CONSOLATION FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD

W. Charles Harris II

Advent • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

Isaiah 40:1–11

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SITUATION

Isaiah 40:1 NASB95

“Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.

The people of God were in a pitiful predicament. Sin had exacted a heavy penalty upon them. They had gone from being on the very top to end up in the muck and miry clay of Babylonian captivity. They would not listen to the prophets whom God sent to warn them of the impending danger and disaster that sins bring, but plunged headlong into the judgment decreed by the righteous indignation of the Lord. The Book of Isaiah opens with God trying to reason with his people so that the catastrophe they would face might be averted. Chapters 1-39 records their “unreasonableness.” See Isaiah 1:1-20

Isaiah 1:1-20

Isaiah 1:1–20 NASB95

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the Lord speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him. Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick And the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil. Your land is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire, Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence; It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers. The daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. Unless the Lord of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah. “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; “But if you refuse and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

The consolation and comfort of Israel is a key theme of chs. 40–55. While oracles of restoration and salvation are interspersed with oracles of judgment throughout chs. 1–39, this part of the books is characterized by a reduced focus on judgment; the prophet’s words of comfort are directed at those who have already been punished.

Faithlife Study Bible Isaiah 40:1–55:13

The authorship of the later chapters of Isaiah is debated; the geographical and historical perspective of these chapters shifts from Jerusalem at the turn of the seventh century BC to Babylon in the mid-sixth century BC. As a prophet, Isaiah could have been shown circumstances and events 150 years in the future. But the tone of the speeches in this later section suggests they were written by a contemporary of the events, who pleads with the people to trust God for restoration.

Regardless of the setting and identity of the human author, these chapters have much in common with chs. 1–39. They show a well-planned development of Isaiah’s concerns for Yahweh’s holiness, sovereignty, and plans for restoration of Judah.

CONSOLATION Comfort which eases grief and pain. The Hebrew terms are closely related to the words for compassion—nichum, nocham. Job’s integrity with God’s instructions gave him consolation despite his grief and pain (Job 6:10). David sent servants to console Hanun, king of Ammon, after his father died (2 Sam. 10:1–2). People brought food and drink to console the grieving (Jer. 16:7; cp. John 11:19). God’s response to prayer brings consolation to the worried soul (Ps. 94:19). Even as God destroyed Jerusalem, He provided consolation in the person of faithful survivors (Ezek. 14:22–23).

Israel’s ultimate hope was the consolation that only the Messiah could bring. The faithful waited expectantly for this (Luke 2:25; cp. Isa. 40:1–2). Those who trust in riches rather than in the coming of the Son of Man have all the consolation they will receive (Luke 6:24). Believers receive consolation through the ministry of proclamation

COMPLICATION

This text is tailored to teach the people of God that their consolation is possible because God’s word stands forever. The text seems to suggest that there may be some who would have trouble receiving this consolation therefore it needed to be delivered to gently to some and forcefully to others. It is not as easy to recover from bondage as most people think it is. Some people refuse to be consoled because of

Failure to Move Forward

Warfare is ended

Iniquity has been removed

have paid “double” (Sufficiently) for all your sins

The New Manners and Customs of the Bible Isaiah 40:3–4

40:3–4 Preparing the Way of the King

A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.

It’s been the custom for centuries for Eastern monarchs who are traveling through their domain to send men before them to prepare their way by removing stones (see Isaiah 62:10), leveling rough places, filling up hollows, cleaning up trash and litter, and generally making the road pleasant and easy for the distinguished travelers and their guests. One of the stories told about the semilegendary Queen Sammu-ramat (Semiramis of Greek legend, and mother of king Adad-nirari III, who reigned from 810 to 783), is that on one of her journeys she came to a rough, mountainous, region, and ordered the hills leveled and the hollows filled, which was done at enormous cost. Her object was not only to shorten her way, but to leave to posterity a lasting monument to herself. Since her time there have been other instances of similar character, but none involving so much labor and expense.

In Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, and John 1:23, this passage is applied to John the Baptist who, as a herald, preceded the Messiah to announce His coming and prepare the way for Him (see Malachi 3:1).

Faulty Faith in Flesh

Why is it that people would rather put their trust in people rather than in God? There is something to be said about that even in the midst of this postmodern madness that we live in. I think ought to take this time to remind you again; that although, Mr. Trump has been removed from office by overwhelming popular vote, Mr. Biden and Mrs. Harris are not our savoir. I think I need to tell some body that gaining control of the Senate and the Congress is not the source of our consolation. Oh, Yes, the word is that there is a vaccine on the horizon to combat the COVID-19 pandemic; but, hear me when I tell you that we can find out comfort in a faulty faith in flesh. I don’t know who these exiles may have been looking to for consolation but is found only in the Lord.

Often there's misunderstanding out of all the good I do

I go to friends for consolation, and I find them complaining, too

The New Bible Commentary Isaiah 40:6–8

40:6–8 The preacher’s word. 6 This introduces the prophet and his responsibility (the RSV reading, ‘and I said’, retains the Hebrew consonants and is well supported). All men (lit. ‘flesh’) echoes the impressive all mankind (‘flesh’) of v 5 but puts it in perspective in God’s overwhelming presence. 8 Without the great ending of v 8, the passage would have only the wistfulness of e.g. Jb. 14:1–12; but with it, it reaffirms Isaiah’s tireless preaching of faith (cf. e.g. 7:9; 31:3). Its full implications will emerge in 1 Pet. 1:23–25, where the word, in its final form as gospel, is no longer the mere contrast to our transience but the cure of it. Cf. 1 Jn. 2:17.

No Expectation for the Future

Fresh Hope

A blind sailor by the name of Hank Dekker navigated his twenty-five-foot sloop alone from San Francisco to Hawaii. Midway in the 2,376-mile voyage, he encountered a storm which caused his craft, Dark Star, to capsize. Other than floundering for a couple of days while Dekker reorganized the boat, no serious damage resulted; he drifted only twenty miles off course. Using Braille charts and compass and a computerized navigation system that read his position aloud, the brave man covered the distance in twenty-three days. “I’ve got a twenty-four-hour night,” he says, “and they’ve [others] got a twelve-hour night.”

This extraordinary feat not only gave the sailor tremendous satisfaction, but it also offers fresh hope for the sightless and the seeing alike1

1 G. Curtis Jones, 1000 Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1986), 169–170.