Isaiah 40:1-11
“In a very real sense, the Christian community lives in Advent all the time. It can well be called the Time Between, because the people of God live in the time between the first coming of Christ, incognito in the stable in Bethlehem, and his second coming, in glory, to judge the living and the dead… Advent contains within itself the crucial balance of the now and the not-yet that our faith requires… The disappointment, brokenness, and pain that characterizes life in this present world is held in dynamic tension with the promise of future glory that is yet to come. In that Advent tension, the church lives its life.” ~ Fleming Rutledge
Main Idea: God promises comfort in our waiting by inviting us to prepare for the once and coming King.
I. Waiting & God’s Comfort (40:1-2)
Isaiah 39 ends with the horrible news that Babylon is coming to take God’s people into exile. They have failed to heed his warnings of sin and idolatry, and they are being carried away from home. But in the face of this situation, the Lord meets them with a word of comfort in Isaiah 40.
The Lord reminds the Israelites in exile that though they are far from home, they are still “my people” and his is still “your God.” In his grace and kindness, he offers them a “double” pardoning for all of their sins. He has forgiven them and restored them back to himself.
In one sense, all of humanity has been in exile since the Garden of Eden. God’s people today live in a sort of “exile” as we await our true homeland (cf. 1 Pet. 1:17, 2:11-12). Are we acknowledging this, or have we made our ‘home’ and our ‘comfort’ in something that will not last and will not satisfy?
“We learn to forget our alienation and exile by letting ourselves be taken over by the distractions and entertainments and chatter of the world. We trade one sort of self-alienation for another that gives the illusion of homey comfort. ‘You belong here’ is the lie told to us by everyone from Disney to Vegas. We try to cover up not knowing who we are by letting everyone else sell us an identity, or at least a distraction from needing one… So much of our restlessness and disappointment is the result of trying to convince ourselves that we’re already home. The alternative is not escapism; it is a refugee spirituality – unsettled yet hopeful, tenuous but searching, eager to find the hometown we’ve never been to.” ~ James K.A. Smith
II. Waiting & God’s Coming (40:3-5a)
Comfort is to be found in the promise of God’s coming. Advent is a season to remember when this first happened (Christmas) while also anticipating his second coming and arrival. In his coming God’s glory, will be revealed, which was always a dangerous and deadly encounter before Jesus (cf. John 1:14)
There is a call in this passage for us to prepare for his coming, while simultaneously recognizing God will prepare his own way:
God’s Activity (40:4): A great “leveling” and upheaval is coming; all that seemingly stands in the way of God & his agenda will amount to nothing.
Our Preparation (40:3): We are to prepare the way & clear the path in our own lives for the coming King.
The word translated “prepare” means to clear out, like spring-cleaning… Glory and clutter don’t go together. So Isaiah is saying, “The King is coming with blessing in his hands for you. So, empty your hands. Clear away the obstacles to his glory entering your world.” God is not calling us to pedal faster; he is calling us to open up. He is calling us to repentance.” ~ Ray Ortlund
John the Baptist, the voice in the wilderness before Christ, clearly tells us that “preparing” means repentance and faith. Have you prepared the way in your own soul for God’s coming?
III. Waiting & God’s Promises (40:5b-8)
When we turn and put our ultimate hope and trust in something temporal and of this world, it will not last nor satisfy. This is in God’s good design, as we are meant to find our hope, security, and comfort in him and what is eternal.
The word of God (and the good news of the gospel it contains) is meant to draw our attention to what is lasting and trustworthy in a world full of false promises and empty assurances. In the face of uncertainty, skepticism, and scoffing, God invites us to trust in his Word and to keep from despairing.
When we see how far we have fallen and how broken the world is, it explains something. It explains why disappointment pervades our experience. As we see more and more of life, we are confronted with disappointment so persistently and so convincingly, hope starts to look just plain stupid. We become disappointed in our ideals, disappointed in romance, disappointed in our careers, disappointed in the people we trust, disappointed in ourselves. When all human hopes have let us down, we might be ready for the only real salvation that exists. ~ Ray Ortlund
God is warning the Israelites & warning us today: you have already tried this your own way... What if you trusted in my word and in my promises?
IV. Waiting & God’s Kingdom (40:9-11)
God now invites his people to lift their eyes above their current situation and to proclaim from the mountaintops the good news: “Behold your God!”
The picture of God’s coming King is two-fold:
He is a mighty Warrior-King (40:10)
He is a tender Shepherd-King (40:11)
This seeming “paradox” of the coming King is fully manifested in Jesus. In his first coming, we have experienced the tender grace and mercy of the “Good Shepherd” who is also the “lamb of God” who takes away our sins. In his second coming, he will fully consummate his kingdom, coming back on the clouds as the King of all Kings to gather his exiles from across the world.
We are all waiting in exile, but we are not left without hope. Are you in his flock? Are we heralding the good news of the once and coming King while we wait?
