Comfort for the People of God
Text: Isaiah 40:1-11
Core Idea: Christmas is about a message of comfort for the people of God, for the Messiah King has been sent to us. With His power, He won’t crush us, but He will tenderly care for us and carry us close to His heart. Then, find comfort in Him today, for He alone can free us from the power of sin and bring us back to God.
INTRODUCTION
Well, we’re looking at various passages in the Book of Isaiah this Advent. And last week, we learned that Christmas is about a King who will one day come to reverse the effects of the fall and restore all of creation to its original design. Today, Isaiah will show us that Christmas is about a message of comfort for the people of God. Then, with that in mind, please turn your Bibles to Isaiah 40:1-11. I’ll read it for us.
1 Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” 6 A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever.” 9 You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and He rules with a mighty arm. See, His reward is with Him, and His recompense accompanies Him. 11 He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
If you’ve been with us the last two weeks, you may remember that Isaiah has been prophesying about God’s judgment against Judah for their sin of rebellion and disloyalty – and He was going to use Assyria (the very nation they turned to for help) to do just that. Judah would be brought down like a vast forest with nothing but stumps. But God wasn’t going to give up on Judah, for they were His people. Yes, God was going to thrust them into utter darkness, but this wasn’t to destroy them – rather, it was to discipline them, to humble them so that He could restore them. And that’s exactly what happened in Chapter 36. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, had attacked and destroyed many cities in Judah – and they were now surrounding the wall of Jerusalem where Hezekiah, the king of Judah, was. And this is what he said to the Israelites in Isaiah 36:18-20, “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” He was incredibly arrogant – but Hezekiah had nothing to say because he knew it was true. All other nations fell before the mighty army of Assyria. But unlike Ahaz, Hezekiah turned to the Lord. Listen to his prayer in Isaiah 37:18-20, “It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You, LORD, are the only God.” And that’s exactly what God did – Isaiah 37:36-37, “Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning – there were all the dead bodies! So, Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew.” The Lord brought victory to His people, and there was now peace in the land. Now, you would think that nothing can go wrong from here – but it did. The comfort of life caused Hezekiah to drift further and further away from God – making him proud and conceited in his heart. So, in Chapter 39, we see him showing off his treasures to the Babylonian envoys as if he were responsible for these riches – which did not please God. And Isaiah prophesied to Hezekiah that God would bring judgment against Judah for failing to give glory where it was due. He said that Judah would be exiled to Babylon. Hezekiah’s response? “That’s fine – as long as it doesn’t happen in my lifetime.” Instead of being concerned for the kingdom, Hezekiah was just relieved that he wouldn’t live to see this happen. There was no intercession for his people – no tears. He didn’t take any responsibility for his actions. He was just happy to escape the judgment.
Now, Isaiah also wasn’t going to live to see this happen, but through the Spirit, he was able to foresee glimpses of this event – houses burning, families being torn apart, children wailing, and parents weeping. So, if Isaiah was warning the Israelites to repent and return to the Lord in Chapters 1-39, he begins to address the future generation who will be in exile in Chapters 40-66. Considering this, it would’ve been completely understandable if Chapter 40 opened like this: “You fools. Didn’t I tell you this would happen? Why didn’t you listen when I was warning you? I told you to repent. I told you to turn to God. Now, it’s too late. God’s patience has run out. You’ll experience the weight of His wrath and condemnation forever.” But that’s not what he says – rather, he shares that God desires to comfort them. Isn’t that amazing? God had all the reasons to lash out at them. But He didn’t – He had a message of comfort for these rebellious and entitled people. To those who felt desolate in their hearts, those who felt so hopeless, guilty, and ashamed in their hearts, God spoke tenderly to their hearts – calling them, “My people.” It’s as if He was saying, “Even though you rejected Me, You’re still Mine, and I’m still yours. You belong to Me.” Friends, do you feel like you’re in exile today – despondent, perplexed, and remorseful, especially because of the sins you’ve committed? If so, listen to what Isaiah says here – three things that will comfort our hearts:
· THE PARDON FOR SIN
· THE GLORY OF GOD
· THE MIGHTY SHEPHERD
1) THE PARDON FOR SIN
Verse 2, “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.” “Not sternly, not harshly, not with a hint of disappointment or condemnation, but speak tenderly to My people.” In Hebrew, this literally means “speak to the heart.” In other words, “Let them feel My love for them. Let them know that I’m here for them.” Now, what should Isaiah share? Verse 2, “Proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed.” The word “hard service” in Hebrew literally means “warfare.” In other words, God was saying, “You can relax now because your warfare has ended.” Which warfare? The one between God and them. Isaiah tells them that the wall of hostility has been brought down, that they have been reconciled to God, and that they were allowed to enter the presence of God again. And Isaiah’s original audience would’ve asked, “How? How was that made possible?” Verse 2, “[Because] her sin has been paid for.” Because the penalty for their sin has been paid in full. Now, the phrase “her sin has been paid for” appears a number of times in the Book of Leviticus – and it’s always associated with the offering of blood sacrifices. The idea here is that you’re being forgiven because someone else, an animal in this case, is being punished on your behalf – they’re bleeding for you. Then, the implication in our passage is that the warfare is over because somebody else was punished on their behalf. And if that wasn’t good enough, Isaiah gives another reason for comfort – verse 2, “She has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” On the one hand, you could understand this to mean that the Israelites have received double punishment for their sins in that they were being punished far more than what they deserved. That could certainly be true because people have the tendency to underestimate the deadliness of sin. They don’t think it’s that serious. They think it’s not that bad. But the consequence ends up being far worse than they think. So, for example, they may have thought that it was just a small harmless lie – but it ends up breaking a marriage. In the same way, Isaiah could be saying that the Israelites received far worse than they expected – they had no idea that their sin would result in being exiled for almost 60 years. But I don’t think that’s what this phrase means because I believe that they actually received far less than they deserved – far less because the wages of sin is always death, being rejected by God completely. In fact, double punishment would be inconsistent with the character of God because it would be unjust for God to punish us more than what we truly deserve. Then, what does this mean? The commentaries that I read say that it would be more appropriate to think of it not as double punishment but as double pardon. Let me explain. Let’s say that you were imprisoned for doing something horrible – and you were now waiting for your execution. But the king graciously pardoned you, and you were free to go. You’re forgiven of your crime. You’re out of prison. And yet your heart is still heavy because everybody’s still looking down on you – which means that even though your bad record has been erased, you’re still in desperate need to have a good record. And that’s what this means here. Isaiah is telling them that not only are their sins paid for, but they’re also made righteous before the Lord. You’re not just freed from prison – you’re now welcomed as a child of the king. Think about how unbelievable this is. They sinned against God. They offended Him – which means that they should be the ones begging God to show mercy. They should be the ones going above and beyond to appease God. But here’s God seeking after the ones who have turned away from Him. He’s the One going above and beyond to make reconciliation possible.
This reminded me of the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. In this story, the son was far from home because he took off with the inheritance that he demanded from his father while he was still alive. This was incredibly offensive because it basically meant that he couldn’t care less if his father was living or dead. Now, he set off to a distant country where no one knew him – but there, he foolishly squandered all that he had. Everyone deserted him. And he was in great need – so much so that he was willing to eat what the pigs were eating. But in his misery, he remembered what he used to have when he was with his father and how well his servants were treated. So, he decided to go back – hoping that the father would take him in at least as one of his hired servants. In fact, he prepared an elaborate speech to ask for his forgiveness. Now, it says that as the son was getting closer to home, the father saw him from a long way off, which implies that the father was probably looking for his son every day – scanning the horizon, hoping that his son would return. And when the father saw him, he was filled with compassion – so he ran to him. For a man of his standing to run would be considered shameful in their culture – it was a humiliating thing to do. And yet, nothing else mattered. He didn’t care about his reputation. He didn’t care about how he looked. The father ran through the streets, threw his arms around his son, and kissed him over and over again. It didn’t matter how dirty and smelly the son was – the father was just overwhelmed with relief, joy, and gratitude that his son had returned. Think about this for a moment – the father could’ve waited at the door, but he went to the son to take him home. Why? Because the father knew that it would’ve been humiliating for his son to walk through the town with dirt all over his body, to be seen by the people who knew exactly what he had done and how shameful his actions were. In other words, the father ran to the son in order to spare him the humiliation – to bear the son’s humiliation on himself. Now, we read that the son began his speech – the one that he prepared to make his case. But even before he was able to get his words out, the father spoke first – Luke 15:22-24, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Double pardon. The son wasn’t just forgiven – he was also brought into the home again.
Brothers and sisters, do you ever feel like God has grown tired of you and is holding you at arm’s length because you’ve failed Him over and over again? Do you feel like you’re in exile because of your sins? Do you feel like you don’t deserve His love? Do you feel like the son, covered with dirt? This Christmas, be reminded that your warfare has ended because somebody else has paid the penalty for your sin. Be comforted by the fact that you’re not just forgiven but also made righteous before the Father. Listen to what Dane Ortlund writes, “The sins of those who belong to God open the floodgates of His heart of compassion for us. The dam breaks. It is not our loveliness that wins His love. It is our unloveliness.” How is this possible? Because even though our sins are many, His mercy is more. If our sins could be likened to a fire, our sins could be like a match, a torch, a bonfire, or even a huge fire consuming a large building, depending on the day. But God’s grace is like the ocean – there’s no fire that He cannot put out. Let this comfort you today.
2) THE GLORY OF GOD
Verse 3, “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert 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.’” In the ancient world, when a king traveled to visit his people, they would prepare the way for the king in that they would clear any obstacles on the path – sometimes even creating a brand-new highway just for the king so that he could travel faster without interference. Now, this happens in our city as well. If someone important, like a president of another nation, was visiting Toronto, the police would block off the roads so that this individual wouldn’t be hindered by traffic or other obstructions from reaching their destination. So, all that to say, Isaiah is announcing the arrival of a King. That’s what’s going on here. But look at the magnitude of the preparation being made for this King. It doesn’t just stop traffic. Mountains are being brought down. Valleys are being raised up. Rough ground is being leveled. And rugged places are being made smooth. And the readers are left to wonder, “Who is it that’s coming? How powerful and glorious is this person that the whole landscape is being transformed?”
Well, Isaiah doesn’t answer this just yet, but he does tell us that this King will be great for another reason – Verse 5, “And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together.” In other words, this King will come to reveal the glory of the Lord for all people to see. The word “glory” in Hebrew literally means “weight.” In other words, the best way I can describe glory is the weightiness that you feel from being captivated, overwhelmed, and in awe of someone or something. Then, how does the Bible describe the glory of God? Actually, we get a glimpse of this from what Isaiah says in 40:12-26. Listen to what he says, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand? Who has weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales. He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” The point is that there’s no one like our God. There’s no one that rivals Him, for He alone is the greatest, the most beautiful, and the most powerful in every way. Only He is perfect in all He does. Who else can be described like that?
Now, if this coming King will reveal the glory of God for all people to see, what would that do to us? How does feeling the weightiness of God’s presence affect us? Two things. First, all the weightless things of life will begin to fade away. The truth is that because creation has been made by a glorious God, everything has a glimpse of His glory in them. In other words, there’s beauty in nature, in marriage, in friendship, in the work that we do, and so on. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying these things. The problem comes when our hearts get more captivated by something in the creation than the One who created everything. This is detrimental to our souls because they can never satisfy our souls. Pastor Paul Tripp writes, “We were made by the Lord and for the Lord, so nothing in the created world will ever satisfy the deepest hunger in our hearts. Asking food to satisfy your heart will result in you being obese and in ill health. Asking sex to satisfy your longing heart will end up in obsession and deviance. Asking your husband or wife to satisfy your heart reduces you to being endlessly demanding, critical, and discontent. Asking material things to satisfy your heart will cause you to never stop shopping and possessing, while you sink deeper in debt. Here is the point: earth will never be your Savior.” Then, to know that this King will come to reveal the glory of God is a good thing because we’ll recognize that the created things can never deliver us from our misery. They are literally weightless. They are temporary. They come and go just as the grass withers and the flowers fall. Then, the second thing that will happen when this King comes to reveal God’s glory is we’ll learn to place our hope in the Lord. Our hearts will be drawn to the only One who is truly worthy of our worship. We will center our lives around Him. We will obey Him. And we will live to make His name known, for we will be captivated by His beauty. Then, let me ask you, “Is your heart captivated by the glory of God today? Or is your heart still obsessed with the created things?” Friends, I pray that this Christmas will be an opportunity for you to be recaptured by the glory of God through this King. The King of Glory here – and that is a reason to be comforted in our hearts.
3) THE MIGHTY SHEPHERD
Verse 10, “See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and He rules with a mighty arm.” Isaiah tells us that this coming King is a warrior, for He comes with power and rules with a mighty arm. The word “arm” in Hebrew literally means “strength.” But look at what He does with it in verse 11, “He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.” He doesn’t use His arm to crush them for their sins – instead, He uses it to pick them up so that He can carry them close to His heart. In other words, this mighty warrior is also a gentle shepherd. Just picture that image in your head. The most powerful being in the universe who has all the right to treat them as His enemies, for they’ve rebelled against Him and rejected Him, doesn’t come to them to justly punish but gently embrace them. Why? Why would He do this? Because they are His reward. Verse 10, “See, His reward is with Him, and His recompense accompanies Him.” Now, this could be taken to mean that this King will come with a reward for His people. But if that were the case, it should’ve been written, “Our reward is with Him.” But that’s not what it says. It says, “His reward is with Him.” And it made me think, “What could possibly be this King’s reward? What would be considered a reward for the King who has everything?” Answer: His flock. In other words, His reward is us, for He fought the battle to win us to Himself – to bring us close to His heart. You and I are what brings Him joy. One of the questions that I ask my boys every night before we go to bed is this: “What’s the favorite part of your day?” And usually, they’ll talk about what they did at school or daycare, toys that they played with, or shows that they watched. Now, after they finish, they would ask me the same question – and my answer has always been the same. I would say, “Right now, because being with the two of you is the best thing that I look forward to every single day.” And the funny thing is that they began to say the same thing, too. So now, when I ask the same question, they would still list a lot of the things that they did that day – but they would always end by saying, “Also right now because I love you.” Then, in the same way, friends, in one sense, you are the favorite part of God’s day because you are His joy, His reward, and His recompense. He is singing over you. Brothers and sisters, do you believe that today? If so, let this comfort your heart today. Even though we’ve let Him down, He’ll always draw us close to Himself, for He loves us and cares for us.
Then, the most important question remains, “Who is this King that Isaiah is referring to?” Well, we’ll let Matthew answer that for us – Matthew 3:1-3 says, “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.”’” This tells us that John the Baptist fulfilled the words of Isaiah – he came to prepare the way for the King. Then, who does John the Baptist point to as the Messiah King? Jesus Christ. John 1:29-30, “John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the One I meant when I said, “A Man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.”’” Let me actually read you two more passages that show us Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy. Hebrews 1:3, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.” So, Jesus comes to reveal the glory of God. And 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Double pardon is made possible through Jesus as our sinfulness is given to Him, and His righteousness is given to us. All that to say, Jesus is the King that we’ve been waiting for.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Christmas is about a message of comfort for the people of God, for the Messiah King has been sent to us. With His power, He won’t crush us, but He will tenderly care for us and carry us close to His heart. Then, find comfort in Him today, for He alone can free us from the power of sin and bring us back to God.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Isaiah 40 begins with a message of comfort rather than condemnation. What does this reveal about God’s heart toward those who are in exile or facing consequences for their actions? Do you identify with the feelings of exile, guilt, or unworthiness described in Isaiah? How does the message of God’s pardon, glory, and shepherding resonate with your situation today?
2) Isaiah highlights the glory of God as a source of hope and awe. How can focusing on God’s glory help us re-center our lives and resist being captivated by “weightless things”? What steps can you take this week to refocus your heart on God’s glory and experience His comfort in a deeper way?
3) Isaiah describes God as both a mighty warrior and a gentle shepherd. How do these two aspects of God’s nature provide comfort and strength? Isaiah 40:11 mentions that God’s flock is His reward. How does this perspective of being God’s “reward” affect your understanding of your worth in His eyes?