The Servant of God the Father
42: 1-17

These verses are the first of Isaiah’s four Servant Songs (49:1-6, 50:4-9, 53:13 to 53:12) referring to the first coming of the Messiah. As believers, we call such passages messianic prophecies. Isra’el is called the servant of the LORD (41:8, 42:19, 43:10, 44:1-2, 22, 45:4, 48:20), and the Messiah, on whom God has placed His Spirit (42:1, 11:2) is also called the Servant (49:3-7, 50:10, 52:13, 53:11). Whether Isaiah is referring to Isra’el or the Messiah must be determined by the context and the characteristics assigned to the servant/Servant. Isra’el, as God’s servant, was supposed to help bring the world to a knowledge of God, but she failed. Thus, the Messiah, the LORD’s Servant, who epitomizes the nation of Isra’el, will fulfill His will.

And as it is important to understand who the Servant of God is, it is just as important to understand who the servant of God is not! Paul warned us: For such men are false prophets, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve (Second Corinthians 11:13-15). Today the Muslims teach that Muhammad, not Jesus, is the fulfillment of 42:1-17. Muhammad Nubee wrote this information in a pamphlet entitled Christian and Muslim Dialogue. And I have taken the quotes below from pages 41-42. It teaches Muslims how to convert Christians and messianic believers to put their faith in Muhammad and Allah as the one true religion. Taken from Christian and Muslim Dialogue, this is what Muslims believe:

A clearer fulfillment of the prophecy of Muhammad [Praise Be Unto Him] is found in Isaiah 42:

1. Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my spirit upon him and he will bring justice to the Gentiles. (Also called my messenger in verse 19. No doubt all Prophets were indeed servants, messengers and elect of Allah). Yet no Prophet is universally called by these specific titles as Muhammad [PBUH] in Arabic Abduhu wa Rasuluhul Mustapha, or His slave servant and His elected messenger. The testimony of a person accepting Islam is, “I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.” This same formula is repeated five times daily, immediately before the beginning of each prayer, nine times a day in the Tashahhud during the minimum obligatory prayers, and several more times if a Muslim performs additional recommended prayers. The most common title of Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] is Rasoolullah, or the messenger of Allah.

2. He will not shout or cry out or raise his voice in the streets. This describes the decency of Prophet Muhammad [PBUH].

3. . . . in faithfulness he will bring forth justice.

4. He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope. This is to be compared with Jesus, who did not prevail over His enemies and was disappointed because of the rejection by the Israelites.

5. I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles. The Muslims teach that the phrase I will keep you means that no other Prophet will come after him. In a short time, many Gentiles were guided to Islam.

6. To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. Blind eyes, a life of darkness denotes here the pagan life. Freeing captives from prison denotes the abolishment of slavery for the first time in the history of mankind.

7. I am the LORD, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] is unique among all Prophets as he is the Seal of all Prophets and his teachings remain undistorted until today, compared with Christianity and Judaism.

8. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth: The Muslims teach that the phrase a new song is not in Hebrew or Aramaic, but Arabic. The praise of God and His messenger Muhammad [PBUH] is chanted five times daily from the minarets of millions of mosques all over the world.

9. Let the desert and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops. From Mount Arafat near Mecca the Pilgrims chant every year the following: “Here I come [for Your service] O, Allah. Here I come. Here I come. Verily Yours is the praise, the blessings and sovereignty. There is no partner besides You.” Isaiah 42 can never be applied to an Israelite Prophet as Kedar is the second of Ishmael (Genesis 25:13).

10. Let them give glory to the LORD and proclaim his praise in the islands. And really Islam spread to the small islands as far as Indonesia and the Caribbean Sea.

11. He will triumph over his enemies. In a short period the Kingdom of God on earth was established with the advent of Muhammad [PBUH]. This 42^nd chapter of Isaiah fits exactly to the character of Prophet Mohammad [PBUH].

To these lies, believers say in one voice: The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Present Your Case says the LORD
41: 21-29

Present your case says the LORD DIG: These verses resume God’s address to the nations. To what “competition” does Ha’Shem challenge the idols? Why do the idols fail when God succeeds? What will be the outcome for those who had placed their trust in the idols? Who is this one from the North and the one from the East? Although Cyrus credited his victories to many gods, what was the real truth about this period of history? How do the military conquests of Cyrus stand in contrast to those of Assyria (10:12-13)?

REFLECT: Anything you put between your soul and God is your idol- regardless of what it is (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Dl – You Shall Not Make for Yourselves an Idol). Is there anything that you are allowing to take the place of your relationship with the Lord? If so, He wants it out of the way. Where do you go to find the answers to problems in your own life? What new perspective have you gained from this chapter on God’s wisdom? On His dependability?

The pagan understanding of existence rested on the concept of continuity. According to this concept, everything that exists is part of everything else. Thus humans, nature, and God are all inseparably bound together. The world is eternal. What is, always has been, and what has been, always will be. There is no beginning and no end, and nothing ever changes. Thus, the way to tell the future is to understand the past. For what happened under similar circumstances will happen again. The “gods” are not powerful enough to tell us how the world began, change the cycle of nature, or tell us something that has never happened before. Therefore, Isaiah’s attacks here demonstrate an understanding of the pagan concept of continuity. He attacks it precisely at its weak point. His attack illustrates the difference between his (the Bible’s) conception of God and that of Judah’s neighbors. What kind of a God knows something that has never happened before? What kind of a God is He who can explain how the world began? He is One who has made everything operate according to His sovereign will. He is One who is Himself the first and the last (41:4 and 22, 44:6, 48:12). But these idols could do nothing of the sort. Thus, God’s challenge to them.

What happened to the idols that God called into court in the early verses of Chapter 41 to prove that they were really viable gods? First, ADONAI gave a near historical prophecy regarding Cyrus (41:1-7), then a far eschatological prophecy about His Servant and the final deliverance of Isra’el (41:8-20). Now Isaiah returns to another near historical prophecy (41:21-29), where God challenges idols to present their strongest case why they should be believed. This near, far, near pattern is not unusual for Isaiah.

In contrast with idols that are manmade and unable to help people, God can, and does, tell the future. The challenge comes from ADONAI. Present your case, says the LORD. Set forth your arguments, says Jacob’s King (41:21). This emphasis on a merely national God was intentional. ADONAI came before the court as one God among many because that was the issue – who was the one true God? In this courtroom scene ADONAI demanded that the idols prove their case by prophesying about the future. The LORD had just given a near historical prophecy about the coming of Cyrus (41:1-7), and a far eschatological prophecy of Israel’s ultimate restoration (41:8-20). So here, He challenges the idols to do the same. The challenge is in two statements. First, bring in your idols to tell Us (the Trinity is in view here) what is going to happen, or prophesy what is yet to come (41:22a). Secondly, tell Us (again, the Trinity) what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome (41:22b). In other words, declare the significance of what has already happened in history. That would separate the true God from the imposters. But there was only silence.

Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear (41:22c-23). Here the LORD, through His prophet, attacked the very roots of their pagan religion. Those who lived in Babylon, Canaan or Egypt could undoubtedly point to things their gods had done. But opposed to their false concept of continuity, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was not locked in an endless repetition of the past. ADONAI is sovereign and can act independently of the past. Then, exasperated, He repeated the challenge; prove yourselves to be gods. It’s as if ADONAI was saying, “I don’t care if you do good or do evil, but do something to prove that you are gods.” However, there was still no response from the idols of wood and stone.

Finally, God drew His own conclusion at the trial. Because they could neither explain the past nor tell the future, because they were unable to do anything independently, they had no claim to be called gods. The idols are less than nothing and your works are utterly worthless; anyone who chooses you is detestable (41:24). The LORD declared that the ones who chose to worship idols of stone and wood in place of the living God of Isra’el prove themselves to be detestable. An abomination really, and that is the key point here. In and of themselves, the gods meant little. But to exchange the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles is always tragic for the worshiper (Romans 1:18-23).

Perhaps Joshua said it most succinctly. Speaking to the Israelites at Shechem at the end of his life he declared: Now fear ADONAI and serve Him with all your faithfulness. Throw away the false gods that your forefathers worshiped beyond the River (see the commentary on Genesis Dt – I Will Bless Those Who Bless You, and Whoever Curses You I Will Curse), and in Egypt (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gj – Jeremiah’s Final Words of Judgment in Egypt), and serve ADONAI. But if serving Him seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD (Joshua 24:14-15). What is your choice?

Since the challenge failed to be taken up, God passes the sentence upon the idols. This is the sentence of the court. First, God summarizes His prophecies. Notice how specific the prophecy gets. This is something that the oracles of the ancient Middle East could never accomplish. In 41:25a ADONAI declared: I have stirred up one (Cyrus) from the North, and he comes – one (Cyrus) from the rising sun (east). How could both be true? They could both be true for one reason. One of Cyrus’ parents was a Mede, and the Medes were from the north. The other one of Cyrus’ parents was Persian, and Persia is in the east. That is how specific the prophecy is: Cyrus and the Medo-Persian Empire ended the Babylonian Empire. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay (41:25c).

Furthermore, God describes Cyrus as one who calls on My name (41:25b). But Cyrus was not a true believer in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yet, God says through Isaiah that Cyrus would call upon the name of God. Did he? Yes, he did. The books of First and Second Chronicles gives us God’s viewpoint of Jewish history. There, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh points out that in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of ADONAI spoken through Jeremiah, ADONAI moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing. This is what Cyrus the king of Persia says: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a Temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you – may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up (Second Chronicles 36:22-23). And in Ezra 1:1-4 we have the decree of Cyrus permitting the Jews to return to Jerusalem. In both passages Cyrus calls upon the God of heaven when giving Judah permission to return to the Land. As a result, God proceeded to summarize the prophets.

Who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so we could say, “He was right?” No one told of this, no one foretold it, no one heard any words from you (41:26). Once again Isaiah points out that ADONAI was the only One who prophesied about it. Not one whisper of Cyrus’ coming had been made by the idols of Babylon, of Assyria, of the Medes, or of the Persians. Hence, God was the one who told of this from the beginning, so we could know, or beforehand, so anyone could say: He was right (41:26).

What the false gods could not do, the LORD claims to have done. But of the idols, no one foretold it, no one heard any words from you. God said through His prophet, “I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look, here they are! I gave to Jerusalem a messenger of good news’ (41:27).” The pronoun they refers to the prophecies. He is saying: Look, here are the prophecies that I have told you about.

Finally, then, we have the conclusion of the case against idolatry. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob declared: I look but there is no one – no one among them to give counsel, no one to give answer when I ask them (41:28). ADONAI had prepared a Savior. Earlier He had declared through His prophet, “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it. With justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies (CJB) will accomplish this” (9:6-7). But the false gods had neither said nor done anything. This is the first occurrence of a theme that we will see several more times in the book: ADONAI is the only source of salvation (43:12, 50:2, 59:16, 63:3). Even “the wisest” of the supposed gods have no clue. When the LORD asks them, they cannot speak. Only God has the answers in this life.

They are utterly silent because they are merely wood and stone. Therefore, God declared: See, they are all false! Their deeds amount to nothing; their images are but wind and confusion (41:29). God uses four words to sum up the idols. They are false, nothing, wind, and confusion. Confusion is the end result of idolatry, religion, or philosophy that is anti-God or atheistic. They do not have the answers to the problems of life. These man-made systems cannot touch the human heart. Where one places created things above the Creator, there is nothing that humans can do to fill that spiritual void. The only answer is found in the One who brings good news of great joy that will be for all the people (Luke 2:10).

I am the LORD, Your God,
Who Takes Hold of Your Right Hand
41: 11-20

I am the LORD, Your God, who takes hold of your right hand DIG: Why does God address the exiles as worm Jacob and little Isra’el? What type of thirst is Isaiah referring to here (also see Psalm 42:1-2)? How will their situation soon change? Why will the LORD restore His people? Of all the peoples conquered by Babylon, only the Jews retained their religious, ethnic, and political identity. How might this be a witness to the other nations? How does this relate to Israel’s call to be God’s servant?

REFLECT: If God moves heaven and earth in order to protect and save His people, how should that knowledge affect your prayers? Your worship? Your attitude in hard times? Your priorities and purpose in life? How might meditating upon the picture of God in Chapters 40-41 help you to grasp this truth? How can you be little and a worm? What mountains and hills are there in your life today? If you compare your faith to Israel’s threshing sledge, how new, sharp, and many are your teeth?

In this scene we see a far eschatological prophecy, or the final deliverance of Isra’el. In contrast with ADONAI’s choosing and helping Isra’el, He will not protect the Gentile nations who oppose her. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced. There will be a mounting tide of hostility against Isra’el during the Great Tribulation starting with the emotion of rage, (see the commentary on Revelation De – The Events in the Middle of the Great Tribulation),  moving on to the formation of a complaint from those who opposed them, next will come active opposition from their enemies, leading to open war against them (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Ds – The Woman and the Dragon). But God says: those who oppose you will be as nothing and they will perish (41:11). When the Gentile nations of the world align themselves, with their demonic leader the antichrist, to persecute the Jews it will signal their descent into oblivion. God will bring princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing (40:23).

God promises that He will help Isra’el in her distress. Furthermore, the nations that were Isra’el’s enemies will disappear. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all (41:12). Not only will they not be found, but they will also be as something that never existed. When God destroys the Gentile nations at the end of the Great Tribulation, for all practical purposes, it will be like they never even existed. How does this happen? God tells us through His prophet.

He is the One who will support and sustain Isra’el during the calamity of the Great Tribulation. For I am the LORD, your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you: Do not fear. I will help you (41:13). This verse parallels 40:10, where ADONAI says: Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Interestingly, where verse 10 points to God’s right hand, verse 13 says that He will uphold their hand. Taken together, these two verses pose a powerful picture of parent and child. In the father’s right hand is a mighty weapon ready to defeat any enemy, but his left hand is holding the child’s right hand. The father is not merely defending the child, he is with the child – safe and secure.

Could you use some courage? Are you backing down more than you are standing up? Jesus scattered the butterflies out of the stomachs of His nervous apostles . . . We need to remember that the apostles were common men given a compelling task. Before they were the stained-glassed saints in the windows of cathedrals, they were somebody’s neighbor trying to make a living and raise a family. They weren’t cut off from theological cloth or raised on supernatural milk. But they were an ounce more devoted than they were afraid and, as a result, did some extraordinary things under the power of the Spirit of God. Earthly fears are hardly any fears at all. If we answer the big question of eternity, the little questions of life fall into place.

Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Isra’el, for I myself will help you, declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Isra’el (41:14). Here the word redeemer, or go’el, makes its first appearance in Isaiah (see the commentary on Exodus Bz – Redemption). It is the key word in Chapters 40 to 55. Elsewhere in the TaNaKh the word go’el is used of a near relative who delivers a poor person from enslavement and the loss of family inheritance because of their poverty (see my commentary on Ruth Bb – Bo’az Redeems Ruth the Moabitess). But it is also used of a person who avenges the blood of a murdered person by killing the murderer (Numbers 35:21-27; Deuteronomy 19:6; Joshua 20:5).

Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel: Both Isra’el or Jacob are referred to here as a worm. This is a symbol of meekness and humility. In fact, in Psalm 22:7 the crucifixion is depicted where Yeshua is nailed to the cross. He is looked upon as a worm because He is in a total helpless condition with nothing left but to die. So, when Isra’el comes to a point of total helplessness, God will intervene to help (see Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah). He is Isra’el’s Redeemer, and is strong enough and compassionate enough that no one will be able to prevent Him from defending His people. He not only desires to do so, He is able.

The context here is the end of the Great Tribulation. The antichrist will receive the news that Babylon has fallen (Revelation 18:1-24). Although his entire army will still be intact, he does not move east to engage his enemies. At that point Satan will control him and he will be fixated on annihilating the Jews. So, instead of moving east the antichrist, his army and the armies of the world, will move south against Jerusalem and the Israelites from the Valley of Jezreel (Zechariah 12:2-3, 14:1-2).

But because God will greatly energize the Jews, the antichrist and his armies will not have an easy time of it. See, I will make you like a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth (41:15a). We have the same picture given to us in Zechariah 12:5-9 where all the weak Israelites begin to fight as David’s mighty men (Second Samuel 23:8-39; First Chronicles 12:1-40). Here, Zechariah merely elaborates on this very same prophecy given by Isaiah. It will be as though the Israelites are threshing the mountains around Jerusalem, inflicting heavy casualties on their enemies. They will fight so courageously that it will seem as if they reduce the hills to chaff (41:15b), but their success will be short lived.

The armies of the antichrist will suffer heavy losses. God will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves (Zech 12:3). The temporary empowerment of the Jews is also described in Micah 4:11-5:1. The LORD said: You will winnow them, the wind will pick them, and a gale will blow them away (41:16). Although the Jewish forces prove very formidable, the antichrist, his army, and the armies of the world will prevail. After their victory the City will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Jerusalem will fall into Gentile hands for the last time. Half of the Jewish population will be taken away to be made slaves and the rest will remain in Tziyon to await their fate (Zech 14:2).

The poor and the needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst (41:17a). Any time the terms the poor and the needy are used together it points to the faithful remnant. This will be that segment of the Jews who reject the covenant with the antichrist (see the commentary on Revelation Bz – The Signing of the Seven Year Covenant with the Antichrist) and refuse the mark of the beast (see my commentary on Revelation Dp – The Mark is the Name of the Beast or the Number of His Name). As a result, they will not be able to buy or sell. They will be persecuted and driven into the wilderness at Bozrah or defeated by the armies of the antichrist in Tziyon.

But I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Isra’el, will not forsake them (41:17b). The persecution of the antichrist will cause the spiritual scales to fall from their eyes and they will finally recognize Yeshua as the Messiah. Simultaneously, the Jews in Jerusalem and the Jews in Bozrah will look to Yeshua, the One they had pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a first-born son. As a result, they cry out for Jesus to return (see the commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ) and will rejoice in the LORD and glory in the Holy One of Isra’el (41:16b).

After His Second Coming (see Kh – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon), ADONAI promises that He will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. He will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs during the messianic Kingdom (41:18). Not only will God miraculously provide food and water as He did during the Great Tribulation, but when the Messianic Kingdom is established, God will also reforest the Land with seven kinds of trees. And all seven are listed here. He will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. He will also set pines in the wasteland the fir and the cypress together (41:19).

Then He gives us the purpose for all the miracles that will be seen during the millennial Kingdom: So the people may see and know, may consider and understand. The first purpose is that Isra’el may see, know, consider, and understand. These are four key words to understanding the truth: that they may see spiritual truth, that they may know spiritual truth, that they may begin to consider, or meditate upon spiritual truth, and that they may understand or comprehend spiritual truth. Secondly, they might know that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Isra’el has created it (41:20). What a day that will be!

The Cone of Isaiah
41: 8-10

The cone of Isaiah DIG: What terms does God use to address the exiles in these verses? What do they reveal about God’s relationship with them? How would these terms calm their fears?

REFLECT: Why is the fact that God has not rejected Israel because of her sin, good news for you?

In contrast to the frightened pagan nations, the Israelites are under special protection of ADONAI because they are His servant. Isra’el does not need to create false gods to protect her (41:6-7), for she has the protection of the true God Himself. But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham My friend (41:8). For the first time in Isaiah we are presented with the concept of the servant. From now on, whenever Isaiah uses the term servant, it will be used in one of three senses. First, when he uses the term servant, he is talking about the nation of Isra’el, and he uses it three times in 41:8-16, 42:18-22, and 43:10. Secondly, when he uses the term servant, he is dealing with the faithful remnant, and he uses it three times in 44:1-5, 44:21, and 65:8-16. Thirdly, when he uses the term Servant, it is in reference to the Messiah, and we find it in 42:1-9, 49:1-7, 50:4-9, and 52:13 to 53:12. Only the context will tell us which way he is using it.

The Israelites should have been encouraged by the fact that, like Abraham, Moses and David, they had been especially chosen to serve the LORD. O descendants of Israel His servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones (First Chronicles 16:13; Psalm 105:6). Their relationship to their Redeemer, the Holy One of Isra’el (41:14b), was not merely a judicial act. No, their bond was based on friendship because their ancestor, father Abraham, was His friend. Their relationship was rooted in a common love, both the love of ADONAI for His chosen ones, and the love of the chosen for their God. Consequently, as those chosen to serve the LORD, descendants of His unique friend (2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23), they had nothing to fear (John 15:14-15).

ADONAI had already taken the ancestors of Abraham, the Israelites, from all over the world. He said: I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you, saying: You are My servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you (41:9). He could do it again and indeed He purposed to regather them after seventy years of Babylonian Captivity (see my commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Gu – Seventy Years of Babylonian Rule). Discipline was necessary but the exile would change their relationship. They would not be forsaken.

We must also experience the wonder that once saved (John 3:16; First Corinthians 15:3b-4), our sin cannot change the LORD’s love for us. Once we realize that we are children of God (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith), we have nothing to fear.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I Am your God (41:10a). Here ADONAI addresses His chosen ones. Because of their relationship with Him they do not need to fear. This is not some positive thinking mumbo-jumbo. Nor will it be a yoga or philosophy class. They could not humanly will themselves to contentment with “good thoughts.” No, they could take courage because their God was with them.

But who was He? One more of the helpless gods? No, He is the great I Am (see my commentary on Exodus At – I Am Has Sent Me to You). Every other being in the universe is dependent; He alone is self-existent, complete in Himself. He had given Himself to them to be their God. There was no new message. It was the same word Isaiah had given Ahaz: Don’t be afraid (7:14b), and that Moses had declared to the Israelites at the Red Sea: Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance that ADONAI will bring you today. . . the LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still (Exodus 14:13-14), and to Joshua on the plains of Mo’ab: The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (Deuteronomy 31:8). It was the key to Joseph’s success: ADONAI was with Joseph (Genesis 39:2, 21, 23), and also to Isaac’s: I will be with you and bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham (Genesis 26:3). But sitting on the bank of the Euphrates in Babylon, they would think to themselves, “How could we be chosen of the LORD when we have been forcibly taken from our Temple and the Land?” They needed to hear in clear terms that ADONAI was still with them and that He was still willing to be called their God.

The LORD was not a passive companion. Since ADONAI, their God, was with them, they could expect certain things from Him. His presence brought them active strength, expressed as a mountain tsunami of assistance: I will strengthen you and help you; moreover I will uphold you with My righteous right hand (41:10b). Not only has He strengthened them, but He has helped them, and not only has He strengthened and helped them, but He has also upheld them. That help was symbolized by the LORD’s righteous right hand. Therefore, God’s great and powerful right hand will do the right thing for His suffering people and deliver them.

Oh, how blessed it is to know that when the times of pain come and when our hearts become broken, we have Someone to whom we can turn that will give us Strength and that will keep us Safe. Only Jesus does that! A little girl and her father were returning from the funeral of their dearly loved mother and wife. Some kind neighbors invited them to spend a few days with them so they wouldn’t be alone in the house with all its sad memories. However, the father decided it would be better to go home. That night the father placed the little girl’s bed next to his, but neither could fall asleep. Finally the child said, “Daddy, it’s dark, I can’t see you. But you’re there, aren’t you?” “Yes, dear, Daddy’s here right next to you. Go to sleep.” The little girl finally dropped off to sleep. In the darkness and the depth of sorrow, the father in tears said aloud, “O Heavenly Father, it’s so dark, and my heart is overflowing with sorrow. But You are there, aren’t You?” And immediately there came to him a passage from the prophet: Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Here the prophet introduces a concept known as the Cone of Isaiah. The nation of Israel is pictured as the Servant in verses 8 to 16, the believing remnant is seen as the Servant in verses 17 to 29, and then the Messiah is portrayed as the Servant in Chapter 42:1-9. Like a cone, it gets more and more narrow. It starts at the base as the nation of Israel, and then progresses to the faithful remnant and finally to the point, which could only be the Messiah.

In several places where Isaiah draws a contrast between Isra’el the servant and Messiah the Servant to show that where Isra’el the servant failed, Messiah the Servant will succeed. Then the success of Messiah the Servant will be applied to the nation of Isra’el. All the promises ADONAI has made to Isra’el are eternal and binding. The LORD does not and will not reject Isra’el because of her sins. He is the Promise Keeper. If He says He is going to do something, He will accomplish what He has set out to do. Israel’s sin (or our sin) doesn’t surprise Him. This is Good News for you and me. Because God will not reject Isra’el because of their sin, He will not reject us because of our sin.

In this passage we have the nation of Isra’el referred to as my servant. ADONAI says that the nation is descended from Abraham, My friend. There are three different places in Scripture where Abraham is called the friend of God: here in Isaiah 41:8-10; Second Chronicles 20:7, and James 2:23. The main residence of Abraham was in Hebron, where he lived and was buried. The name Hebron in Hebrew means friend.

The LORD had already taken the descendants of Abraham, the Israelites, from the ends of the earth to their new home in Canaan. He could do it again, and after seventy years of captivity He would do it again. The exile would not change their relationship to Him. So even though Isra’el might be languishing in the Babylonian captivity before the coming of Cyrus, God made it clear to Isra’el (even before she went into the Babylonian captivity) that He had not rejected her. ADONAI says this in eight different ways: First, But you, O Israel, are my servant; secondly, Jacob, whom I have chosen; thirdly, You descendants of Abraham, my friend; fourthly, I took you from the ends of the earth; fifthly, From the farthest corners I called you; sixthly, I said: You are my servant; seventh, I have chosen you and eighth, I have not rejected you.

Then, Isaiah gives the application. In light of the fact that God has chosen Isra’el, and that Isra’el has a very unique position as His ancestors, they are not to fear or be dismayed. Why? Because He is with them, and He is, after all, their God. And ADONAI promises to strengthen, or empower, them; The LORD will help, or assist, them and uphold, or support, them. All of these three blessings of empowerment, assistance, and support will come with the righteousness of God’s right hand.

The LORD says to You,
Do not Fear, I Will Help You
41: 8-20

In this scene we see a far eschatological prophecy, or the final deliverance of Isra’el. Having described the alarm and powerlessness of the idol-worshippers, the prophet, speaking in the name of ADONAI, addresses Isra’el, God’s servant, assuring her of divine care and protection and announcing the crushing defeat of her enemies. The scene then shifts from the frightened people of Babylon, terrified by the works of the LORD, to the people of God. They are comforted by the knowledge that they are chosen (41:8-10), the Gentile nations will ultimately be defeated (41:11-13), Isra’el will be victorious (41:14-16), and a faithful remnant will remain (41:17-20).

Who Has Stirred Up the One from the East?
41: 1-7

Who has stirred up the one from the east? DIG: Having reassured the exiled Jews in Chapter 40, whom does God address here? What do you picture is happening to these nations? The one from the east was Cyrus, the Persian king who overthrew Babylon in 538 BC (Isaiah 45:1-7). What is God saying about Himself by claiming that He is the One behind Cyrus’ success? Why was the victory of Cyrus good news for the Jewish exiles in Babylon (2 Chron 36:22-23)? How are the other nations reacting to this onward march of Cyrus’ army in 41:5-7? How is their response different from the one God urges upon the Jews in 40:8-10?

REFLECT: What world problems today seem to be beyond solution? What forces in the world appear to you to be out of control? Do you react to these problems with: Helplessness? Cynicism? Sorrow? Disgust? Hope? Why? What does this chapter show us of God’s involvement in human history? How should this affect our attitude toward world problems?

This is the first of several more trial scenes that are common in this part of the book (also see 41:21-29, 42:18-25, 43:8-13, 44:6-20, 45:20-25). Isra’el is the intended audience. There is no doubt about the outcome. God is the judge and jury, bailiff and prosecutor. He summons the court, makes His case and then declares the verdict. Be silent before Me, you islands (41:1a)! Of the fifteen occurrences of islands in the TaNaKh, fourteen are in Isaiah. Together the islands and the nations in the next sentence suggest the ends of the earth, therefore, all the people in the world. Let the Gentile nations renew their strength! Let them come forward and speak; let us meet together at the place of judgment (41:1b). Since Isaiah was writing in advance for the Jewish people who would be enslaved in Babylon, this near historical prophecy points to the coming of Cyrus (44:28, 45:1) at least a hundred years before he was born. The LORD confronted the Gentile nations and the islands by calling them to trial. He calls on them to renew their strength or come and present the strongest case for their idols.

First, ADONAI presented His case. Who has stirred up one from the east (41:2a)? The evidence that God produces is the future Cyrus. It was Cyrus, the first emperor of Persia, who came from the east. The east here refers to Persia. Who has called him in righteousness to his service (41:2b)? It was the LORD who called the Persian king in righteousness. How is this so, because we know from history that Cyrus was anything but righteous? The answer is that God is not calling Cyrus righteous, but the providence of God in raising Cyrus to the throne, shows the outworking of God’s righteousness. So it was God’s righteousness, not that of Cyrus. Then Isaiah recites the victories that Cyrus will have. ADONAI handed nations over to him and subdued kings before him. He turned them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow (41:2c). Nations are conquered, kings are subdued and will offer no resistance. His victorious march is so rapid that his feet do not seem to touch the ground.

He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before (41:3). God says Cyrus will be able to conquer territories he had never seen before. Normally, when conquering a new land, spies are sent out to see if there is anything about the geography that would hinder or aid any conquest. But Cyrus will not even bother doing that and will still be able to conquer new territories with ease. Although an invasion would normally involve many dangers, the Persian king would face none of them.

Then the LORD’s case comes to a conclusion. He asks a rhetorical question: Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning (41:4a)? Who is responsible for Cyrus’ spectacular victories? ADONAI is the One who had done it, and accomplished it. So God is both the author and finisher of these prophetic events, saying: I, I the LORD, referring to God as a Covenant Keeper, with the first of them, the One who exists before all, and with the last, the One who will prophesy to the last generation of men, I am He, meaning the eternal One (41:4b). I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13). So we see God’s case.

Then we are shown the reaction of the pagan idol worshipers when Cyrus arrived on the scene. What was the response to the evidence God has given? Isaiah mocked the notion that the nations could withstand the advance of Cyrus and the Persians as they carried out God’s will. The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble (41:5a). The ends of the earth is a phrase that Isaiah uses frequently to suggest people everywhere (5:26, 24:16, 40:28, 41:5 and 9, 42:10, 43:6, 45:22, 48:20, 49:6, 52:10, 62:11). From one end of the earth to the other they will be terrified of what they see. The nations tremble and run for protection to their newly manufactured gods.

They approach and come forward, each helps the other and says to his brother, “Be strong” (41:5b-6)! Facing the prospect of Cyrus and his army crashing down on them, they are terrified of what they see and try in vain to seek mutual help. Fear, because while the God of Isra’el gave the Jews warning of the coming of Cyrus 150 years in advance, the idols themselves said nothing. These nations were not warned about the conquests of Cyrus. So the only reaction they can have is fear. How sad it is for those whose only hope is to whistle in the dark and try to convince themselves that their protection will be to simply build more gods.

Rather than turning to the true God of Isra’el, they continue in idolatry and build even more gods. They cannot be created by just one Person; it takes a whole range of people to keep them coming. The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer spurs on him who strikes and the anvil (41:7a). After all, maybe more gods will help. One idol maker encourages another idol maker in the hopes that this would be of help to them. They make every effort to make it look good. It’s not nice for gods to look ugly. They also strengthen the base of the idols. After all it’s not nice for gods to topple over. But in the last analysis, the idols, which have already been mocked by Isaiah (40:19-20), would not help them against the onslaught of Cyrus’ coming conquests.

He says of the welding, “It is good.” He nails down the idol at its base so it will not topple over (41:7b). One cannot help but see Isaiah reflecting on Genesis here: God saw all that He had made and it was very good (see my commentary on Genesis, to see link click Ao – Let Us Make Man in Our Image, In Our Likeness). In both cases the maker sees his product as being good. But there the similarity ends. In Genesis it is the quality the Creator attributes to His creatures; here it is the creatures saying it of a “creator” they have made. These few words expose the difference between creation as described in the Bible and the lie of evolution. It reveals the conflict of a world where the truth of our existence comes from beyond us, to one which we can create our own values, indeed, our own gods.

Idolatry on Trial
41: 1-29

The basic content of Chapters 41 through 48 can be stated in this way. God will demonstrate His absolute superiority over the idols by doing something never before done in human history: causing a people, His people, to return from exile (41:1 to 44:22). The background to this entire section is the Babylonian captivity. Isaiah is prophesying to events that are 150 years in the future. Therefore, the words penned here are not so much for Isaiah’s generation, but for those Jews who would be living during the Captivity. ADONAI will not only punish Babylon; He will also demonstrate, as He did with the ten plagues of Egypt, that the gods of Babylon were utterly powerless. In this chapter the LORD puts the entire system of Babylonian idolatry on trial. He will prove His superiority over Babylonian idolatry by prophesying future events. In 41:1-7 He gives a near historical prophecy regarding the coming of Cyrus. He will not name Cyrus until we get to Chapters 44 and 45, but it is obvious that Cyrus is the person he is talking about in 42:1-7. Remember the prophetic system. After first successfully prophesying near historical events, Isaiah’s far eschatological prophecies could be believed.

But Those Who Hope in the LORD
Will Renew Their Strength
40: 27-31

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength DIG: What is the complaint of the exiles in 40:27? What must they still learn about God before they can be restored to their homeland (40:21 and 28)? As a weary exile, which of these promises would you find most uplifting?

REFLECT? Practically and theologically, how does one soar like an eagle? Compare verse 31 with Exodus 19:4 and Deuteronomy 32:10-11. How is learning to hope in God like a fledgling bird learning to fly? How has God “caught” you when you have fallen instead of flying? In what way is He teaching you to fly now?

The prophet now turns to Isra’el, pointing to God’s omnipotence, and assures them of His compassion to those who trust Him. In 40:12-21 we have seen the greatness of God; in 40:18-26 we have seen the incomparableness of God. The point of all this is seen here in 40:27-31, where Israel has a common complaint that He overlooks her plight, whether dealing with the near historical Babylon and the far eschatological Babylon.  Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Isra’el, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God” (40:27)? The imperfect tense of the opening verbs highlights the constant nature of the heartbreaking allegations. This was not merely something that had been said once, it was ongoing. Why do you continue to say? The choice of words here is not accidental. Isaiah subtly reintroduces the theme of comfort found in 40:1-11. This was not just any people; they were ADONAI’s Covenant people, the apple of His eye (Deut 32:10), and His wife. How could they imagine that He had forgotten them (49:14-16)?

The names of Jacob and Isra’el are synonymous for all twelve tribes. In Chapters 40 through 49, Isaiah uses these two words together sixteen times. God’s people should never have thought that He had forgotten them. Nevertheless, that was their common complaint. In light of God’s greatness and His incomparableness, they thought their condition, their state of deprivation, was hidden from the LORD and He had overlooked the legal justice that they had coming to them. In other words, God wasn’t fair and He didn’t care. At first Israel viewed herself as suffering an injustice when in exile during the Babylonian captivity. Likewise, when Israel suffers through the Great Tribulation, she will continue to view herself as a victim of injustice. In both cases she believes ADONAI sees the injustice but overlooks it.

Here, then, the message comes across that in light of God’s greatness and incomparableness, how can you think ADONAI would overlook the justice that is due to you? Again, Isaiah brings out the character of God, but this time it is no longer related to the Gentile nations and their idolatry (40:21), but is related to Isra’el. Do you not know? Have you not heard? It is understandable why the Gentiles would have not known the greatness and incomparableness of God because they did not have the revelation that Isra’el had. But because Israel did have it, how can she not have known or heard?

Both Jacob and Isra’el might speculate about God’s perceived slowness to act. They could say He does not want to act (the argument in 40:1-11), or He is unable to act (the argument in 40:12-26). Consequently, Isaiah seems to say, “In light of what I have just said, how can you believe God is ignoring you? Don’t you understand? God is fundamentally different than we are. He does not work on our timetable. He operates outside of time and has none of our limitations. However, no matter how it seems to in the moment, rest assured that He is at work and you can depend on Him.”

Isaiah says that there are four reasons why God will not overlook the justice due to Israel. First, Do you not know? Have you not heard? ADONAI is El ‘Olam, the everlasting God (40:28a). Here Isaiah picks up words already used in context (40:21), although here they are in the perfect tense (a past completed action with continuing results), reflecting that the information has long been available. This is the God of eternity who knows the beginning from the end.

God, You are without beginning or end. You have existed through all time. You are forever the same, unchanging, infinite, boundless, without measure, and limitless. I find peace in knowing that you are my “forever” God.

Secondly, because YHVH, which is God’s personal name, will keep His promises to Isra’el (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Ac – Introduction to the Book of Exodus, specifically The Use of the Hebrew name ADONAI for YHVH). ADONAI is the everlasting God (40:28b). Whenever God’s personal name is used, it is always in reference to Him as the Covenant Keeper. God has made covenants with Isra’el and He will keep those covenants with Isra’el. She should not worry; the justice due to Her will be given.

Thirdly, He is the Creator of the ends of the earth (40:28c). Since the LORD is the eternal Creator, His strength is tireless and His wisdom without end. He can do whatever He wishes in His own time. Apparent delay never means either lack of awareness or lack of ability on His part.

Fourthly, He will not grow tired or weary, and is all knowing, His understanding no one can fathom (40:28d). Therefore, God is the Covenant Keeper, eternal, all-powerful, and all knowing. It is because of these four attributes that the justice due to Isra’el will indeed come to pass.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak (40:29). God will provide Isra’el with strength and power if she will choose to not to rely upon herself but on ADONAI. But those who choose to rely upon themselves, even young men in the most robust health of their lives, will grow tired, weary, stumble and fall (40:30).

But those who wait on the LORD (40:31a NKJ). The Hebrew word waw, meaning but, points out that it should be read together with the previous verse. Waiting on the LORD (Psalm 27:14, 130:5) implies two things. First, complete dependence on God and a willingness to allow Him to take the steering wheel of your life. To wait on Him is to admit that we have no other help, either in ourselves, anything else or anyone else. As a result, we are helpless until He acts. But that does not mean we get to play the victim. Because secondly, to wait on Him is to declare our confidence in His eventual action on our behalf. As a result, waiting in Hebrew (qawa) is not merely killing time, but a life of confident expectation (8:17, 25:9, 33:2, 49:23, 64:4).

An example of faith was found on the wall of a concentration camp. On it a prisoner had carved the words, “I believe in the sun, even though it doesn’t shine; I believe in love, even when it isn’t shown; I believe in God, even when He doesn’t speak.” Try to imagine those words. I try to envision his skeletal hand gripping the broken glass or stone that cut into the wall. I try to imagine his eyes squinting through the darkness as he carved each letter. What hand could have cut with such conviction? What eyes could have seen good in such horror? There is only one answer: Eyes that chose to see the unseen.

But, Jacob and Isra’el were tired of waiting. That is why they are complaining. The justice due me is hidden from my God. He has overlooked the justice due me. They had forgotten what the Psalms taught – He had not overlooked the justice due them. But the time was not right for Him to bring forth the justice. Just wait. If you fail to wait, you will grow tired, weary, and stumble and fall. In addition, God will provide Isra’el strength and power if they will choose to rely on Him.

But those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. Those who give up their own frantic efforts to save themselves and turn expectantly to God will be able to exchange their worn-out strength for a new strength. It is a different kind of strength, as if people become eagles, a strength brought about by transformation; it is divine strength, a strength like ADONAI’s own that does not grow weary or faint. They will soar on wings of eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (40:31). The Jews enduring the Babylonian Captivity and the Jews suffering during the Great Tribulation would be reminded that ADONAI had not forgotten them. Far from being crushed to the earth by their own helplessness, by either Nebuchadnezzar or the antichrist, those who trust in the LORD depend on Him to act in His own time for their benefit.

God knows about the difficulties and problems of His people. If you belong to Him, He is able to quiet the storms of life, but sometimes there are lessons for believers to learn in the storm. So when you find yourself in the midst of a storm, instead of feeling sorry for yourself or worse, blaming ADONAI for your troubles, look around and find out what lesson He wants you to learn. The LORD will not let you pass through a trial unless He has something for you to learn. And once you have learned it, don’t waste your sorrows. Pray that God would allow you to help someone else going through the same thing.

Hence, we have a message of comfort given to Israel in the light of the greatness of God and the incomparableness of God. This message is also applicable to us today. The key is to wait on the LORD. To renew literally means to “exchange strength.” If we look to the Lord, we will exchange our weakness for God’s great strength. The imagery of a new garment lies behind this idea of exchanging. In Isaiah 52:1 Jerusalem is told to change her outfit, to put on garments of splendor and thus to clothe herself with strength. Paul commands believers: Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ [and with the] new self, which is being renewed . . . in the image of its Creator (Romans 13:14; Colossians 3:10). This same divine strength is still available for those who are weak and discouraged.¹⁵⁸

He Sits Enthroned Above the Circle of the Earth
40: 18-26

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth DIG: Does the Bible teach that the world is flat? Is any image or standard of comparison adequate to measure God’s worth? Why or why not? How does Isaiah approach the topic of idols? What is the point He is making?

REFLECT: What grass and flowers 40:6, or idols in 40:19 of this world seem awfully powerful to you today? How much do you depend on them? By comparison, do the promises of God just seem like words right now, or do they provide you with hope? Why? What sort of complaints do you hear today from non-believers? From believers? How might you answer them from the truths of this chapter? When have you most recently felt like God must have lost your address or phone number? What fears and thoughts arose in your mind? How might the truths of this chapter help restore strength to you?

This section introduces the conclusion to the previous arguments that the LORD was both interested and capable of saving Isra’el despite the fact that they continued to wallow in their sin (to see link click Hf – Surely the Nations Are Like a Drop in the Bucket). Isaiah knew he was called to minister to a stubborn and stiff-necked people (48:4). From the very beginning ADONAI told him that the Israelites would be ever hearing but never understanding, ever seeing but never perceiving (6:9). But I’m sure that didn’t make it any easier for the prophet to see his beloved people turn their backs on God at every opportunity.

This section, then, introduces the conclusion to the previous arguments as indicated in the opening word waw, meaning so or then. If it is true that ADONAI is absolutely alone in His creation and maintenance of the world, and if it is true that the Gentile nations are nothing when compared to Him, what image can He be compared to? What one thing from all of creation could be used for that purpose?

Isaiah then asked the question: So, to whom then, will you compare God? The word for God here is translated El, not the more common ELOHIM. The difference between the two is that while ELOHIM speaks of His general qualities, El would remind the Jews of the pagan high god of the Canaanite pantheon with the same name. By using this name Isaiah would leave no doubt of the absolute superiority of ADONAI over any such imposter (43:12; 45:14, 46:9 and 31:3). Since He alone is El, then there is nothing or no one like Him in all the universe.

What image will you compare Him to (40:18)? It has been said that this verse is the culminating experience of Hebrew monotheism found in the Scriptures. The context of this verse is idolatry. In other words, God is saying, “How can you compare Me with idols?” The point here is not how God or idols look, but what is the character of each.

But incredibly, Muslims teach that 40:18 and 25 (and also Psalm 89:6 and Jeremiah 10:6-7) contradict Genesis 1:26 where God said: Let us make man in our image, in our likeness. Is this a contradiction? Certainly not. Because we are not made with the same character as God. If that were true then we would indeed be God. But we are not God and God does not dwell in idols. That is the point made here in Isaiah, the incomparableness of the LORD to anyone or anything. This has nothing to do with us being made in the image of ADONAI. God’s Word is true when it says that the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Cor 4:4).

Of all the comparisons to ADONAI that one might choose, the most ridiculous to Isaiah was an idol. The prophet ridiculed that thought several times in his book (41:6-7, 44:9-20, 46:5-7). He reserved his deepest sarcasm to show how foolish it was to try to make a god out of worldly material. As for an idol a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it (40:19). Humor and irony are used here. Some people were able to buy expensive gods, wood overlaid with gold and silver. Others had to buy cheap ones. But some were so poor they had to actually make their own idol from scratch.

A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple (40:20). There was a three-stage process. First, they went out in the forest and looked for wood that would not rot. For it is not nice for gods to rot. Secondly, he would choose a skillful carver to make the god look nice. For it is not nice for gods to look ugly. Thirdly, he made sure he built a strong base for the god to stand on because it is not nice for gods to topple over. . . irony and humor are heavy. It is not nice for gods to rot, it’s not nice for gods to look ugly, and it’s not nice for gods to topple over. So therefore, you, skillful worker, make sure you do a good job with this piece of wood and make me a really nice-looking god. Will the Creator, who made the heaven and the earth without any help, be represented by an idol made by a skilled craftsman from the stuff of creation and then cannot be trusted to stand up without toppling over?

Then Isaiah brings out God’s sovereign control over the world. From His sovereign position in heaven God watches over His created universe. He is the God of eternity and speaks to Gentile idolaters about His eternity. Again, Isaiah asks a series of rhetorical questions: Do you all not know? Have you all not heard? Do you all not know? Has it not been told you from the beginning? The issue is intensified with the use of the imperfect with the verbs knowing and hearing. The Septuagint translates it: Will you not know? Can you not hear? It was not only a question of being aware that the LORD transcends the world, but whether those hearing believed Isaiah’s message. It was, and is, possible to hear the message but to refuse to act on it.

From the questions of intent and response Isaiah moves to questions of fact. Have you not understood since the earth was founded (40:21)? From the beginning (Genesis 1:1), from the very foundations of the earth, God was there. Isaiah questions how people could even imagine building their own little god out of wood that would eventually rot and then believe it created the heavens and the earth? The creation of the earth begs for a Creator. If the cosmos had an origin it could not itself be responsible for that event. The current “big bang” theory for the beginning of the earth still does not address the origin of the stuff of the “bang.” Isaiah contends that God is behind it all, and nothing that is part of creation, whether gods or humans, can thwart His plans.

It is He that sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers (40:22a). One of the statements of liberal critics is that the Bible says that the world is flat. That is utterly ridiculous. In fact, the Bible says the opposite, but scientists during the days of Christopher Columbus taught that theory. Those so-called scientists did not pay attention to the Word of God and missed something. And I think they are missing something today. It is clearly stated that ADONAI sits above the circle of the earth and looks down at the inhabitants of the earth, who appear to be little tiny grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in (40:22b). The heavens are pictured as spread out like a tent for Him to live in (Psalm 104:2). Isaiah was not offering a detailed picture of God’s dwelling place. He was merely using imagery that his readers would easily understand.

He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing (40:23). Even the destinies of the greatest are in the hands of God, and their very existence, without His protection, is like stubble in the whirlwind. In controlling history God establishes rulers and removes them (Dani’el 2:21). They are easily removed. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff (40:24). When God removes them, it is as if they had never been. All it takes is the breath of the LORD. With one breath He can remove the most powerful of men because God is sovereign over the rulers of this world.

Finally, God asks: To whom will you compare Me? Or who is My equal? says the Holy One (40:25). God is speaking of the incomparableness of Himself to idols or anyone else. The LORD cannot be compared to anyone or anything. He knows everything about His creation and sustains it. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens; Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name (40:26a). In His strength He created, controls, and also sustains millions upon millions of stars; each one is individually known to Him (see the commentary on Genesis Lw – The Witness of the Stars). Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing (40:26b). The stars have not existed forever. Someone brought them into existence, who was that? It was ADONAI, who is seated on His throne in heaven, who else (see my commentary on Revelation Cd – And There Before Me was a Throne in Heaven)? When we see the power of God’s creation, we feel the power of His love.

In Chapters 40-66 God is frequently referred to as Creator and Maker, and there could not be a more dramatic contrast to the lifeless idols of Babylon. He created the heavens, the earth, the Gentile nations, and Isra’el, and He will create a new heaven and a new earth (see my commentary on Revelation Fr – Then I Saw a New Heaven and a New Earth).

Some nights when you’re away from the city lights lift your eyes and look to the heavens. There in the heavens you’ll see a luminous band of stars stretching from horizon to horizon – our galaxy. If you have good eyes, you can see about 5,000 stars, according to astronomer Simon Driver. There are, however, far more that you cannot see with the naked eye. In 1995, the Hubble Deep Field Study space probe concluded that there are billions of galaxies, each containing billions of stars. By one estimate, there are more than ten stars in the universe for every grain of sand on the earth. Yet, each night, without fail, God brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name . . . not one of them is missing.

Why then do people say: My way is hidden from the LORD (40:27a)? Yes, billions of individuals live on the earth, but ADONAI has forgotten no one. He knows those who are His (Second Timothy 2:19). If He can bring out the incalculable starry host each night one by one, He can bring you into His light. He does so by His great power and mighty strength – the power He displayed when Jesus was raised from the dead. Are the stars out tonight? Rejoice! God cares for you.

Surely the Nations
Are Like a Drop in the Bucket
40: 12-17

Surely the nations are like a drop in the bucket DIG: What is the intended effect of all these rhetorical questions? In each comparison (creation, knowledge, the Gentile nations), how does God fare? How does the LORD regard the power of the nations, even today’s superpowers (40:15-17, 23-24)? For whom was this message intended? Why?

REFLECT: Do you believe that the LORD wants to deliver you? Do you think He is capable of doing so? What could stand in His way? Do you believe you are beyond His reach? Can anything separate you from the love of God that is in Messiah? Because a God who cannot deliver on His promises cannot be trusted.

After establishing that ADONAI wants to deliver Judah (40:1-11) and will not give up on her because of her persistent sinning, Isaiah makes sure that the Jews understood in no uncertain terms that He was fully capable of doing so. In the strongest language possible the prophet of God declared that there is none like the LORD. With a series of rhetorical questions, Isaiah declares that He is unique.

We see the omnipotence of God, meaning He is all powerful. The first question is this: Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand (40:12a)? What is the hollow of your hand? It is the little space in the palm of your hand as you cup it. How much water do you think you could hold there? Maybe a mouthful. And yet God is so great He can hold all the oceans of the world in the hollow of His hand. The second question is this: Who has, with the breadth of His hand, marked off the heavens (40:12b)? The breadth of His hand is known as a span. That is the distance from the tip of your thumb to the tip of your little finger. The vastness of the universe was simply measured out by God by the breadth of, or the span of His hand. Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance (40:12c)? He is also able to measure all the particles of dust of the earth in a basket. He can hold all the mountains and hills and hold them up in a balance to give us the exact weight. That is the greatness of God. Therefore, the first point about the LORD is that He is omnipotent.

We see the omniscience of God, meaning He is all knowing. ADONAI knows no equal nor is there anyone to whom He can go for advice. Hence, there is a second series of rhetorical questions. Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed Him as His counselor? Who has ever served as a counselor to God? He is all knowing; therefore, no one serves as His counselor. Whom did ADONAI consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the right way? Who instructs God? No one! Who was it that taught Him knowledge or showed Him the path of understanding (40:13-14)? Who lectures God about justice? Who teaches Him knowledge? Who teaches Him the path of understanding? No one, because He is omniscient.

The implication of the discussion of counselors here is the plan of ADONAI for the redemption of His people (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Bz – Redemption). From whom did the LORD get that idea? Some advisor? Was it the brain child of some heavenly committee? Or did it come independently from the mind of the One on whom all things depend? If it came from a heavenly committee, then we are all in trouble. But if it came from the mind of God, then nothing can stop it. Consequently, Isaiah sets the stage for his later comments on redemption.

Then the prophet moved from the realm of the heavens to the inhabited world; from rhetorical questions to that of utter declaration (40:15-17). Nothing can compare to the Creator of the world or prevent what He has willed to accomplish. Ever the master of the Hebrew language, Isaiah uses several literary devices to make his point: metaphors for smallness in 40:15, an analogy of inadequacy in 40:16, and a blunt literal statement in 40:17. This is hardly a new concept for Isaiah. As early as Chapter 10, the prophet asserts that Assyria was merely a pawn in the hands of God. That the LORD is supreme is seen through the future reign of Immanuel in Chapter 11, and the entire group of oracles against the nations in Chapters 13 to 23. His total sovereignty over every person and every nation is seen again and again. There is no question that He is able to save.

In contrast to His greatness, we see the insignificance of the nations of the earth. Three points are made here concerning the nations. First, we see how trivial they are when compared to ADONAI. What are the Gentile nations – so impressive in their own eyes? Surely the Gentile nations are like a drop in the bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; He weighs the islands as though they were fine dust (40:15). Both of these metaphors are powerful expressions of insignificance. They are the drop of water falling back into the cistern as the bucket is pulled up, the speck of dust on the pan of the balance scales that does not even cause the scales to flutter. Both are temporary and neither are noticed.

Secondly, we see their insufficiency of the Gentile nations when compared to God. There is nothing we can do that would come close to matching the greatness of the Creator. Isaiah illustrates this point with a synecdoche, in which one part stands for the whole. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings (40:16). God is so majestic that even the great cedar forests of Lebanon could not provide enough wood for the kinds of sacrifices He deserves. Nor would the countless animals of those forests provide enough offerings. Humanity cannot adequately pay homage to the Ruler of the world. All the forests of Lebanon, with their abundance of wood and animals, will not provide a sacrifice commensurate with His greatness. Nothing we can do puts Him in our debt. He has to save us because we cannot save ourselves. All of our efforts to take the first step toward ADONAI, to meet His demands, to satisfy His requirement of holiness, or to pull ourselves up by our spiritual bootstraps are never enough.

Thirdly, we see the nothingness of the Gentile nations when compared to the LORD. Figures of speech give way to blunt statements. All the nations who do not know Him are as nothing; they are regarded by Him as worthless and less than nothing (formless or confusion) (40:17). There are three Hebrew words that are used beautifully here. The first word means nothing, the second word means nothingness, and the third word means confusion. This word confusion is the same word that is used in Genesis 1:2, where we read that the earth was formless and empty, or the earth was formless and confused. The nations are nothing, nothingness, and mere confusion. Therefore, there is no comparison between the greatness of God and the triviality, insufficiency and confusion of the nations.

This bold appraisal does not mean the LORD doesn’t value the Gentile nations. He doesn’t think they are worthless and the many statements in the TaNaKh make this clear. It is merely that by comparison with ADONAI (in the sense of His presence), Assyria and its gods, Babylonia and its gods, Persia and its gods, fade into insignificance.

But the Jews of Isaiah’s own day were not interested in this message. They believed they were righteous, God would never violate His Temple (Jeremiah 7:1-8), and that they would always dwell in the Promised Land. They weren’t listening to Isaiah, they just mocked him (see Fm – With Foreign Lips and Strange Tongue God Will Speak to This People). But over a hundred years later their descendants would be sitting on the banks of the Euphrates River wondering what had happened to them. More than that, they would wonder if ADONAI even cared about them anymore. Did He want to save them, or more to the point, was He even capable of saving them. Very clearly, then, Isaiah declares that the LORD was not only willing, but because of His omnipotence and omniscience, He was the only One who could save them. Is it not also true for us?

The God of Hope
40: 12-31

The first eleven verses in this chapter answer the question: Does God want to deliver Israel (and us)? And that has been answered in the affirmative. But that gives rise to another question. Can ADONAI deliver us? It is one thing to want to act, but it is quite another to have the ability to act. Although God had once dramatically delivered His city from the Assyrians (37:36-37), would not its fall to the Babylonians, as predicted by Isaiah’s own words (39:6), mean that the LORD was merely one more local god who would be swallowed up by the relentless march of world empires and their more powerful gods?¹⁵⁵ Isaiah answers all of these questions with an emphatic no.

Because the exile would give ADONAI an opportunity to show His trustworthiness and His sovereignty, Chapter 40 makes two points: God can be trusted to deliver Isra’el (40:1-11), and the LORD is sovereign over all nations in the world (40:12-31). The series of questions asked by God and His prophet remind us of the long list of difficult questions directed to Job by ADONAI in Job 38-41. Like Job, God’s people in exile needed to learn that the LORD is worthy of praise because His majesty and power (40:12-26) guarantee His goodness and mercy (40:27-31).¹⁵⁶

It is into a setting just like ours that Isaiah speaks. He speaks to people who have lost hope. The impossible has happened. The Jews were sure that their nation could not fall, that their Temple could not be destroyed, and that their God would not let them down. Yet, all that happened. They were full of regret. Yes, ADONAI may have acted in the past for other people (don’t we always say that), but to the Jews sitting in Babylon, it seemed like their situation was beyond Him. It seemed like it was beyond His compassion and beyond His power. And to us it sometimes feels like He has forgotten us, and we are hidden from His sight. Well, it wasn’t true for the Jews in Babylon then, and it’s not true for us today. What is true is God’s promise: Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (see the commentary on Hebrews, to see link click De – Believer’s Behavior in Relation to Ourselves).

Yeshua says to us as he said to them, “No! There is nothing beyond My compassion or My power.” We are persons of worth to Him. Are there chains of doubt about God that are just as real as the Judeans endured? Of course there are. But the LORD can break those chains. To be sure, the way He does it is His business. One of the recurring themes in the following chapters is the discomfort the people have with the way ADONAI chooses to act on their behalf. We cannot dictate the terms or the means, but we can hold on to Him with confident hope because He is the God of hope.

In the same way, we can believe that the LORD can change our circumstances. There can be real change for the better. That is, there can be if we believe in a God who is both outside and inside of history. ADONAI can intervene in our lives and change it for the better. But so much depends on our faith. I am not talking about getting some idea in our heads and then doing a mental number on ourselves until we really believe it is going to happen. I am talking about a life of faith in God, a life where we truly release ourselves into His hands without any reservation.

This is clearly what the Jewish exiles were going to have difficulty doing in the crisis of the exile, and Isaiah knew it. In a real sense the problem he addresses in his own day and the problem we face today is the same. In his own day, the people did not believe they could trust the LORD to deliver them, so they trusted in other nations. They needed to hear God’s Word in ways that changed how they thought. That is what we need to do also. We need lives of faith that are shaped by God’s Word and His view of reality. If I cannot believe ADONAI and hope in Him in the sense of surrendering my life to Him in a kind of life that I know pleases Him, then His power cannot transform me. But if I will actively believe in His Word, there really are no limits to what He can do for me. There is hope.¹⁵⁷

That Her Hard Service Has Been Completed
40:12 to 48:22

These chapters particularly address the questions concerning the LORD’s ability and desire to deliver His people in light of the Babylonian captivity (see my commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Gu – Seventy Years of Babylonian Rule). Would the exile prove that God had abandoned His people? Would it mean that He was unable to defend His people from the pagan nations surrounding them? Would it mean that He had been defeated by His people’s destructive sinfulness? No! Not only would it not prove that the LORD had abandoned His people, the exile would give ADONAI an even greater opportunity to display His sovereignty and trustworthiness. Remember the main points that are going to be brought out in these nine chapters. First, it is written within the light of the Babylonian captivity. Secondly, there is going to be a contrast between God and idols. Thirdly, there is going to be a contrast between Isra’el and the Gentiles. Fourthly, there will be a message of deliverance, both from the near historical Babylon and the far eschatological Babylon. Finally, God is going to emphasize the final overthrow of Babylonian idolatry.

Comfort, Comfort My People Says Your God
40: 1-11

Comfort, comfort my people says your God DIG: Jerusalem’s deliverance in 701 BC from the Assyrian King Sennacherib in Chapter 37 climaxes the prophecies of Chapters 1-39. Chapters 40-48 deal with events that occur 150 years later. In 587 BC Jerusalem was sacked, its people deported to Babylon, the new world power (2 Kings 25). Given this situation, what does Isaiah mean when he says comfort and speak tenderly to my people? How far was Isaiah looking into the future when he wrote the second half of his book?

REFLECT: The gospels quote 11:3 in reference to John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus. What does that imply about the identity of Yeshua? How can you prepare the way for the Lord in your own life? What needs leveling or shoring up? In verse 11 Yeshua comes as a Shepherd as well as a King. What sort of sheep do you feel like: Cradled? Content? Wandering? Caught? or Lost? Why?

At this point we need to pause and reflect on Isaiah’s life in his later years. The last time we read about Isaiah involved in public ministry was the invasion of the Assyrian King Sennacherib in 701 BC. If Isaiah was about thirty years old when he started his public ministry, he would have been about sixty-nine years of age when King Uzziah died (6:10). By the time Hezekiah died, three years later, Isaiah would have been seventy-two. But more than likely he lived longer than that because tradition teaches that he died as a martyr during the reign of Manasseh, who had him sawed in two (Hebrews 11:36-37). Therefore, if he lived several years after his public ministry had ended, what might he have done during this latter part of his life?

As early as 712 BC, possibly as much as twenty years before his death, Isaiah could see that the Babylonian exile was coming (39:5-7). It must have weighed heavily upon him, but as far as we know he did not preach on it. For most of the following fifteen years the more immediate Assyrian crisis demanded his attention and, with the accession of Manasseh and the fierce repression that came with it, it would have been impossible to preach anyway. The nation and its leaders were unwilling to listen. It would only be after the Babylonian captivity for seventy years that they would become teachable again, and then they would not need judgment, but comfort.

It is more likely, therefore, as the gap in time between Chapter 39 and Chapter 40 implies, that in the latter part of his life Isaiah was called to a new task, to comfort Isra’el in words that they would remember and preserve in the dark days ahead until she was ready to hear them again.¹⁵³

The specific question dealt with in 40:1-11 is this: Does God want to deliver Judah (and us)? And doesn’t He give up on Judah (and on us) because of our persistent sinning? The message God gives is for people whose whole world has fallen apart. And for people like that, cheap comfort is not only a waste of time, it is cruel. Comfort not grounded in reality is no comfort at all; it must be based on truth. And the truth is that sin, Judah’s or ours, does not defeat ADONAI. Not only does He want to restore the united kingdoms of Isra’el and Judah (and us), but He intends to use her (and us) in the proclamation of the Good News. The LORD can be trusted to deliver Isra’el (and us).

Comfort, comfort My people, says our God (40:1). This verse starts out with a command to comfort. The command then is to the Jewish prophets, Isaiah in particular, and perhaps his contemporary Micah, or the later prophets of the Babylonian captivity such as Jeremiah, Ezeki’el, Dani’el, or the post-exilic prophets such as Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi. The basic thrust now is comfort my people. The word comfort is so emphatic that the NIV says it twice. My people is the object, meaning My people of the united kingdom of Isra’el. Up to now the first 39 chapters have been chapters of judgment against Judah, with the final threat in Chapter 39 that although ADONAI will save Judah from the Assyrians, about one hundred years later the LORD would send the southern kingdom of Judah into captivity. But now the content and the tone of the message changes; it is one of comfort rather than judgment.

The method of speaking is given in the first part of the next verse, which says: Speak tenderly to Jerusalem (40:2a). Literally, the Hebrew reads: Speak comfortably, or speak to the heart of. The basic thrust of the message is that you must win the heart of the nation. Not merely threaten them, but win the heart of the nation. This phrase win the heart of is used elsewhere in Scripture for courtship (Genesis 34:3: Judges 19:3; Hosea 2:14). The one that is closest to what Isaiah is saying here is in Hosea 2:14. In the first 13 verses of Chapter 2, Hosea had a message of judgment. God was going to destroy the nation for her idolatry, for chasing after other gods. But sometime after the fall of the nation Hosea prophesied: Therefore, behold, I will allure her, I will bring her back into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her (Hosea 2:14). In other words, the word for comfort in 40:1 and the word for tenderly in 40:2 are two different Hebrew words. This is why the NIV uses the word comfort in 40:1 and speak tenderly to in 40:2. The word for comfort in 40:1 means to soothe in time of grief or to console. But the word tenderly in 40:2 is the Hebrew word meaning speak to the heart of, meaning to win the heart of, in the sense of wooing for the purpose of courtship.

In the second part of the verse, the prophet had a three-fold message of comfort to declare. Proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, and that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins (40:2b). First, that her warfare had been completed. Second, that her sin had been pardoned. And third, that she had received from the LORD double for all her sin. This three-fold message is the outline for the rest of the book of Isaiah. And each section ends with one verse that describes the state of the wicked.

First, that her warfare had been completed is developed in 40:1 to 48:22. This first section will be divided between Isaiah’s consolation (Chapters 40-41, 44-45) and his Creator (Chapters 42:5 to 43:28 and 46 to 48).

The person primarily, but not exclusively, talked about is Cyrus and how God will use Cyrus to bring about the return of the Jews from Babylon. Because of this, there is more near historical prophecy than far eschatological prophecy.

Back in Isaiah 29, God was viewed as being at war with Ariel, which is another name for the city of Jerusalem. In 42:25, Isaiah tells us that God had poured out on Judah His burning anger, the violence of war. But now in 40:2 we see that ADONAI’s war against the people of Judah is finished. Throughout this section we are going to see a contrast of several things. First, we will see a contrast between the LORD and idols. Secondly, we will see a contrast between the Jews and the Gentiles. And thirdly, we will see a motif of contrast between a near historical fulfillment and a far eschatological fulfillment regarding Babylon. The Bible talks about two Babylons. In Isaiah’s day there was the city and empire of Babylon. Because the near fulfillment would be the Babylonian captivity, which would begin one hundred years after the prophecy of Isaiah, we call this the near historical Babylon. Then after the Babylonian captivity, when her warfare had been completed, men like Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, and Ezra would lead her back to Jerusalem to occupy the Land in 536 BC. But the Bible also talks about another Babylon. There is a Babylon yet to be rebuilt and become the worldwide capital of the antichrist during the Great Tribulation. We call this the far eschatological Babylon.

Finally, Isaiah is going to be talking about the overthrow of the Babylon gods. Remember that the main reason why ADONAI had to send the Jews into captivity in Babylonian was because of their idolatry. The Jews from the time of Abraham down to the Babylonian captivity were always prone to idolatry. So, throughout Chapters 40 to 48 there will be constant references made to God’s war against idols and idolatry for the purpose of showing the absolute stupidity of idolatry. This will especially be true in Chapter 41 and Chapters 46 and 47. But Isra’el did finally learn her lesson because once the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity in 536 BC, idolatry would never again be a Jewish problem. This section ends with a statement that describes the state of the wicked. There is no peace, says the LORD, for the wicked (48:22).

Second, that her sin had been pardoned is seen in 49:1 to 57:21. This second section will be divided between Judah’s Redeemer (Chapters 49:7 to 50:3, 50:10 to 52:12, and 54 to 57) and Judah’s Servant (Chapters 42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-9 and 52:13 to 53:2).

In this section, the reason that her sin had been pardoned was because of the death of the Servant of the LORD. Here Isaiah deals with the final salvation and restoration of the united kingdom of Isra’el and Judah. Because of this, there is more far eschatological prophecy than near historical prophecy.

Isaiah will make four points. First, her sin had been pardoned. This is the reason that her hard service had been completed. The Hebrew word pardoned here means to be satisfied. In other words, God’s righteousness and justice has been satisfied because the price of sin has been paid. The theological word is propitiation. It means the averting of ADONAI’s wrath by means of the substitutionary sacrifice of Messiah, which satisfies every claim of God’s holiness and justice so that the LORD is free to act on behalf of sinners. On the cross, Yeshua said: It is finished in Aramaic. In Greek it would be translated paid in full or tetelestai.

Second, there is a connection between the suffering of the Servant and His future glory. On the one hand, Isaiah will speak of a suffering Messiah; on the other hand, he will speak of a conquering Messiah. Today we understand that this was fulfilled by Yeshua coming twice; His First Coming to die for sins, and His Second Coming to rule in the millennial Kingdom. The sages have never completely comprehended the truthfulness of One Person fulfilling both prophecies. So, they invented the theory of two Messiahs. The first Messiah would come and die and the second Messiah would come to reign and bring the first Messiah back to life again. This section ends with a statement that describes the state of the wicked. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked (Isaiah 57:21).

Third, that she had received from the LORD double for all her sin is discussed in Isaiah, Chapters 58 to 66. This third section is about Isaiah’s Messiah and will be divided between Judah’s sins (Chapters 58 and 59), the coming Messiah (Chapters 60 to 62), and finally judgment and salvation (Chapters 63 to 66).

The second section gives the reason for the first, because her sins had been pardoned, her hard service had been completed. Likewise, the third section gives the reason for the second. The reason that she had received double for all her sins was so that her sins could be pardoned. So, we have a progression in thought.

The principle of Judah receiving double for all her sins comes out of the Torah. It clearly states that the first son was to receive double. So, if you had three sons, you would divide your land into four parts. The two youngest sons would be given one part each. But the first-born son would be given two parts. The firstborn son always received double. When Pharaoh would not let the people go, God sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message: Then say to Pharaoh, this is what ADONAI says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, let my son go, so he may worship me. But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son (Exodus 4:22-23). For that reason, Judah is to receive double in blessing and punishment. What is emphasized here is not the double blessing, but the double punishment aspect. Isaiah is not the only one to say this (Jeremiah 16:18 and Zechariah 9:12). This principle, found in both the five books of Moshe and the Prophets, is the reasoning behind the statement by Paul: There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (Romans 2:9). The reason why God would move against the Jew first in punishing sin is because of the principle of receiving double for her sins. But the other side of the coin is also true. But glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (Romans 2:10). So because the nation of Israel was the first born of the nations and has a special relationship with God, Israel receives double blessings, but she also receives double for all her sins.

In this third section, aside from the point that the nation of Isra’el had received double for all her sins, Isaiah will mainly be concerned with the distinction between Isra’el the whole, the faithful remnant of believing Jews, and the Suffering Servant. This section, and book, ends with the condemnation of the wicked: And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind (Isaiah 66:24).

From this simple command to comfort His people (40:3-11), four different voices respond. First, there is the voice of urgency in 40:3 to 5. This takes us back to a long-standing custom of the ancient world. Roads of some kind must have existed in former times in Palestine, though nothing worthy of the name is to be found there today. The use of chariots, and the opening and preservation of the way to the Cities of Refuge, and such expressions as are found in this text, seem to imply a knowledge and a use of artificial roads. It has been the custom from ancient times for Oriental monarchs, when wishing to travel through their dominions, to send men before them to prepare their way, by removing stones (see 62:10), leveling rough places, filling up hollows, and making the road pleasant and easy for the distinguished travelers. The Assyrian Queen Shammuramat (in Greek, Semiramis), on one of her journeys, coming to a rough, mountainous region, ordered the hills leveled and the hollows filled, which was done at an enormous cost. Her object was not only to shorten the way, but also to leave to posterity a lasting monument of herself. There have been modern instances of a similar character, though not involving so much labor and expense.¹⁵⁴ The point here is that the LORD is coming so there had to be a way prepared for Him.

A voice of one calling, “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, and the rugged places a plain” (40:3-4). This is quoted in reference to John the Immerser by all four gospel writers (Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; and John 1:23). John the Immerser could have fulfilled this prophecy had Jesus been accepted. That is the point of the gospel writers quoting him. John the Immerser was a forerunner of the Messiah of Isra’el. But Messiah was rejected, so this prophecy awaits fulfillment at some other time (Mark 9:9-13).

And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it (40:5a). The synoptic writers all describe what took place on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:1-13; and Luke 9:28-36). The disciples had seen the Sh’khinah glory manifested in the person of Jesus Christ. That raised a theological question. Why did the sages teach that before the Messiah would come, Elijah must come first? This is based on Malachi Chapter 4 where it clearly teaches Elijah must return before the coming of Christ, but before the Second Coming not before the First Coming. So first, Jesus said that Elijah would indeed come first and restore all things, but if Elijah had come before the First Coming all the prophecies regarding the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ would never be fulfilled. That is why Elijah was not promised to come and restore all things before the First Coming, but only before the Second Coming. John the Immerser was a type of Elijah, in that he was a forerunner of the First Coming. Had Yeshua been accepted as the Messiah, then John would have fulfilled the prophecy of 40:3-5. But He was rejected. As a result, this prophecy awaits a future fulfillment when Elijah will indeed return and fulfill all things. Then a smoothing of the way is described so all obstacles are removed. Then Isaiah speaks about the Sh’khinah glory. At that point, when the way has been prepared for the coming of the King (when all Isra’el is saved as a nation in Chapter 66) and Jesus will come back, His Sh’khinah glory will be seen by all mankind (Matthew 24:29-30). The guarantee that all of this will come to pass is given at the end of this verse. For the mouth of God has spoken (40:5b). Because He said it, it will indeed come to pass. That was the first voice; now comes the second voice.

Second is the voice of hope in 40:6a. The second voice says: Cry out, meaning, Cry out to Jerusalem the same three-fold message of comfort, the same message found earlier in 40:1-2.

Third voice is the voice of discouragement in 40:6b-7. Immediately after that, the voice of discouragement asks: What shall I cry? This voice emphasizes the transitory, or temporary nature of man. The voice of discouragement says: All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of God blows on them. Surely the people are like grass (40:6b-7). In effect this voice says, “What good is it? We have had revivals before. There have been periods during Isra’el’s history when we have turned to God, only to let that period of righteousness slip through our fingers as the nation returned to a life of sin. All we do is see continuous cycles. Why bother giving the message of comfort in 40:1-2? It is useless because human righteousness is so fickle, it comes and goes.

But then the voice of hope responds to the voice of discouragement. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever (40:8). This voice says, “You are right. Man’s righteousness is fickle. But I will give you some hope, and tell you something that is not fickle. That is the Word of our God spoken by His prophets. It is sure. It is not transitory. It is not temporary. Therefore, since the promise of the final restoration and redemption of the united nation of Isra’el is sure, because the mouth of the LORD has spoken it, let us proclaim that message!

We have heard three voices so far, but now comes the fourth voice, the voice of good tidings in 40:9-11. Finally, the command to comfort and speak tenderly to My people in 40:1-2 is carried out. Though God is a mighty warrior striking down Isra’el’s oppressors, He is also like a good Shepherd, gentle and considerate to His redeemed people.

You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid. Say to the towns of Judah, “Here is our God” (40:9)! Here the phrase good tidings is the Hebrew word for the Gospel. Ultimately, the way the promise of 40:2 is going to be fulfilled is by means of preaching the Gospel to both Isra’el and Judah. This will ultimately bring about the salvation of the united kingdom Isra’el. She has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Isra’el will be saved, as it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins (Romans 11:25b-27). That will be especially true in the preaching of the Two Witnesses (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Dc – I Will Give Power to My Two Witnesses and They Will Prophesy for 1,260 Days).

But what are we to preach? The answer to that comes next. See, the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies (CJB) comes with power, and His arm rules for Him, and His reward accompanies Him (40:10). In 40:10 the word See, has a special meaning in the book of Isaiah. When he uses it, it always means something in reference to the future. In other words, “See, your God is coming in the future.” And when He comes, He will come with power, and His arm rules for Him. This is the second of nine references to the arm of the LORD in Isaiah (30:30 and 32, 50:2, 51:5 and 9, 52:10, 53:1, 59:1 and 16, 62:8, 63:5). In His Second Coming, He will come as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5), but in His First Coming, He came as the Good Shepherd.

Even though the nation of Judah would have to endure the discipline of the Babylonian captivity; He would eventually come to them as the Good Shepherd. The arm raised in discipline would be lowered in compassion. He tends His flock like a shepherd (Ps 23:1, 80;1; Heb 13:20; 1 Pet 2:25 and 5:4), He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart (Jeremiah 13:17 and 20; Micah 4:8, 5:4 7:14; Zechariah 10:3); He gently leads those that have young (40:11). He said of Himself: I am the good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me – just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father – and I lay down My life for the sheep (John 10:14-15). Does God want to deliver Isra’el (and us)? Indeed He does. Doesn’t He give up on Israel (and on us) because of our persistent sinning? No, He does not! And that, my friend, is Good News.

The Redemption and Restoration of Isra’el
40:1 to 66:24

The Bible has 66 books, 39 books in the TaNaKh and 27 books in the B’rit Chadashah. While both Covenants have elements of both judgment and hope, the TaNaKh speaks forcefully about inevitable judgment and the New Covenant speaks forcefully about redemption and return. This is exactly what we have in the book of Isaiah. There are 66 chapters, 39 chapters speak forcefully of inevitable judgment, while 27 chapters, 40 through 66, speak just as forcefully of inevitable redemption and return.

The first 39 chapters of Isaiah were written during the time that the Assyrian Empire was the main threat against the kingdom of Judah. The recurring theme in those chapters is that ADONAI could be trusted in the face of the threats from surrounding nations. Nevertheless, the people of Isra’el were continually tempted to trust other nations to help them. God told them that those nations would fail them and they would be destroyed, sometimes from the very nation she had trusted for help (8:5-8, 30:1-5). But Isaiah declared that even after their well-earned destruction, God would not abandon them, but deliver them (9:2-7, 30:9-33).

The second part of Isaiah, Chapters 40 to 66, are written in a more prophetic format in that Isaiah is projecting himself either 150 years into the future when the Jews are in the Babylonian captivity, or into the end times during the Great Tribulation and Messianic Kingdom. It is not unusual for Isaiah to go back and forth between the two dispensations. These chapters are the tenth major section, the largest of them all comprising 27 chapters. The theme of these chapters is the redemption and restoration of Isra’el, and in them ADONAI displays that His trustworthiness does not end at the point of disobedience. The Israelites did not deserve it and God was not required to deliver them. Yet, ADONAI did it anyway. Even though He knew they would desert Him, He promised in advance to redeem them without money and without cost (55:1b).

There are those who have argued that there are two authors of Isaiah, the writer of Chapters 1-39 and another for Chapters 40-66. For seventeen centuries no one dreamt of doubting that Isaiah the son of Amoz was the author of every part of the book that goes under his name, until a few German scholars began to question the unity of this book about 1780.¹⁵² There are seven reasons that I argue for unity.

First, the New Testament knows only one Isaiah (especially John 12:38-41 with Isaiah 53:1 and 6:10 where John mentions Isaiah without making any distinction, but also: Mt 12:17-18 with Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 3:3 with Isaiah 40:3-5; Acts 8:32-33 with Isaiah 53:7-8; Romans 10:16 with Isaiah 53:1; Romans 10:20 with Isaiah 65:1).

Secondly, the ideas of Isaiah 1-39 are often repeated and /or expanded in Chapters 40-66 (1:29 with 57:5; 29:13 with 58:2-4; 1:15 with 59:3,7; 10:1-2 with 59:3-9). The style and language are often similar in both parts, with scores of expressions from the first part being repeated almost verbatim in the second part (a striking example is the way Isaiah describes God as The Holy One of Isra’el, found 12 times in 1-39, 14 times in 40-66, and only 5 times elsewhere in the TaNaKh).

Thirdly, the setting of 40-66 is Canaan, not Babylonian (40:9; 58:6; 59:1-8; 44:14; 41:19; 43:14; 45:22; 46:11; 52:11).

Fourthly, idolatry is a widespread and prevalent evil (44:9-20; 57:4ff).

Fifthly, literary resemblances between the eighth-century Micah and Isaiah 40-66 are numerous and striking (Micah 2:13 with Isaiah 52:12; Micah 3:8 with Isaiah 58:1; Micah 7:17 with Isaiah 49:23; Micah 4:13 with Isaiah 51:15). This is a very important issue.

Sixthly, most contemporary prophets of Isaiah seem to reflect Chapters 40-66 (Zephaniah 2:15 with Isaiah 47:8; Nahum 1:15 with Isaiah 52:7; Jeremiah 31:35 with Isaiah 51:15).

Lastly, why isn’t the mysterious author of Isaiah 40-66 mentioned in the TaNaKh if he was someone other than Isaiah of Jerusalem? There are no anonymous prophecies in the TaNaKh. This would be the only one. No, there is only one human author of this book; it is Isaiah son of Amoz who lived in Jerusalem.

The King of Babylon Sent Hezekiah a Gift
39: 1-8

The king of Babylon sent Hezekiah a gift DIG: What treasure is Hezekiah showing off? Why is he strutting his stuff (see Second Chronicles 32:22-25)? How does this puffed up Hezekiah compare with the Hezekiah in 37:20 and 38:15-19? What happened in the meantime?

REFLECT: What hero (religious or political) have you idolized? How has seeing his or her faults forced you to look again to Yeshua as the model for your life? Is it harder for you to be faithful during times of hardship, or times of success? Why?

While the previous chapter presented Hezekiah in both a positive and negative light, Chapter 39 is entirely negative. Hezekiah, like Jerusalem, is too easily seduced by the world. Trust, faith, and belief in ADONAI is a way of life, not a one-time affair. The source of our hope cannot lie in sinful humanity: well-intentioned, but entirely human. No, if there is hope for us it must come from Someone greater. Given that God may be trusted, what then? Given that one-time trust is not enough, how is a life of continuous trust possible? Given that the best of God’s people fail, where is our hope?¹⁴⁹

Chapters 38 and 39 form a suitable introduction to Chapters 40 to 66, which largely describe Judah’s future relationship with the Babylonians. But more than that, these chapters point us to the blessed Hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 3:13). Here Hezekiah receives a Babylonian embassy with gifts. Isaiah announces that all that the king and his royal ancestors had accumulated, in addition to his children, would be carried off by the king of Babylon. This section is written in prose. A parallel passage for this is Second Kings 20:12-19 and Second Chronicles 32:24-31.

At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters (probably encouraging Hezekiah to join Babylon in rebellion against Assyria) and a gift, because he had heard of his illness and recovery (Second Kings 20:12; Isaiah 39:1). Merodach means a rebel, and Baladan means not the LORD. Behind that king, of course, is Nimrod (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Di – The Line of Ham), and the Adversary, who is the archrebel of ADONAI and who is the god of this world (Second Corinthians 4:4). Merodach-Baladan heard that Hezekiah was ill and sent him a gift. Wasn’t that nice of him! But he had ulterior motives with this delegation. Meradach-Baladan had captured Babylon and had ruled from the year 721 BC to 710 BC. But then Sargon II drove him out. Meradach-Baladan later recaptured Babylon and reigned for nine months from the years 704 BC to 703 BC. Then Sennacherib drove him out again.

This delegation took place when Meradach-Baladan was ruling Babylon for the second time from 704 BC to 703 BC. He was also getting ready to revolt against Assyria and the delegation was sent to involve Hezekiah and Judah in the plot against Sennacherib. This made Hezekiah’s lack of discretion all the worse because of Isaiah’s prophecy that God was using Assyria to punish Judah. It would lead to the crisis in Chapters 36 and 37. So in that sense Chapters 38 and 39 lead up to the events of Chapters 36 and 37. Merodach-Baladan’s visit preceded Sennacherib’s planned attack of Jerusalem in 701. Therefore, these three events happened in this order: Hezekiah’s illness, Merodach-Baladan’s visit, and then Sennacherib’s planned attack.

After Hezekiah was restored to health (see Gy – Hezekiah Became Ill and Was at the Point of Death), he became rather proud and arrogant. In the book of Chronicles, which is God’s viewpoint of history, we are told: But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore, ADONAI’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem (Second Chronicles 32:25).

Instead of reading the letter that Merodach-Baladan had sent him, and spreading it out before ADONAI like he had done with Sennacherib (37:14), he put it aside. The Babylonians had flattered him and so he gave them the VIP treatment. He took them on a tour of the grounds of Jerusalem. His pride got in the way of his discernment. He had a perfect opportunity to glorify Ha’Shem before the pagan Babylonians, to tell of His greatness and of His grace. Instead, he gave in to the temptation to glorify himself and to prove to the Babylonians that he would be a worthy partner in her rebellion against Assyria.

Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses – the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine oil, his entire armory and everything found among his treasures. At this time, Hezekiah still had the riches that David and Solomon had gathered. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show him (39:2). He would have been glad to have the support of Babylon against the looming Assyrian threat. Instead of trusting God, Hezekiah trusted in Babylon and all the wealth of Judah. This was exactly what the first half of the book is warning against. The Gentile nations could not and should not be trusted. However, in pride Hezekiah showed the Babylonian envoys everything of value in his storehouses, palace, and kingdom (Second Chronicles 32:27-30). It was as if he thought those riches belonged to him instead of God. The scene is very humiliating. It depicts Hezekiah running around showing off the wealth of God before the politely approving Babylonians, who in fact had wealth many more times over in their own storehouses back in Babylon. Trusting in the riches of God will deliver us from making fools of ourselves in the eyes of the world.

Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah. The prophets of God needed no invitation to address the king, and here Isaiah arrives unannounced. When Isaiah heard of the foreigners’ visit, he asked Hezekiah what they said and where they came from (38:3a). Hezekiah answered the second of Isaiah’s questions but evaded the first, apparently conscious of the prophet’s objection to any flirting with the Babylonian king. His only hope was to make it appear that he was being hospitable to these travelers and said: From a distant land, they came to me from Babylon (38:3b). A rabbinic tradition classes Hezekiah among three persons, the others being Cain and Balaam, whom God tested and found wanting. When the prophet came and asked him, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?” He should have replied, “You are a prophet of ADONAI to whom all secrets are known.” Instead, he made a show of his greatness saying: They came to me from a distant land. He boasted that they had traveled all that distance to pay honor to him and court his friendship. On account of his arrogance and lack of faith in Ha’Shem, he would be punished. Then the prophet delivered an ominous message to the king.

But Isaiah is not taken in by Hezekiah’s deception. He moved quickly to the gloomy question: What did they see in your palace? Hezekiah’s answer had a defiant ring to it: They saw everything in my palace. There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them (38:4). Along with Hezekiah’s lack of discernment there was pride. It seemed to have slipped his mind that the treasure in the Temple was God’s and not his. He was a good man and a godly king (Second Chronicles 31:20-21), but here he was painfully mortal. He needed to learn that prayer is not a last resort, but a first defense, that faith, trust, and belief are not a once-in-a-while practice, but a daily habit. This is a good lesson for us all.

With deadly calm the prophet announced that the possessions of Hezekiah’s pride would be taken to Babylon (Second Kings 24:13, 25:13-17; Second Chronicles 36:7-8 and Daniel 1:2). Hear the word of the LORD of heaven’s angelic army (CJB): The time will come when everything in your palace, and all that your father’s have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left (39:5-6). This sin of self-sufficiency that characterized Hezekiah and the people of Judah would eventually result in their captivity about one hundred and fifty years from the time of this prophecy. Yes, later Hezekiah would trust in the LORD and the nation would be spared destruction by the Assyrian army. But, as Isaiah could see by the inspiration of God, Judah’s reprieve would only be temporary. Although Hezekiah was the ideal representative of the people, there would still be the Babylonian captivity. Although God had delivered Judah from the Assyrians, they were not delivered from Babylon. Ironically, the Babylonians, who were seducing Judah as a friend, would eventually destroy her.

In addition to the treasure, some of Hezekiah’s children will also be taken to Babylon. (Second Kings 24:12-16; Second Chronicles 36:9-10 and Daniel 1:2). And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon (39:7). Because Hezekiah would recover, he would have sons and the unconditional divine promise of God to provide Isra’el forever with a godly king like David would be kept (Second Samuel 7:5-16).

But some would be captives in Babylon and become the king’s eunuchs. Eunuchs were castrated men who were also employed in various offices of the court. They often became the confidential advisers of the monarch, were frequently men of great influence, and sometimes had high military office (Jeremiah 34:3). That was especially the case in Persia, where they acquired great political power, and filled positions of great prominence and sometimes engaged in conspiracy against the life of the king (Esther 2:21). The Hebrew kings had them in their courts (First Samuel 7:15; First Kings 7:9; Second Kings 8:6, 9:32, 25:19; First Chronicles 28:1; Jeremiah 29:2, 34:19, 38:7 and 52:25). Though it was the barbarous custom of eastern sovereigns to mutilate many of their young prisoners in this manner, there is no evidence that the Hebrew kings ever did this. The eunuchs employed by them are supposed to have been imported. The most famous of the Hebrew eunuch was Dani’el (Dani’el 1:3-7), in fulfillment of the prediction of the judgment on the house of David in Second Kings 20:17-18.¹⁵⁰ Hezekiah’s descendants would not have any thoughts of their own line and authority, but would merely be content to serve the king of Babylon. This would be the result of generation after generation of refusal to trust in God.

The Babylonian captivity did not occur because of Hezekiah’s failure to seize an opportunity to glorify God before the Babylonians. To be sure, it is intriguing to think of how history may have been different if he had, but that is not the point Isaiah is making. Hezekiah’s behavior is illustrative, not contributory. Why did the Babylonian captivity occur? Because the nation, like Hezekiah, saw trust as a one-time affair rather than a way of life. So, Hezekiah’s reign, perhaps the best overall in Judah’s history (after the split of the northern kingdom of Isra’el and the southern kingdom of Judah), was followed by Manassehs’, unquestionably the worst reign (Second Kings 21:10-15).

A similar action occurs with Josiah, Manasseh’s grandson. For reasons the text does not specify, Josiah had a heart for God and led his nation in a remarkable revival (Second Kings 23:1-3). Yet after his untimely death, the revival seems to have disappeared overnight, and his son Jehoiakim led as cynical a regime as one could imagine. It was the people who failed in their trust. They saw trust only as a means of getting their needs met. But that reduces trust into a device for manipulation. When it is used in that way, it is bound to fail, for ADONAI cannot be manipulated. The result is the same today as it was in Judah and Isra’el. People today merely turn to other means of manipulation to supply their needs; in Israel’s and Judah’s case, it was the worship of other gods.

Idolatry is merely an attempt to manipulate our environment in such a way as to meet our needs. Because of our sin nature, this idolatrous instinct is embedded within us. And as soon as we abandon trust in ADONAI, idolatry in one form or another is waiting in the wings. This is even more likely if we evaluate our successes in life, as Hezekiah seems to have done, by our possessions. We keep confusing the ends and means. The intended end of our lives is abundant life, the life in which God’s fullness is poured into ours. A by-product of that fullness is material blessing. But that is only a by-product. When we make it an end and put it forward as the evidence of our success in life, manipulation of the Lord in order to secure that end is almost always inescapable. Manipulation and trust are incompatible.¹⁵¹

The reason that Hezekiah’s heart was pure, was that when he was rebuked, he repented on the spot, saying: The word of the LORD you have spoken is good. Then he thought: There will be peace and security in my lifetime (39:8). Some have questioned the sincerity of this statement. But Second Chronicles 31:20-21 gives us God’s estimation of his servant. After purifying the Temple, reestablishing the celebration of the Passover and the worship of God in the kingdom, the Ruach ha-Kodesh inspired the author of the Chronicles to write this: This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so, he prospered. For an evaluation of Hezekiah’s illness, turn to Second Chronicles 32:24-26 and 31.

Because of God’s estimation of Hezekiah, we must not then be cynical and think that he was merely relieved that he was not going to be destroyed when responding to Isaiah in this verse. No, we must conclude that although Hezekiah desired prosperity for his descendants it would have been disingenuous of him to begrudge the mercy of God in delaying judgment. God is merciful in that He postponed the calamity until after Hezekiah’s death. Hezekiah acknowledged his error and submitted to God’s will, but we see in the deferment of the punishment evidence of ADONAI’s mercy to him.

Therefore, on the one hand, Hezekiah submits with humility to the word of the LORD through His prophet Isaiah, and feels that he has been mercifully spared inasmuch as God’s blessing of peace and stability would continue. But on the other hand, the same fate that hung over the northern kingdom of Isra’el eight years earlier by Assyria, was now hanging over the southern kingdom of Judah by Babylon. As a result, the end of the kingdom of Isra’el and the beginning of the end of the kingdom of Judah coincided during the reign of Hezekiah.

The message of Isaiah does not end here. Several questions have been answered. Yes, God is sovereign over the nations. Yes, God’s counsel and wisdom is superior to human leaders. Yes, God can deliver us from the Assyria’s of the world. Yes, God is the Promise Keeper and can be trusted. But there are still questions to be answered. How can a sinful people become the servants of God? It is clear that He is trustworthy, but getting sinful humans to trust him is another matter altogether, as Chapter 39 makes clear. What will motivate us to trust Him? How can our sinfulness and His holiness be reconciled? How can sinful and rebellious Jacob become holy, and Isra’el submissive Genesis 32:28? Trust God? Yes, but how? Chapters 40 to 66 provide that answer.

You Have Put All My Sins Behind Your Back
38: 9-22

DIG: In this song of Hezekiah, what images does he use to talk about death? What aspect of death and dying do they each convey? To what does he credit his temporary deliverance from death? What part has divine forgiveness played in his healing? What resolve does he make in light of that deliverance? What does Hezekiah’s psalm here have in common with Psalm 88? What can be concluded from these poems concerning views of the afterlife in the TaNaKh?

REFLECT: Hezekiah realized his illness and his deliverance were both from ADONAI. What does it mean to you that suffering is part of the LORD’s plan for you? What role does suffering serve in your life? Hezekiah viewed life as a gift from God to be used for His purposes. How will this affect how you will live out your numbered days? How do you feel about ADONAI throwing all your sins into the depths of the sea?

After he was healed, Hezekiah wrote a song to express his thankfulness to ADONAI. At that time, there was a great welling up of praise in his heart. His song of praise was evidently set to music and sung. This psalm of thanksgiving is outside the book of Psalms (although many believe that Hezekiah composed Psalm 116 at that time), and makes two important points. First, even the most powerful are helpless before death. And second, Hezekiah is not the promised Messiah. Chapters 40 to 66 will speak to that. Therefore, this psalm serves to emphasize Hezekiah’s humanness more than his deliverance. In a larger sense, the same can be true of Judah and Jerusalem. Saved, yes, but most certainly human.

Hezekiah did not claim to be infallible or perfect. His mention of God’s putting away his sins (38:17) is evidence enough of that. But he is saying on a conscious, intentional level, that he has kept his promises to ADONAI. This is the meaning of walking faithfully with wholehearted devotion. He had not willingly deceived the LORD or others. He had been careful about what he promised and had found the grace of God to keep his promises. The Hebrew concept of the heart is the control panel of life, where thought, affection, and will come together. The Hebrews did not separate these three aspects of human personality, as if they each function independently of each other. Hezekiah said that as far as it was up to him, his heart had been focused on only one thing: serving, pleasing and obeying ADONAI.

Every believer should aspire to have the same testimony on our deathbed that Hezekiah had. To be sure, we live in an increasingly broken and corrupt society, where it is not as easy to be faithful and to have an undivided heart as it may have been for some of our ancestors. But if ever there was a broken and corrupt society, it was the one in which Hezekiah lived. Shall we today, the children of God, live below the standard of Hezekiah?¹⁴⁶

A writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah, after his illness and recovery (38:9). This sounds very familiar to the titles of many of the Psalms. This psalm might be headed A Michtam (NKJ) of Hezekiah since it has the characteristics of A Michtam of David in Psalm 16. It was composed after his illness as a psalm of thanksgiving. Like Psalms 88 and 89, it has words and phrases that sound like those in the book of Job.

The first part of the psalm is a lament. Hezekiah said: In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death and be robbed of the rest of my years? He thought to himself, “I will not again see the LORD, the LORD in the land of the living; no longer will I look on mankind or be with those who now dwell in this world” (38:10-11). He said his illness came in the prime of his life and he was facing death at the age of 39. Notice the expression the gates of sh’ol (NKJ) or death (NIV). The gates of death is a figure of speech for physical death. That is what Christ meant when he said: and the gates of Hades (Matthew 16:18b). Hades is the Greek name for the place of departed spirits, generally equivalent to the Hebrew sh’ol. It is also found in Job 38:17 and Psalms 9:13, 107:18. When he says he would not see the LORD in the land of the living, he is expressing what he will miss at death. This expression has the meaning of not being able to appear before ADONAI in public worship at the Temple. It is a figure of speech used in Psalm 11:7 and 17:15.

Like a shepherd’s tent my house, literally encampment, has been pulled down and taken from me. Like a weaver I have rolled up my life and He has cut me off from the loom; day and night you made an end to me (38:12). Here the poet uses two graphic similes that are both figures of death. One of these was the removal of a shepherd’s tent. Like a tent that was moved from one place to another, so his life was to be removed from one place to another. A second figure was a thread cut from a loom. When a fabric is finished, it is cut off from the loom, and so is Hezekiah’s life.

Hoping to get well was in vain because he got nothing but worse. I waited patiently till dawn, but like a lion He broke all my bones; day and night you make an end of me. I cried like a swift or thrush, I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens. I am troubled; O LORD, come to my aide (38:13-14)! He groaned all night for help, but his illness was like a lion breaking all his bones between his powerful jaws (Job 3:23-26). At night there seemed no hope at all and he was afraid that he would not see the light of day. Step by step, his life was ebbing away. In some way his cries of pain sounded like a bird and his moaning like the cooing of a mourning dove (Isaiah 59:11 and Nahum 2:7). As the hours went by, he looked up to the heavens for help for so long that his eyes grew weak. Why continue to hope? Hezekiah knew, and we should know, that although God may be the One who sometimes crushes our bones, He is also the only One who cares enough to save us. Hezekiah looked to his “oppressor” to deliver him. Simon Peter knew this instinctively when he said: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:68).

The second part is a psalm of praise and its tone changes as Hezekiah looks forward to the joy of his recovery. God has spoken and answered his prayer. But what can I say? He Himself has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk humbly in all my years because of the anguish of my soul (38:15). Here Hezekiah says he will be able to appear before the LORD in public worship. That was one of the things he said he was going to miss if he died. These things I remember as I pour out my soul; how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God (Psalm 42:4). This was the desire of his heart.

ADONAI, by such things men live; and my spirit finds life in them, too. There is a lesson here for everyone. By such things, by suffering bathed in prayer, by the LORD’s answer to prayer, and by responding commitment. Here is a way of life that all should practice. Hezekiah could vouch for it in his own experience. His spirit found life and vigor as a result. He could say, when I called out in weakness for Your strength, You restored me to health and let me live (38:16). Not only that, ADONAI promises that He will have compassion on us, He will subdue our iniquities. Moreover, He will throw all of our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

Hezekiah says: Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction (38:17). He was saying that he had been kept from the grave or physical death by a physical healing. The special mode of capture referred to in this text is by means of the pit. A hole is dug in the ground, and covered over with the branches of trees and with sod. The animal treading on this slight covering falls into the pit, where it is either taken out alive or killed by the hunters on their arrival.¹⁴⁷ Hezekiah affirms that God is his strength and was grateful that ADONAI restored him to health. With hindsight, he could see that it was really for his benefit that it happened (Romans 8:28). During his illness he sensed God’s love, felt that the LORD was gracious to him by saving his life and not dealing with him as his sins deserved.

He speaks of physical death when he says: For the grave cannot praise You, death cannot sing Your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness (38:18). Remember, under the Torah, long life was one of the promises for obedience. This isn’t necessarily true for the believer today. But to be cut short at a young age was, in the TaNaKh, a sign of divine displeasure. But progressive revelation tells us that we have more light than Hezekiah had concerning the abode of the dead. The statement death cannot sing your praise means walking in the solemn funeral procession. These verses do not teach soul sleep as the Seventh Day Adventists teach. Certainly, the dead could not praise God here on earth. In heaven, yes. But not on the earth. This was one of the things he said he would miss at death.

The living, the living – they praise you, as I am doing today; fathers tell their children about your faithfulness (38:19). In contrast to the dead, it is the living that praise Him. When he says fathers tell their children about Your faithfulness, he recognizes that now he will have sons. Manasseh, who was one of the worst kings in the history of Judah would be his son. Even for godly parents, sometimes the most fervent wishes and desires for our children do not come true. The world (1 Jn 2:15-17), the flesh (Mk 14:38), and the devil (1 Pet 5:8) are still at work. This was true, even for such a godly man as Hezekiah. But as for Hezekiah himself, God saved him. Now he hoped that he and his sons would praise God together. God will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the Temple of the LORD (38:20).

Isaiah had said: Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover. Hezekiah had asked: What will be the sign that I will go up to the Temple of the LORD (38:21-22)? These verses are merely explanatory notes, giving background to what has already been presented in 38:7. An abbreviation, they were never intended to include earlier details given in Isaiah or in Second Kings 20:1-11. It should be noted that it was God who did the healing, but there was a human element to aid the process. Figs were placed upon the boil. According to Second Kings 20:5, Isaiah had promised Hezekiah that he would be in the Temple in three days’ time praising God. Hezekiah requested confirmation of that promise. What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the Temple of the LORD three days from now? God’s response was the backward movement of the sun’s shadow, suggesting both reprieve from the darkness of death and increased time for life.¹⁴⁸

When Hezekiah asked for a sign, he was not “testing” God in a negative sense such as in Deuteronomy 6:16 or Matthew 4:7. He was not doubting God and, therefore, demanding proof. This kind of testing is forbidden (Mal 3:15; Mt 12:39; Jn 6:30). But it is not contrary to the will of God to ask for confirmation (Isaiah 10:7; Judges 6:36-40; Mal 3:10). The LORD delights in revealing His will to those of faith, as He did to Hezekiah.

It is interesting to note that in generations to come, Jacob, Joseph, Mordecai and others would compare Hezekiah’s miraculous recovery to the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. But even after fifteen additional years of life, the death of one-hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrian troops, and the death of Sennacherib, ultimately, Judah’s efforts to break free from Assyria failed. After Hezekiah’s death, his son (the wicked Manasseh 688-642 BC) returned to the pro-Assyrian policy (under Esarhaddon 681-669 BC and Ashurbanipal 669-633 BC) of his grandfather Ahaz. No, Hezekiah was not the promised child of 7:14 and 9:56 (to see link click Iy – The Death of the Suffering Servant).

Hezekiah Became Ill and Was at the Point of Death
38: 1-8

Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death DIG: Why is Hezekiah so distressed by the message from Isaiah? What is the track record of wholehearted devotion on which he appeals to the LORD to spare his life (see Second Kings 18:1-3)? Hezekiah asked Isaiah for a sign that his healing would occur (also see Second Kings 20:8-11). How does this contrast with Ahaz’ response to Isaiah in 7:11-14, when Ahaz was told to ask for a sign but refused to do so? Which man, Ahaz or Hezekiah, demonstrates more faith? How so? What does God’s response tell you about the LORD and His mysterious ways?

REFLECT: Wicked people often live easy lives, or long lives, whereas those serving God often experience great hardships. How do you deal with the seeming unfairness (see Psalms 37 and 73)? What might be God’s perspective be on the matter? How do you think you will face death? How would the prospect of death change your view of material things? What hope does the Gospel give you that was unknown to Hezekiah?

This chapter deals with King Hezekiah’s illness, prayer and healing. His deliverance from death was before the Assyrian defeat by the Angel of the LORD (37: 36-38). Hezekiah reigned twenty-nine years. He reigned fifteen years after this event, so his illness was in the fourteenth year of his reign, and we are told that Sennacherib came up against Jerusalem in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign (36:1). So the illness of Hezekiah and defeat of the Assyrian army all happened in the same year.

This section is about Hezekiah’s serious illness, his prayer to God, the divine promise of a longer life and his thanksgiving. A parallel version with slight variations and the omission of Hezekiah’s psalm of thanksgiving is found in Second Kings 20:1-11. At the time Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death, Isaiah son of Amoz was sent to him with a message (38:1a). The LORD said that he was to put his house in order, because he was going to die. He would not recover (38:1b). This meant drawing up his last will and testament, and also appointing a successor. This became especially necessary because at that time Hezekiah had no sons. Another member of the house of David needed be chosen because Isaiah told the king that the illness was terminal.

It was evident that Hezekiah knew something of ADONAI’s character that Moses also knew (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Gs – Now Leave Me Alone So That My Anger May Burn Against Your People): God is always waiting to hear from us. He is relentless in His desire to bless us. He is the LORD of second chances (see the commentary on Jonah). It does not mean that we can pray to God to tell Him what to do, or that failure to pray is not necessarily a sign of surrender to His unyielding will. Rather, it may be a sign of apathy, or an unwillingness to wrestle with God (see the commentary on Genesis Hw – Jacob Wrestles With God). This is an antimony; two things that are seemingly opposite, but both are true. For example, the trinity is an antinomy, three distinct, separate persons, yet one. It’s hard to get your mind around it. We probably will not truly understand it until we get to heaven. On the one hand, we cannot play God and dictate the events of our lives to Him; yet on the other hand, we cannot expect ADONAI to help us if we do not pray (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Ih – The Parable of the Persistent Widow). We must believe that prayer changes things.

When Isaiah left, Hezekiah turned his face to the wall in prayer, and turning away from the people gathered around his bed, he withdrew to himself (2 Kings 20:2). At that time, he summarizes his spiritual state saying: Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes. And Hezekiah wept bitterly for he wanted to live (38:2-3).

That he was faithful to ADONAI was not only Hezekiah’s evaluation, it was also the LORD’s evaluation. God the Holy Spirit tells us that he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it (It was called Nehushtan). Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Isra’el. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses (Second Kings 18:3-6). David was a man after God’s own heart, and yet in the evaluation of Hezekiah, God says that his spirituality exceeded that of David himself or any other king in Judah’s history.

It is worth noting that Hezekiah did not withdraw completely because he did not withdraw from God. But he also didn’t lecture the LORD on the injustice of it all, nor demand that ADONAI heal him because of his position or reputation. Rather, he simply poured out the feelings of a wounded heart to a heavenly Father. No father’s heart can be unaffected by such a cry. Nor was the LORD’s.

Almost immediately God answered Hezekiah’s prayer. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him (Second Kings 20:4-5 and Isaiah 38:4). The middle court was the central portion of the City where the royal palace stood. The Hebrew word keri, or the middle court, was not the middle court of the Temple but the middle court of the royal palace.¹⁴³ Therefore, before Isaiah had left the palace on his way home after talking to Hezekiah, ADONAI gave him the message to return to Hezekiah and say: This is what the LORD, the God of your relative David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; therefore, I will add fifteen years to your life (38:5).

Hezekiah had behaved like a true son, or descendant, of David in the way he reacted to the news of his impending death.¹⁴⁴ In addition, it was clear that the Davidic Covenant said that David would never be without a man to sit on his throne (Second Samuel 7:5-16). Hezekiah, the king, had no children at this time. God had seen Hezekiah’s tears, heard his prayer, and would add fifteen years to his life. We know from the account in Second Kings that Hezekiah was 54 years old when he died, so that would make him 39 here. In Second Kings 20:5 we learn that the healing would occur within three days of Isaiah’s prophecy.

Besides healing him, Isaiah also prophesied that he would also be delivered from Sennacherib and Jerusalem will be delivered from the Assyrians. And I will deliver you and this City from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this City (38:6). This may seem confusing if we do not remember that Chapters 38 and 39 come chronologically before Chapters 36 and 37.

Unfortunately, when God said: I will defend this City and as a result when the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-thousand men in the Assyrian camp (37:36), it would eventually lead to a false theology on the part of the Jews called the inviolability of the Temple (see my commentary on Jeremiah Cc – False Religion is Worthless). Because God did defend His city, the Jews came to look upon the Temple as their “good luck charm.” And since God did deliver Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib and the Assyrian army, the Jews came to assume that they had guaranteed security because of the existence of the Temple.

Even worse, they believed that because of the supposed security net of the Temple, they could do anything they wanted there and there would be no consequences. This thinking ended up in idol worship within the Temple itself (Ezeki’el 8)! When ADONAI said: I will defend this City (38:6b), the Israelites believed He would never violate or destroy His Temple because He made His dwelling place among His people. Like a child’s abuse of a parent’s love, they falsely concluded that there would never be any consequences. But Jeremiah knew better and so he warned the Levites: Do not trust in deceptive words and say: This is the Temple of the LORD, the Temple of the LORD, the Temple of the LORD (Jeremiah 7:4). In the process of worshiping their idols they would actually walk around the Temple chanting: This is the Temple of the LORD, over and over again as if to remind God of His promise.

The Levites in the Temple of the LORD disregarded Jeremiah’s warning. They would find out soon enough that while God did love His Temple, He hated their sin even more. The people of Jerusalem, in Jeremiah and Ezekiel’s day, did not realize that the Sh’khinah glory of God had departed from the Temple because of their sin and idol worship (Ezeki’el 10-11). Jeremiah’s point was that the mere existence of the Temple did not guarantee protection. Their only real security was that guaranteed security only comes through obedience to the Word of God (Jeremiah 7:5-7).

All of it was almost too wonderful to be true, thus Hezekiah himself requested a sign of confirmation. Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that ADONAI will heal me and that I will go up to the Temple of the LORD on the third day from now? Isaiah answered, “This is the LORD’s sign to you that He will do what He has promised. Isaiah asked Hezekiah an easy question: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps? “It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. Then the prophet Isaiah called upon ADONAI, and the LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway that Ahaz built (Second Kings 20:8-11; Isaiah 38:7-8). This was exactly the opposite of Ahaz’s refusal to accept a sign when offered one (see Bz – A Sign for Ahaz). Therefore, the long and the short of it was that Hezekiah chose to trust God, where Ahaz did not.

The king had an option; he could choose the shadow to go forward, or to go back. Since forward was the normal pattern for a shadow to move, Hezekiah chose for the shadow to go back. It is unclear if the Hebrew word maaloth should read sundial, or steps. It was either the sundial of Ahaz, in which the shadow went back ten degrees, or steps constructed in such a way that the shadow of an obelisk (a tall, four-sided shaft of stone, usually tapering and monolithic, that rises to a pyramidal point) might indicate the hours. Both could be true, but either way the shadow went back down ten steps. The sun and its shadow moved in a way that was opposite of its normal movement. It went back instead of forward. This sign guaranteed that Hezekiah would recover within three days.

The Holy Spirit transports us to the king’s bedside. There lies the king on his bed, but his face was no longer turned to the wall. With joy and hope brightening his eyes, he looks out of his window to the gardens below, in the middle of which, and in full view, stood the sundial of Ahaz with a series of steps leading up to it. Then sun had gone down and at least ten of the steps were in the shadows. But look again, the once darkened steps were then in the brightest sunlight! It was the exact sign for which the king had asked.

The illness of Hezekiah is an important clue to the significance of Chapters 38 and 39 as well as the book of Isaiah as a whole. A parallel is being drawn between king and nation, Hezekiah and Jerusalem (which is effectively all that is left of Judah). Both are in crisis, and both have been given a reprieve. But there is more than a hint that, just as Hezekiah’s reprieve was temporary (fifteen years), so will Jerusalem’s be. In short, the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC at the hands of the Babylonians is already beginning to loom on the horizon of the story. It will be foreshadowed in Chapter 39 and will dominate the scene from there on.¹⁴⁵

Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
38: 1-22

In Chapters 36 to 39 Hezekiah is depicted as the representative of the people who discover that God can be trusted. He will keep His promises and He will redeem His people. In that sense these chapters form a theological turning point in the book. Chapters 40 to 66 build on the truth of God’s trustworthiness. But there are still questions to be answered. If Hezekiah is the ideal representative of the trusting people, why the captivity? Or, if God can deliver His people from Assyria, why not Babylon? Or, is Hezekiah the promised child of 7:14 and 9:6-7? Chapters 38 and 39 answer these questions and point beyond Hezekiah to Yeshua Messiah.¹⁴¹

In those days, the events of Chapters 38 and 39 actually occurred before Chapters 36 and 37. The parallel passage for the events in Chapter 38 is in Second Kings 20:1-11 and Second Chronicles 32:24. The Ruach ha-Kodesh, through Isaiah, has chosen not to put this in strictly chronological sequence. But why? The reason is that Chapters 36 and 37 fittingly conclude Chapters 1-35, which have a strong Assyrian orientation. And also, Chapters 38 and 39 form a suitable introduction to Chapters 40-66, which largely describe Judah’s future relationship with the Babylonians. But there is a theological reason as well. Chapters 36 and 37 answer the questions posed in Chapters 7-12. Is God sovereign over all the nations? Can God deliver us from Assyria? And most importantly, can God be trusted? Whereas Chapters 38 and 39 demonstrate that our trust, faith, and belief in ADONAI must be a way of life, not a one-time affair. They reveal that the source of our hope cannot lie in sinful humanity. Like Hezekiah, given that the best of God’s people fail, these remaining chapters point us towards source of our hope . . . Yeshua Messiah.

This chapter, then, is the crisis behind the crisis. It presents Hezekiah in both a positive and negative light. One the one hand, he is still the Hezekiah who can submit to ADONAI and trust Him completely. But on the other hand, he is the Hezekiah who is clearly human. The promises, which were made through Isaiah and recorded in Chapters 7 through 12, had not been fulfilled in him and more revelation would be necessary in order to understand to whom they did refer. This man might be given fifteen years by God’s grace, but he is only a man, not the Messiah.¹⁴²

Then the Angel of the LORD Put to Death
a Hundred and Eighty Five Thousand Men
in the Assyrian Camp
37: 36-38

Then the Angel of the LORD put to death a hundred and eighty five thousand men in the Assyrian camp DIG: Other ancient writings speak of Sennacherib’s army being decimated by fear and panic because of a plague. How does this fulfill the earlier prophecies (see 10:33-34; 29:5-8; 30:31)? If you were living in Jerusalem, how would you react when you heard that 185,000 Assyrians had died? Would you be more likely to respond like those described in 33:14-15, or in 35:10? Why? Isaiah 37:38 records an event that occurred twenty years after the events of 37:36-37. What irony do you see in Sennacherib’s death as he enters his temple (see 37:1, 14-17 where Hezekiah goes into his Temple)?

REFLECT: When have you reaped the unintended consequences of sin in your life? Have you, or do you know someone who reaped the consequences in a single day? How long had their sin been building to the point where the dam broke and the flood of sin overtook them? What happens when sins build up over a long period of time?

701 BC

The sudden destruction of the Assyrian army by divine intervention is almost anticlimactic, occupying only three verses. It is, however, the crux of the entire account. Although Sennacherib captured forty-six cities, the biblical and secular records both show that as he was preparing to move against Jerusalem with his entire army he had to temporarily divert its attention to Egypt because of the military threat posed by Judah’s ally, King Tirhakah. After the Egyptian-Ethiopian submission, Sennacherib returned to Jerusalem where his army was annihilated (Second Chronicles 32:21). That night the Angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp (to see link click Gp – The Timeline of Sennacherib’s Invasion of Judah). When the people in Jerusalem got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies in front of them (37:37). They were not killed by the sword, but by means of the Angel of the LORD. Whenever the phrase: the Angel of the LORD is seen in the TaNaKh, it is always the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ (Genesis 16:7; Exodus 3:2). It is never a common, ordinary, run of the mill angel. So what Isaiah said did come true; Sennacherib did not set foot in Jerusalem, nor was he able to besiege it (Second Kings 19:36). God was indeed sovereign over the nations and He certainly could be trusted.

In the past, ADONAI has sent the Angel of the LORD to bring death to sinful people. In Genesis 19:24, the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed all those living in those cities in one day. In Exodus 12:29, on the first Passover the LORD struck down all the first born in Egypt in one night. In Second Samuel 24:15-16, the LORD sent a plague on Israel that killed 70,000 in one day, from that morning until the evening sacrifice was offered. And in Revelation 18:8 Commercial/Political Babylon will fall in one day (see the commentary on Revelation Eo – In One Day Her Plagues Will Overtake Her). Therefore, it is not surprising for the same to happen here. The slaughter did not come from the hands of the Cushite army, but by the Angel of the LORD, who killed 185,000 soldiers as Isaiah had prophesied earlier in 10:17. In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone (17:14a)!

Earlier Isaiah had spoken in general terms of the destruction of the Assyrian army (30:27-33; 31:8-9; 33:1 and 18-19). But in 10:16, he prophesied very specifically that ADONAI-Tzva’ot would send a wasting disease upon the Assyrian enemy. Here then, is the fulfillment of that prophecy. In the Fifth Century BC a Greek historian named Herodotus traveled all over the Middle East looking for historical records. He documented that the Assyrian army was infected by a plague spread by mice. When Sennacherib arrived in Egypt, an army of field mice or rats chewed through the leather fittings of the soldiers’ weapons. But not to worry, the Egyptians had submitted to them without a fight. It may well be that Herodotus’ rodents actually were carriers of a powerful disease – like a septicemic plague, for example, which often causes its victims to become comatose and die within twenty-four hours.¹⁴⁰ The Bible simply states that the destruction came from the angle of the LORD and does not mention the specifics.

In addition to the Greek historian Herodotus, we also have the account of Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian. He also mentions Sennacherib’s defeat, explaining that it was caused by a plague. He cites an earlier historian who had written: “Now when Sennacherib was returning from his Egyptian war to Jerusalem, he found his army in danger by a plague, for God had sent a pestilential distemper upon his army; and on the very first night of the siege (of Jerusalem), a hundred fourscore and five thousand, with their captains and generals, were destroyed” (Antiquities of the Jews, Book X, Chapter 1, Section 5).

It is interesting that the element of rats or mice saved Jerusalem from Sennacherib because there is a corollary to this in the TaNaKh. There is a story about ADONAI’s judgment, an account about rats or mice in First Samuel 4: 1 to 7:1. The Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and the people were afflicted with an outbreak of disease. It is likely that the rats or mice were carriers of the disease, which may have been a form of the plague. And part of their repentance for taking the Ark of the Covenant was to offer Isra’el five golden tumors and five golden rats (or mice) to take it back. So this element of rats in God’s judgment has one account in Herodotus and another account in Scripture. Therefore, we see that sometimes ADONAI used a plague spread by rats or mice to destroy the enemy. So we have three separate accounts of what happened to the Assyrian army that all agree; the biblical account (Isaiah 37:36-37; Second Kings 19:35-36, and Second Chronicles 32:21), the Fifth Century BC account by the Greek historian Herodotus, and the First Century AD account by the Jewish historian Josephus.

So many of his soldiers had died of the plague that was spread by mice that Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there (37:37). Twenty years later he was assassinated. One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, an idol of Nineveh, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king (37:38). This was extremely ironic. Who did Sennacherib say would not help Hezekiah? The LORD. Where did Hezekiah go to get help? He went into the Temple and prayed to the LORD his God. Where did Sennacherib go to pray? In his temple, to his god. Did his god help him? No, not even against his own two sons. Hezekiah prayed in his Temple to his God and was delivered. Sennacherib prayed in his temple to his god and was assassinated. This man who thought of himself as a god was as mortal as any other. And like his father Sargon II before him, Sennacherib was to prove that great wealth is no security against an untimely death. In fact, according to Yeshua, it is no security at all. But God said to him: You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself (Luke 12:20). It is a principle of God’s moral universe that evil should return, sooner or later, on those who practice it.

I Will Defend This City and Save It
37: 21-35

I will defend this city and save it DIG: What is the intended impact of this woman taunting her attacker? How does this taunt song suit the occasion? What is Isaiah asserting about God’s relationship to Jerusalem by portraying Him as the woman’s defender. What insults have the Assyrians made against the LORD (see 36:18-20; 37:10-12)? How will they end up eating their own words? What sign does ADONAI give Hezekiah? Why give a sign that will be fulfilled only after the event it is meant to show? How does this sign relate to the promises of restoration (as in 10:20-23)? In what way is God saving Jerusalem for His sake?

REFLECT: When have you felt like Hezekiah – backed up against a wall with no recourse but to pray? What happened? How have you seen God’s affirmation of His love for you? What is the difference between spiritual pride and a rightful sense of accomplishment? What are the indications of each? Since all we have comes from the LORD, what is the place for human planning, preparing, and hard work? How have you taken credit for something that was, in reality, far more than you could possibly have pulled off by yourself? What did it take to wake you up to that fact?

Responding to Hezekiah’s prayer (37:14-20), the LORD sent a message to him through Isaiah that Assyria would be defeated. That message included three parts. Even as he was praying, ADONAI had been revealing His word to Isaiah, so that the king barely had time to rise from his knees before he received an answer. God said: Because you have prayed to Me . . . this is the word the LORD has spoken against him (37:21). We must not miss this, because it is part of the Bible’s strong teaching about prayer. Because someone has prayed, God steps in and changes the course of history. It is a breathtaking truth, and at first sight a worrying one, because it appears to put humans, rather than ADONAI, in control. But this is an illusion. There is no conflict between the LORD’s absolute sovereignty and the power of prayer, because, quite simply, this is the way God has chosen to work. Through prayer He draws us up into His purposes and involves us in what He is doing. What a privilege! Even the desire to pray is a gift.¹³⁴

The LORD answers by means of Isaiah, son of Amoz. This is one more attempt by the prophet to let the reader know the authenticity of his statements (1:1, 13:1, and 20:2). Evidently, the Spirit of God wanted us to know the precise identity of the human author. Isaiah sent a message to Hezekiah, “This is what the LORD, the God of Isra’el says concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria” (37:21). The answer to Hezekiah’s prayer came at once, linking the response to the prayer. The king was very fortunate to have God’s messenger ministering to him at that time, a person who could convey His comforting words in a timely fashion. But it would not have happened if Hezekiah had not prayed to ADONAI.

This is the word the LORD has spoken against him (37:22a). Sennacherib had spoken to Hezekiah concerning God. Hezekiah had spoken to God concerning Sennacherib; now God speaks to Hezekiah concerning Sennacherib. ADONAI always has the last word. We can say what we want about Him; others can say what they want about us; but it is what ADONAI says about you and me that is what ultimately counts.¹³⁵

In the first of a three part message, the Assyrians would be driven back. Isaiah could look to a day when the virgin daughter of Zion, now prone and helpless before the Assyrian rapist, will mock her would-be assailant’s impotence. Sennacherib will fail to take Jerusalem and she will shake her head in contempt (37:22b). The reason for the Assyrian failure was the blasphemy of God. Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? By your messengers you have heaped insults on the Lord. And you have said: With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon (10:34), I have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its pines. I have reached its remotest heights, the finest of forests. In a figurative way, he boasted that he had conquered mighty nations. I have dug wells in foreign lands and drunk the water there. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt (37:23-25). The Egyptian farmer ran water from the Nile through small irrigation channels into his fields. He could block the flow simply by making a little heap of soil with his foot. Sennacherib boasted that his foot could block the Nile. His confidence was based on his many chariots, and even his easy conquest of the Nile would not prove to be much of a barrier. Although it is questionable that he ever entered Egypt, he claimed to have conquered it (he did, however, defeat the Egyptians in Philistia). This was not surprising because it was common for him to embellish his accomplishments (to see link click Gq – In the Fourteenth Year of Hezekiah’s Reign).

But Sennacherib did not realize that in reality, ADONAI was in total control. Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it, literally I did it, in Hebrew it is a perfect form of certainly. A past action with assured, continuing future results. Now I have brought it to pass, you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone (37:26). Whatever Assyria accomplished was merely the carrying out of God’s own plan. Sennacherib could not do what he planned because he had mocked the One who is the maker of all plans (James 4:13-16).

Isaiah then agrees with Sennacherib that the results of his conquests have been impressive. The people that he had conquered had been drained of all their power. They were dismayed and put to shame. To the Assyrian king people were like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, no people, but crops to be harvested for his own use. Like grass sprouting on the roof, scorched before it grows up (37:27). This phrase can easily be demonstrated on the roofs of Middle Eastern houses. The flat roofs of the houses in this region are constructed by laying, first, large beams at intervals of several feet; then, rude joist, on which, again, are arranged small poles close together, or brushwood, and upon this is spread earth or gravel rolled hard. This rolling is often repeated, especially after rain, for these roofs are apt to be weak. For this purpose a roller of stone is kept ready for use on the roof of every house. Grass is often seen growing on these roofs (Second Kings 19:26; Psalms 129:6).¹³⁶

But despite his many conquests, it was ADONAI who is in control of Sennacherib. And because of his boastings, God was going to punish him. The LORD would break him as a man breaks a wild horse, and lead him home humiliated and exhausted. But I know where you stay and when you come and go and how you rage against Me. Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came (37:28-29). This message is for Hezekiah and not for Sennacherib. It is not meant to bring Sennacherib to repentance. He has gone too far and the LORD had already passed judgment on him. But it was important that Hezekiah understand that he had nothing more to fear from the king of Assyria.¹³⁷

An allusion is made here to the custom of inserting a ring in the nose of a headstrong animal for the purpose of subduing and leading him. The metaphor is a favorite one with the Arabian poets. The language used here, however, is not altogether metaphorical in its reference to human beings. In the sculptures taken from Khorsabad there are representations of prisoners brought before the king, each prisoner having an iron ring thrust through the lower lip. To these rings, cords are attached, which the king holds in his left hand, while in his right he holds a spear, which he thrusts into the eyes of the poor prisoners (2 Kings 25:7, 19:28; Ezekiel 29:4, 38:4).¹³⁸ Because of Sennacherib’s blasphemies against the LORD, he will go back to his land a failure.

The first part of Isaiah’s message from God concerned Sennacherib, but now the prophet addresses Hezekiah. The second of this three part message concerned Judah; a faithful remnant would remain and life would go on as usual. This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah. God offered Judah a sign and it had to do with agricultural production: This year you will eat what grows by itself (because of the Assyrian army), and the second year what springs from that (because the land would still be unsettled). But the third year, sow and reap (37:30), plant vineyards and eat their fruit (because by the third year normal conditions will return to the land and it will again yield its abundant produce).

Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above (37:31). These metaphors remind us that Isaiah prophesied of a returning faithful remnant. He said that he and his two sons would be a sign to the nation and that God would choose their divinely appointed names for their significance to the nation. And only by heeding the LORD’s word through Isaiah, reinforced by the signs and symbols that Isaiah and his sons represented, would the light dawn for Isra’el. In 7:3 he uses the name Shear-Jashub, a remnant will return to illustrate that a remnant will indeed return (10:20-21; 11:11 and 16). For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors (37:32a). And here, once again, God demonstrates that He is the Promise Keeper, and can be trusted.

The zeal of ADONAI of heaven’s angelic armies (CJB) will accomplish this (37:32b). The concept of the zeal of the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies appeared earlier where the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom was promised (9:6-7). Consequently, this temporary restoration promised here in Chapter 37 is just a foretaste of what will happen in the final restoration made possible through the Messiah. If it were not for the unconditional love for His people, both Jew and Gentile, none of this would be possible. He would have long ago abandoned us to wallow in our sins (1:9).

Like spilled grain, the remnant will bear fruit again, like an old root below the ground, the remnant will send up its shoots again, like a field plowed and sown, the remnant will spread over the land once more. God loves his people and whenever there is the slightest spark of faith, trust, and belief, He is there to fan it into flame. When they realize that everything is back to normal, they will realize the truthfulness of Isaiah’s prophecy. Once again Isaiah will confirm that he is indeed a prophet of the LORD.

In the third part of this three-part message, the king of Assyria would not set foot inside Jerusalem and would have to return home. He will not enter this City or shoot an arrow here (37:33a). If one of the one hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers had shot an arrow over the walls of Jerusalem, the LORD’s word would have been inaccurate! How wonderful are the promises of ADONAI! This is the logical conclusion of the two previous parts of Isaiah’s message. If Sennacherib’s arrogant blasphemy against God was to be punished, and if a remnant were to once again fill the land, then only one outcome would be possible. Sennacherib would not be allowed to enter the City, and Jerusalem would survive. God did exactly what He said He was going to do.

Not only would the City be delivered, it would not even be physically threatened. God told Isaiah that Sennacherib would not come before it with shield, would not set foot inside Jerusalem or even build a siege ramp against it (37:33b). A siege ramp was an inclined plane, which the besiegers of a walled town built up to the walls so that they could bring their engines of war closer, and work them to greater advantage. It was made of all sorts of materials: earth, timber, boughs, and stones, the sides being walled up with brick or stone, and the incline top made of layers of brick or stone, forming a paved road up which the war engines could be drawn. (See Uzziah king of Judah; Second Chronicles 26:11-15).138

By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this City, declares the LORD. Sennacherib would return to Assyria and never see Jerusalem. God would defend His City and save it. For what reason? For His sake and the sake of His servant David (37:34-35), meaning also for the sake of the Davidic Covenant (see the commentary on the Life of David, to see link click Ct – The LORD’s Covenant with David). For all of Hezekiah’s piety, the plans of God did not revolve around him, but around God Himself, and His Servant Yeshua Messiah. Hezekiah was saved, not for his own sake, but for the sake of Another. As the book moves on, of course, David will be dwarfed by a far greater Servant of God (42:1-4), and the question of how, or on what basis, God saves His people will be explored in far greater detail later in the book.¹³⁹

How happy is the nation, city, or person who has God as a shield? How many times has He protected us against that which we could not bear, but provided a way out so that we can stand up under it (First Corinthians 10:13b)? When tragedy comes, how often do we ask why we have been singled out? Do we blame God or Satan? Rather, we ought to be thankful for all the tragedies that might have come our way, but did not because God was our shield (Genesis 15:1; Psalms 13:3, 28:7 and 84:11).

Isra’el has continued to be assaulted by Satan and the world until this very day. There are times when one could get very discouraged. But this these verses should be an encouragement to us all. Would ADONAI defend His City then and allow it to be destroyed today. Heaven forbid! He is the Promise Keeper.