In order to appreciate what follows, we need to pause for a minute to reflect on the probable course of Isaiah’s life in his later years. The last time we hear of him engaged in public ministry is in 701 BC, at the time of Sennacherib’s invasion (chapter 37). By then he would have been about 69 years old. By the time Hezekiah died, three years later, he would have been 72. We can be reasonably sure he lived on for some years after his public preaching ministry had come to an end. As early as 712 BC, about 20 years before his death, he could see that the Babylonian exile was coming (39:5-7). It must have weighed heavily upon him. For most of the following 15 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 for him to preach at all. The nation and its leaders were no longer willing to listen. It would only be after they have reaped the full consequences of their apostasy that they would become teachable again, and then the word that they would need would not be one of judgment, but of restoration. It is likely therefore, as the movement from 39:5-7 to 40:1-11 implies, that in the latter part of his life Isaiah was called to a new task: to comfort God’s people in words that his disciples would cherish and preserve in the dark days ahead until Israel was at last ready to hear them.

The opening part of chapter 40 is like the overture to a great musical composition. The first thing we hear is three stirring commands, like three trumpet blasts: “Comfort…Speak…Proclaim!” (vv. 1-2). The tone is urgent; it is as though we ourselves are being addressed, first by God Himself (v. 1), and then by the anonymous “voice” that rings out in verse 3.The Lord is about to visit Zion. His royal way will be across the desert, and it’s imperative that appropriate preparations be made. “Cry out,” says another voice (V. 6a). There is tension in the air, because an urgent call to action has been issued, and so far no-one has responded. It is at this point at which people begin to squirm in their seats and everyone avoids the speaker’s eyes. Then at last someone speaks; “What shall I cry?” he says (v. 6b). Isaiah is not so much volunteering as acknowledging that he is the one whom the speaker has had in mind all the time. Isaiah has stood in God’s council and heard God calling him to specific ministry which he now takes up.

Isaiah’s new message is for people whose whole world has been shattered. And for people like that, cheap comfort is not only a waste of time, it’s cruel. Comfort that is not grounded in reality is no comfort at all. But the word that Isaiah is commissioned to bring to them is not like that at all; it is based on truth at every point. The first truth is that they are God’s people (v. 1). The covenant that God made with their ancestors at Sinai still stands. God is not indifferent to Jerusalem’s plight, in spite of the disasters He has allowed to come upon her. He still has plans for His people which are tied up in some way with that special place (v. 2).

The second truth is that they have been forgiven (v. 2). The penalty for their sins has been paid in full, and consequently they are to be released forthwith from hard labor. The royal pardon has come, the prison doors are flung wide open, and they are free! What good news this is; and no doubt the inner circle of Isaiah’s disciples long treasured these words. There is far more to this announcement of pardon than first meets the eye. There is a mystery here that will not be explained fully until chapter 53. But for now the announcement is allowed to stand alone in all its stark and bold splendor. You are forgiven! Your sin has been paid for! Your hard labor is over! What more comforting truth could there be for shattered people than that?

The third truth is that God will act to give concrete expression to the fact that He has forgiven them. He will not leave them where they are; He will bring them home (vv. 3-5). The processional way through the wilderness is not just the way for the Lord (v. 3), but the way for His people too, for He is going to take them with Him. He will tend, gather, carry and lead them as He brings them to Zion, like a Shepherd caring for His flock (v. 11). And as the watching world looks on, it will learn what kind of God He is; His glory…will be revealed, and all humankind will see it (v. 5). The Lord is a missionary God; what He does for His own, He does not for their sake alone, but that all may come to know Him.

The fourth and final truth is that God’s Word can be relied upon. It does not decay and fade away as we do, but stands forever (vv. 6-8).  The person who cannot rest his or her whole weight on the Word of God can never know peace, for in the last analysis it can be found nowhere else than in a trusting relationship with the God who made us and rightly claims us as His own. It is trust in a person who is committed to us and has all the resources necessary to care for us. It is the Word of our God that Isaiah speaks of, a word or message that arises from a relationship. And the truth is that God’s Word has the same character as God Himself. It is unchanging and reliable as the God who speaks it.

Such comfort is good news indeed, so good that it cannot and must not be contained. It must be shouted confidently and fearlessly from the mountaintops (v. 9). The gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of Isaiah 40 transposed into a new, higher key. And it too, is far too important to be contained. It must be shouted from the housetops, not just for the cities of Judah, but for all the world to hear!

Isaiah 40:1-11 Reflection Questions:

Are ignoring God’s call for you? Take that first step of faith today!

How much do you rely on God’s Word? Do you apply it to daily life?

Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

Are you reading God’s Word daily? How are you sharing the “good news?”

Who is the one being described in Isaiah 40:3 from the New Testament Gospel?