Isaiah 40

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

December 31, 2021 

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

As we indicated in an earlier message, Chapter 40 is the first Chapter in Isaiah which corresponds to the New Testament, although chapters 40-52 are primarily prophetic of the coming of Jesus to earth.

1 Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God.

Any word that is repeated twice is very important and gives double assurance. Jesus came to afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of 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.

"Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem." Who is "ye"? Isaiah in his day and God's messengers over all of time. The word comfortably literally means "to the heart," not merely to the mind. God's messengers must speak to the heart and must be received by the heart. Judah must trust in God in spite of the Babylonian invasion and in spite of their captivity. We today must do the same.

Many of God's chosen people have hidden, hurting hearts. It is important for those hurting hearts to hear a word of comfort, either sovereignly or from God's messenger. This means that Jerusalem needed a word of comfort and God certainly had and has comfort to give them and us. However, we must be careful in how we attempt to provide comfort to others. We could end up trying to fix prematurely the fix that the Lord has fixed for others for some greater reason. There is never a substitute for hearing the voice of the Lord.

Everyone knows that our physical heart is the organ that pumps blood throughout our body, but God is concerned with our spiritual heart. Our heart in Scripture has been described as "the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity," "the comprehensive term for a person as a whole ... his feelings, desires, thought, understanding and will," and "the center of a person ... the place in us to which God looks and turns." The book of Psalms contains more verses about the heart than any other book in the Bible. Many long years ago I counted at least five or six major sins in the life of David, but in Psalm 40:8, David said, "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart." As a result, in Acts 13:22, David was called a man after God's own heart. Also, there are more chapters in the Bible about David than anyone else, except for the Lord Himself. It might take several sessions to halfway cover the significance of our heart, but today we will look at only Psalm 34:18-19.

"The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all." 

A good question could be, "What does it mean to have a broken heart?" Every human being, whether a heathen or a true Christian, sooner or later will experience one or more events which will cause much heartache, grief, or distress in their life. One such example is the 800,000 deaths in the United States from this Covid pandemic. Only the Lord knows what He will do for the unsaved who experience a devastating event in their life. However, those verses in Psalm 34 definitely apply to every Christian.

I know a godly man and wife whose oldest child died suddenly at the age of 62. Although I have never experienced that kind of event, I am certain that caused much heartache in their family. Although I can certainly have compassion for them, I can never fully identify with their grief because I have not experienced that type of event. I also am quite certain that the God of all comfort has poured out Himself to comfort that family. 

Many years ago, my wife's father cut her out of his will because he was afraid she would give part of his empire "to the church." Her rightful share of his estate would have been about $500,000, but she never received anything. Neither my wife nor I ever cared about the money for one second. But my wife was devastated by the thought that her father evidently loved his money and his empire more than he loved his only daughter. Over a period of several months, my wife developed some rather serious physical symptoms caused by the stress and distress. Several different people, including me, gave her some good scriptures to read, but that did not take away her pain. She would even take walks and quote those scriptures to herself, with no relief. Then, after a fairly lengthy time period, the Lord, by the power of His Holy Spirit, set her free from all of that pain. Only the quickened, anointed word of God can comfort our heart.

I also believe that the word, "the LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart," has another, higher level of meaning, namely that we should all have a broken heart, even when we are experiencing only good things in our life. That is a place to which the Lord will bring us if we continue to walk on with the Lord. Why should we have a broken heart during the good times? to identify with the Lord Jesus ... with His heart, His will, His ways ... that He might be glorified in everything.

Philippians 1:29, "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake;"

Acts 5:41, "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name."

Everything in Psalm 34:18-19 speaks of the sovereignty, the centrality, the supremacy, and the preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything in the Bible is written to point to the Lord Jesus Christ. We Christians are called to identify with Jesus in every respect, except for His Headship. We must identify with His birth, His suffering, afflictions, and rejection by men, His death and resurrection, His ascension, His intercession, and His weeping over spiritual Jerusalem. Jesus, as a Man, suffered more afflictions, suffering, and rejection than any other human being. Again, our broken heart for the Lord's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven is a place that He will bring us to if we continue to follow Him. He is our all in all. It is not our righteousness but we are a new creature in Christ, and it is His righteousness within us that qualifies us for all the promises of God, which are in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 1:20, "For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." 

All promises are in Christ. There are no promises outside of Christ. Sadly, some of us Christians try to interpret the Bible as it pertains to me. That ego-centric approach to Christianity gets us into a swamp of misunderstanding very quickly.

Satan wants to deceive us by attacking the frailties of the natural man, accusing us of not qualifying. The Lord Jesus Christ is eminently and emphatically the Righteous One. We enter in by faith which is His faith worked within us. Our afflictions may be very distressing, both in quality and quantity, but never more than what the will of God allows. See for example, 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says that God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will, with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Now back to the phrase in Isaiah 40:2, "That her warfare is ended." Even though there was still an army against them, as far as God was concerned, her warfare is ended. This was reason for comfort. It is in this same sense that God speaks to us and tells us we can be more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37). The battle still looms, but as far as it concerns the believer in Christ, the warfare is ended, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). In other words, we do not overcome anything, but the Christ within us has overcome every obstacle.

Colossians 3:1-7, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him:" 

The Lord created Adam perfect in the sense that there was no sin in Him. However, Adam was not mature. He could become mature only by partaking of the tree of life daily. Adam failed in that he chose to sin, deliberately and wickedly disobeying. Adam had a choice and he chose to sin. Jesus, who knew no sin, is called the second Adam. Jesus could have sinned because as a Man He had free will, but He chose not to sin. Every true Christian knows that Jesus died on the cross at Calvary for the sins of the world. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin on the cross and died for you and me and everyone who receives Him as their Lord and Savior. Now, you and I and all Christians must die for Christ... die to self. Paul walked the way of the cross; he said "I die daily." The way of the cross is where I appropriate the finished work of the cross and walk in the discipline of the cross to reject, deny, refuse any of the motions of sin in my life. Instead, we must partake of the tree of life daily. We do not have to sin because of the power of the Holy Ghost. Several scriptures, such as Romans 6:2 affirm that truth. We all still have free will; therefore we must choose not to sin.

From Isaiah 40:2, "That her iniquity is pardoned" ... how? by enduring the punishment of captivity. The prophet speaks of a day when comfort can be realized because her iniquity is pardoned ... another reason for comfort. The sin of mankind has been completely paid for. That principle applies to the believer under the New Covenant; our iniquity is pardoned because our sins have been paid for by the blood of Jesus at Calvary. This is a very good reason for comfort.

Again from Isaiah 40, Verse 2, "Double for all her sins" means ample punishment in her captivity; abundantly enough to fulfill God's purpose in their chastisement, which was to humble and reform them and to warn others by their example.

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.

Three voices are mentioned ... in Verses 3, 6, and 9, each showing how the comfort will come about. "Him" speaks prophetically of John the Baptist; so shall it be at the coming restoration of the Church, of which the historic restoration from Babylon was but a type and not the full realization. This message, cried out by the voice in the wilderness, was meant to prepare hearts for the coming of the LORD by leading them into repentance ... to bring back the people to obedience to the Lord and to remove all self-confidence, pride in national privileges, hypocrisy, and religion, so that they could be ready for His coming. John preached in the wilderness ... a moral wilderness. The hearers are ordered to prepare the way of the Lord because the Lord was coming. John was the herald of the coming Messiah, Who was to reign forever.

"Before the great and dreadful day of the Lord" in Malachi 4:5 proves that John is not exclusively meant. Although in one sense Elias has come, in another he is yet to come. John was the figurative Elias, coming "in the spirit and power of Elias." As there will be another consummating advent of Messiah Himself, so there is to be another advent of Elijah, His forerunner. That shall occur at the coming restoration of spiritual Israel.

We often fail to appreciate how important the preparing work of the LORD is. Any great work of God begins with great preparation. Moses was prepared for 40 years. John wonderfully fulfilled his important ministry! The word, "prepare" is true even in the natural realm. No one becomes a doctor, teacher, or lawyer without adequate preparation. Any decent house painter or wall paper hanger will tell you that the proper preparation of the surfaces is very important and must be done first.

Prepare ye the way of the LORD. Who is "ye"? Anyone who has eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand. His glory is revealed to the prepared hearts ... to those who look for Him.

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:

The LORD is coming to His people as a triumphant King Who has the road prepared before Him so He can travel in glory. Every obstacle in the way must be removed. The problems are not the same everywhere. Sometimes the road in the valley needs to be lifted up; other times a road has to be cut through a passage in the mountains; perhaps a bridge needs to be built over a stream or river. The idea of preparing the way of the LORD is a word picture because the real preparation must take place in our hearts. Building a road is very much like the preparation God must do in our hearts. They are both expensive, they both take a lot of time, they both must deal with many different problems and environments, and they both take an expert engineer who has every tool at his disposal.

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.

Scripture seems to indicate two phases of the revelation of the glory of the LORD. The first phase is given by Hebrews 9:28, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." When the way is prepared, then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed. The glory of the LORD is revealed not only to Jerusalem or Judah, but to every prepared heart. It is revealed without regard to nationality, race, or gender. Verse 5 indicates the second phase, when all flesh shall see it together. What is it? "it" is "the salvation of God" seen by Simeon in Luke 2:30, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of the LORD prepares the way of the LORD. The certainty of this word is assured, because the mouth of the LORD has spoken it. 

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 in Verse 6 is God speaking to His ministers. All flesh is grass. This is a word of comfort because it means that even the power of Assyria and Babylon would soon vanish. The message is two-fold. It speaks of the frailty of man. Even the beauty of man is fleeting, and passes as quickly as spring wildflowers. It is to God's glory and according to His plan that man is so frail, and the glory of man is so fleeting.

In contrast to the frailty and fleeting glory of man, the word of our God endures forever. The understanding of our frailty and fleeting glory, contrasted with the eternal enduring of God and His word, should humble us in repentance before the LORD.

Peter makes a wonderful reference and application to this passage in 1 Peter 1:22-25. It begins by allowing more of the incorruptible seed to be set in our hearts and allowed to grow. 

22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

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; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

Note that both Zion and Jerusalem bring good tidings. Bring good tidings to whom? to Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). Note that Jerusalem is to lift up her voice with strength, not with the natural voice, but by the power of the Holy Ghost. However, Zion is never told anywhere in the Bible to say anything. That is because Zion represents those who minister to the Lord ... the Lord's ministers. Jerusalem speaks; Zion becomes.

Say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!" The great message that should be shouted loud and clear is an invitation to behold your God. There is nothing greater for a believer to do than to learn and to know our God and to walk with Him daily. It speaks of a long-term mission to know the greatness and the character of our God. It also shows how important it is for the message of God's preacher to focus on the Person of the Lord. A preacher should always ask, "How can I help the people to behold our God?" The proper study for God's elect is God Himself. The highest work which can ever engage our attention is the name, the nature, the person, and the work of the great God whom we call our Father. To more fully understand Verse 9, we need to understand what Zion represents.

"Zion" appears about 150 times in the Old Testament. A few such verses are the following. 

1 In Judah is God known: His name is great in Israel.

2 In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in Zion. Psalm 76: 1-2

They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God. Psalm 84:7

When the LORD shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory. Psalm 102:16

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Isaiah 28:16 

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Joel 2:15-17

Back to Verse 10 of Isaiah, Chapter 40.

10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him: behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.

Behold the returning LORD. The first aspect of our God we should behold is the fact that our God will return to this earth, and He will come with power; the government shall be upon His shoulders, not the shoulders of any pastor or elder. When the LORD comes back, He comes to reward His people. His reward is His presence. He does not need to seek help from any external source, but by His own inherent power He gains rule for Himself. His own power is sufficient to govern His people and to destroy His adversaries.

Back to Verse 11 of Isaiah, Chapter 40.

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.

Another aspect of our God to behold is His loving care as a shepherd. One of the first things a shepherd must do for his sheep is to feed them, and the LORD feeds us like a shepherd feeds his flock. Sheep must be directed to good pasture and must be moved on to new pasture when they have stripped the grass bare. We need as much carefully directed feeding as sheep! No creature has less power to take care of itself than sheep. Even the tiny ant can provide for the evil day, but this poor creature must be tended by man or else perish. The people of God are as sheep which are scattered in all lands and unable of themselves to move to their own land. But the Lord has promised that He will not leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Jesus is given three great titles regarding His work as a shepherd.
1. Jesus the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-15). He is good in His care and sacrifice for the flock.
2. Jesus the Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20). He is great in His glorious triumph over every enemy.
3. Jesus the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). He is the Chief over all His people.

At His return, Jesus also exercises another aspect of His role as Shepherd: He divides the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:34, 41). Then shall He say unto them on the left hand, "Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire;" but to those on His right hand He shall say, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." 

God loves to identify Himself with a shepherd. Many of the greatest men of the Bible were shepherds, and their character points to Jesus Christ. Abel is a type of Jesus, the sacrificed shepherd. Joseph is a type of Jesus, the persecuted and exalted shepherd. David is a type of Jesus, the shepherd king.

The youngest and the weakest are given special care by the LORD, who first actively gathers the lambs of His flock with His own arm and carries them in His bosom. That is a safe and tender place. He does not commit this work to an angel or to His ministers; but He Himself, by His Spirit, undertakes it.

Verses 12-28 of Isaiah, Chapter 40, sound very much like Job, Chapters 38-41. They declare, in no uncertain terms, the sovereignty, the majesty, the power, the omnipotence, the omniscience of God. 2 Samuel 7:22, "Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears." 

There is a spiritual song titled "There is None Like You." Some of the words are, 

There is none like You. No one else can touch my heart like You do.
I could search for all eternity long, and find, there is none like You.

Back to Isaiah, Chapter 40 and Verse 12. 

12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?

13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being His counsellor hath taught Him?

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.

17All nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity.

18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto Him?

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?

22 It is He that sitteth upon 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:

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 the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth.

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.

29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

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.

After explaining all the greatness and glory of God, now Isaiah explains another benefit we can receive from our God ... He makes available to us His great strength and power! God gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Those who are proud and confident in their own wisdom and strength receive no strength from God. Those who thought themselves strong find themselves weak. God's strength is reserved for those who know they are weak, and know they have no might. But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength. The idea behind waiting on the LORD is not a passive sitting around until the LORD does something. He brings strength to us as we seek Him and rely on Him instead of our own strength. If we are weak, it is because we do not wait on the LORD! We are told that we renew our strength. It is strength that was once received when we first came to the LORD in weakness. If we are worn out for any reason, God is here to give us strength - if we will wait on Him!

The order seems backwards to our logical thinking. First, we mount up with wings like eagles. Then we run. Finally, we walk. The order is correct. First, we recognize that we soar up into heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). Then we set ourselves on the course to run the race (Hebrews 12:1). Then we are in a good place to walk with God (Colossians 2:6).

Jesus told us to be perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect. God's ways are perfect. His work is perfect. His word is perfect. His law is perfect. Perhaps even more amazing is, from Psalm 138:8, "The Lord will perfect that which concerns me." All we have to do is to trust Him, agree with Him, and allow the Holy Spirit to mold us and make us into that vessel that He has foreordained us to be.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it." 

What an amazing, awesome, faithful God we serve! Amen.