As with any parent, God’s wrath will eventually subside. When that happens, God wants nothing more than to comfort and restore His chosen. As if Isaiah was breaking into Part 2 of his prophetic writings, He changed the tone from the anger and judgement of God to the comfort and salvation power of God.
Here, in the first part of Isaiah 40, God’s first message was one of comfort. How, you ask, could anyone feel comfort from what Isaiah had previously foreseen? Well, there are several comforting thoughts in these first verses in part 2. First, God’s desire was to comfort his people. Yes, the road ahead would be difficult, but God wanted the people to know there would come a day when punishment would stop, and restoration would begin. In that restoration, a voice would call out in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord. You guessed it, John the Baptist and Jesus.
The ultimate comfort for the chosen of God was, is, and will always center on the person of Jesus Christ. We will no longer fear wrath, because, Jesus paid it all. in these verses, God foreshadows the source of relief it is the personal sacrifice made by the Son of God. His death takes away our sin and need for punishment. Our only duty is to accept him as LORD of our lives. It is not a fire insurance policy; it is a recognition that we cannot successfully do life on our own. We come to the realization that we need Christ to complete the amazing journey we are on.
In that, we can take comfort. We know He has come to save us and lead us into an abundant life on earth, and, an eternal life with the Father in Heaven! That, my dear friend, is the greatest comfort of all. That is why Isaiah is known as the evangelistic Prophet.
God Bless You
“Comfort, comfort my people,”
says your God.
2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Tell her that her sad days are gone
and her sins are pardoned.
Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over
for all her sins.”
3 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness
for the Lord!
Make a straight highway through the wasteland
for our God!
4 Fill in the valleys,
and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves,
and smooth out the rough places.
5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken!”[a]
6 A voice said, “Shout!”
I asked, “What should I shout?”
“Shout that people are like the grass.
Their beauty fades as quickly
as the flowers in a field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fade
beneath the breath of the Lord.
And so it is with people.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fade,
but the word of our God stands forever.”
9 O Zion, messenger of good news,
shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem.[b]
Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah,
“Your God is coming!”
10 Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.
Walking With God 