Isaiah 40:1-11

Isaiah 39:1–40:2

- According to Merriam-Webster, comfort means 1) to give strength and hope to; 2) to ease the grief or trouble of

- These words were spoken tenderly to the Israelites. These words are comforting because God is telling them that all their sins have been paid for, and that “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.”

- These people need words of comfort because they have been tested for centuries. Isaiah has prophesied that the Israelites will not hear the word of God until the end of days. These people have thus been without God for a very long period of time, living a very hard life. Words of comfort from the Lord would thus be critical in welcoming the Israelites home.

Isaiah 40:3–5

- The messenger called the people to prepare the way for the Lord, because the Lord is coming, and “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” The glory of God will be revealed, and all will see it.

Matthew 3:1–5

John 1:23

Isaiah 40:3–5

- We are told to prepare the way for the Lord. This means, we should confess our sins and bear in mind that God will be our judge.

Exodus 24:17

- The glory of the Lord looked like a “consuming fire on top of the mountain” to the Israelites.

Luke 2:9

- The glory of the Lord was revealed as a ray of light in the form of an angel.

Matthew 17:1–8

- The glory of the Lord is Jesus, who was transfigured. “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.”

Hebrews 1:3

- Again, the glory of the Lord is Jesus, His Son. 

- The people can see the glory of the Lord in the Word. The Word is Jesus. The Word is the Bible.

Isaiah 40:6–8

- People are like flowers and grass because, like flowers and grass, our bodies (and even our spirits) wither and fall.

- People make mistakes. People are not perfect, and therefore, we all fall and err at one time or another. God, however, is perfect. His Word, therefore, is perfect and will never wither and fall like people.

Isaiah 40:9–11

- The messenger brings good tidings should go up to a mountain, lift up his voice with a shout, and not be afraid. The messenger is instructed to say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” Essentially, the messenger is to proclaim the good news to all the people, to tell them of the God that loves them and protects them.

- According to Merriam-Webster, “reward” means “to give an award to someone or something for something good that has been done.” “Recompense” is a similar concept to reward, and it is defined as, “to give something to by way of compensation (as for a service rendered or damage incurred); to pay for.”

- “His reward” and “His recompense” is Jesus Christ, His one and only Son. The death and the blood of Jesus Christ is the price to pay for our sins. Because of Jesus, we can now return to God’s side. And thus, to be a follower of Christ, to place our trust in God, redemption is our reward.