Would the coming Babylonian exile prove that God could not deliver His people or that He would not because they had been so sinful? Isaiah's answer was a resounding no! The new historical situation did not signal a change in God or His plans. Rather it would show even more clearly than ever that God is sovereign and that people can trust in Him to deliver.
This chapter is an introduction to the whole rest of the book in that it deals with the basic issues and sets the stage for what follows. It also serves as a bridge carrying over such themes as comfort (ch. 12), the highway (chs. 11; 19; 33; 35), and hope (ch. 6). Also the revealed word of God is prominent again as what provides hope for God's people.
Chapter 40 also contains an expansion of Isaiah's call (ch. 6; cf. 40:1-11 and 6:1-13; 40:3 and 6:3; 40:5 and 6:3; 40:6 and 6:4; 40:9 and 6:11).
"When one turns from the thirty-ninth to the fortieth chapter it is as though he steps out of the darkness of judgment into the light of salvation."390
"Whereas the first portion of the book (chaps. 1-39) is filled with messages of judgment, this portion emphasizes restoration and deliverance."391
The first strophe of this poem (vv. 1-2) sets the tone for the rest of the chapter and for the rest of the book. It is an introduction to an introduction. In spite of affliction that lay ahead for the Judahites, God's ultimate purpose for them was life, not death, and salvation, not enslavement.
40:1 As chapter 1 began with a command (1:2), so does this second major part of Isaiah's prophecy. In both places the word of God is prominent, and in both places Israel is God's people (1:3).
The God of Israel commanded His mouthpieces, especially Isaiah, to comfort His covenant people.392This is the language of covenant (cf. Exod. 6:7; 37:35; 2 Sam. 10:2; Jer. 16:7). We may imagine a heavenly court scene in which God issued this command (cf. 1 Kings 22:19). The double imperative "Comfort"suggests emotional intensity. "Keeps saying"is a more literal translation than "says"and stresses the importance of this message.
40:2 Jerusalem, the personification of God's people, the Israelites, needed persuading to respond to the Lord's love for her. Her lover had not cast her off. Judah's period of educational discipline involving duress (the Babylonian captivity) was over. Punishment for her iniquity (by the sacrifice of the Lord's Servant) had been accepted as satisfactory.
"Here is the first intimation of the truth to be more fully revealed in the fifty-third chapter of the book."393
Indeed, Israel had received a double pardon, by God's grace (cf. 61:7). She had also suffered a double penalty for her sins (cf. 51:19).394Perhaps both thoughts are in view here.
This verse is programmatic for chapters 40-66 of Isaiah. Chapters 40-48 assure that Judah's captivity in Babylon will end, that "her warfare has ended."Chapters 49-57 promise that God will provide a sacrifice for sin, that "her iniquity has been removed."And chapters 58-66 guarantee that Israel will receive her promised kingdom blessings, that "she has received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins."Throughout, deliverance is in view.395
Here begins explanation of how God could offer sinful people comfort. He would break into history (cf. 52:7-10).
40:3-4 Isaiah announced that someone was calling out to prepare a highway in the desert because the Lord was coming to His people's aid (cf. Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23; 3:30). It was customary to construct processional avenues for approaching dignitaries and for idols carried in parade. The wilderness and desert represent the barren waste where God's people dwelt, complete with obstacles and impediments to overcome, and through which He would come to them with refreshment, as He did formerly at Mount Sinai. The idea is that He was certainly coming and His people should prepare for His appearing.
40:5 God would appear acting for His people and by that acting manifest His glory to the whole world. All flesh would marvel at His liberating the Israelites and bringing them back into their land. Even more everyone would stand amazed at His saving humankind through the coming of Messiah. Still more impressive would be the eschatological demonstration of His glory that would accompany Messiah's return to the earth to rule. All these occasions of salvation are probably in view in this verse. This revelation was sure because it was a message from the mouth of Yahweh almighty.
"Isaiah's tendency to add some emphatic statement like for the mouth of the LORD has spoken' (v. 6; cf. 9:7; 37:32) anticipates Christ's truly I say to you.'"396
The third stanza stresses the opposite of the second one, namely, the inability of humans to deliver themselves.
40:6 The same voice continued to call out (cf. v. 3). This time a messenger asked what to call, and the voice instructed him. He was to announce the brevity of human life, comparing it to the grass that quickly turns brown in Palestine and to the wildflowers that only last a few weeks (cf. 1 Peter 1:24). Israel's oppressors were no stronger nor more reliable than grass. Their loveliness (Heb. hesed, constancy) was ephemeral.
40:7 The breath (Heb. ruah, sometimes translated "Spirit") of the Lord not only brings life (cf. Gen. 1:2), but it also brings death to people, even His people, as well as to their enemies and to the grass and flowers.397The hot winds that blew into Israel from the east quickly withered the grass, and the prophet likened this wind to God's wilting judgments on humankind.
40:8 In contrast to this withering and wilting, the word of Yahweh remains forever alive and fresh (cf. 55:10-11). That is, what God says will stand regardless of time or tragedy (cf. Mark 13:31; 1 Pet. 1:25; 2 Pet. 3:8-10). God's promise of hope could overcome the devastation of His judgment.
God's deliverance of His people was not just for their own blessing, however. It was to be for the blessing of the whole world.
40:9 The voice now summoned the people of Israel, collectively identified with Zion and Jerusalem, to announce the coming of their God. They were to go up on a high mountain and speak loudly without fear so everyone else would hear their message of good news (cf. Acts 1:8).
"The essence of the message is: Look, it's God.'"398
40:10 The sovereign Yahweh was coming to exercise His strong rule (cf. 53:1; Deut. 4:34). He was bringing His reward and recompense (synonyms) with Him for His people (cf. Rev. 22:12). These are the fruits of His victory, which He will share with His people (cf. 61:6; 66:12).
40:11 However, He would rule like David, the shepherd king. He will be very sensitive to the needs of His people as He rules over them. Intimate and loving care will mark His reign. The two different uses of God's arm in this verse and the preceding one illustrate the two complementary sides of God's character. Chapters 1-39 feature His arm of judgment, and chapters 40-66 emphasize His arm of compassion.
The preceding section answered the question that the people of Isaiah's day had about God's desire to deliver them. Yes, He wantedto deliver them. This section answered their question about whether He could save them. Yes, He couldsave them. Isaiah used the doctrine of God to assure the Judahites of their security and of God's faithfulness. He is the sole Creator, and He is infinitely greater than the created world. The passage has two parts (vv. 12-20 and 21-26), which questions introduce.
40:12 The opposites of waters and heavens, and dust and mountains, express the totality of God's careful and effortless workmanship in creation. The question is rhetorical (cf. Job 38:41). No one but the Lord is the creator.
40:13-14 The questions in these verses call for the same response. God was not only alone in the work of creation, but He is alone in the wisdom needed to execute it (cf. Job 38:2-39:30).
"He who has measured the creation cannot be measured by the creation."399
"In Babylonian mythology, the creator god Marduk could not proceed with creation without consulting Ea, the all-wise', but the Lord works with unaided wisdom. In both Babylonian and Canaanite creation stories the creator must overcome opposing forces before the way opens for the work of creation."400
The Spirit of the Lord was the executive of God in creation (cf. Gen. 1:2).401We could interpret "Spirit"as the mind of the Lord (cf. Rom. 11:34; 1 Cor. 2:16).402It may refer to the volitional, affective, and cognitive aspects of God's intelligence, in other words, His inner workings. God alone saw to the heart of things in creation and made the correct decisions at the proper time. No one advised Him in His creation or in His administration of the world.
40:15-17 The product as well as the process of creation reflect on God's immensity. He is larger than human collective strength, than the inanimate creation, than human worship, larger even than the totality of humankind. The creation is no challenge to the Creator.
40:18 The transcendent God (Heb. el) is incomparable; no one and nothing approaches Him in His greatness and glory.
40:19-20 How ridiculous, then, it is to practice idolatry (cf. 41:6-7; 44:9-20; 46:5-7). Idols were likenesses of gods, but Yahweh is beyond compare. The value of an idol depended on the financial condition of the devotee. Idols are less impressive than the metals that people use to make them and less strong than the trees from which they fashion them. The best idols are immobile; they will not topple over (cf. 1 Sam. 5:2-5). But the living God is active in life, not just a product of the earth. Isaiah poured on the irony in these verses.
The prophet's emphasis shifted from God as Creator to God as Ruler, but still the point is His incomparability.
40:21 There are lessons that people should draw from the uniqueness of God as Creator that He has revealed. God has given both the objective revelation of Himself and the ability to understand its implications to human beings. The Israelites possessed this knowledge of God because He revealed it to them. Special revelation is in view here rather than natural revelation.
"According to this verse there are two reasons why men who practice idolatry are without excuse. On the one hand, the very foundation of the earth is a testimony that God is the Creator. On the other, from the beginning the truth has been taught by word of mouth, so that those who have not been willing to hear it are without excuse [cf. Rom. 1]."403
40:22 The same God who created the world presides over its affairs. He creates history as well as the material universe. The "vault"or "circle"of the earth probably refers to the heavens above as people perceive it (cf. Job 22:14) or, perhaps, to the horizon (cf. Job 16:10; Prov. 8:27).404God sits above them both. He is so great that people are as small as grasshoppers in comparison. The whole of the universe, the heavens and the earth, are as a tent to Him because He is so immense.
40:23-24 People of position and office, as well as the decision-makers of the world, may appear to wield power, but they are really under the enthroned God's authority. He can dispose of any human leader because He is over all of them. He can dispense with them just as easily as He can make flowers wither and blow chaff away (cf. vv. 6-8). He can reduce them to a state of comparative nothingness (Heb. tohu; cf. Gen. 1:2). Thus He is not only superior but sovereign. Furthermore, He is imminent as well as transcendent. God did not just create the world and then abandon it, as deism teaches.
40:25 This verse restates the question in verse 18 but puts it in the mouth of God this time. Not only is God infinitely superior to anyone else in power, wisdom, dignity, sovereignty, and authority, but, far more significantly, in His holiness. He is unattainable and unassailable in His moral perfections; He is wholly other.
40:26 The stars were objects of worship and signs of divine activity in Babylonian and Canaanite worship (cf. 2 Kings 17:16; 21:3). But they were only creations. The pagan cults assigned them names, but the Lord summons and directs them using their real names, the names that He as their sovereign assigns them. In the ancient world, to know the name of something was to know its essence and so have power over it. Innumerable as they may be to humans, the Lord knows and controls each one of the heavenly bodies.
"Isaiah has insisted on the absolute transcendence of God: he is not part of the cosmos in any way, and the cosmos is not part of him [in contrast to pantheism and panantheism]. But to carry that line to its logical conclusion as Aristotle did is to end with a passionless, colorless force as the source of everything. It is to say that personality is an accident in time. Isaiah will not go that way. He insists on transcendence, but leaves no doubt that the Transcendent is a person with all that that means. When all is said and done, the combination of these two may be Israel's greatest contribution to human thought."405
Isaiah now applied this knowledge of God to the discouraging prospect that the Judahites faced, namely, Babylonian captivity (cf. 39:6). He encouraged them by pointing to the sufficiency of their God. Since the creator knows the name of everything in His complex creation, how could He, the God of Israel, possibly forget His covenant people? Since He is as powerful as He is, how could He be incapable of helping them?
40:27 The Judahites kept saying, "How can God do this to us? He has forgotten us and no longer cares about us."They questioned God's nature (He could not see them) and His dealings with them (He would not defend them).
Perhaps the double names Jacob and Israel are more than poetic synonyms. Isaiah may have been implying that the Judahites, God's covenant people, were in a position as desperate in their own eyes as was Jacob when he came to the end of himself and God changed his name (Gen. 32:22-32).407This happened, they would remember, after his exile in Mesopotamia.
God is not too great to care. He is too great not to care (cf. Gen. 18:25).
40:28 The people needed to open their eyes and ears to what they already knew about their God (cf. v. 21). He is eternal, not bound to the present, as we are. He is Yahweh, the covenant keeping God. He is the Creator of all the earth, not restricted to only one locale at a time. He does not grow tired, because He is omnipotent. He is inscrutable, because He is omniscient. He is unlimited by time, space, power, and understanding.
"Their God is such (eternal, Creator, untiring) that they need never doubt his capacity; he is also such (possessing unfathomable wisdom) that they must never expect to understand all his ways."408
40:29 God does not just possess all these qualities, but He shares His strength with those who need it. He has all energy, and He has energy to spare and to share. Whether we buckle under life's pressures or lack innate strength, He provides durable, stable power (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9).
40:30-31 Circumstances may overcome even the strongest young people in their prime either through lack of inner resources or because of the hardness of life. Yet those who continually rest, trust, and wait for Yahweh will receive renewed and different, divine strength. The Hebrew verb translated "gain"suggests an exchange of strength, our inadequate strength for His abundant strength.
"This expression ["those who wait for the Lord"] implies two things: complete dependence on God and a willingness to allow him to decide the terms."409
They who wait on the Lord will be able to overcome natural drawbacks, endure with energy to spare, and keep on living without becoming excessively tired.
"The threefold description forms a climax, not its opposite; for the exceptional flying and the occasional running do not require, as does the constant walking, an ever-flowing stream of grace."410
