ISAIAH-A LESSON 45
We will begin this lesson in Isaiah 40:1 "Comfort ye, comfort ye
my people, saith your God."
We know that the only true comfort that any of us have, is
through the Spirit of God. Jesus promised to send us a Comforter,
which is the Spirit of God. Notice, that God has not abandoned them.
He calls them my people. He, also, is saying to them that He is their
God. He will not let them down. Have you already noticed the hope
that springs up in this chapter {like grace}?
Isaiah 40:2 "Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her,
that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for
she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins."
Isaiah is looking beyond the Babylonian captivity here. He says
that Jerusalem has received forgiveness, or even better, total pardon.
God had allowed them the terrible warfare to bring them closer to the
knowledge of the fact they needed Him. The payment of double was all
the trouble they had. Notice, that Isaiah is speaking as if this has
already happened, because of the certainty of the prophecy. I always
like to take note of where their trouble had really come from. It was
from the LORD, to cause them to repent. Praise God! there is a Light
at the end of the tunnel for these people. They are not forsaken of
God, they are forgiven.
Isaiah 40:3 "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway
for our God."
Isaiah is suddenly looking a few hundred years ahead, and seeing
John the Baptist. He is the voice crying in the wilderness proclaiming
the coming of Christ, their Messiah. This was the very message that
John had brought. There is a way that leads to God. It is like a
highway. The way is narrow and straight. Even though it would be a few
hundred years until Messiah would come, it was not too early for these
people of God to prepare the way. I believe it is time to cry out
again. Repent and prepare for the coming of the Lord. It may not be
next year when Christ comes back, but it is time to prepare. He is
coming back as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Isaiah 40:4 "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain
and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough places plain:"
These valleys and mountains probably represent people. The lofty
will be brought down, and the humble exalted. There will be no
obstacle too great for God to accomplish when He comes. It is strange
that I feel the Lord is speaking here, that the obstacles the Law made
before us will be removed by the beautiful gift of grace through Jesus
Christ. There was a mountain of obligations in the Old Testament for
God's people to keep. Grace clears the way. The Light of Jesus shows
us the way.
Isaiah 40:5 "And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all
flesh shall see [it] together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken
[it]."
When God speaks, there is no doubt. God is not a man. Numbers
23:19 "God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man,
that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath
he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" In the person of Jesus
Christ, God revealed Himself to man. Colossians 2:9 "For in him
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Hebrews 1:3 "Who
being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his
person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had
by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty
on high;" The glory of the Lord is revealed to mankind in the
appearance of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 40:6 "The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry?
All flesh [is] grass, and all the goodliness thereof [is] as the
flower of the field:" Isaiah 40:7 "The grass withereth, the flower
fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the
people [is] grass."
The voice cried the necessity of mankind to repent and accept the
salvation offered through Jesus Christ our Lord. Mankind cannot save
itself. The study of the laws and ordinances in the Old Testament show
us that no flesh can be saved by keeping the law. Mankind had to have
a Saviour. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Our
only hope is in Jesus. He became our Substitute for our sin on the
cross. Without salvation in Jesus, we would be like the flower of
grass that withers and dies. Life is in Jesus. Our eternal life is in
the Spirit of Christ within us.
Isaiah 40:8 "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word
of our God shall stand for ever."
The following Scripture shows the eternity of the Word of God.
Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not
pass away." All of God's creation may wither and die, but His Word is
eternal. The steadfastness of God's Word is a comfort to all who
believe.
Isaiah 40:9 "O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into
the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up
thy voice with strength; lift [it] up, be not afraid; say unto the
cities of Judah, Behold your God!"
"Zion" is symbolic of the church, and is many times speaking of
Jerusalem, as well. The good news of the gospel does come through the
church and from Jerusalem. The presentation of the Messiah, or Jesus
Christ, was from Jerusalem. This is a proclamation to all who will
believe. Jesus was "Emmanuel" {God with us}.
Isaiah 40:10 "Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong [hand],
and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward [is] with him, and
his work before him."
"The Lord's arm", Right Hand, etc. all are speaking of the Lord
Jesus Christ. The work that was before Him is the work of the 6 hours
on the cross, when he purchased our salvation for us. His reward is
for anyone who will dare to believe.
Isaiah 40:11 "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall
gather the lambs with his arm, and carry [them] in his bosom, [and]
shall gently lead those that are with young."
Again, Jesus is the great Shepherd. Notice in the following
Scripture, that Jesus is the great Shepherd and the believers are His
sheep. Matthew 25:32 "And before him shall be gathered all nations:
and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth
[his] sheep from the goats:" In the following Scripture, Jesus calls
Himself the good Shepherd. John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd: the
good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." Notice in the following
Scripture, how the good Shepherd keeps His sheep from straying. I
Peter 2:25 "For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned
unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." You can easily see from
all this that Jesus is the Shepherd.
Isaiah 40:12 "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his
hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of
the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the
hills in a balance?"
The Creator God is spoken of Here. We know from John that the
Word of God created all things. The Word of God is the One we know as
Jesus. He is so great that his perfect measurements keeps all of the
universe in perfect order. He created the water, and placed it where
He wanted it. All of His calculations are perfect. Though He is big
enough to create the universe and all that is in it, He is small
enough to live within my heart.
Isaiah 40:13 "Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or
[being] his counsellor hath taught him?"
No man. God has done it all.
Isaiah 45-A Questions
1. What is the only true comfort that any of us have?
2. Who is the Comforter?
3. What statement, in verse 1, lets us know that God has not
abandoned them?
4. The hope that springs up in this chapter is like ________.
5. Jerusalem's iniquity has been ___________.
6. What is better than forgiveness?
7. Why had God allowed the terrible warfare?
8. Why does Isaiah speak of this, as if it had already happened?
9. They are not forsaken of God, but ____________.
10. Quote Isaiah chapter 40 verse 3.
11. In verse 3, who is Isaiah looking ahead and seeing?
12. He was a voice crying in the ____________.
13. What is this highway?
14. What does the author believe about our time?
15. The valleys and mountains, in verse 4, are what?
16. The _______ will be brought down, and the ________ exalted.
17. There was a _________ of obligations to be kept in the Old
Testament.
18. __________ clears the way.
19. Who does verse 5 say the Lord will be revealed to?
20. Quote Numbers chapter 23 verse 19.
21. In the person of _________ __________, God revealed Himself to
man.
22. Quote Colossians chapter 2 verse 9.
23. Quote Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3.
24. What is all flesh called in verse 6?
25. Why does the flower fade in verse 7?
26. What was the voice crying in verse 6 and 7?
27. What shows us that no flesh can be saved by the keeping of the
law?
28. Mankind had to have a _________.
29. _____ have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
30. Life is in _________.
31. Quote Luke chapter 21 verse 33.
32. What does that Scripture show us?
33. What is "Zion" symbolic of?
34. What does "Emmanuel" mean?
35. What is the "Lord's Arm" speaking of?
36. His reward is for all who would _________ __ ________.
37. Quote Isaiah chapter 40 verse 11.
38. Who is the great Shepherd?
39. Quote Matthew chapter 25 verse 32.
40. Quote John chapter 10 verse 11.
41. You can easily see Jesus is the _____________, from these
Scriptures.
42. Who is verse 12 speaking of?
43. Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD.
Isaiah 45-B
Isaiah 40-14 " With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgement, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding ?"
It was not necessary for Him to take counsel from anyone. Jesus is Truth and Wisdom to the utmost. He is also the Judge of all the earth. Each of us will stand before Jesus to be judged. He is the One who will say, heaven or hell for each of us.
Isaiah 40-15 " Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing."
To compare the creation to the Creator is a foolish thing. Even the entire earth is but a small creation compared to the entire universe. His Omnipotence is more than we can begin to comprehend.
Isaiah 40-16 " And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering."
Lebanon has been a thorn in the side of Israel. This is speaking of it as an enemy of God.
Isaiah 40-17 " All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity."
We read that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Philippians 2-10 "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;" Philippians 2-11 "And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Isaiah 40-18 " To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?"
There truly is no comparison between God and anything or anyone you could see with physical eyes. We are told the following in John 4-24 " God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." He is also spoken of as a consuming fire in Hebrews 12-29 " For our God is a consuming fire."
Isaiah 40-19 " The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains."
The very first commandment warns us not to worship other gods. It specifically speaks against graven images.
Isaiah 40-20 " He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved."
This is just talking about those who cannot afford to purchase a gold or silver false god. They settle for one made of wood.
Isaiah 40-21 "Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning ? have ye not understood from the foundation of the earth?"
To worship anything that you could see with physical eyes would be worshipping someone's creation and not the Creator. Those who do such things are without excuse.
Isaiah 40-22 " It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that streatcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:"
If you have ever flown in an airplane and looked back to the earth, you know people look so small they look like little specks walking around. God created billions of these little specks and called them people.
Isaiah 40-23 "That bringeth the princes to nothing ; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity."
High position in society means nothing to God. It is God who elevates a person to high authority and brings another down. We all die the same, we are all judged the same way. The highest position any of us can have is to be sons of God. Romans 8-14 "For as many are led by the Spirit of God , they are the sons of God." This Scripture tells us just exactly how we become sons of God.
Isaiah 40-24 "Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble."
We understand that life is but a vapour. We are here today and gone tomorrow. James 4-14 "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." God controls our destiny (the number of our days on earth).
Isaiah 40-25 " To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One."
The answer to this could only be one. 1 John 5-7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
Isaiah 40-26 "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power ; not one faileth."
John 1- 1 " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ." John 1-2 " The same was in the beginning with God." John 1-3 " All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." Colossians 1-17 "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." This says it all.
Isaiah 40-27 "Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgement is passed over from my God?"
All through these lessons, I have mentioned that there are two houses of Israel. Jacob, in the verse above, is speaking of the Hebrew descendents of Jacob (Israel). Israel, in the verse above, is speaking of the spiritual house of Israel (the believers in Christ). Just because a person is in the lineage of Jacob, does not cause God to overlook their sin. All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The only way for anyone to be free of sin is through the shed blood of Jesus. He paid the penalty for our sin on the cross. We are judged not guilty of sin, because our sin died on His body on the cross.
Isaiah 40-28 "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding."
He planned salvation from the foundation of the earth. He became our substitute. He is not a man that He should tire. He lives in eternity where all of time from the beginning to the end is one eternal day. He is everlasting God. He is Lord of all. He is the Creator of all. He is all knowledge and understanding. He is Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscience.
Isaiah 40-29 "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."
In our weekness, He is strong. Power dwells within Him and He can dispense it to whomever He will. Luke 9-1 "Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases."
Isaiah 40-30 " Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:"
All humans, young and old, get weary in the flesh. Our bodies have to rest 8 hours a day to be able to go on.
Isaiah 40-31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
The frailty of man gives God the opportunity to pour His strength into us when we ask for His help. When we pray, we must believe and patiently wait for His answer. The strength of the Lord in us makes it possible for us to do all things well. Philippians 4-13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Isaiah 45-B Questions
1. Who taught God judgement?
2. Jesus is __________ and _________ to the utmost.
3. Who is Judge of all the earth?
4. The nations are as a drop of a __________.
5. He taketh up the isles as a very ______ _______.
6. To compare the __________ to the ________ is a foolish thing.
7. Compared to the universe, what is the earth?
8. All nations before Him are as __________.
9. Read Philippians 2-10.
10. To whom will ye liken God?
11. John 4-24 tells us God is a ___________.
12. In Hebrews 12-29 what is God called?
13. What does the first of the 10 commandments warn us of?
14. What does it specifically speak against?
15. The impoverished choose what to make a false god with?
16. To worship anything that could be seen with physical eyes would
be doing what?
17. Where does verse 22 say He is sitting?
18. What are people spoken of as being like in verse 22?
19. What are judges to God?
20. What is the highest position any of us can have, really?
21. Who receive sonship?
22. Life is but a __________.
23. Read James 4-14.
24. What does the Holy One say in verse 25?
25. Read 1 John 5-7.
26. Read John 1 verses 1 through 3.
27. In Colossians 1-17 we read that by Him all things _________.
28. Who is Jacob speaking of in verse 27?
29. Who are the spiritual house of Israel?
30. How is the only way to be free of sin?
31. What are some of the things God is called in verse 28?
32. He giveth power to the ___________.
33. How weak are they in verse 30?
34. The _______ of man gives God the opportunity to pour His strength
into them.
35. Read Philippians 4-13
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