Isaiah 40
The rest of Isaiah focuses on Israel’s future restoration. In Isaiah 39 God announced that the Babylonians would someday capture Jerusalem and take the people into exile, but now in Isaiah 40:1-2 God declared comfort, hope and deliverance for His exiled people. They needed to hear some words of comfort after all they ‘d been through. He told them that their sin had been paid which is a picture that through the death and resurrection of the Messiah the debt had been fully paid. The word ‘comfort’ means a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint. The one true source of comfort is in Jesus, “because He will save His people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:21. “Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of comfort, who comfort us in all our troubles….” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.
We learn about the person of God in these verses:
We can find strength in His Word and knowing He is in control. He gives us strength when we pray, when we have faith, and then we trust in Him.
Isaiah said to prepare the way of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3) which is a direct fulfillment in the New Testament in the person of John the Baptist. Jesus was the coming Messiah and King. John the Baptist’s ministry was to be the one crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. Preparing means to examine your life and see where your choices and actions have not been pleasing to God. It means to remove all things that prevent you from being right with God. This leads you to repentance and for the coming of the Lord into your heart.
We can find strength in God when we feel weak, weary, confused or discouraged because He is the everlasting God. “The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” – Isaiah 40:28-29.
Principle: God’s amazing forgiveness brings us the deepest comfort.
Isaiah 41-45
Through Isaiah God encouraged Israel. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isiah 41:10.
Then he condemned the foolishness of idolatry. He said God Himself is the first and the last; apart from Him there is no God (Isaiah 44;6). All who make idols are nothing and are worthless. All who speak up for them are blind, ignorant, and shameful. Those who craft idols are nothing but men. Idols cannot save. Only God can save. Idols cannot give life. Only God can. He is your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb.
Why does God hate idols? God hates idolatry because He is unwilling to share His glory. He created us and everything in this world so He alone is worthy of our worship. There is none above Him and none that can even stand beside Him.
People fashion idols today. They may not worship a golden statue, but they worship other things. An idol is when something or someone becomes more important to you than God. It’s anything that you love, treasure, prioritize, identify with, or look to for needed fulfillment outside of God. One of the Ten Commandments and found in Exodus 20:3 is against idolatry. Some idols are money, material things, jobs, status, family, children, entertainment, sex, and even technology like phones and computers. To identify your idols ask yourself, ‘where do I spend my time, where do I spend my money, where do I get my joy, what’s always on my mind?’
Isaiah 42 is known as the Servant Song. The Servant here is talking about Jesus the Messiah revealing His servant heart and the very nature of God the Father. He is marked by gentleness and is a gentle Savior. He meets us where we are in all our hurt and pain, where we’ve been bent and bruised.
Then he gives Israel and us reasons not to fear – God created us, He formed us, He redeemed us, He called us by name and we are His. He is always with us, we belong to Him, He is our God. He alone is God.
God said He is the Lord and there is no other. He formed the light and created the darkness. He brings prosperity and creates disaster. “I, the Lord, do all these things.” – Isaiah 45:7b. We are to look to Him to be saved.
Principle: God is Lord and there is no other.
Isaiah 46-47
God continued His message through Isaiah. He used Babylon as an instrument to judge His people, but He held Babylon accountable for her pride, idolatry, violence and brutality. Babylon’s gods cannot do anything. The people had to carry the idols, they were expensive to make and the people were wasting their money. No idol can ever do anything to help its owner. Idols are helpless. God can do everything. He has a plan and He will save Jerusalem.
False gods have to be carried, but God carries His people. He carried them from before their birth and He promises to continue to carry them until their hairs are gray. God watches over our every movement and remains faithful to us. He is not only interested in our early years, but in every day of our lives. He’s with us in the womb to the tomb and every day in between. He’s with us in every season of life. “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” - Isaiah 46:4
Principle: God has plans and a purpose to carry out in each of our lives.
Woe to Babylon! The people were cruel to their slaves and now they were themselves slaves. They will suffer the same shame they caused. They will stand accountable to God. The final words in chapter 47 are “no one can save you” This is true for all who will not find salvation in the Lord.
Principle: Salvation is found through Jesus alone.
Isaiah 48
We learn in Isaiah 48:3-5 that God was not surprised of Israel’s stubbornness and rebellion against Him. This demonstrates that God is the sovereign Lord of history and He controls its flow. He knows all things and all possibilities. He is never caught by surprised. God said, “Listen to me…. I am he; I am the first and I am the last.” – Isaiah 48:12.
Isaiah 48:16-19 described God’s actions and posture toward His people. He said to come near to Him and listen. He is their Redeemer; the Holy One of Israel and He is the Lord their God. He teaches what is best and directs the way they should go. If only they had paid attention to His commands, they would have peace like a river, their descendants would have been like the sand, and they would never be destroyed. Because of their rebellion they forfeited peace, prosperity and well-being.
Judah persisted in stubborn rebellion and idol worship. They were totally unwilling to change. He told them to listen and understand. They were His chosen people but their behavior was evil. He said the Lord must punish them because they have damaged His name. He put a limit on their punishment or they would otherwise be totally destroyed. Isaiah told them if they had only listened. Instead of happiness, the people became miserable prisoners in a foreign country for many years. He told them to leave Babylon and to send out a message that the Lord had redeemed them.
Principle: God offers peace and wellbeing to those who follow Him.
This week’s Attribute of God is He is Savior. We have no power to save ourselves because we are dead in our sin. Death is the punishment for sin, but God sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus saves completely and there is no sin left for God to punish. He gives us new desires and a new ability to fight sin through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the only way we can be saved!
Key verses:
Next time we will study the final section of Isaiah in our study of Kingdom Divided. Hope to see you here. – I encourage you to trust in Jesus.
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