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| This is the New King James text of the passages. |
Isaiah 40-43
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Here we go...the second half of Isaiah!
Old Testament scholars generally agree that Isaiah is divided into two halves, chapters 1-39 and chapters 40-66. For those with advanced math degrees, you're saying, "Hey...39 isn't half of 66!" My reply, "I don't make the news; I just report it." Chapters 1-39, for the most part, address judgment upon Israel and the world. Chapters 40-66 deal primarily with the restoration of Jerusalem and Israel along with the Messianic reign.
The fulfillment of that prophecy (Isaiah 40)
1 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned;
For she has received from the LORD’S hand
Double for all her sins.”
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;
5 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
6 The voice said, “Cry out!”
And he said, “What shall I cry?”
“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
9 O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand,
And His arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.
11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
13 Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,
Or as His counselor has taught Him?
14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,
And taught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,
Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before Him are as nothing,
And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.
18 To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare to Him?
19 The workman molds an image,
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,
And the silversmith casts silver chains.
20 Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman
To prepare a carved image that will not totter.
21 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
23 He brings the princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless.
24 Scarcely shall they be planted,
Scarcely shall they be sown,
Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,
When He will also blow on them,
And they will wither,
And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.
25 “To whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the LORD,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
In the preceding chapter 39, Isaiah has just prophesied that the Babylonians would capture Jerusalem. Interestingly enough, Babylon had not yet risen to power in the world; they were still a vassal state of the Assyrians. Certainly enough, though, after Hezekiah's death, in 586 B.C. Jerusalem did fall to the newly-founded Babylonian Empire (II Kings 24-25, see notes). This chapter recites Isaiah's prophecy of the restoration of Jerusalem, the return from Babylonian exile some 70 years later and finally the restoration that will one day be made possible by the Messiah. As a matter of fact, the next 9 chapters deal with this restoration.
The Messianic message of chapter 40 is framed nicely for us with the New Testament appearance of John the Baptist. John was asked to identify himself, and notice his reply in John 1:23 (see notes), "He said: 'I am The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said." John identified himself as the "voice" of Isaiah 40:3 proclaiming the Messiah. (To see more detail on John the Baptist's fulfillment of prophecy, click here.) As is obvious, all the provisions of Isaiah 40 were not fulfilled at the first advent of Jesus Christ. This complete restoration will be seen during the Messianic Kingdom, which is yet future to us.
By the way, with regard to the permanence of the Gospel of salvation, Peter quotes from Isaiah 40:6-8 in I Peter 1:24-25 (see notes) when he says, "because 'All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever.' Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you."
Chapter 40 is divided into two parts:
Then the capper, verse 31, "But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." This oft-quoted verse encourages us to be patient; God works in his own time.
No protection for the nations (Isaiah 41)
1 “Keep silence before Me, O coastlands,
And let the people renew their strength!
Let them come near, then let them speak;
Let us come near together for judgment.
2 “Who raised up one from the east?
Who in righteousness called him to His feet?
Who gave the nations before him,
And made him rule over kings?
Who gave them as the dust to his sword,
As driven stubble to his bow?
3 Who pursued them, and passed safely
By the way that he had not gone with his feet?
4 Who has performed and done it,
Calling the generations from the beginning?
“I, the LORD, am the first;
And with the last I am He.’ ”
5 The coastlands saw it and feared,
The ends of the earth were afraid;
They drew near and came.
6 Everyone helped his neighbor,
And said to his brother,
“Be of good courage!”
7 So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith;
He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil,
Saying, “It is ready for the soldering”;
Then he fastened it with pegs,
That it might not totter.
8 “But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My friend.
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
“You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.
12 You shall seek them and not find them—
Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you
Shall be as nothing,
As a nonexistent thing.
13 For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, “Fear not, I will help you.’
14 “Fear not, you worm Jacob,
You men of Israel!
I will help you,” says the LORD
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth;
You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small,
And make the hills like chaff.
16 You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away,
And the whirlwind shall scatter them;
You shall rejoice in the LORD,
And glory in the Holy One of Israel.
17 “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none,
Their tongues fail for thirst.
I, the LORD, will hear them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
18 I will open rivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water.
19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree,
The myrtle and the oil tree;
I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine
And the box tree together,
20 That they may see and know,
And consider and understand together,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
21 “Present your case,” says the LORD.
“Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob.
22 “Let them bring forth and show us what will happen;
Let them show the former things, what they were,
That we may consider them,
And know the latter end of them;
Or declare to us things to come.
23 Show the things that are to come hereafter,
That we may know that you are gods;
Yes, do good or do evil,
That we may be dismayed and see it together.
24 Indeed you are nothing,
And your work is nothing;
He who chooses you is an abomination.
25 “I have raised up one from the north,
And he shall come;
From the rising of the sun he shall call on My name;
And he shall come against princes as though mortar,
As the potter treads clay.
26 Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know?
And former times, that we may say, “He is righteous’?
Surely there is no one who shows,
Surely there is no one who declares,
Surely there is no one who hears your words.
27 The first time I said to Zion,
“Look, there they are!’
And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings.
28 For I looked, and there was no man;
I looked among them, but there was no counselor,
Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
29 Indeed they are all worthless;
Their works are nothing;
Their molded images are wind and confusion.
Isaiah is prophesying events that are future to him by a couple of centuries, the judgment on the nations; there is no protection for them from the conqueror in verses 1-4. This is not bad news for Israel though; although he is not Jewish, this conqueror is righteous. At the time of writing, the nations surrounding Isaiah, including Israel and Judah (except Jerusalem), had been conquered by the Assyrians. Isaiah had already prophesied that Jerusalem would not fall to the Assyrians (Isaiah 37:7-10, see notes), but would fall to the Babylonians (Isaiah 39:6-7, see notes). This chapter steps past these events and looks to the conquering efforts of the Babylonian Empire which flourished from 626 B.C. until 539 B.C. - not very long as empires go. Cyrus, of Persia, overtook the Babylonians in 538 B.C.
There's a reference to Cyrus in verse 2 as "one from the east." While the Assyrians and Babylonians deported the Jews to distant lands, they began to return and rebuild under the Persians (around 535 B.C.). To substantiate that Isaiah is looking forward two Empires here (over 150 years), we will see in Isaiah 44 (see notes) that Isaiah actually names Cyrus - a remarkable prophecy of the future with respect to the Jews, even before they had fallen to the Babylonians. Then we see in verses 25-29 another reference to the conquering king - none other than the Persian king, Cyrus. The account of Cyrus' rise to power can be seen in Ezra 1 (see notes).
Let's talk about the Messiah (Isaiah 42:1-17)
1 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
5 Thus says God the LORD,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the LORD, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
10 Sing to the LORD a new song,
And His praise from the ends of the earth,
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!
11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice,
The villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing,
Let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the LORD,
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man;
He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.
He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud;
He shall prevail against His enemies.
14 “I have held My peace a long time,
I have been still and restrained Myself.
Now I will cry like a woman in labor,
I will pant and gasp at once.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills,
And dry up all their vegetation;
I will make the rivers coastlands,
And I will dry up the pools.
16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;
I will lead them in paths they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them,
And crooked places straight.
These things I will do for them,
And not forsake them.
17 They shall be turned back,
They shall be greatly ashamed,
Who trust in carved images,
Who say to the molded images,
“You are our gods.’
These are descriptions of the justice that will come with the Messiah's rule. You will recall that after the baptism of Jesus, a voice was heard from Heaven in Matthew 3:17 (see notes) saying, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." While this is a quotation of Psalm 2:7 (see notes), there is a striking resemblance to Isaiah 42:1 there, "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles." Notice the mention of Gentiles here as well, a reference to the fact that Jesus' death on the cross secures salvation for Jews and Gentiles alike. Not only so, the Messianic reign of Jesus will bring blessings upon both Jews and Gentiles. Then we see in Matthew 12:17-21 (see notes) a quotation of this passage indicating that this is, indeed, the Messiah being referenced here.
While Cyrus of Persia would be the one to facilitate the return of Jews from exile (Ezra 1, see notes), only the Messiah will eventually set up righteous rule over the earth.
A reminder of how Israel got where they were (Isaiah 42:18-25)
18 “Hear, you deaf;
And look, you blind, that you may see.
19 Who is blind but My servant,
Or deaf as My messenger whom I send?
Who is blind as he who is perfect,
And blind as the LORD’S servant?
20 Seeing many things, but you do not observe;
Opening the ears, but he does not hear.”
21 The LORD is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake;
He will exalt the law and make it honorable.
22 But this is a people robbed and plundered;
All of them are snared in holes,
And they are hidden in prison houses;
They are for prey, and no one delivers;
For plunder, and no one says, “Restore!”
23 Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will listen and hear for the time to come?
24 Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers?
Was it not the LORD,
He against whom we have sinned?
For they would not walk in His ways,
Nor were they obedient to His law.
25 Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger
And the strength of battle;
It has set him on fire all around,
Yet he did not know;
And it burned him,
Yet he did not take it to heart.
It was rebellion against God that would cause Judah to fall in 586 B.C. (II Kings 24-25, see notes). Later, when they would be reflecting back on Isaiah's prophecy after those things had come to pass, they would come to realize that all of these things came upon them because they chose not to obey God's commandments. This loss of land by Israel was prophesied all the way back in Deuteronomy 28:49-53 (see notes).
Israel will be regathered to their homeland (Isaiah 43)
1 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4 Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
6 I will say to the north, “Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 Everyone who is called by My name,
Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
8 Bring out the blind people who have eyes,
And the deaf who have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered together,
And let the people be assembled.
Who among them can declare this,
And show us former things?
Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified;
Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.”
10 “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD,
And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved,
I have proclaimed,
And there was no foreign god among you;
Therefore you are My witnesses,”
Says the LORD, “that I am God.
13 Indeed before the day was, I am He;
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;
I work, and who will reverse it?”
14 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
“For your sake I will send to Babylon,
And bring them all down as fugitives—
The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships.
15 I am the LORD, your Holy One,
The Creator of Israel, your King.”
16 Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea
And a path through the mighty waters,
17 Who brings forth the chariot and horse,
The army and the power
(They shall lie down together, they shall not rise;
They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):
18 “Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.
20 The beast of the field will honor Me,
The jackals and the ostriches,
Because I give waters in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert,
To give drink to My people, My chosen.
21 This people I have formed for Myself;
They shall declare My praise.
22 “But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob;
And you have been weary of Me, O Israel.
23 You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings,
Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices.
I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings,
Nor wearied you with incense.
24 You have bought Me no sweet cane with money,
Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;
But you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have wearied Me with your iniquities.
25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins.
26 Put Me in remembrance;
Let us contend together;
State your case, that you may be acquitted.
27 Your first father sinned,
And your mediators have transgressed against Me.
28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary;
I will give Jacob to the curse,
And Israel to reproaches.
This is a continuation of Isaiah's prophecy concerning Israel's return to their land. As you will recall, they were deported to the modern-day Iraq area during the Assyrian captivity and later, Jerusalem to Babylonian captivity. This passage was written before the fall of Jerusalem (II Kings 24-25, see notes), but has prophesied already the fall of Jerusalem and subsequent deportation of its inhabitants, and now is prophesying their return.
There was a return to the land under the Persian King Cyrus who began his reign in 538 B.C. (Ezra 1, see notes). However, the supernatural aspects shown in this chapter leave the reader uncertain as to which restoration is being referenced here. Perhaps the references look to the Messianic Kingdom instead - to the final restoration of the land to Israel, rather than the return of the deported Jews back to their land in 535 B.C. Some evidence to that is to be seen in verses 5-6 where we see exiles returning to the land from all directions - not just from the east, the location to which we know the inhabitants of Judah in the sixth century were deported. The return from all directions would indicate the gathering of Israel after the Battle of Armageddon at the beginning of the millennium. We know from Matthew 24-25 (see notes) and Revelation 20-22 (see notes) that a gathering of the nations will take place; this seems compatible with verse 9 in this chapter, "Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled."