Isaiah 40:25-26 (NKJV) 25 “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.
Over the last number of weeks, we have been studying the idea of waiting. Our focus has been on how waiting relates to receiving favor. We know that both faith and favor will require that we wait. Waiting successfully determines our overall success in most areas of life. This week we will look at the most well known waiting scripture in the bible, Isaiah chapter 40.
When we study this scripture, we usually go directly to the last verse. This verse is certainly rich enough to warrant a whole message on its own. However, one of the rules of bible interpretation is that you should always look at a verse in its context. I teach that you should at least read the whole chapter and will usually look at the chapters before and after to be sure they do not alter the context. As I was preparing the message for Sunday morning, I followed my usual routine and found that understanding the context of this verse supported what I have been talking about in relating waiting and favor.
Today’s verses sum up the first 24 verses in this chapter. The first verse sets the tone for what the Lord wants to say to Israel.
Isaiah 40:1-2 (NKJV) 1 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. 2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the LORD’S hand Double for all her sins.”
The message of this chapter to the people of God is comfort. Once again, sin has caused hardship to come into the life of God’s people. The Lord wants them to know that their sins are forgiven and he is about to bring great blessing to them. As we continue into this chapter we find that much of the language is messianic. The Lord is not just speaking to Israel. He is speaking to all who trust in Jesus as Lord. Our sins have been paid for and we are forgiven. Now God is able to bring blessing to his people.
This chapter reveals some of the things God want to do for us. The New Living Translation makes them particularly clear.
Isaiah 40:4 (NLT) 4 Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.
It is not God’s will for us to live in a perpetual cycle of highs and lows. He is going to level our lives. This does not imply that we will not have times of happiness and times of sadness. That is inevitable. It does mean that they do not have to be extreme. God is going to enable us to live stable lives.
He also says he will straighten out the curves. Life can have many twists and turns and often they are not good things. The Lord promises to straighten them out to the degree that we can go through life without spiritual “motion sickness.”
Finally, he says that he will smooth out the rough places. I have been to some places where the roads were rough. That is putting it kindly. I do not like riding on roads that cause you to be jostled and thrown about continually. There will be rough places in life, but the Lord wants to smooth them out so you can deal with them.
Verses 6-8 make some statements that might not seem like blessings but if you understand what God is saying, they are blessings. He points out that all that is of this world is temporary. These things can be changed, but nothing that comes from the Lord changes.
In verses 9-11 he cries out that the Lord is coming to rule in power. They also tell us that when he comes he brings his reward in his hand. To whom does this reward belong? It belongs to his people. That is you and me.
From verse 12 to the verses we quote for today, God begins to remind us of just who he is. The imagery speaks for itself. I encourage you to read it. Again, the New Living Translation helps me to clearly see the pictures the wants us to understand.
Isaiah 40:12 (NLT) 12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
Isaiah 40:14 (NLT) 14 Has the LORD ever needed anyone’s advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?
Isaiah 40:18-20 (NLT) 18 To whom can you compare God? What image can you find to resemble him? 19 Can he be compared to an idol formed in a mold, overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains? 20 Or if people are too poor for that, they might at least choose wood that won’t decay and a skilled craftsman to carve an image that won’t fall down!
Isaiah 40:22-23 (NLT)
22 God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them. 23 He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing.
That brings us to today’s two verses. Who is like our God? No one can be compared to him. Why is looking at the whole chapter so important to understanding the famous 31st verse. It is important because if we are going to wait successfully it must be in the knowledge of who we are waiting for. We are waiting on the LORD! We are not waiting on a person who may not be able to do what we are waiting for him or her to do. We are not waiting on someone who lacks wisdom, knowledge or power. We are not waiting on someone who might forget us, misjudge us or fail to understand our real need.
We are waiting on the God of the universe. We are waiting on the “only wise judge.” We are waiting on the Lord and he will not fail us. Israel tended to forget that. We tend to forget it as well. As you wait on the Lord, consider who it is that you are trusting
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