By Craig A. Smith
Isaiah 40:1-11, 29-31
It is so tempting in a passage like Isa. 40:1-11 to read it immediately through the lens of the New Testament. But today I am going to try to avoid this temptation and look at it first and primarily in its original Old Testament context; as hard as that may be for a New Testament professor.
I love this text because the focus is on God and His grace. It is about His reliability in the face of Israel's unreliability. It shows God's loving faithfulness in spite of Israel's self centeredness and faithlessness. It's the kind of passage that helps me relax and fall back into God's arms and speak the words of Julian of Norwich with confidence: “all shall be well.”
The Context
Here is the story. The Northern kingdom of Israel has fallen to the Assyrians. Assyria threatens to do the same to Judah. But God saves Judah from these oppressors as Isa. 22 makes clear. Throughout chapters 1-39 we read how Judah has spurned God not recognizing His gracious care of them. They have looked to everything and one for help but God. Even though God helped them and saved them they again and again they gave Him no thanks. They showed no humility. So God is not pleased with them.
In spite of all God's assistance to Israel Hezekiah is still afraid of Assyria. So in Isa. 39 we read about Hezekiah trying to impress messengers from the King of Babylon by proudly showing him all his treasures. It is likely that Hezekiah is trying to align Israel with Babylon in order to stave off any future threat from Assyria. Isaiah moseys over and asks 'who were those guys and what did they want?' Hezekiah is feeling more than a little bit uncomfortable and tells him they were from Babylon and I showed them all of my treasures.
Isaiah tells Hezekiah 'that was a bad move because your palace will be plundered and your descendants taken away to Babylon'. Hezekiah breathes a sigh of relief when he finds out that he will be spared (39:8). Babylon sees that Israel is rich and easy prey so a little later they march in and capture and plunder Israel.
The Problem
The rest of Isaiah from 40-66 is written from the perspective that the Babylonian captivity is almost over. The questions in Israel's mind are now: how does God think of us who have consistently rejected him, who have spurned His help and advice? Does He still like us? Do you think He would want to deliver us again? Then more cynically they ask 'is God able to deliver us?' After all the exile seems to show that He forsook His people and His covenant. So maybe God isn't the omnipotent, Lord of history we thought He was.