FIRST QUARTER 2021
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #8
FEBRUARY 20, 2021
“COMFORT MY PEOPLE”

 

This week’s study is the start of the last section of the Book of Isaiah the prophet. Up to this point we have studied Chapters 1-35 dealing with Israel’s rebellion, sin and transgression and the resultant judgments of God. Then in Chapters 36-39, the second section, we saw Sennacherib, king of Assyria’s attacks against Judah, Hezekiah’s answered prayer for healing and his subsequent downfall when he failed to give God the glory. But now we come to chapters 40-66, where Isaiah’s tone changes. In fact, these last chapters are the ones that earned Isaiah the title, “gospel prophet”. As we will see in Chapter 40 our chapter for this week, and all the others to follow, Isaiah begins to describe in beautiful language the heart of God and His faith towards His people. We see portrayed predictions of the coming Messiah, His character, life and His continued love for His people Israel. Texts such as, “Behold! My Servant Whom I uphold, My Elect One in Whom My soul delights!” Isaiah 42:1, reveal the future that God sees in His people, Judah and His unfailing love for them. As God’s remnant people today, we take comfort in this text and others like it. Judah would need these 26 chapters as encouragement because they had watched the Assyrians decimate Israel and take them into captivity where they would be scattered, largely forever to become the “lost tribes”. Where were the promises of God for His people? In Chapter 40, God finds Judah discouraged, the Babylonians lurking at their doorsteps, and Judah feeling that the purposes of God for them as a nation had failed. In Chapter 40, the prophet bids them to look up and “behold your God”. So, we will do that this week.

 

“Comfort My People”
In chapter one of the Book of Isaiah, we see a stinging rebuke to Judah. “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the LORD has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” Isaiah 1:2-3. He summons the attention of the intelligent beings of the onlooking universe: silence in the court, for a great case is on which involves the whole universe! But now in chapter 40, He tells Judah that her “warfare is ended”. “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God. “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended”. Isaiah 40:1-2. It is important to notice the marginal reference in our Bibles regarding the phrase “Speak comfort to Jerusalem”. The literal meaning of this phrase is “speak to the heart of Jerusalem.” Let’s look at verses 1 and 2 in more detail.

When the “gospel prophet” speaks of warfare being ended, to what is he referring? We would agree that the military attacks by the Assyrians and the Babylonians are referenced. He is looking forward by faith to the return of the remnant to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon. Their greatest warfare though was not the Assyrians nor the Babylonians but their wanton disregard, their warfare against God and His Law. If we apply this passage to ourselves and the remnant church today, we see a compelling parallel. Waggoner says in “Treasures in Isaiah” p. 235, “Let us not forget in studying this lesson, that while all Scripture is always true, and the Gospel is always applicable, this prophecy (Isaiah 40), has special application in these last days.” The Book of Revelation is replete with warnings to the Remnant to come out of Babylon and partake not of her plagues. Isaiah assured Israel throughout his time as prophet that God would preserve a remnant, and God has promised throughout the Bible that He will have a remnant who will follow the Lamb wherever He goes. But how does He do this when His people are so prone to wonder? It is through the One who speaks comfort to Jerusalem!

E.J. Waggoner in the same book, “Treasures in Isaiah” p. 225 says this: ““Speak to the heart of Jerusalem”. When God speaks words of comfort to His people He speaks to the heart. A great many people have an abundance of words at their command, which they can pour into the ears of the afflicted, but which do not really comfort, although they may all be true, and very appropriate to the occasion. Only those who have shared the same experiences as the sufferer can speak to the heart; and they may do this without words.” The following texts portray what Waggoner is saying here.

The Bible says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” John 1:18. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷ but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Philippians 2:5-8. “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born (made) of a woman, born (made) under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5. “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same…” Hebrews 2:14 “For we do not have a High Priest Who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15.

These verses are powerful good news. The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 2:3 that we are by nature children of wrath, engaged in warfare against God. Ephesians 2:3-8: “among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, Who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” All that He suffered was altogether for our sakes. It was our sins that He bore, our sinful nature that He took upon Himself. “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.” Romans 8:3-4. Our Warfare is ended! Do we believe? Beholding God makes us believers John 12:32.

 

The Voice Crying in The Wilderness: Behold Your God
The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Isaiah 40:3 Isaiah’s use of words infers a loud voice. In verse 6, the voice said “cry out”. This preparation is to be individual, corporate and to be given to the world. As people we are to clear away all obstacles to the reception of the Gospel in our personal lives. This passage harkens to the work of John the Baptist. It was his work to call men to repentance and to prepare their own hearts and lives for the coming of Jesus. God’s messengers in these last days are to proclaim a similar message. The Seventh Day Adventist church has been given just such a message. “The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family. All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent. This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel's message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure.” TM 91.2

Isaiah had such a life-transforming vision when in Isaiah 6 he saw the uplifted Saviour, that in verse 9, he invites us to “Behold your God”. “O Zion, you who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

“In the vision that came to Isaiah in the temple court, he was given a clear view of the character of the God of Israel. “The high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, Whose name is Holy,” had appeared before him in great majesty; yet the prophet was made to understand the compassionate nature of his Lord. He who dwells “in the high and holy place” dwells “with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Isaiah 57:15.” PK 314.1

“In beholding his God, the prophet, like Saul of Tarsus at the gate of Damascus, had not only been given a view of his own unworthiness; there had come to his humbled heart the assurance of forgiveness, full and free; and he had arisen a changed man. He had seen his Lord. He had caught a glimpse of the loveliness of the divine character.” PK 314.2

Isaiah invites us to behold the loveliness of the divine character, allow it to transform us first, live it, then “cry out”. Get up into our high mountains, lift up our voices with strength, do not be afraid. This world is about to come to an end and the world needs to understand and appreciate the loveliness of the divine character.

“It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth. COL 415.3. This is the work outlined by the prophet Isaiah in the words, “O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!” Isaiah 40:9-10. COL 415.4

 

“To Whom Then Will You Liken God”
The prophet then turns in verses 12-26 to the awesome work of God. In these verses he gives an exalted picture of the wisdom, creative power and eternal majesty of God that by some commentators is “unsurpassed in Scripture. This power is manifested in the works of creation. He starts off by asking questions: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” Isaiah 40:12. “To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compares with him?” Isaiah 40:18. “Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth…”. Isaiah 40:21,22. “Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He Who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of His might, and because He is strong in power, not one is missing.” Isaiah 40:26. Wow! As we ponder this text the attention, precision, and care that the Creator placed on this planet is mind-boggling, nothing short of miraculous and divine. It takes fixed, unchanging physical and chemical laws not just on planet earth but throughout the entire universe to make this a habitable planet, a topic too vast to do justice in this insight. But here are two thoughts.

For our planet, the moon is large. If the moon didn’t exist, we would not either. The moon is ¼^th the size of earth. Its powerful gravitational pull stabilizes the angle of the earth’s axis at nearly a constant 23½ degrees. This insures temperate seasonal changes and the only climate in our solar system mild enough to sustain complex living organisms. Secondly, we orbit a spectral type G2 Dwarf main sequence star. If the sun was less massive like 90% of the stars in our galaxy, the habitable zone would be smaller. The consequences would be catastrophic - increased radiation and solar flares, the dark side would be shrouded in perpetual cold and ice, complex life wouldn’t survive. I can’t wait for heaven to hear Jesus teach us like He did with Adam and Eve in the garden school! The psalmist says, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” Psalms 8:3-4. The Creator of the Universe stooped down to visit us. And oh what He accomplished when He “visited” us! Why should the infinite God, Who has a universe of worlds to claim His attention be “mindful” of finite man? Only in the realization of the worth of a human soul, created in God’s likeness can one answer these questions. This realization comes as we appreciate Jesus’ death on the cross. “The worth of man is known only by going to Calvary. In the mystery of the cross of Christ we can place an estimate upon man.” 2T 634,635.

In summary, the prophet Isaiah asks us to lift up our eyes on high and see the God Who gives power to the weak, Who gives strength to those who have no might, Who is everlasting, the Creator God. He asks us to Behold our God Who humbled Himself to visit us. He asks us to make straight a highway for Him in our hearts, to remove every obstacle that would prevent Him from working mightily in our lives. In chapter 40 we see the Comforter Who “Himself has suffered, being tempted”, and Who “is able to aid those who are tempted.” We are asked to “Behold  your God.”

May God help us!

~Lyndi Schwartz