Day 1 — Isaiah 40:1-11 Comfort Comes, God Arrives
Opening prayer
Heavenly Father, as we begin this second part of Isaiah, please speak comfort to my heart. Show me the good news of your forgiveness, the certainty of your word, and the tenderness of your Son, my Shepherd and King. Amen.
Headline
God speaks comfort to his exiled people: their sin has been paid for, their God is coming, and his word will endure forever.
Isaiah 40:1-11
40 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.
Comment
The first word of Isaiah 40 is one of the most beautiful words in the Bible: “Comfort” (v.1). In fact, God says it twice: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (v.1).
That is a striking change of tone. In chapters 1–39, Isaiah has exposed the disease. God’s people have been rebellious, proud, idolatrous, unjust, and self-reliant. They have trusted in nations, idols, military strength, political wisdom, wealth, and themselves. Even Hezekiah, for all his faithfulness, has been shown to be mortal and flawed — not the forever King God’s people need.
So when chapter 40 begins, we are not simply moving from sad chapters to happy chapters. We are hearing the God who has been rejected speak again to the people who rejected him. And what does he say? Not first, “Enough is enough,” but “Comfort, comfort my people” (v.1).
This is the beginning of Isaiah’s “Fifth Gospel.” It is good news. God speaks tenderly to Jerusalem — literally, he speaks to her heart — and announces that “her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for” (v.2). Judgment has been real, but it will not have the final word. Exile will not last forever. God has not abandoned his promises or his people.
But how can sin simply be paid for? How can God comfort guilty people without pretending sin does not matter? Isaiah will not give us the full answer until chapter 53, where the Servant is pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. God does not comfort his people by ignoring their sin. He comforts them by providing the Servant who will bear it.
Then a voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord” (v.3). In Isaiah’s immediate context, this is the language of a new exodus. God will make a highway through the desert and bring his people home from exile. Valleys will rise, mountains will fall, rough ground will become smooth. Nothing can prevent God from coming to save.
But the New Testament shows that this promise reaches even further. Mark begins his Gospel by quoting these words and applying them to John the Baptist, who prepares the way for Jesus. That means Jesus is the Lord whose way is being prepared. In Jesus, the God of Isaiah 40 has come near. The gospel is not first of all advice about how we climb up to God. It is news that God has come down to us.
And this news rests on a word that cannot fail. Human life is fragile: “All people are like grass” (v.6). Empires wither. Careers wither. Beauty, health, reputation, wealth, and strength all wither. Even human faithfulness is like the flower of the field. Here today, gone tomorrow. But “the word of our God endures forever” (v.8). Real comfort is found not in our strength or circumstances, but in the enduring promise of God.
That is why this comfort must be announced: “Here is your God!” (v.9). And what is he like? He is mighty: “The Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm” (v.10). But he is also tender: “He tends his flock like a shepherd: he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart” (v.11). The same arm that rules the nations gathers the lambs. The God who comes with power also comes with gentleness.
Why does God want me to hear this today? Because I need comfort deeper than vague optimism or moral improvement. I need to know that my sin has been paid for, that God has come near in Jesus, that his word will outlast everything fragile, and that when I am weary or weak, my Shepherd does not despise me. He gathers me in his arms and carries me close to his heart.
Reflect
- Where do I most need to hear God’s word of comfort today?
- What fragile “grass” am I tempted to rely on instead of the enduring word of God?
- How does verse 11 help me trust both the power and tenderness of Jesus?
Closing prayer
Almighty God, thank you for the gospel, your good news that endures forever. Thank you that in Jesus my sin has been paid for, my Shepherd has come, and your word can be trusted. When I am guilty, weary, fearful, or weak, help me to hear your tender voice and trust your mighty arm. Make me unafraid to say to others, “Here is your God!” In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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