Isaiah 40: The Context Pt 2

0:01 All right, for the second hour, we're going to continue on. I know, with no one being here last week and some people being gone the week before, we're kind of we got some people like three weeks behind on everything. But I can't do a lot of review. I mean, of course, everything is posted online, so I can just ask you to go back. I'll just try to make it simple. We are looking at Isaiah forty through fifty five. The reason we're working through Isaiah forty through fifty five is because, over and over and over, if you just take random sermons on Isaiah forty through fifty five, every preacher on the face of the earth seems to think that he can just insert us into Isaiah forty through fifty five and doesn't. It doesn't really matter. I guess you can just do whatever you want with the text. So I've reviewed some sermons where they have done this. We went all the way back to Pilgrim's Progress, the famous book where he algorizes Isaiah forty I think forty or forty three, forty three, I think, and just enough is enough so I can either criticize it or I can to do something constructive.

1:01 Right, So we're. Gonna go through Isaiah forty through fifty five, and we're going to try to put it all in its historical and textual context. We have now spent hours working on it. We've done an outline of the entire section, We've done overview, We've done so many different things. The main thing to remember, Isaiah forty through fifty five is a message of comfort to people who are in Babylonian captivity. They're not words of comfort comfort for you because you're having a bad week or a bad day, or you face some tragedy in your life. These are words of comfort to people and Babylonian captivity. How they are applicable to us, we will try to figure that out, but first and foremost, we have to put it in its original context. All right, So we've done a lot. I'm not there's a we put it in chronological order. We've done all this work.

1:51 But for this morning, we are continuing what we ended with in the last hour. We're only going to go back to what we ended with in the last hour. I'm not going to go back to anything before. What we have discovered is that you cannot understand Isaiah forty through fifty five. You have no hope of understanding it without first connecting it to Isaiah chapter thirty nine. So if you have a bible Isaiah thirty nine, we will just go back to these words. We will read them again. We can't read them enough. You cannot understand Isaiah forty through fifty five. Let me state it again. You cannot understand Isaiah forty through fifty five without what thirty nine, and specifically thirty nine, verses five through eight.

2:36 Isaiah thirty nine, verses five through eight. All right, let me read it for you Isaiah thirty nine, verse five. Then said Isaiah. Hezekiah, hear the word of the Lord of Host. Behold the days come that all that is in your house, that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall. Be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left Saith the Lord, and of thy sons that shall issue from thee which thou shalt beget, they shall take away, and they shall be eunuchs, and the palace of the King of Babylon. Then said Hazekai to Isaiah. Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He said, moreover, for there shall be peace and truth, and my days which is all right, which is kind of funny. We can again into whole discussion about that. But the point is it's a prophecy that what's coming.

3:30 Captivity. And therefore, when you turn to Isaiah chapter forty, verse one, what words do you hear? Comfort? Ye? Comfort ye? And those words of comfort are to those people who go into Babylonian exile. No, just so that you know, when Isaiah prophesies the captivity and prophesies these words of comfort, by the time the captivity occurs, Isaiah is long dead, close to possibly one hundred years, all right, So he gives the prophecy, he gives the words of comfort. He dies. Ultimately they go into captivity. Then the words of comfort become very applicable to whom the people in captivity. The people in captivity sermon after sermon will be like, what comfort do you need today? Well, I don't know why you're asking me that question, because you're preaching on Isaiah forty.

4:25 There's no comfort there for me in the original context. Okay, all right, And just for those people who haven't been here, another name, just to write down. We'll get to it at some point. Just write down the word cyrus because Cyrus is key to Isaiah forty through fifty five. All right, Cyrus is the deliverer, Cyrus is the shepherd, Cyrus. Is the anointed one in this section. And if you forget Cyrus, well, once again you have churches who do weird things with this section. All right, so we're going to get into all of that now. Not only is Isaiah forty connect it to Isaiah thirty nine. Isaiah thirty nine. Speaks of their captivity, and the question should be in fact, let me just go back and state this. I stated this in the first hour. Any good Bible student, if you open your Bible, forget a Bible student, a kid in middle school, if they open up Isaiah forty and they read comfort yee, comfort ye, what is the first question they should ask? Okay, why or what comfort? What do they need comfort from?

5:26 Why? Why do they need comfort? What comfort is needed? Like? Those are the kinds of questions which would lead you back to Isaiah thirty nine, and you would establish that they need comfort because they are in captivity. Right, who is the captivity for? According to Isaiah forty verse one, look at the verse. My people, my people. Who is my people? Well, the people who go into Babylonian captivity, which happened to be. Specifically the Southern Kingdom. Right, Okay, so just basic reading sets all of that up. Now, when you go to Isaiah thirty nine and they're going to captivity, what should be the question you should have here?

6:09 Why are they going into captivity? And what do we discover? They're going into captivity because of their sin? Now, this would. Take you back to Deuteronomy twenty eight because Deuteronomy twenty eight, God makes very specific statement, Right, if you obey all of my law, you. Get what blessing. If you disobey, if you do not keep all of my law, you get curses. Guess what the Babylonian captivity represents. The Babylonian captivity represents anyone who tries to live according to God's law. Because when we try to live according to God's law, what are we going to end up with? Curses?

6:54 Now? I know right there? See just saying that, I know that if I was in any church right now now, I would get kicked out because what is it constantly timed that if you will follow God's law, you will have a life of blessing. Everything will be better in your life well, the only way to get blessing from God's law is what. Perfect obedience. Let me state it again. The only way to get blessings from God's law is what perfect Don't. Take my word for it. Go to Deuteronomy twenty eight. Everyone there, I think it's verse fourteen or verse fifteen.

7:34 I'm not making it up. I know some of you kind of looked at me, maybe for a second, going, well, wait a minute, I think you're on drugs. I may be on drugs, but I think on this I'm pretty accurate. Even if I'm on drugs. Deuteronomy twenty eight. Look at verse fifteen, Yes, verse fifteen, look at that. I remember to number deuteronymy fifteen. But it shall come to pass if thou will. Not hearken to the voice of the Lord God to observe to do all his commandments. If you want blessing, what do you have to do? Obey all of his commandments? If you do not obey all his commandments, what do you get?

8:18 Curses? Does everyone understand this. All? Right? I know, I know this goes contrary to everything being taught in American Christianity. Because American Christianity, we just need the law of God. If we have the law of God, we will get the blessings of God. The law of God does not bring blessings. The Law of God brings curses because nobody can keep it. What happens if you violate one point of the law, you guilty of all of it. Therefore, you, me, and. Everyone in the country, everyone in America, and everyone going to church in Abilene gets what they all are and a perpetual state of disobedience. Therefore we are cursed. That's the only thing that will save us from the curse Christ by making us able to keep the law, No, by him.

9:07 Keeping it for me. All right, So the. Entire Babylonian captivity, you know what you should see when you see Babylonia captaining. This is the way. This is what we do as Christians. And come on, some of you were listening to sermons like this, and some of you probably even thought that, well, Judah got what they deserve, that they wouldn't obey God's law. I don't know what was wrong with those people. They were so messed up. God did this for them, and God did this, and they just discibeyed. We almost speak as if what is wrong with them that's you. The Babylonian captivity should be like, man, if I know to keep the law, I end up cursed.

9:48 So what is the hope? We think the hope is keeping it. The hope is not keeping it. The hope is someone else keeping it for us? Because we can't keep it no matter what? Does everybody understand that? I cannot stress that? So Isaiah forty takes you to Isaiah thirty nine, Isaiah thirty nine takes you to Deuteronomy twenty eight. With that in mine, that is what we're trying to work through in this hour. Already. Now, some of these things I'm just gonna have to give you because we covered them in the first hour. Already. Ready, all right, here's kind of an outline and summary of the laws they disobeyed in the curses they suffered. Are you ready? Number one? An overview of the disobeyed laws. Here's the first major category. Okay, I should just say first major section.

10:35 We're looking at the overview of the disobeyed laws. The laws given them Mount Sinai, primarily an exodus Leviticus included commands related to worship, justice, purity, idolatry, Sabbath, and ethical behavior. They violated all of them over and over and over and over, generation after generation. Why did they violate it over and over and over and over again. I want you to tell me why did they violate the law over and over and over again, generation after generation because they can't keep the law. I want everyone to say that, why did they do it over and over and over? Because they can't keep the law. I know that I'm going to get emails. That's a defeatist view. It is reality, all right. Why what is our default position? What is our default setting? Sinners? What do sinners do? Sin? Do we become sinners because we sin?

11:41 No? We sin because we are sinners. Therefore we can never keep the law. So when you say, what was judas problem? Our problem, it's the same problem. Yesterday I was reviewing. We've talked about all the scandal with the Steve Loston scandal and all the things that have happened, and everyone losing their minds over. The whole situation. Well, yesterday a pastor did a video that he discovered why Steve Lowson fell into sin? You know why pastors fall into sin? Well, no, no, I guess that's no longer true. Pastors fall into sin because there's always something.

12:30 Anytime a pastor falls into sin, you can find out why because there's something wrong in their doctrine. So if you see a pastor falls into sin, go back and look at their doctrine. You'll find something his words, something wonky in their doctrine, and. That's why they fell into sin. That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my entire life, because that indicates logically, what, Hey, guys, get your doctrine right and. You won't sin. That is stupid, You know why, because it's here's what. So, man, you want to talk about wonky doctrine. That's wonky doctrine, you know why, because it's bad doctrine on the doctrine of sin.

13:12 You don't. Right doctrine does not stop you from sinning. Right doctrine does not fix your nature. What does right doctrine do? It teaches you that you are a sinner. It exposes the truth of your sin and points you to Christ. It's not like, well, if my doctrine is right, then and then who gets to determine who has the right doctrine? I guess the guy on YouTube, because hey, and I've seen this. Steve last them because he was a Calvinist. All the non Calvinists saying he's sinned because he was a Calvinist. His Calvinism led to it. So non Calvinist never commits sin. I mean, it's dumb. Everyone commits in because where does did it come from the heart?

14:03 Why did Israel sin because they were sinners? Why did judasin because they were sinners? Why did Abraham sind because he was a sinner. Why did Kaine sand? Because why did everyone's in because of the same problem. Everybody got that. Now we can argue over the philosoph like, philosophically that's troubling, but that's the reality. Has everybody got that, so they sin because of it. What are the laws they disobeyed? Well, the first one is worship and idolatry and Exodus chapter twenty. They're told not to bow down, worship any false God's not make a graven image, and Israel did that over and over and over again. I'm not going to go back to the cross references just to know they disobeyed the laws on worship.

14:49 And idolatry right. In fact, they were commanded to destroy all the Pigan worship sites and they did not do that, all right? So what's the first laws that they disobeyed? Worship in idolatry. I'm not going to go through all the cross references because of time. Number two. What's the second laws that they disobeyed? Keeping the Sabbath? That's Exodus chapter twenty eight through eleven. They violated it. In fact, why do they go in captivity for seventy years? They have not followed the Sabbath years? So the land had not been given the rest. So guy's like, I'm gonna take you off the land so that the land can rest.

15:29 Right. That's kind of like whoa. That's that shows you what they had done, all right? So there was the number one worship in idolatry, number two, Sabbath number three? What was the third thing? Justice and care for the poor? All right? And Deuteronomy fifteen and Deuteronomy twenty four. It makes it very clear that they were to take care of the poor, and not only the poor, the alien, stranger or immigrant who came into the land. What were they to do if they had crops, they had things, they were to leave things for the immigrant, for the for the stranger. And not do it.

16:10 Not to say, well, that's my property. They were to leave it for them. Did Israel do that? No, over and over and over they did. Let's look at some cross references for this, because we did not get to these cross references in the last hour. Go to Isaiah chapter one. I believe it's twenty three. Believe it's Isaiah one twenty three. I could be wrong. Oh, I was like, there's not twenty three. Judge. I was looking at Isaiah two, going. Yeah, I was really wrong. All right, Yeah, here we go Isaiah one twenty three. Thy princes are rebellious and companions of thieves. Everyone loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards.

16:59 They judge not fatherless. Neither doth the cause of the widow come onto them? They what were they worried about themselves? They didn't care about the weak, or the helpless, or the needy. They did not look at Jeremiah five twenty eight. Yeah, one three, and then Jeremiah five twenty eight. Jeremiah five twenty eight. They are waxing fat fat, They shine, yay, they overpass the deeds of the wicked. They judge not the cause the cause of the fatherless. Yea, they prosper and the right of the needy. Do they not judge?

17:41 In other words, they they mistreat the needy, those are fatherless or a widow or anything like that. Go back to Isaiah or go to Isaiah ten. I'm going through some of these quickly. Isaiah ten. Look at verse one Isaiah ten one. Woe to unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that right grievous, grievous, grievousness which they have prescribed to turn aside the needy from judgment, take away the right from the poor of my people that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless.

18:22 Bottom line, what was Israel and Judah doing mistreating the poor, the fatherless, the widow, the stranger. They were not taking care and doing as they were supposed to do. All right, everybody got that, all right? So what laws have they violated? Worship and idolatry number two, Sabbath number three, Justice and care for the vulnerable, poor, needy, stranger, you get the idea. Number four. Purity and sexual ethics Leviticus eighteen. The laws prohibited various sexual sins, and im moral practices. Many of these practices became prevalent, and Judah leading to social and spiritual corruption.

19:05 You can look at we can look at some of these. Go to Jeremiah chapter five. Back to Jeremiah chapter five. How many of these cross references? To look is always difficult Isaiah chapter five, verse seven. All right, I'm sorry, Jeremiah chapter five. I'm trying to get back to Isaiah quicker than I need to. Jeremiah chapter five, verse seven. Everybody there, Jeremiah five to seven. How shall I pardon THEE for this? That children have forsaken me and sworn by them that they are no gods? When I had fed them, when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, assembled themselves by troops and the harlots houses. Okay, there were his fed horses in the morning. Everyone died after his neighbor's wife.

19:57 I mean, that's very graphic. The way that's describing that, is it not very graphic? You get the idea. Go to Ezequel twenty two, Ezekiel twenty two, Ezequel twenty two to eleven, and one Hath committed abomination with his neighbor's wife and another. Hath ludely defiled his daughter in law and another in thee Hath humbled, his sister, his father's daughter. Now, let me make it clear. All these sexual sins were occurring.

20:38 Before there was Netflix, before there was anything along those lines, before rock and roll, before Elvis Presley, before video games, before any of that. All of these sexual sins were occurring. When you open your Bible and there's sexual there's laws against beast reality. Well there wouldn't. God wouldn't be establishing laws against bestiality unless what. Before rock and roll, before rap. Before all the things we blame because we always want to blame the reason these things are. The world is getting so bad today. I don't know what's wrong with the world today. It's been going on forever. Okay, why.

21:28 Sin? Do these things happen because of the movies they watched? They weren't watching any movies. It was happening because sin is inside of everyone. I cannot stress it enough. Why does sin occur? Because it's inside of us? So let me I'm going to connect us to other conversations we've had. What sin can a Christian not commit? There is no sin and we can not commit. There is no sin you cannot commit. I'm gonna make it very clear, even as a Christian there is no sin you cannot commit. And we can get into blasphem of the Holy Spirit.

22:10 We'll just set that aside because there's all kinds of debate. Is it, can it even happen? What's required? Okay, we can get into that, But every other sin we can set blasphe me of the Holy Spirit aside because there's discussion on what it is. But every other sin, I mean a Christian can do. What can commit the sin of homosexuality? A Christian commit the sin of beast reality. Now if I say that people will lose their ever living mind, there is no sin we cannot commit. Now does that mean we will commit all of them? No, But it means that you don't know which sin you're going to end up with because you have a sinful nature, and between your sinful nature, your psychology. The way you're made, the way you were.

22:51 Raised, and because of things sometimes we even scientists don't really understand how the brain works. You are drawn to something that someone else is not drawn to, and nobody can really explain. And the person we always want to explain it by what well, the reason they got there is because they saw it on TV. I've heard Christian parents say that I'm not gonna let my kids say anything, and therefore they will. And now you think they won't do it. They didn't need TV to do these things. Even reading some of the things they're doing there, some of you are kind of like, whoa. When we go through the Bible, what do we have? Do we have rape? Yes? Do we have homosexuality yes?

23:35 Do it be reality? Yes? I mean it's at least condemned. So therefore obviously something's going on. You don't just make a law for no reason. Right, Hey, here's the law, because I know no one is ever gonna think about it. And no, obviously there's a reason for the law. Correct. So you got all these things going on, Why is all this happening? Because sin sin. Judah's just demonstrating what. Sin. All right, So all these laws prohibiting various sexual sins become the norm in Judah and in Israel. All right, everybody got that? So what was the first laws worship in idolatry? A second Sabbath? Number three, the care for the poor and the stranger, okay, and the vulnerable?

24:19 Number four? Purity and sexual ethics. Let's just make it clear sexual sin occurs. Sexual sin occurs, Sexual sin occurs. Why does sexual sin happen. For sinners? Right now? Forget even biological need and desire for it. Forget that it just happens because of who we are. It's it's there. I know the Church doesn't know how to handle that, but it's just there and it's been there since well since the fall. All right. Number five Covenant loyalty. Look at Deuteronomy chapter six, verses four through five. Deuteronomy six four through five. Tell me what you find when you get there. What do you have in Deuteronomy six four through five. I love your the Lord, your guy, with at your heart, mind, soul, with all your might. Look at Deuteronomy ten twelve through thirteen.

25:38 Deuteronomy ten twelve through thirteen. What do we have in Deuteronomy ten twelve through thirteen? Love him, fear him, obey him, keep his commandments right. Judah was called to love God wholeheartedly and obey his commandments as a sign of covenant loyalty. There persistent and disobedience, idolatry, and rejection of God God's profits showed a. Lack of faithfulness to this covenant. This covenant unfaithfulness was a core reason for their judgment and exile because they did not obey, because they did not love God, they end up in exile. And guess what. We are commanded to love God with all of our heartmind, body.

26:18 And soul, and therefore we are perpetually under what a curse because. We never do so. The only way we escape the curse is because of imputed righteousness, not infused. So guess what, just because you become a Christian, do you immediately love God with all your heart, mind, body and soul. No? In fact, guess what, you never will not toil glorification. Why will you never love God with all your heart? Because your heart is still sinful. But the Bible says you get a new heart. No, that says Israel will get a new heart. And once they get that new heart, then they go into the land.

27:01 And then the text says that they will obey. You know why, they will obey everything because they have a new heart. Do you obey everything? No, which proves you still don't have a new heart. It's not that complicated, right, So everybody got all of that. Those are all the laws, Those are the categories of laws. Number one, what was it worship in idolatry number two, Sabbath number three, care for the poor, vulnerable, the stranger, number four, sex, and number five. Covenant, loyalty or love for God. They violated all of this. Now what is called for when they violate these rules?

27:45 What's called for? Go back to Deuteronomy twenty eight. Go back to Deuteronomy twenty eight. Curses starting again. Now I've seen Now I'm going to fifteen. There we go. I was gonna get ready to say fourteen because that's what I do with numbers. Right, Guess what's going to happen. They're going to be cursed now, are right? So those are the laws? Now the second major thing I want us to consider. Are you ready a summary of curses suffered during the Babylonian captivity. I want you to now see those are the laws they broke. Now, I want you to see the curses they suffer during the Babylonian exile. If you have Deuteronomy twenty eight, you can look at fifteen through sixty eight. I'm not going to read all of that right now because that would take probably the rest of our time.

28:30 Right, that's a lot of scripture, is it not? Now? Isn't that interesting? That the blessings cover. I think what thirteen or fourteen verses? Look at Deuteronomy thirteen. Isn't it one through fourteen that covers the blessings? Or am I messing it up? And then fifteen through sixty eight are the curses. That I don't know? Does not anyone find that interesting? I find that interesting? Okay? All right? I think it seems to indicate which one, which one they're going to get? Right? I think I think it seems to indicate which ones they're going to get? All right? So here are some of the key curses experienced by Judah. All right, look at Deuteronomy twenty eight. I'm gonna give you some verses her Deuteronomy twenty eight. Look at verse twenty five. Tell me what you should discover when you get there? Oh, the Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.

29:26 Look at verse thirty six and thirty seven of Deuteronomy twenty eight. This is interesting? Does that sound interesting? That they're gonna be defeated by their enemies? What happens in thirty six through thirty seven? The Lord will bring you in your king, whom you said over you, a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. Isn't that interesting? Hey, unless you obey me perfectly, what's going to happen? You're gonna be defeated and go into exile. So when you get to when you get to Isaiah thirty nine, what are you seeing. The curse from? What? Deuteronomy twenty eight. So then all they.

30:10 Suffer in the Babylonian exile are the curses of Deuteronomy twenty eight. Do you see the correlation? Do you see the connection? This prophecy was fulfilled when Babylon defeated Judah and took the people into exile. The king of Judah, along with many nobles and citizens, were deported to a foreign land. So the first curse experience is defeat and exile by a foreign nation. That's Deuteronomy twenty eight twenty five. Deuteronomy twenty eight, thirty six through thirty seven. Everybody got that? How about number two? Go to Deuteronomy twenty eight. Look at verses fifty two and fifty three. Deuteronomy twenty eight, fifty two through fifty three.

30:52 What does it say and what else? Okay, yeah, sounds pretty bad, does it not? All? Right? During Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, the people suffered extreme starvation and desperation, also recorded in the limitations. Fulfilling these hectic warnings, it almost sounds like what they're going to be in such bad shape during the siege that they're going to do what?

31:33 Cannibalism? That's bad. That's the curse for doing what. Not obeying the law of God. Now we like to believe, well the law, if we can follow the law, will get the blessings. But the point is we never can, nobody ever can obey it. That's why they constantly are are cursed. All right, So what's number one? Defeat and exile by foreign nations? Number two siege and destruction of Jerusalem Uteronomy twenty eight, fifty two through fifty three. These are the curses, and you can get into some of the other vile war. I mean, that's some horrible things, is it not? All right? Number three, look at Deuteronomy twenty eight. I think it's sixty three, twenty eight, sixty three. All right, you're gonna lose your homeland. That's the third Thing're gonna lose your homeland.

32:31 And of course they're gonna lose the temple if they lose the homeland. What are they losing? I'm gonna lose the temple. The people were. Forcibly removed from the land of Judah and the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, marking a devastating loss of their homeland and the center of their worship. So what's the first curse? Defeat in exile by foreign nation? Second siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Three loss of homeland and temple number four. Go to Deuteronomy twenty eight fifty nine through sixty one. Deuteronomy twenty eight fifty nine through sixty one and names a number of things. What does it name?

33:18 Fearful plagues, chronic diseases, and severe afflictions Depending on one's translation, does that sound somewhat right? Do you agree with that? It's all there in Deuteronomy twenty eight fifty nine through sixty one and exile the people suffered not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually, facing hardships, foreign diseases, and an alien environment where. They were despised. How about Deuteronomy twenty eight thirty seven. Deuteronomy twenty eight thirty seven What happens here? Depending on your translation? Some translations read and you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the Lord will lead you away. This is a loss of their national identity and basically becoming a byword, almost becoming you know, mocking, right, oh, Israel, Yeah, yeah, well yeah, those great people who are now slaves and been defeated and destroyed and exile. Judah lost its national identity and was often mocked or looked down upon by other nations, fulfilling the warning of becoming a byword and a people of and becoming a byword and basically a people without honor. That's another way of stating it. Right,

34:48 So they lose their national identity and become basically a laughing stock used as mocking. They become mocked. Right. Number six. Look at Deuteronomy twenty eight fifteen through twenty, Deuteronomy fifteen, Deuteronomy twenty eight fifteen through twenty. What do we see twenty eight fifteen through twenty What do we see? Personal cursing talks about basically God withdrawing any blessing. Would you agree? And he turns against them, He's not for them, he's against them.

35:31 Would that be fair? All right? Some refer to this Basically, God is almost in a sense, separating his presence from them, and now they're being cursed. The destruction of the temple symbolized God's withdrawal of his presence, and babylon the people felt separated from God and his favor, which they associated with the temple in Jerusalem. So some would label this one as separation from God's presence. They're separated from his presence, they're separated from his blessing, and they are getting curse purse only nationally, they are suffering as being separated from his presence because of their disobedience, because they are under a curse. So what are the six things of curses? Number one defeat in exile by a foreign nation. Number two, siege and destruction of Jerusalem.

36:18 Number three a loss of their homeland and temple. Number four, sickness and suffering. Number five but loss of their national identity and basically becoming mocked and made fun of, and number six a separation from God's presence, the Babylonian exile. This is how one concluded the Babylonian exile was a direct consequence of judas persistence disobedience to the Covenant laws, resulting in their experience of the curses outlined in Deuteronomy twenty eight. They failed to uphold key aspects of God's law, including exclusive worship of Yahweh, justice and compassion for others, Sabbath observance, and faithfulness to the Covenant. These violations led to their defeat, exile, suffering, and separation from their homeland and symbolically, from God's presence. These curses they endured in Babylon reflected the warning God had given it Cyanai, illustrating the seriousness of covenantal faithfulness and foreshadowing the hope of restoration that would come only when Israel would turn back to God. This historical background leads to Isaiah forty's message.

37:23 And I won't say anymore there because that's where we turn. Now go to Isaiah forty. Now, when you get to Isaiah forty, they. Have been taken into exile. Yeah, all of this time, right and especially during the siege of Jerusalem, And all this time they have been disobeying and disobeying and disobeying, and slowly but sure now they are experiencing wide curse after curse after curse.

38:07 They were sieged. The people were starving, may have even led to cannibalism. Horrible things were taking place. They suffered, The temple was burned, Jerusalem was destroyed, they were separated from everything. They are suffering curses of physical disease. They're in pain. Their life is not good. And all of a sudden, what words do you open Isaiah forty and read comfort? Ye? Comfort ye? Now those words take on great significance. They lose their significance without that context. And you know what's even more messed up when a pastor would come in and take that comfort and offer it to you, because that's not for you, that's for them. How it relates to us.

38:58 We're getting kind of an idea, right comfort. We need comfort because we are cursed, because we under the law cannot keep the law. But the comfort we get, we have to then to figure out what is that comfort? How do we get it? And we'll talk about that more so now we come to Isaiah four. Now we've got all the background right. So my argument is this, I believe the textual that makes the most sense from a textual sense, is to treat Isaiah forty one through two. This is my hypotheses Isaiah forty one through two as a distinct section separate from Isaiah forty verse three onward. I believe forty one through two has to be separated.

39:48 That's my argument, all right. I believe verse one through two serves as a prologue or an introduction to the entire section of Isaiah forty through fifty. This sets the tone with the message of comfort and assurance for Israel. Well. Verse three begins a new section that introduces specific imagery and themes about God's coming deliverance. I believe so so right here, so the context. As soon as you go to Isaiah forty verse one in hear comfort comfort now it makes sense, right, But as soon as I feel those words of comfort, now, I got to step back and go, Okay, how do I approach this? Now? Here's the reason. I'm going to give you my reasoning. Look at go to verse three.

40:33 Go to Isaiah forty verse three. Read Isaiah forty verse three. As soon as you read it, you what do you Your mind does something? Right? What does your mind do with verse three? John a Baptist because this is referenced in the New Testament. Right, So immediately I'm like, whoa, oka, what am I gonna. Do with that? So in my brain verse one and two, I gotta set it from three just for this to him and makes sense because when I get to get to three, something's going on here, right, So if we are, if we jump to something that's quoted in the New Testament. I got to figure this out. So I'm going to separate forty one through two as its own distinct section that serves as a prologue and an introduction to everything.

41:21 Verse three says everything changes in three. One in two is the introduction. Is the prologue. All right, here's some of the reasons I'm gonna treat it separately, right, Number one, because I believe forty one through two has a distinct theme and tone, Isaiah, forty one through two, this is from a source, has a unique tone that calls for comfort and pardon for Jerusalem, signaling a shift from the earlier message of judgment to a new message. Oh that's why one in two It is a distinct theme and tone because of all that context we just looked at, right, it's been cursed, it's judgment, and all of a sudden, what do we read comfort? Okay, something's changed. This is a distinct tone and a distinct theme but I think it has to be separated from three, all right. It is a direct proclamation from God to his people, and its purpose is to announce a change and God's dealing with Israel. The language comfort, comfort my people, her iniquity as pardon is both soothing and declarative, marking a break from what precedes and introducing the upcoming message of restoration.

42:32 So it's distinct specific theme. It's very different from what comes before, and it sets up everything that comes After's everybody got that, all right? So that's number one. It has distinct theme and theme number two. Opening with a divine declaration. The phrase comfort, comfort my people says You're God acts a divine declaration, setting the stage forever thing that follows. It signals that God himself is speaking directly to Israel with words of consolation. It immediately sets up who's speaking. God is speaking. It sets up a divine declaration which then is going to serve as an introduction for everything that comes after. Does that make sense? It serves as a framework for the next chapters where the theme of God's faithfulness and redemptive power are further developed. So it opens with a divine declaration which sets up everything for the rest of the of the section number three, it introduces key themes Isaiah forty through one two introduced core themes. Here's some of the core themes introduced. You're ready comfort everybody, see comfort?

43:47 All right? I think you can see that. Pardon, I think you can see that. Or warfare is. Accomplished, her iniquity is pardon see that in verse two? All right, So pardon is introduced, and the end of judgment is discuss This will be expanded in the chapters that follow. So comfort, pardon, and the end of judgment. It's introduced here and that it's expanded through the rest of forty through fifty five. Does that make some sense, or at least I think it does, right, These two verses are a thematic preview of the restoration that God will bring, particularly in the context of Israel's exile. So think of it as a thematic preview. What do I always say about if you're going to interpret movies, the opening scene inevitably tells the whole story of the movie.

44:43 A lot of times people are like, they're not even pay attention to the opening scene, right, They're either walking into the movies late, which they should actually be forbidden and prohibited, and nobody should be allowed in the theater. Or you're started the movie and everybody's off in the kitchen doing whatever, and then they come in because they don't pay any attention to the opening scene. You just we missed the whole movie. The whole movie is an opening scene, right. We've talked about that well, Isaiah forty one through two, it's the opening scene. It's the thematic preview of everything that what follows. Does everybody get kind of understand that? Does that make some sense? All right? I think I hope it does, all right. So it serves as a framework, it serves as the themes are going to be further developed.

45:29 Everybody got kind of got that, all right? We got that all right? So we have the thematic the thematic preview of the restoration that God will bring, particularly in the context of Israel's exile. By placing these verses as an independent introduction, they function as an over arching statement of God's intentions for his people, framing the rest of Isaiah forty and fifty five and the broader and a broader context. So one through two we separate it, we frame it, and it sets everything else up. So that means one through two. If this is the thematic preview, then one through two is pretty important. Correct, It's pretty important. So we're gonna have to really work do some time on that.

46:13 All right? Next, So what was number one? Distinct theme and tone? Number two opening with a divine declaration. Number three introduces the key themes I pointed out the key themes comfort, pardon, and end of judgment. Everybody got those? That's all in verse one through two? All right? Number four a shift in imagery starting in verse three Isaiah forty three marks the start of a specific imagery with the call to prepare the way in the wilderness. Does that not change dramatically? You got one through two, You have a you have who is speaking in verses one through two, You have a divine declaration? Right, and then all of a sudden, what happens in three the voice of him that cries in the wilderness? Wait, well, what's going on?

46:54 What just happened? Do you not kind of fill a shift? I feel there a shift? This introduces the concept of a path for God to bring his people out of exile. That this runs all the way from chapter forty to forty eight. In particular. Verse three is gonna set up really firse three, what it shifts. That shift is going to go all the way to forty eight, right, So there's a major there. There's another shift right there. So forty forty three is a shift, So forty one through two has to be then a separate is a separate section in introduction if that makes sense? Right?

47:35 This introduces the concept of a path for God to bring as people out of exile. This metaphorical language of valleys lifted and mountains made low is distinct from the direct declarations of comfort and verses one through two, creating a clear textual break. We have a clear textual break and verse three, verse one and two and a clear textual break in verse three. Now we have kind of metaphorical language. We have some image or everything's changing in verse three. Does that make sense? So we have a shift in imagery. All right? Sounds good? All right? So then let's kind of do in an outline of some kind of some sort. Let's kind of do a brief outline of this section, all right, Isaiah. Forty one through two is an introduction in prologue, and we could call this divine comfort and pardon, Divine comfort and pardon.

48:31 That's verses one through two. God announces comfort for his people, the end of their punishment, and pardon for their sins. That sounds good. So what are we gonna call verses one through two. Comfort and pardon? If you want, we can call it introduction and prologue. Which one do you choose? Introduction and prologue is more just kind of academic. Divine comfort and pardon is more observational because it's taking the actual language of the text. Do you see the two options there, but you get the You can put it all together. Introduction and prologue, divine comfort and. Pardon if you want. The message is God announces comfort for his people and the end of their punishment and pardon for their sins.

49:15 What is the purpose of Isaiah forty three one two two. It sets the tone for the new message of hope and restoration. It introduces God's intention for his people and a post judgment context. Then what do we have that's verses one through two. Then we have three through five, and we'll call this a call to prepare the way for the Lord. We have a voice crying out for the preparation of a path for God who will lead his people out of exile. The imagery is wilderness, highway, valleys lifted up, mountains made low. These verses speak metaphorically of removing obstacles as God prepares to deliver his people.

50:02 Right, does that kind of get a set up? Does that everybody feel good? There? All? Right? Any questions? Everybody thinks? That makes everybody okay? With separating that? So that means forty through one through two then becomes the key here. So we have to spend we will spend a lot of time in versus forty one through two, but let's establish some basic concepts here. Right, forty one through two. You lose all of its meaning and all of its power if you do not first connect it with Deuteron or with Isaiah thirty nine. Isaiah thirty nine knows why the people need comfort because they've been in exile. But why have they been in exile because Deuteronomy twenty eight says, these are all the horrible things that's going to happen to you if you don't keep my law. Did they violate the law over and over and over? I demonstrated all the ways they broke the law. Then guess what happens.

51:01 If you break the law, you get the curses. Did they get the curses? They got all the curses. So they have broken the law. They are under a curse. And now we turn to Isaiah forty and you hear the beautiful word comfort. Now, who has any kind of connection on their phone? If you have the blue letter Bible app open it up to Isaiah forty verse one. What is the Hebrew word for comfort? What is the Hebrew word for comfort? And Isaiah forty verse one, knock, Come right, everybody see that if you're able to look to comfort or console, this is the primary meeting. Yeah, there's some interesting meetings there, but the primary is to comfort or to console. This is the most common use, particularly when directed at someone experiencing sorrow distress. It applies offering compassion and reassurance. So I want us to take a little bit of time to consider at least the first word here comfort, Ye, comfort me one. It's repeated twice.

52:17 That's significant. Yes. And here's the difference of this Hebrew word is it is a verb that has broad range of meaning depending on its context. The word appears frequently in the Hebrew Bible, and it generally conveys the ideas related to comfort, compassion, regret, or even a change of mind, which is somewhat interesting all right. Its primary meeting is to comfort or to console. It is most commonly used particularly when directed at someone experiencing sorrow or distress. It implies offering compassion and reassurance, but it can also mean to feel sorry, to regrets, rent, or repent. In other contexts.

53:06 The Hebrew word here can mean to regret or relent, as when God has depicted as changing his course of action due to compassion or mercy. That's an interesting concept, right, It's to bring comfort, but it also can show sorrow or regret or a change of mind. Are relenting because of mercy? Now this adds a little dimension to this, right, because who's the one saying, bring comfort God? Who have they violated God? But for some reason God has done what He's relenting. He's changing his mind. He is, he's in a sty And when we say change his mind, understand we're not talking about open theism. We understand he always knows what he's going to do. But it appears to be a change from the perspective of the people. Right, if you've been suffering for all of this time, all of these purses, and all of a sudden, God says, I'm gonna bring comfort to you. Something is happening, right, everybody kind of understand that. I think the same Hebrew word is used in Genesis six.

54:13 I believe. I don't know if anyone can verify it. I don't have the Hebrew. Yeah, okay, Genesis sixty six. I believe the same Hebrew word is used. And look how it's used in Genesis sixty six. You may not find this interesting. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on earth, and it grieved him at his heart. There's this idea of repenting God, repenting God. It seems like it indicates because it's being spoken to from our perspective, it appears that God has changed right there. It appears that God in the sense is upset. He's grieved that he's ever made. And of course, on one hand, God knows everything that's going to happen. It's very complicated in how to understand it. But when it's used here in Isaiah comfort, whoa what just how there's been a change.

55:02 Because one through thirty nine is all about what judgment and all of a sudden forty comfort. God is relenting not because of some change in him, but because, well, I think there's something that's driving it, and we can talk about that. Why this many meaning carries the idea of grieving over a situation or feeling sorrow for past actions. It seems the idea God is grieving over the situation. Again, it's spoken in human terms, right, I think we can get the idea, so we kind of get this. Meaning here of this Hebrew word. Is very significant when you read comfort comfort, There's a lot going on in that Hebrew word.

55:44 There's a lot going on. You can't just say, oh, comfort, There's a lot happening here. It's signifying a lot of different things going on. Right. So for example, in Isaiah forty verse one, we obviously can tell it's repeated. Everyone can see that, correct. It uses it twice, which intensifies the sense of urgency and the depth of comfort God is offering to Israel. There's an urgency here. You need comfort, you need it now, and it needs to be the right kind of comfort, a deep kind of comfort. This repetition signifies a shift from the themes of judgment in the preceding chapters to hope and restoration.

56:27 The use of this Hebrew word reflects God's compassionate response after a period of judgment, which is the Babylonian exile. It suggests that God's anger has subsided and he now desires to comfort his people, promising forgiveness and restoration. The comfort offered in Isaiah is not merely emotional. It has promised a change in circumstance for Israel. The comfort is intended to reassure Israel of God's ongoing commitment and to offer hope of a future return from exile and reconciliation with God.

57:10 Now, I want to go through all the uses of the Hebrew word. I want to go through all of them, but let's take a minute here because we need to talk about comfort for a second. Okay, all right, we may. Not get I want to go through all the uses of in the Book of Isaiah so you get an idea of how it's used. But before we do that, let's talk about this idea of comfort. All right, Let's talk about this concept of comfort. As Christians. This is a common theme. In preaching, this is a common theme in devotional literature. It's a common theme and sermons, and this kind of thing that God brings us comfort?

57:51 Is that not a common theme? Right? That God is the god of all comfort? I think it's even mentioned in First Corinthians, right, I think it's First Corinthians. And we each this idea. If you're going through great difficulty, if you're going through great pain, if you're going through great suffering, God provide you comfort. Correct? Has that talked about frequently? Open your Bible and read it for. Comfort? This is a common theme in Christianity. But I think there's a lot of problems with this concept, all right, So let's think this. Through, all right? First, Okay, let's think this through sometimes. As we've already seen, the comfort in Isaiah forty has nothing to do with us, right, So whenever we hear about comfort, we always have to do what make sure that the words of comfort are actually directed to us and we're not stealing someone else's comfort, and therefore we're not actually getting any comfort to Still, comfort not intended for you is not comfort.

58:52 It's just illusion, right, It's just like. You're just doing something to confe just to make yourself feel better, but there's no reality to it. Does everybody see that? Not only that. Many times When pastors speak about comfort, do they get specific and the comfort that God provides or do they sometimes leave it vague. When a pastor promises you comfort, is it tangible or is it theoretical? Then you tell me what you think I mean. If you listen to preaching, you've heard these kinds of messages. Do you think it's a tangible comfort or it's a theoretical comfort. If you go to church and God, it's like, if you're here this morning and you're struggling God, God will provide you comfort.

59:50 What should be the obvious question. You raise your hand and say, what comfort are you talking about? What does that mean? Right? God provides comfort. I could pull up a bunch of statistics right now to show you. I mean, we could get in a car right now, drive to any children's hospital where children are dying of cancer and horrible diseases and they won't live to be sixteen. When you say God's going to provide comfort, are you saying He's gonna get rid of the disease? You can't promise that, can you? God's going to provide comfort? You know how many children are sexually abused every year in the United States of America. Numbers are staggering.

1:00:31 How many women are sexually assaulted in the United States of America every staggering. You want to talk about human trafficking, sexual trafficking disturbing. You know how many people are suffer and die every year in our world because of starvation? Numbers are horrible. You want to talk about diseases, You want to talk about war. So when you say when the pastor tell us everyone, God will. Bring you comfort, that's got. To be that's got to be spoken. And so what does that mean? It almost technically mean He's just gonna make you? What feel better? Now? Do I want a God who's just gonna make me feel better? If I'm if I'm a child suffering some kind of sexual assault?

1:01:16 Do I want to feel better? What do I want? I want to be really moved from the situation? Right. So, comfort is such a it's almost a fraudulent thing that Christians put out there. God's gonna comfort you. What does it even mean. Now? In this particular case? Comfort ye? Comfort ye, my people? How would we classify the comfort promise in Isaiah forty? Theoretical or tangible? Is God showing up to make them feel better? Or is God showing him up to announce something.

1:02:06 What do you think everybody? Look at verse two? Seems to be some hesitancy here, Okay, he mentions, he's very specific, right, What does he mention in verse two? There's like what three things? He speak tenderly? There you go, Your hard service has been completed? What is that referencing? Your captivity is over? That's tangible, ladies and gentlemen. Right, if you're in captivity and God says comfort, ye, comfort ye, my people, what's the first thing?

1:02:49 What is the only thing? You want? Comfort from your captivity? So God starts with what's over? Your captivity has come. To an end? What else does he say? In verse two? We're gonna cover this over and over and over until y'all get it down. Your service is completed? In some translations, how does the King James state it? Your warfare is accomplished, Your iniquity is pardoned, and now there's a spiritual comfort. Now it's in which context your iniquity has pardoned? As far as what your captivity? All this punishment for it? That's over? And in verse three are they end of verse two, there's one third thing you've received double for extence? Now there's a lot of discussion exactly what this means. We'll get into it, but the bottom line is when he says comfort, yee, comfort ye, the comfort is a tangible comfort, a tangible comfort.

1:03:48 Not theoretical. Does everyone understand that? Right? Everybody got that that's important to note. No, when one that means if you're going to come still this comfort, then it would only be comfort that would relate to these things, which doesn't relate to us unless you spiritualize them. You see where all the problem is. But here's what I want to know for you, as a Christian? What comfort is actually promised to us? Do we think that the promise offered to us is a spiritual promise or a material promise?

1:04:29 Now, Church is. Always constantly treated as what a material thing? And I think that's majorly problematic. Right. I was listening to a sermon talking about comfort and then we're using some things in Isaiah forty drove me absolutely nuts because it, let me just ask you this question. Knowing that God is omnipotent, knowing that God is creator, knowing that God knows that names of all the stars, he names them, and He's in control of everything, does that bring you comfort. Oh it does.

1:05:09 Oh, this is interesting all right. Knowing God is all powerful, knows the stars created everything. Steven says, that brings him comfort. Okay, does that bring anybody else comfort? It's okay. In this church. We don't have to be give church answers. Right, Stephen gave us a good answer. That's fine. It may bring him comfort. Does it bring you comfort? Okay? All right? So you are giving me the pretty good churches, So you're good. Y'all can go to any other church and you'll get along. It absolutely brings me no comfort. What good is it that God is all powerful?

1:05:50 I can do? You do? I need to go through and name all the things that are going on in the world. My brain is well if you want to, if you want to bring comfort with me, knowing that he's in charge of nothing, doesn't know anything. Unless he does something right, he doesn't bring me comfort. If I'm laying under a car, my leg is bleeding out, and I know mister Goodlett has the power to come lift the car, but he just stands there, going, man, you're bleeding really bad. That's really bad. Man. You can lift the car. I know I can because I'm all powerful. You're bleeding out. This is really bad. I think you're starting to lose consciousness. This really stinks.

1:06:31 Does it bring me comfort that he can lift the car? Okay? At least Eli's shaking his head and out. Oh my no, I be like you trush shooking. What are you doing right? That doesn't bring me comfort to know that he can lift the car. What would bring me comfort? Hey, lift the car, pull me out, put a tarniquet on my leg, and give me to a hospital. Okay. And He's just like, well, I could get you to the I could just snap my fingers. You'd be in hospital. I could just heal your leg. That doesn't do me any good. That's a complex thing about Christianity. So I heard an entire sermon that hey, if you need comfort this morning, know this. Your God is your creator. He is all powerful.

1:07:14 He has named the stars. And I'm like, well, now, in Israel's context, that could provide them great comfort. Why knowing he's all powerful is going to be very importan because they get figure hound the worth of getting out of Babylonian captivity, which he just promised that is getting ready to happen. It may look a little bit what I think it would look up late. Are they going to be able to rise up and overthrow Babylon. No, they can't do it right, So they need God's power in order to make it happen. And God does something.

1:07:55 He brings in Persia Cyrus, who's a shepherd, his anointed one to destroy the Babylonian. Israel doesn't destroy the Babylonians. Israel doesn't plan a great escape at midnight, or they tunnel under the prison wall and swim away from Alcatraz. They don't have some No, they are delivered by God. So when God talks about his power and his sovereignty in Isaiah forty through fifty five, it makes perfect sense. What I'm trying to say is we sometimes as Christians, think we're offering someone comfort and I don't know what we think we're doing. Hey, I know you're suffering, but God is all powerful. Well, thank you. That's wonderful. If God's all powerful, why am I in the situation in the first place? Right? I mean, take get in your car or go to the airport, fly to Ukraine right now and where people are suffering and dying and say, hey, guys, good news.

1:08:49 God is all powerful. Well, then get rid of Russia. Go to Gaza right now. How many children have died in the bombings? All go to Israel, all the people who died on October seventh. Hey, God is. All powerful, oh man, that brings me great comfort. Is that gonna bring standing at the grave of their family members and just put your arm around them. God is all powerful? Is that gonna bring any comfort to them? I know we're not supposed to say it, can we say it? No? So when we sometimes when I'm saying, when it comes to comfort, the church does weird things with comfort because we don't know how to comfort. So we just throw out our little spiritual bumper stickers that don't really provide comfort. That's why sometimes what's the best thing to do. Just shut up, because if they would have went to job. Hey Joe, God is all powerful.

1:09:52 Well that's wonderful, thank you so very much. Is that gonna bring back my dead kids? No? I know that makes us uncomfortable in church. I can already feel the uncomfortable in this here right, But that's okay. It's a reality we have to deal with. So when it comes to comfort, you see where we've got to be very careful. So number one, we got to be careful not to take comfort that's meant for someone else and make it about us. And number two, we got to be very careful to just take scripture and say, well, you should find comfort in this attribute of God. God's attributes are just the truth of God. Doesn't mean I'm going to find necessarily comfort and said attribute, When would I find comfort in God's attribute that he's all powerful creator and name the stars? When would I find comfort in that when that power is what directed towards my situation?

1:10:49 But until then, it's just a fact. Facts don't provide lots of comfort. Right. It would be like Bobby suffering from some horrible disease and I come up and go, hey, do you know so it's this many miles between Chicago and New York City? Do you know if I get on a train traveling this fast, I will get in New York City? And Bobby would be like, what are you doing? I'm just giving you facts. Don't they bring you comfort? That would seem kind of mean, would it not? Did you know one plus one is two. That's the only mathem fact I know? Okay, any other math facts I don't know. I think I know that one right, are there everything? Hey? Do you know a comma goes after this? And sometimes it well because in grammar it all makes sense. You know it's relativism. But yeah, you know subject verb agreement.

1:11:32 And I just start giving you all these facts. Would that bring you comfort? Or would you tell me to get out of your hospital room go jump off the building? You probably would? I mean, able to get these facts should bring you comfort. Well, Offering a spiritual fact does not bring any more comfort than offering what an academic fact, because a spiritual fact is only an academic fact unless the spiritual fact is doing something for you. Now, what does demonstrate God's power? Does show what that God will fulfill his purpose his promise, So I can find then comfort that Okay, I don't know how things are gonna go here because God may not do anything, but I can have comfort. Then He will get me where to heaven because his salvation is based on him. Then I can find some comfort in it. But to hear an entire sermon where the whole idea quoting from parts of Isaiah forty through fifty five about comfort and then relying on these texts where God is telling Judah his attributes. Well, his attributes are directly related to their situation because they are facing a power known as the Babylonians. So then knowing his power has direct relation to them because starting in Isaiah forty, he tells them that their captivity is what over? How are they going to believe that it's over?

1:12:55 Because it probably seems what impossible? Then God's power has direct correlation to their situation. For a pastor to go there and say you should find comfort that God is all powerful, I don't know what in the world that even means. Because if God is all powerful, the immediate question should be, well, then why am I in the situation in. The first place. He said, well, it's because of your sin. Well, if he's all powerful, he could keep me from there we go. So the whole thing is confusing. So when we get to Isaiah forty, the comfort is beautiful in its context. To rip it out of its context, what are the dangers that can occur? We're taking comfort that's not for us, and then I'm offering comfort to other people and I'm basing it on things that really don't bring comfort, And a Christian seem incapable of understanding.

1:13:53 They're like well, why isn't that comfortable? I mean, I saw it when my mother died. People just quoting random Bible verses just get out of my What does it get to do with me? Right now? She's dead, So if you're gonna tell me about God's power raise her from the dead, she didn't give up. So what difference does it make that God is all powerful in that situation? In that situation, how much difference does it make? None? That's the That's that's the danger of what that's that. It's that devotional mentality within christiandom. We go to a verse and we just think we can do what with it, do whatever we want, and then we just cite that concept to someone else, thinking that we're somehow helping them.

1:14:37 In reality, what are we doing? We actually be may making it worse. Now. Is it a fact that God is all powerful? Yes? Is it a fact that he's creator? Yes? Is it a fact that he knows the names of all the stars? Fact? Now? What does that fact do for me? In some cases, it's not suppentious. It's not meant to do anything other than to do what identify our God and give me his attributes. It's not necessarily designed to make me feel better. It can make me feel better ultimately in what way? Maybe in the future, but in the meantime it may actually lead to what.

1:15:23 More frustration. It's okay to. Be frustrated and go, well, wait minute, if he's all I mean, what's the obvious question. Whenever we hear a God's all powerful, what's the obvious question? Well, then why don't he do something? Now? So when we take the comfort, we got to make sure we handle it correctly. Right, We've got to make sure we handle it correctly because some of the things we're going to read in Isaiah forty through fifty five that's going to be directly related to comfort, is directly related to their situation, because why is God? What is the comfort He's about to give them? And we'll end here. It's tangible. It's material, right, it's earthly. It's deliverance from literal captivity to be brought back into their literal land.

1:16:11 There's nothing theoretical about it. Is there a spiritual element to it? Yes? But what comes before the spiritual element the tangible? The tangible. So how we got to be careful. We can't take these promises of tangible and somehow think they apply to us. Whenever someone's going through a bad situation, I can't promise them God's power is going to do anything for them. I can't, right not in their immediate situation. I can offer them some hope for you know, eternity, But what could they possibly say to me? Well, what good is that doing me? Now? And you know what, they would have every right to say that. I could come with some pious words, They're just meaningless, right. I know that nobody likes that, but it's just we got to deal with that reality because I listened to too many sermons doing that and I was just sitting there, Like if I was sitting there going through a horrible situation, I would.

1:17:07 Lose my mind. Right now, everybody. In the church will got out, what are you weighmening, I don't know what you're Amening's no value in that situation. So we got to if we're gonna deal with the comfort of the book, the comfort has to be kept in the book and kept to whom Israel or to Israel. There's promises maybe going towards Israel, well, because they're in a Syrian captivity, and well, then ultimately the New Covenant's made with both so that we could go there. But there there's Isaiah forty. We've connected it to thirty nine, we've connected it to Douteronomy twenty eight. We've seen the Hebrew word here comfort has these two very kind of powerful meanings of comfort, but also idea of sorrow or kind of regret.

1:17:50 And well, next time, well, what. We're gonna do is you We're just gonna start with the word comfort, and I look at every way that Hebrew word is used in the Book of Isaiah itself, not the whole Old Testament. And then we'll just start taking the passage apart, and we're going to separate two from three through five. Right, I think that's as much as we can do right now, Right, we'll stop there. Look, God, we come before you this afternoon. Lord, a lot of difficult truths to be confronted with. But Lord, we are grateful that we can open up your word, try to understand it to the original people it was given to, and forgive us when we reach in to take which was never ours and push out the people that was originally intended for. That should never be what we do.

1:18:35 And we have all in this room been guilty of it. Probably more than once, and we probably will do it again. So forgive us, and we thank you for your son, Jesus Christ, and God's people said