Isaiah 40 - Bible Study in 5 Minutes

Isaiah 40 Short Summary:

Shifting back to the prophetic, Isaiah promises comfort for the people of God. They would be punished for their sins, but afterwards, God would make His glory known among them. Isaiah rebukes the people of Judah for trading in the great God of heaven for stupid idols. He encouraged the people to wait on the Lord and trust His promises.

Isaiah 40 Bible Study

TIMELINE:

• The prophetic ministry of Isaiah spanned the reigns of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

• The prophetic ministry of Isaiah spanned the reigns of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

• If the prophecy of Isaiah 40 was delivered shortly after the events of Isaiah 39, it’s safe to assume it can be dated to around 702-701 B.C.

• The people of Judah were in Babylonian captivity from 607-537 B.C.

• John the Baptist preached around 4 B.C. (700 years after Isaiah).

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Isaiah – The son of Amoz (1:1). God commissioned Isaiah as His prophet to Judah.

• John the Baptist – Isaiah 40 contains a prophecy about John the Baptizer. He was the cousin of Jesus and appointed by God to preach to the people about the arrival of the Messiah. You can read about his ministry in Matthew and Luke’s gospels.

• Citizens of Judah – The prophecy in Isaiah 40 directly pertains to the future of the nation of Judah.

DEFINITIONS:

• Zion (40:9) - Zion refers to the hill/mountain where David’s palace was built in Jerusalem. This area was on the southeast side of the city. Zion is sometimes used to refer to the city of Jerusalem as a whole.

• Jacob (40:27) - Jacob was the father of the 12 Tribes of Israel. His name is sometimes used to refer to the collective nation that grew out of the 12 Tribes (the Nation of Israel).

OUTLINE:

• COMFORT FOR JUDAH (40:1-8):

  • The move from Isaiah 39 to Isaiah 40 is a shift from historical narrative back to the prophetic.

  • God, through Isaiah, speaks words of comfort over Jerusalem.

  • Isaiah, speaking about the future, prophesied that God would comfort Judah after their sins were punished and their iniquity pardoned.

  • It seems likely Isaiah was referring to the time after Judah returned from captivity in Babylon (39:5-7). The Babylonians captivity spanned from 607-537 BC, so the days of Judah’s comfort were more than 150 years away.

  • In the years following, a voice would be heard, saying, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

  • This man would announce the coming of God to Judah to bring lasting and eternal comfort.

  • Matthew’s gospel informs us that this prophecy was fulfilled in the preaching of John the Baptist, who announced the arrival of the Messiah (Mat 3:3).

  • These prophesies, through a long way off, were certain to come to pass.

  • Though humans are like grass, quickly growing and then dying, the words of God “stand forever” (40:8)

• THE GREAT GOD OF JUDAH IN COMPARISON TO WORTHLESS IDOLS (40:9-31):

  • Isaiah dedicates the next few verses to admiring the God of Judah.

  • He was strong with a mighty arm. He was compassionate and gentle with the weak. His creative work was unmatched, and He shaped the earth with unimaginable power. He was wise beyond compare. He was the source of all wisdom. He ruled the nations and arranged them according to His will. If all the nations rose up against God, their power would be a drop in a bucket compared to God’s.

  • Isaiah asked the people of Judah, “To whom then will you liken God?” (40:18).

  • Unfortunately, many in Judah had traded in their great God to worship idols, and Isaiah mocks this choice.

  • Idols were lumps of wood, stone, silver, or gold. They had no power, they couldn’t move the nations, they couldn’t protect their worshipers, they didn’t create men, they were made by men.

  • Why would a man worship something he made with his own hands as if it were greater than him?

  • Instead of bowing down to man-made figures, Isaiah told the people to worship the God who “sits above the circle of the earth” (40:22).

  • Some weren’t interested in worshiping idols, but rather kings and princes. Isaiah told them that too was a foolish devotion. The God of heaven withers kings like the sun withers plants on a hot day.

  • Some in Judah worshipped idols and kings because they felt neglected by the Lord, like He disregarded their prayers (40:27).

  • Isaiah encouraged them to give their hearts back to God and wait on His assistance.

  • He said, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (40:31).

APPLICATION:

• Isaiah’s prophecies about God’s future blessings on Judah are very impressive, especially when you consider the volatility of nations.

• Isaiah was prophesying about events 700 years in the future.

• With a simple Google search, you can find a list of sovereign nations that vanished from existence in the last 500 years. There are 100’s of them!

• If you look at a map of Europe in 1500 A.D. it looks significantly different than it does today.

• 500 years ago, my home country, the United States didn’t even exist.

• Judah was no world superpower during Isaiah’s day. Apart from divine inspiration, there was no reason to believe Judah would exist in 700 years. Especially considering their neighbor to the north (Israel) was currently being dissolved by the Assyrians.

• But Isaiah’s prophesies don’t end with general predictions about Judah’s future, in the upcoming chapters, he is going to get hyper-specific and start prophesying about world leaders (by name) who hadn’t even been born yet.

• Stay tuned to be impressed!