Isaiah 40

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:3-5

The golden age. " Every valley shall be exalted ," etc. Everything depends upon how we view the future, whether with the horoscope of history or prophecy. History says the old evils return—war, strife, wrong, selfishness. Then the heart sinks, and inspiration to duty is weakened. But when we go with the prophet to the mountain-tops, we see— I. PATHS OF PREPARATION . "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." There are the ruins of the old military roads of the Caesars, but the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:3-6

Human preparation for the Divine advent. We shall find, with very little seeking, a threefold application for these words: I. THE MANIFESTED GLORY OF GOD . This was to be displayed and has been shown in two illustrations which are now historical. 1 . The faithfulness and the power of Jehovah in the accomplishment of his people's redemption from exile. 2 . A more striking instance of Divine faithfulness, wisdom, and power, in the giving of the gospel of his grace, in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:4

Every valley shall be exalted, etc.; rather, let every valley be exalted. The prophets are to see that the poor and lowly are raised up; the proud and self-righteous depressed; the crooked and dishonest induced to change their ways for those of simplicity and integrity; the rude, rough, and harsh rendered courteous and mild. "In general, the meaning is that Israel is to [be made] take care that the God who is coming to deliver it shall find it in such an inward and outward state as befits... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:4-8

God's promises sure. With Isaiah it is enough that "the month of the Lord has spoken" a thing ( Isaiah 1:20 ; Isaiah 40:5 ). "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent" ( Numbers 23:19 ). What he has promised, he will perform; what he has said, he will do, in the sense in which he said it. It is true, his promises are of two kinds I. GOD 'S UNCONDITIONAL PROMISES ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN OF ACCOMPLISHMENT . God has promised that he... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:5

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed . Then, when the preparation is complete, there shall be a revelation of the glory and might of Jehovah. The nature of the revelation is for the present shrouded in darkness; but it is a revelation which is not confined to Israel . All flesh shall see it together . It shall draw to it the attention of the human race at large. While the restoration of Israel to Palestine is the primary fulfilment of the prophecy, that restoration clearly does not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:5

Christ, as the Lord's Glory. The glory of God is his forgiving and redeeming. And it is this glory that was dimly revealed in the raising up of Cyrus to deliver Israel from the bondage of Babylon, and brightly revealed in "raising up his Son Jesus, to bless men, by turning them from their iniquities." It may be shown that God, as the great Spirit, never can be seen or known by any creature, because all creatures are put under limitations of the senses. No creature can apprehend... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:6

The voice said, Cry; rather, a voice of else that sayeth , Cry. It is a second voice, distinct from that of Isaiah 40:3 , that now reaches the prophet's ear—a voice responded to by another. The speakers seem to be angels, who contrast the perishable nature of man with the enduringness and unchangingness of God. The point of their discourse is that "the Word of the Lord endureth for ever" ( Isaiah 40:8 ), and therefore the preceding promises ( Isaiah 40:2 , Isaiah 40:5 ) are... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:6-8

The passing and the abiding. We are so little affected by that with which we are most familiar, that we need to hear a voice crying in our ear and reminding us of what we well know to be true. To nothing is this more applicable than the transitory nature of our human life and our earthly interests. We want to be told— I. THAT HUMAN LIFE IS CONTINUALLY PASSING . We do well to walk in the city of the dead, and let the gravestones, with their names and dates, speak to us with... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:6-8

The transitory and the permanent. This passage is brought to our minds, in the early summer-time, by the sight and the smell of the fields. One day they shine with the glory of the golden flowers, and, in a little while, the flowers are fallen, the grass is withered, and we are freshly impressed with the mutability of all earthly things. Man changes; God is the "same, yesterday, and to-day, and for ever" Man removes; God abides, and his dwelling-place is as the everlasting hills. Man dies;... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:7

The flower fadeth: because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it. When the hot winds, which God sends, blow in spring-time, the flowers fade; when a destroying breath from him (see Isaiah 30:33 ) passes over the generations of men, they perish. Surely the people is grass . Either a mere repetition of "all flesh is grass" ( Isaiah 40:6 ) with an asseveration, or an intimation that "the people" of Israel is not exempt from the lot of mankind in general, but shares it. read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:3-5

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:3-6

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:4-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:6

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:6-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:6-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:7

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