Isaiah 40 Visions of God’s
Greatness WC McCarter
The Everlasting God
Introduction
Have
you come to hear a word from the Lord? I hope that you have and that you do
every week. Yes, the Lord will use me to declare His message, but my continual
prayer is that I will allow the word of God to speak for itself.
Let’s
not focus this morning on what is happening in the culture, but let’s set our
minds on what is not happening in the church: We do not have a true vision of
God’s greatness. We are caught up in self-help concepts instead of the doctrine
of God. Isaiah 40 is not a vision in the sense of what we have seen in chapters
two and six. Although, it is a picture of God, a vision that we should grasp of
God’s greatness. As we work through our passage today, you will notice two
things: (1) God is the Creator/Ruler of all things, and (2) God can be trusted
to take care of His people.
READ Scripture- This is the Word of God
Comfort for Jerusalem (1-2)
Although
judgment must fall on the unrighteous, there has been and always will be a
people of God, and He comforts His people. The reference of this passage is to
the Jewish captives in Babylon, the people of God outside of the land that God
had promised them. It is sad, depressing, and prospects are bleak. The word
that will be delivered to them may not be well received. Yet, through the
miserable circumstances, God speaks, and He no longer speaks a word of judgment
but one of hope and restoration. God’s mercy and grace are never far from those
who are willing to repent, turn from the evil ways and trust in Him. That was
true for the Babylonian captives who thought they would never be saved from
their captors, and the same is true for us today.
The
grammar conveys that God is continually saying, “Comfort.” The Lord certainly
makes unbelievers uncomfortable (and even believers who need it), but the Lord
offers comfort to those who belong to Him who are in need of it. “Speak
comfort” should literally read “speak to the heart” meaning the inner most
parts of the people. It is fear that grips the heart. It is depression that
grips the heart. Hopelessness eats at the soul. So, the Lord says, “Speak to
the heart.” It is the heart that needs a word from the Lord. It is the heart
that needs to hear words of hope, restoration, and comfort.
“Warfare”
refers to a period of distress; the Babylonian captivity will come to an end
(43:14). “Iniquity is pardoned” rests upon the promise that the Servant of the
Lord will bruised for the sins of the people (52:13ff). The Lord does not allow
His people to suffer forever. Yes, He does discipline His people when they fall
into sin, but those who persevere, trusting in Him, will be restored.
The Glory of the Lord (3-5)
Things
may not be in the best shape now, but the Lord is coming. Some have said that
this refers to the people’s return to Jerusalem from Babylon, but the language
is more of a town going out to prepare the way for a dignitary to make his way
to town. The Lord’s messenger announced His coming, and the people were tasked
with making the way easy and quick to navigate.
The
Lord delights in making His glory known in dire circumstances. He uses the weak
and lowly things to reveal His glory. Why does He do this? He does it this way
to make clear that it is He who is acting; it is He who is most glorious.
Of
course, we know that the New Testament uses this paragraph of Scripture in
reference to the preparatory work that John the Baptizer did before the Lord
Jesus Christ came on the scene. He was the prophet who began to teach the
people to repent because the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. The Lord was going
to make His grand entrance onto the scene. Of course, as is common with the
Lord, Jesus was meek and lowly. He was not what mankind expected. The Lord
chose to reveal Himself in flesh and blood, move into the neighborhood, live in
poor conditions, and be crucified on the cross. No one automatically thinks,
“Glorious!” when they see Jesus on the cross.
The Word of Our God (6-8)
We
are told twice in this paragraph that we are like grass. The preacher says in
verse six, “All flesh is grass, even the flowering grass.” Then, verse seven,
explains how that is so. Just as grass withers and flowers fade, so, too, are
all people. The fact that grass is short-lived serves as a great illustration,
especially for us at this time of year. We are already seeing the grass begin
to fade away as the seasons change. It will not be long and it will all be
brown and dead. Like grass, we are here one day and gone the next. We do not
live forever. We are not dependent upon ourselves. God is the giver and taker
of life. He alone is the everlasting God. We are physically fragile. I often
meditate on the reality that our physical lives are fragile. On the one hand it
seems as if it is very difficult for someone to lose one’s life, but, on the
other hand, it seems almost too easy. We are also morally fragile. We are
susceptible to the wiles of the devil, the fallenness of this world, and our
own selfish desires.
Let
me assure you of something, people come and go. Like grass, we spring up for a
time and quickly die. Yet, the word of God stands forever. When God speaks, the
matter is settled for eternity. The everlasting God speaks everlasting words.
Behold Your God (9-11)
There’s
nothing more assuring than knowing that God is here. Verses nine through eleven
are just as much a valid promise for us today as it was for the people of God
2,700 years ago. Verse nine makes clear that what is about to be said is worth
proclaiming. This message is worth sharing.
Jerusalem
is pictured here as a preacher who hears the message and runs to tell other
towns the announcement. This is a message that is worth announcing. This is a
message that must be proclaimed.
Creation Does Not Compare (12-17)
Have
you ever seen someone that does his/her job so well that you have said, ‘He
does that effortlessly’? Well, you could say the same of God in relation to His
creative activity. God is the sole Creator of all things, and He almost effortlessly
makes sure that all things work well.
Most
of ancient mythology said that the gods, even the creator-god, had to take
consul from other gods, but our God, the true and living God, works with
unaided wisdom.
We
could combine all of strength of all the nations, and they would not compare to
the God of heaven and earth. God is unique in dignity. All of our wealth
combined is as a drop in the bucket in comparison to Him. All of our strength
combined does not rival the Lord’s. All of our wisdom is like dust on the
scales in comparison to the weightiness of our God.
Let
us also take note that, yes, the Lord is delighted by our praise, and it helps
to make His glory known, but the Lord does not need our worship. Under the Old Testament law, the chief form of
worship was the sacrifice of animals. Here, in verse 16, the Lord makes clear
that all the trees of Lebanon and all of their livestock is not sufficient for
a burnt offering. That worship, although the Lord may have accepted burnt
offering in the past, does not do justice to His unequaled importance and
value.
Humanity
has great value in the eyes of God. It is only in comparison to God that we are
seen as less than flattering. We are the chief, the crowning jewel of God’s
creation, made in His image and likeness, but in comparison to Him, we are
nothing.
Idols Do Not Compare (18-20)
To
assure folks that idols are nothing, it is discussed how the Lord is the
Creator of all things, and idols are only a creation of humanity. The Lord
created man, and man has created idols. Idols do not even compare to humans,
much less to God. You can see how far removed false gods are from the real
thing. God is the Creator of all things while idols are only made from the
substances of God’s creation.
The
only “value” that an idol can have is in the cost of the materials used to
craft it. Even a poor man will have an idol crafted, and it will only be worth
the few cents that he can pay to have it built.
Governments Do Not Compare
(21-24)
The
questions of this paragraph could be asked in another way, Where in the world have you been to not know these things? People
have great value in the economy of God, but in comparison to God, we are only
like grass and grasshoppers. In the same way that you pull back the shades of
your bedroom windows in the morning God stretches out the heavens like a
curtain.
God
rules absolutely. God is supreme in authority. Governments are nothing compared
to Him. He is the one who raises up princes and judges, and He is the one who
brings them down. Whatever power or authority that they may exercise or claim
for themselves is nothing because ultimately they are puppets on strings that
God controls. There is nothing done that is not under God’s sovereign rule. Do
you remember what Jesus told Pilate? He told him that he would have no
authority if it was not given to him from above. The Lord would soon bring down
the Babylonian Empire with the might of the Persians. He would raise up Cyrus
as a mighty king. The Lord is sovereign over the nations.
Creator of the Ends of the Earth
(25-31)
Notice
in verse 25 that the Lord is called, “The Holy One.” No one and no thing
compares to Him in anyway, especially His moral perfection. He alone is “The
Holy One.”
God
is the Creator of all things making Him more than able to do all that needs to
be done for His people. If God knows all things, sets all things in order, and
there is not one more or one less star in the sky than what He has ordained,
then how is it that He could ever be accused of forgetting His chosen people?
If we
think that God does not hear or answer our prayers, if we think that He is
distant, if we even think that He is too great to care, then what we need to
learn or relearn is the doctrine of God. We are His people. We know the truth.
We should never doubt the Lord’s willingness or ability to come to our aid. He
does not need a back-up plan. What He purposes comes to be. What He has done
before, He can do again. What He has said before is still valid today. He is
the Everlasting God.
I
have figured out that when the Lord taught about child-like faith, He was not
meaning that to be exactly like a child. For example, have you ever met a child
who automatically knew what it means to be patient?
Conclusion and Christian
Application
What
the people of God need, what a church needs is reliability, consistency, and
stability. I have been convinced that is part of my job. I want you to know
that I am here week-in-and-week-out, year-after-year. I’m not going anywhere.
You can count on me. But my steadfastness is nothing compared to the Lord. What
you need is to lean on the everlasting arms. I will do my best, but I am far
from perfect. I am going to let you down from time to time. Yet, the Lord will
never let you down. You may think that He is slow, but He is not. You may think
that He is silent, but He has spoken. You may think that He is too busy, but He
is all-resourceful. Lean on Him because He is the Creator of all things. Lean
on Him because He nothing compares. Lean on Him because He is the only one you
can truly count on.