Chapter Summary
Core Passages from Isaiah 40
Isaiah 40:3A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
This famous prophecy of a voice calling to prepare a highway for God in the desert is directly applied to John the Baptist in the New Testament, who prepared the way for Jesus Christ.Isaiah 40:8The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:31but 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.
A beloved promise of hope, this verse assures believers that waiting on God isn't passive but is the source of renewed strength, endurance, and the ability to rise above life's challenges.
Historical & Cultural Context
A Message of Hope in Exile
This chapter opens an entirely new section in the book of Isaiah. The first thirty-nine chapters focused heavily on God's coming judgment on Judah for its sin, culminating in the prophecy of the Babylonian exile. Now, the tone shifts dramatically. Isaiah speaks a message of pure comfort and hope to a people who are broken, defeated, and feel forgotten by God in a foreign land.
From Despair to Divine Majesty
The chapter masterfully moves the reader from a place of despair to a posture of awe. It begins with the tender whisper of forgiveness and the promise of God's return. It then systematically elevates the reader's perspective, contrasting the weakness of humanity and the foolishness of idols with the infinite power and wisdom of the God who created the stars and holds the oceans in His hand.
A Proclamation of Comfort and the Coming King
Isaiah 40 opens with a divine command from God to comfort His suffering people in exile. The scene is one of national sorrow, but a heavenly voice breaks the silence, announcing that their time of punishment is over. This proclamation sets the stage for a magnificent revelation of who God is and what He is about to do for His people.
A Promise of Comfort and Restoration (Isaiah 40:1-5)
1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.
3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
Commentary:
God declares an end to His people's suffering and calls for a road to be prepared for His glorious return.
The Enduring Word and the Gentle Shepherd (Isaiah 40:6-11)
6 A voice says, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
9 Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
Commentary:
Human life is fragile, but God's promises are eternal, and this powerful God cares for His people like a gentle shepherd.
Related Verse Analysis
The Incomparable Creator vs. Worthless Idols (Isaiah 40:12-20)
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel?
14 Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.
16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
18 To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?
19 The idol! a workman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains.
20 He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move.
Commentary:
God's power and wisdom as Creator are infinite and immeasurable, making man-made idols look utterly foolish and powerless in comparison.
God's Sovereignty Over All Creation (Isaiah 40:21-26)
21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.
24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? Says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.
Commentary:
God reigns supreme over the earth and the heavens, and His power makes even the mightiest human rulers insignificant.
Strength for the Faint and Weary (Isaiah 40:27-31)
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 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.
Commentary:
God, the everlasting Creator, sees His weary people and promises to give them inexhaustible strength as they put their trust in Him.
The Greatness of God and His Tender Care
The Sovereignty and Majesty of God
Isaiah 40 paints a breathtaking picture of a God who is utterly transcendent. He is the Creator who measures the universe, and before whom all nations are like dust. This theme serves to remind the exiled Israelites that their God is infinitely more powerful than the empire holding them captive.
God's Comfort and Compassion
Despite His immense power, God is not distant or uncaring. The chapter opens with a tender command to 'Comfort, comfort my people' and portrays Him as a gentle shepherd. This reveals that God's majesty and His mercy are closely linked. His power is used to save and care for His vulnerable people.
The Enduring Word of God
In a world where everything, including human life, is temporary and fragile like grass, God's promises are the one thing that will stand forever. This theme provides a solid foundation for hope in times of uncertainty. God's character and His promises are the only unshakeable reality.
Hope and Renewal for the Weary
The chapter directly addresses feelings of despair and being forgotten by God. It concludes with a powerful promise that trusting in and waiting for this great God leads to renewed strength. This isn't about human willpower, but about receiving strength from an inexhaustible divine source.
Finding Strength in an Unchanging God
The chapter encourages you to lift your eyes from your circumstances to the God who 'measured the waters in the hollow of his hand' (Isaiah 40:12). When you see His immense scale and power, your problems, while still real, are placed in the context of a God who is infinitely greater and fully capable of handling them. It shifts your focus from the size of your struggle to the size of your God.
Waiting for the Lord, as described in Isaiah 40:31, is active trust, not passive inactivity. It means continuing to believe in His promises even when you don't see immediate results, choosing to rely on His strength instead of your own when you feel faint and weary. It's a daily decision to hope in His character and timing rather than giving in to despair.
Isaiah 40:8 reminds you that while trends, relationships, and even your own feelings can fade like flowers, God's promises are your unshakeable anchor. This means you can build your life on His truth, knowing it will not shift or fail you. When everything else feels uncertain, His word provides a firm foundation for your identity, purpose, and hope.
Our Incomparable God Renews Our Strength
Isaiah 40 delivers a powerful message of hope by shifting our focus from human frailty to God's infinite majesty. It declares that the Creator of the cosmos, who holds the oceans in His hand, is also the gentle Shepherd who carries His lambs. The main point is both significant and personal: the God who is beyond comparison is the very one who comes near to give strength to the weary and hope to the hopeless.
What This Means for Us Today
The message of Isaiah 40 is a timeless invitation to lift our eyes. It calls us away from our exhaustion and despair to behold our God in His glory and compassion. This chapter invites us to stop trusting in fleeting things and instead place our hope in the everlasting God who never grows weary and promises to renew our strength.
- Where in your life do you need to stop looking at the 'grass' that withers and start trusting the Word that stands forever?
- How can you practically 'wait for the Lord' this week when you feel faint or weary?
- Who in your life needs to hear the message of comfort that 'their warfare is ended'?
Further Reading
Immediate Context
This chapter provides the immediate backdrop of judgment, prophesying the Babylonian exile that makes the message of comfort in Isaiah 40 so necessary and powerful.
The theme of God's power and His commitment to help Israel continues, directly contrasting the living God with worthless idols.
Connections Across Scripture
The Gospel of Mark opens by directly quoting Isaiah 40:3, identifying John the Baptist as the 'voice crying in the wilderness' preparing the way for Jesus.
The Apostle Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6-8 to emphasize that believers are born again through the living and enduring Word of God.
Paul's triumphant declaration of God's unstoppable love echoes the confidence found in Isaiah 40's depiction of a God who is for His people.
Thematic Connections
This Psalm mirrors Isaiah 40's themes by praising God for His tender mercy, forgiveness, and sovereign rule over all creation.
Discussion Questions
- Isaiah 40 contrasts the temporary nature of 'all flesh' with the eternal Word of God (v. 6-8). How does this perspective change the way you view your daily worries and long-term goals?
- The chapter repeatedly asks, 'To whom then will you liken God?' (v. 18, 25). What modern 'idols' or lesser things do we sometimes compare to God or trust in for security and strength?
- Verse 31 promises renewed strength to those who 'wait for the Lord.' Can you share a time when waiting on God, rather than rushing ahead, made a difference in your life? What did that 'waiting' look like?