The Bible is the greatest book for all times and all seasons. It is justifiably called the Book of Books for there is no other book in the world like it. The Bible is the very foundation of Judeo/Christian civilisation. It has shaped the identity of Britain, the USA and many other nations.
At this current moment in history where so many seek to destroy those foundations, it is the unchanging truths of the Bible that hold the keys to our future destiny. The Bible declares itself to be the very Word of God which can rescue and restore us as individuals, as families and whole societies.
In the coming weeks we will be looking afresh at some parts of scripture that provide great light and hope when we face darkness and uncertainty from the second part of the book of Isaiah. Isaiah is one of the greatest prophets in the Bible if not the greatest, well known to both Jews and Christians. His name means ‘God is salvation’ and he lived in the 8th Century BC. The traditional view is that all 66 chapters of the book of Isaiah were written by one man, Isaiah, possibly in two periods around 700 BC and around 681 BC.
The book of Isaiah has been described as the Bible in miniature. There are 66 books of the Bible and 66 chapters in Isaiah. As the Bible is divided into two Testaments, so Isaiah may be divided in two parts. The first 39 chapters correspond to the Old Testament’s 39 books and cover similar themes. The last 27 chapters correspond to the New Testament’s 27 books and also contain material crucial to our understanding of the life and ministry of Jesus.
The first part of Isaiah, in 39 mainly depressing chapters, deals with God’s judgement of persistent sin and rebellion against God and prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jews into captivity in Babylon. In Babylon the people of God would be depressed, dispirited and despairing of anything ever going right again. They would seem to have lost everything: their culture, their temple, their spiritual focus, their national identity, their hope. Hostile foreign forces had conquered.
But all was not lost…just as all is not lost for you, for your family, for the Christian church and for this nation and the nations of the world. For in Isaiah chapters 40-66 there is a dramatic change. Against all expectations, the prophet begins to speak words of hope that promised a great reversal of fortunes. The exile would end. The Persians would overthrow the Babylonians. Cyrus, the Persian leader of a world power, would look favourably on them. He would help the Jews return to their homeland and assist in the re-building of the Temple…a temple that would, in fact see greater glory than the previous one.
So, despite their bleak past and uncertain present, their future was bright. They would know recovery and restoration. God had not abandoned them. He was for them, and though it seemed hard to believe, He would work an amazing turnaround for them.
These chapters then in this second part of Isaiah point forward not only to a new hope for the Jews, but to the future hope for the whole world through the coming of the Messiah, Jesus, and ultimately an eternal new Messianic age of righteousness and peace. For us living in the times that we do the powerful prophecies of Messiah could not be more relevant or applicable. We see from Isaiah 40:1-5 that:
1. God is a God of consolation (Isaiah 40:1-2; Lamentations 1:2,16; John 14:16-18,26-27; John 15:26)
2. God calls us to preparation (Isaiah 40:3-4; Luke 3:2-3)
3. God will give great revelation (Isaiah 40:5; Isaiah 60:1-3)
Apply
1. God is a God of consolation (Isaiah 40:1-2). Both God and His prophet knew that the people were shaken by their tough experiences. They were carrying great pain and hurt. They were anxious and uncertain (Lamentations 1:2,16). They couldn’t have taken any more hits. It would have finished them off. They needed comfort and help. That is like so many people today. Millions of people are hurting. Life has been hard and harsh. Today, behind many a composed outward appearance, are people who feel inwardly ripped apart, whose smiles and varied attempts to find some happiness disguise an aching heart. Maybe you identify with this. Life has not been easy. Your family has all kinds of problems and complications. Your marriage has not worked out. You have been bereaved of loved ones. You have been badly treated by others. You have been let down and you have let yourself down. Maybe you have made some big mistakes, and you have taken wrong turns that have been very painful. Maybe you acutely feel a sense of guilt for sins you have committed. God’s attitude here is that He wants to comfort you. He wants to speak tenderly not harshly to you. He wants to declare forgiveness to you. The comfort we can receive stems from the message that “her sin has been paid for.” This is the heart of the gospel. God loves you so much He didn’t just feel something for you, He did something for you. Jesus Christ died on the Cross to pay the price of your sin, to bring you out of exile and free you from whatever has held you captive. The comfort we can receive stems from the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew his followers would face a hostile world, but He promised them He would not leave them as orphans (John 14:16-18,26-27; John 15:26). Today if you need to be comforted, you can be comforted by the presence of the Holy Spirit. You can feel the love of Jesus that drives out fear. You can know an inner peace because you know that God is with you.
2. God calls us to preparation (Isaiah 40:3-4). In the harshest of circumstances when even whole nations can think that they are in a barren wilderness, God prepares a way for people to receive Him, just as John the Baptist ministered in the wilderness to prepare the way for the ministry of Jesus (Luke 3:2-3). So often God prepares individuals and even nations to know Him through wilderness times of great difficulty and even tragedy. He wants to prepare us for what He plans to do to restore us. In some cases, preparation means being lifted up. You may be down in life, but you are not out. God wants you to stop seeing yourself as a victim, a nobody, a failure. He wants to show you how much you are loved and valued and how much you can accomplish in life with His help. He wants to raise you up to be blessed and a blessing in your generation. In some cases, preparation means being brought low. The Bible says God resists the proud. To be truly blessed and used by God you need to stop being so independent and self-sufficient and learn to submit to and rely on the Lord. Since every mountain and hill needs to be made low without exception, everyone needs to take care to humble yourself rather than having to be brought low by God. In some cases preparation means being healed and made whole. When you allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life, you will be amazed how much He can heal your heart and smooth out your circumstances. Whatever you and your family, or even whole nations, are going through, be sure that God is at work preparing the way of the Lord.
3. God will give great revelation (Isaiah 40:5). God’s glory and manifest presence have been experienced in many revivals. But the greatest displays of His glory are ahead for the church and the world. It will happen and it will affect everyone. His supernatural glory will totally surpass any human glory. And it can happen in a moment as the shepherds in Bethlehem’s fields discovered when the ‘glory of the Lord’ so suddenly shone around them. God’s glory will be seen in our very dark world and we must arise and shine that light for all to see (Isaiah 60:1-3). You may have been in captivity, but you don’t have to stay there. God has a destiny for you, to rescue you and restore you. You may feel very bruised and tender, but His love is toward you. You may need to be built up in your self-esteem or brought down in your pride or healed in your heart, but God wants to prepare you to know His glory, goodness and grace. Today, open your life fully to the Lord. Ask for and receive His forgiveness. Seek and receive comfort through the presence of The Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
