward, and Isaiah 40 and 41 are to be read and prayed over to put away unbelief.Lt 48, 1910, par. 8–9+1 It gives daily counsel from God and light of the Word to be appreciated, calling for a reformatory work and for hearts prepared to receive God's messages.Lt 48, 1910, par. 8–9+1 That reformation requires men of clear understanding worked by the Holy Spirit to lead out in thorough reformation with no haphazard work, seeking the refining influence of the Holy Spirit and resisting the weaving of commercialism into religious experience.Lt 48, 1910, par. 8–9+1 Men are not to trust in men or make flesh their arm, for the Lord alone is to be their trust, who will not be trifled with, who calls upon His people to make diligent and most earnest work for repentance, and who gives strength to His own people.Ms 200, 1903, par. 7

Against human frailty stands the living word of God, which is true and endures forever and will surely be fulfilled.Ms 116, 1902, par. 29–34+3 Human life with all its outward beauty, goodness and glory is as brief and frail as grass and field flowers that wither and fade when the Lord's Spirit blows upon them, for the people themselves are grass.Ms 116, 1902, par. 29–34+2 That word of promise confirms the sure mercies, grace and glory of God and of the coming God who rules with strong hand and feeds His flock like a shepherd.Ms 112, 1901, par. 16–17+1 It is given to remove discouragement and to bring faith, hope, courage, assurance, precious victories and unfailing strength through speaking truth, talking faith and trusting God.Ms 112, 1901, par. 16–17+1

That enduring word is the gospel preached, by which sinners are redeemed not with corruptible silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish foreordained before the foundation of the world.Ms 25, 1907, par. 8–11 By it believers are born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible life that lives and remains forever.ST May 20, 1897+1 Received in this way it produces faith that works through love, purifies the soul in obeying the truth, and cuts away evil tendencies and cultivated faults of character.ST May 20, 1897+1

Those so born must fulfill the word by examining life and character and turning many to righteousness so as to endure in glory.GW 371.2+1 They lay aside all malice and guile and hypocrisies and envies and evil speakings, cut away every perverted appetite and taste including love for fictitious reading, and love one another with a pure heart fervently.Ms 25, 1907, par. 8–11 As newborn babes they grow by the sincere milk of the word and are built as living stones into a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer acceptable sacrifices by Jesus Christ.Ms 25, 1907, par. 8–11 Fleshly traits, which are opposed to Christ's character and wither like grass and flowers when the Lord's Spirit blows upon them, are to die away to make room for the prized Holy Spirit and for Christ's grace filling the heart.GW 371.2+1

The cry humbles human pride and lowers human self-estimate before the greatness and majesty of God seen in the marvelous and grand scenes of nature.Ms 5, 1882, par. 2–4 Ancestry and natural advantages have no value without purity and obedience to God's commandments, and intellect, worldly ambition, projects and even the greatest human plans perish and fade while God's word endures forever.Ms 5, 1899, par. 2–5+2 Therefore men are not to trust in men nor make flesh their arm, but the Lord alone is to be their trust, with diligent and most earnest work for repentance, humility before God, and strength given to His own people.Ms 5, 1899, par. 2–5+1

Worldly greatness and power are like growing grass and fading flowers, and without Christ men can do nothing.COL 350.4–5+1 Babylon's power and magnificence, once thought enduring, passed away, and even under Nebuchadnezzar with its riches, splendor, pride and highest human intellect it was broken, shattered and helpless when God's time came and God spoke.ED 183.3–184.1+1 The same end meets ambitious, worldly statesmen who do not regard themselves as dependent on God but think they created their own grandeur and exaltation, in contrast with the lasting value of serving God faithfully.COL 350.4–5+1 Only what is founded on God, bound to His purpose and expressive of His character, with His word and will, lives and endures forever.ED 183.3–184.1+1

Because flesh passes away and its glory departs while the word of the Lord remains forever, the loss of earthly possessions such as barns, horses and carriages is temporary and may prove a blessing in disguise.Lt 133, 1905, par. 3–4 The call is to go straight forward, steadfastly endure the Lord's chastening without fainting, walk humbly before God, and glorify His name.Lt 133, 1905, par. 3–4 It is to lift and carry the cross in order to wear the crown, and to follow Christ more closely with His meekness revealed.Lt 133, 1905, par. 3–4