2/6/13. Isaiah 40:1-31. HOPE IN THE LORD- my devotional

Key Verse: 40:31                                                                                 Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

^“but those who hope in the Lordwill renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles;they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (NIV 2011)

     Dear Lord Jesus. Thank you for providing the faith and the world view and the framework for life that truly grants me strength to walk by faith in this world. You grant me strength and you lighten my load. I can be faithful to what I must do because of the Gospel. I pray for the people of America, that they may come to you for strength and for inspiration and for life. Please help me to glean many spiritual truths from Isaiah 40 today. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1:  He Tends His Flock Like a Shepherd (1-11).

           Verses 1-11, “ Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. ² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed,  that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. ³ A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare  the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. ⁴ Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. ⁵ And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” ⁶ A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. ⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them Surely the people are grass. ⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.” ⁹ You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem,lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah,  “Here is your God!” ¹⁰ See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,  and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him. ¹¹ He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Isaiah looks to the future generations that would be under Babylonian exile. He prophesies comfort, hope and restoration. This was partially fulfilled when God freed the captives and they returned to Judah after 70 years. But this prophecy finds ultimate fulfillment in the coming of John the Baptist (3-5; Mt 3:3) and the Lord Jesus (10-11). Jesus is the Sovereign, Almighty Lord, who is also the Good Shepherd. Our sins exile us from God but Jesus carries us close to his heart when we come to him with repentance and faith. There is deliverance and salvation in Jesus Christ.
First, “…her hard service has been completed,  that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” (2b) In the OT time, their sin was paid for through their hard suffering. After 70 years in exile, they were brought back. It took a lot of suffering to receive God’s grace of forgiveness. I liken this to some peoples’ concept of purgatory. They feel after they die, they will go to a halfway place, where they will go through many years of suffering in order to be forgiven of their sins.

I don’t believe this at all. I do believe that my sins have been paid for, yes. They have paid for by Jesus, who suffered and died on the cross and shed his sinless blood so that God can now completely forgive me of my sins. My “hard service” to sin and the devil has been over since I repented and accepted Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. It was then that my soul was set free. It was then that I was not longer a slave to sin and I was no longer estranged to God. I thank God for that day of deliverance, the day I met Jesus personally.

God salvation comes through  repentance and faith. Verses 3-5 reads, “³ A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. ⁴ Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. ⁵ And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”  John the Baptist referred to these verses in Matthew 3:3 which reads, “This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, “A voice of one calling in the wilderness ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” Jesus came to deliver people from sin. Preparing the way for the Lord refers to repentance. All people need to repent, that is make straight paths for the Lord top enter into their hearts. Then, through faith God will help people overcome their despair (valleys), pride (mountains), and crookedness (roughness).

When they do then God’s glory will be revealed and all will see it.

We are very limited to how we can change our hearts. I would venture to believe that we can do nothing and that God is the only one who changes hearts. But there is one thing we can do. We can confess that our hearts have become crooked and hilly and depressed. We can repent of allowing our hearts to become like this and ask God for his strength and his grace and mercy. We can make an environment for God to work by repenting, humbling ourselves before the Lord and his word and taking practical steps to coming to the Lord. When we do, then God will work to fill in the valleys. He will shave down the hills. He will make the crooked ways straight.

I know that God has filled in the valleys and made an flat, paved road for Jesus to come into my heart. I have had crooked ways, but God straightened those crooked paths and helped me have a straight road for the Lord. Thank you Jesus for your grace.

When we experience the deliverance of the Lord, then we can see the glory of God. I have seen the glory of God lately in delivering me from the darkness of despair and depression, restoring my relations in my life and freeing my heart from legalism. I am changed inside. I couldn’t do it on my own. On my own I was helpless. But God made a way when there was no way. God saved me by his grace and I can see that Jesus is living and that my life and family are blessed and intact only because of the grace of God.

We have no time to waste. Our lives are fleeting in light of God’s eternity. Isaiah was told to cry out a message. Verses 6-8 reads, “A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. ⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. ⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” The message states that people and their faithfulness are like grass and flowers which quickly fade away. But God’s word endures forever (1 Pe 1:24-25).

How true this is! One of Satan’s greatest deceptions is making people believe that they are living in this world longer than they actually are. When I sing in nursing homes with the barbershop chorus, I see 80-90% women and 10% men. Why is this? It is because the men are dying of heart attacks and strokes and cancer and the like. As a nurse I see people in their 50’s who are at the end of their lives. A personal friend’s young life was cut short in a roll over accident. It happened so fast that she never seen it coming. I cannot fool myself thinking that I am going to live forever in this world.

I would love to live to 120 years old and write many books and go on speaking engagements and found a university or a hospital etc., but I will go sooner than I think. Whatever human glory I may procure in this world is fleeting at best. I need to be ready to spend eternal life with my Lord Jesus. Jesus has made me ready through his shed blood on the cross and his resurrection. The Gospel has made me ready. The only thing that lasts in this world is the word of God and the glory of God and our eternal existence with God. Thank you Lord. Help me to live for your glory and place all of my hope and trust in you.

I was struck by the brevity of my life yesterday. I realized that I am 48 ½ years old. In 30 years I will be 80. Right now I feel young and strong and viral. But 30 years is not that long away when you think about it. I will be a grey haired old man. There is no time to waste. I need to find my convergence point in life. God has helped me to find it at KBC and UBF and the mission to NW Ontario. I need to focus and apply myself to a mission in life and make the most out of the short time on earth that I have left. But ultimately it is in God’s hands.

In light of the brevity of our lives, we need to preach the gospel. The gospel is such goods news. It needs to be proclaimed. Verse 9 reads, “You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” I cannot be silent. I must lift up my voice. I must say to the people of DeKalb and Sycamore, and the to the First Nations people of NW Ontario, “Here is your God. His name is Jesus. He died and rose for you to give your eternal life.” May God grant me the wisdom and the cultural sensitivity to make the cry faithfully and consistently. May Ron and Jen K., a young missionary couple, make the cry to the people of their generation.

Jesus is not only our God, but he will come again in power and glory. Verses 10-11 read, “See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. ¹¹ He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” The Sovereign Lord comes with power, his arm ruling for him, his reward with is him. He is a gentle Shepherd, gathering his lambs in his arms, carrying them close to his heart. One day he will return again to gather his elect from the four winds. What a great hope. What a wonderful Savior.. Jesus is my gentle shepherd, leading me to himself and to eternal life with him in his kingdom. Where in this world can I find such a shepherd? My own parents can not be such a shepherd to me. My wife tries and she is a pretty good shepherd in my life. There are pastor friends who are shepherding me and I thank them for it. But Jesus is the ultimate friend, leading me and guiding my soul. I would be helpless with Jesus shepherding me. There would be so much emotional stuff dragging me down. Lord, guide my heart and my life and family and ministry. We trust you. You are our strong king. Help us to proclaim you to the nations.

Part 2: The LORD is The Everlasting God (12-31).

      In the face of the brevity of this life, we come to know that God is everything. Look at Verses 12-31. Especially read verses 25-31, “²⁵ To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. ²⁶ Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. ²⁷ Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? ²⁸ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; ³¹ but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

(For the entire verses 12-31, refer to the bottom of this daily bread.)

Nothing and no one compares with God. No one instructs him. No offering is worthy of him. No image can be made of him. He is not impressed with the nations. The nations are like a drop in a bucket to him. God reigns over all creation, all people and history. He knows every star by name and he knows each of us. Therefore we ought not to complain. He does not tire or grow weary and he cares for us. Human hope and strength fails but our strength is renewed when we hope in the Lord.

It is so wonderful to know that God knows each of the starry hosts by name. That means that he knows us by name. He cares about us. I despair that nobody seems to really care what is going in my life and ministry. But I should not see to be understood, but to understand. I should be content that God knows me by name. He knows all about me and my struggles this is comfort.

God give people strength and power, through they may be weak. America does not need energy drinks. They need Jesus and faith. They need to find the power of their lives and jobs and missions in life in God. There is an abundance of power.

Those who depend on Jesus will truly be majestic. Verses 31 reads, “³¹ but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  Lord, thank you for strengthening us each day.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for Jesus our Good Shepherd. My hope is in you.
One Word: Hope in the Lord; renew your strength

Verses 12-31, “¹² Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? ¹³ Who can fathom the Spiritof the Lord,   or instruct the Lord as his counselor? ¹⁴ Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge,  or showed him the path of understanding? ¹⁵ Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;  they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. ¹⁶ Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. ¹⁷ Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. ¹⁸ With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? ¹⁹ As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold  and fashions silver chains for it. ²⁰ A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled worker  to set up an idol that will not topple. ²¹ Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? ²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. ²³ He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. ²⁴ No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. ²⁵ “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. ²⁶ Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. ²⁷ Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? ²⁸ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; ³¹ but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.