Isaiah 40:1-31

40:1-66:24 | Isaiah, having predicted the Babylonian exile, looks ahead in these chapters and speaks to these future exiles as if present with them. God still cares for them and intends to deliver them, but before that can happen, they must confess their sin and renew their broken covenant relationship with Him. To facilitate reconciliation between the exiled people and their God, God announces that He will send His Suffering Servant to atone for their sins.

40:1-2 | Israel is confronted with the assurance that her warfare is ended and her iniquity is pardoned; therefore, she is free to return home. Even when God must discipline His children, He never abandons them. He offers forgiveness and restoration.

40:3-5 | Even by the time of Jesus, the exiles did not embrace Isaiah’s message and thus the nation did not experience the covenant renewal envisioned in Isaiah 55. Fulfilling this prophecy, John the Baptist called people to repentance (Matt. 3:1-6; Luke 3:3-20), which was foundational to covenant renewal.

40:3 | Wilderness is a symbol of servitude, discipline, and punishment for sin. Just as people would clear the path for a coming dignitary, God’s people must prepare the way (lit., “clear the way of obstacles”) for Him with repentance. He would return to His city, bringing the exiles with Him from Babylon.

40:6-8 | In this context, the word of our God is His promise that He would return to His city and restore His people. Unlike human beings and their promises, God’s promise is reliable and certain to be realized.

40:10-11 | God’s powerful arm, a symbol of His military strength, would establish His rule as He defeated His enemies. This same mighty arm would gently gather His lambs – a metaphor for His exiled people – and hold them close as He carried them back to Jerusalem.

40:27-31 | In response to exiled Israel’s complaint that the Lord was no longer concerned about them, the prophet affirms that God is the Creator of the world who rules all nations. Never lacking strength or wisdom, He has the capacity to empower those who are weary if they will trust Him.