An Important Chapter

Isaiah 40-41

            Isaiah 40 sounds themes that will resonate throughout this section of the book. First, we have the emphasis on the Lord’s forgiveness. For all of His wrath over Israel’s sin, the Lord now speaks tenderly to her. His anger does not last forever (57:19). Wrath, judgment, punishment: these are what we call God’s alien work, work that does not express His truest nature. Like any good parent, the Lord punishes because He must, because His rebellious children push Him to it. His proper work, the work He gladly and willingly performs, is to bless and make prosper.

            Second, Isaiah 40 extols the God who is the Creator of heaven and earth. He makes the nations, who look so powerful from our perspective, appear as mere drops in a bucket. He sits enthroned above the earth; he brings princes and rulers to nothing. No matter how much those nations oppress Israel (often as God’s chosen instruments, see chapter 41), He raises them up and brings them down. What endures is the Word of the Lord.

            Isaiah 40 is quoted several times in the New Testament. Verses 3-5 are used in reference to John the Baptizer in all four Gospels. (It’s verse 3 that is explicitly quoted.) I haven’t done the research, and maybe the evangelists are just quoting the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament that dates from about 200 years before Jesus), but there’s a slight twist in their use. In the Hebrew, the phrase “in the wilderness” describes where to prepare; in the New Testament, it’s used to describe where the voice is. In the original its about returning from exile through the wilderness, so a new path in the wilderness is needed. In regards to John, no physical exodus is necessary; what matters more for John is his call to repentance.

            Isaiah 40:6-8 are also alluded to and quoted in the New Testament. Peter quotes it explicitly (1 Peter 1:24-25), and Jesus alludes to it in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:18) when He says that neither a jot nor a tittle of God’s Word shall fail.

            Finally, we should note that Isaiah 40 contains a verse that is for many people a favorite, that the Lord neither tires nor grows weary but that He give strength to the weary so that they shall soar on wings like eagles.