HOPE FOR THE HOPELESS

He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭11‬ ESV)

I grew up in a farming and agricultural community with many memories of fields and livestock.  Our High School had a Future Farmers Of America Association and many of my friends had sheep or cattle being raised right on their property.

Over the years - one of the things that has always drawn me is the relationship of the shepherd and the sheep.  With his protective nature over his sheep to his gentle nursing them in his arms to comfort them - I have always loved this.  

It is also very special in that it is the best picture of the relationship our Savior has with us.

The book of Isaiah is divided into two parts. The first 39 chapters deal with impending judgment, and the second part deals with forgiveness and deliverance. The first 39 chapters deal with sin, but the last 27 chapters deal with a Savior — 66 chapters in all. 

Many people see Isaiah as a small Bible, for there are 39 chapters in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament — 66 books in all. The Old Testament often deals with the sin of the people of Israel, and the New Testament deals with the Savior which came from Israel. 

There is a distinctly different tone and message beginning here in chapter 40. The first 39 chapters had warned of the destruction of the nation and the deportment of the people to foreign lands. The people had abandoned their God and he would now abandon them. The first part of the book is heavy and plodding, but beginning with this chapter the language soars with majestic eloquence and wondrous hope. 

As Isaiah wrote the first part of his book, disaster had not yet come to the nation. People had grown tired of Isaiah’s warnings and his constant talk of their need of repentance and a return to God. 

But Isaiah wrote the second half of his book to the people of Israel and Judah who would be in exile — they would be taken away to Babylon. He was prophesying about a time that was yet to come when the nation would be destroyed. Jerusalem and its beautiful temple would be laying in ruins, and the people would be in captivity. 

In captivity they would not need to hear about pending judgment, because they would be living it. They would not need to be reminded of their sins; they would be experiencing the consequences of them on a daily basis. 

THREE THINGS ISAIAH SPOKE TO THE PEOPLE:

1 - Isaiah Spoke Of An Everlasting Comfort

What they would need as captive slaves in Babylon was comfort. They did not need Isaiah to shake the finger at that point and say, “I told you so”; they needed to hear that God still cared for them and that there was hope. 

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭1-2‬ ESV)

It is interesting that the Hebrew word Isaiah uses for comfort is also a word which can be translated “repent.” The word is nâham, and its root has the idea of breathing deeply. 

It can therefore mean to breathe deeply with sorrow for your sin, or to breathe deeply as you comfort and console someone. The idea is that God’s comfort comes as a result the people’s repentance. Because they have breathed deeply in repentance, God has breathed deeply as he consoled and comforted them. 

The idea of comfort comes from the two Latin words: com fortis – literally translated it means “with strength.” God’s way of giving comfort is to give us the strength to do what needs to be done. As his strength comes, grief and sorrow go. 

The situation may not have changed, but we have a new ability to face it and deal with it. The people to whom Isaiah was speaking needed strength to face the journey home, and once there they had the huge job of rebuilding the temple and the city. 

They were going to need a lot of strength and encouragement. 

The word encouragement has much the same idea: it means to be in courage. If you are encouraged you have the courage to do what needs to be done. God was comforting and encouraging the people so they would be able to carry out his will. Sometimes God’s comfort comes by forcing us to change and grow. 

Someone has said that the Spirit of God comes to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. 

Someone once asked a paratrooper how many times he had jumped out of the plane while he was in the military. He said, “None.” His friend said, “What do you mean, ‘none,’ I thought you were a paratrooper?” He said, “I was, but I never jumped. I was pushed several times... but I never jumped.” That is what the military calls encouragement. 

Sometimes we need a little shove. But along with the shove, God gives us renewed courage and strength to do what he is calling us to do. In the end, it becomes something we want to do. 

2- Isaiah Spoke Of The Everlasting Word Of God.

A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭6-8‬ ESV)

When all other claims to truth have had their say, the Word of God will stand alone in the end. Everything else changes. Philosophies come and go, but God’s Word remains the abiding Truth. 

It was God’s Word yesterday; it is God’s Word today, and it will be God’s Word 5000 years from now. Kingdoms will rise and fall. Ideas will come and go. The values of the world will change, but God’s Word will remain the one constant in a world of change and confusion. 

3. Isaiah Spoke Of The Everlasting Strength

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭28-31‬ ESV)

Isaiah told of an everlasting comfort, and he told of the everlasting Word of God, but thirdly: Isaiah spoke of an everlasting strength. 

Those who were in exile lost hope, and because of that they lost their strength and desire to go on. Even the young were beaten down, weary and defeated. But those who placed their hope and trust in God did not lose heart, and they did not lose strength — regardless of their age. 

Their hearts and minds soared as they thought about what God was going to do. As new strength and courage entered their hearts it began to affect their bodies. They gained a new enthusiasm for life and a new strength to go on. But you never gain that strength unless you are willing to wait on the Lord. 

We would all like to mount up with wings like eagles, but as someone has said, “It’s hard to soar with the eagles when you are surrounded by turkeys.” 

I read about a young boy who spent the summer with his grandfather. As he and his grandfather were out in the field one day they found a small bird. It was strange looking and they didn’t know what it was at first. They named him Ernie and took him home to show to grandma. Grandma put him with a mother hen and her brood of chicks. As it turned out, Ernie was an Eaglet. It wasn’t long until Ernie was larger than the chickens, and it was apparent he was different — even though he had picked up some of the mannerisms of the chickens. But one sunny afternoon the father eagle saw Ernie eating corn down on the farm with some strange white birds. The father eagle began to soar in circles above the farm, and then began to spiral downward while calling out for Ernie. Ernie’s head lifted as he heard something that resonated deep within him. Instinctively he began to spread his wings. Suddenly he was flying, and he began to soar in response to his father’s call. Ernie had within him the spirit of an eagle. The chicks heard the father eagle’s call as well, but they only chirped in response and continued to eat their corn on the ground. But Ernie had a higher calling. He was destined to soar. 

Chickens and turkeys can fly, but they rarely do because they are most comfortable on the ground. Sparrows and other small birds fly, but they mostly use their wings to get from one tree to another. But eagles soar. They have great power and freedom. They are destined for the skies. 

Like them, we have a different Spirit in us than those who are content to be ground dwellers. We have a higher calling. We are destined for the skies. God’s Spirit is in us and he is calling to us to soar with him. 

Just because we are Christians does not mean we are using our wings. We may still be more comfortable on the ground than soaring in the sky. We may even flit from one place to another, but God is calling us to soar. We do so by waiting on him. Responding to his call. Trusting him. Spreading our wings and using the strength he has given us. 

Someone has said, “There are two lasting bequests we can give to our children. One is roots; the other is wings.” 

We can teach our children that there is a strength that comes from God that is greater than our own. We can teach them to wait on him and trust him, even when everything looks hopeless. 

We can teach them that Isaiah wrote about an everlasting strength, an everlasting hope, an everlasting comfort, an everlasting truth, an everlasting kingdom, and an everlasting God. But the best thing we can do is to show them the reality of God’s faithfulness as we model it in our lives. 

We can be living examples of hope. Living sources of comfort. Living proof of the reliability of God’s Word. Living examples of a strength that comes from God. We can mount up with wings like eagles. 

Outline inspired by Rodney J. Buchanan