This page is a daily devotion. It will study a chapter of the Bible for 5 days one section at a time. Then it will move on to another chapter for 5 days. Included is a verse to memorize.

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Isaiah chapter 40

Memory verse: Isaiah 40:31

Isaiah was a contemporary of Joel, Amos, Hosea, and Micah. He prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. This was about 700 B.C. The book of Isaiah has prophecies about the coming of Christ (Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7, Isaiah 11:1-10, Isaiah 35:4-6, Isaiah 40:1-5, Isaiah 42:1-4, Isaiah 50:5-8, Isaiah 52:13-15, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 61:1-3). Isaiah prophesied of the judgment of many nations such as Babylon, Moab, Syria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Arabia, Tyre and Zidon, and Judah. The world should not rejoice at the chastisement of God’s people, because that only means their turn is coming as well. He prophesied of the judgment of the sins of Israel, but also of times of great future blessing. Isaiah chapters 40-49 are an excellent resource for scriptures on the oneness of God (Isaiah 40:18 & 25, Isaiah 41:4, Isaiah 42:8, Isaiah 43:3 & 10-15, Isaiah 44:6-8 & 24, Isaiah 45:5-7 & 18 & 22-23, Isaiah 46:5 & 9-10, Isaiah 48:12). These chapters alone call God the Holy One 12 times, and never the Holy Three.

Day 1 – the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness

Verses 1-5

Although God punished Israel for her sins, He also forgives and restores. He is not angry forever (Psalm 103:9). To comfort here is not to make comfortable like on a couch or bed. It is to have compassion, to be sorry, to console. Comfortably here means to speak to the inner man – the mind, the will, the heart, the soul, the conscience, the understanding (Proverbs 17:10). We must receive the chastisement of our heavenly Father, but when it is over we also need to receive His comfort (Hebrews 12). We need to believe what is so basic, and yet sometimes so difficult – that God loves us. It is not difficult because God is so hard, but rather because of our own sense of unworthiness. The wilderness is uninhabited land. It is not lived in because the land is not even. It is not suitable for building or raising crops. Yet this is where God sent the prophet to prepare for the manifestation of the glory of God. There was a road to be made. This would involve leveling the ground by filling in the low places, and bringing down the high places. Every crooked (deceitful) place was to be made straight (upright), and every rough place made plain. We are made of the earth (Genesis 2:7). Adam means red clay. We are the ground the word of God works on (Hosea 6:5, Matthew 13:18-23). The Word will fill in our valleys of depression and doubt. It will bring down our pride. It will straighten our deceitful, slippery places, and make them right. It will bring balance and evenness to us. God will prepare us for the manifestation of His glory. This prophecy was fulfilled by John the baptizer who prepared the people for the coming of Jesus (Matthew 3:1-6).

Day 2 – the word of our God shall stand for ever

Verses 6-11

The lifetime of man in this world is like that of grass – so brief:

   A. Numbers 22:4 – now shall this company (Israel) lick up as the ox licketh up grass

   B. 2Kings 19:26 – they were as the grass of the field, as the grass on the housetops

   C. Psalm 37:2 – soon cut down like grass

   D. Psalm 90:5 – in the morning they are like grass

   E. Psalm 92:7 – when the wicked spring as grass, they shall be destroyed forever

   F. Psalm 102:4 – my heart is smitten and withereth like grass

   G. Psalm 102:11 – my days are like a shadow, I am withered like grass

   H. Psalm 103:15 – as for man, his days are as grass

   I. Psalm 129:6 – let them be as grass upon the housetops which withereth afore it groweth up

   J. Isaiah 37:27 – they were as the grass of the field, as the grass on the housetops

   K. Isaiah 40:6-8, 1Pet 1:24 – all flesh is grass, the grass withereth because the spirit of the Lord

       bloweth upon it, surely the people is grass, the grass withereth, but the word of our God shall

       stand forever

   L. Isaiah 51:12 – the son of man which shall be made as grass

   M. Matthew 6:30, Lk 12:28 – if God so clothe the grass which today is, and tomorrow is cast

         into oven

   N. James 1:10-11 – rich is made low, as the flower of the grass shall pass away, sun is no

        sooner risen, it withereth the grass, so shall rich man fade away in his ways

In contrast to the short life of man is the eternal word of God. He will return with a reward for His people. He is like a shepherd that gathers his sheep (John 10:1-10).

Day 3 – the nations are as a drop of a bucket

Verses 12-17

Who can compare himself to God who created the heavens and the earth, and can perceive it all at once? Who can give advice to God (although we foolishly often try)? Who can teach God something He does not already know? The entire land surface of the earth is 57.5 million square miles, yet it is but a speck to Him. The wood of the entire cedar forest of Lebanon, and all the animals in the world, are not enough to suffice for sacrifices for Him. To Him, it is all less than nothing. It is about 240,000 miles to the moon. You have to travel at the speed of a bullet for 4 days to get there. Yet that is nothing. The sun is 93 million miles away. Yet that is nothing. The sun is a star. The next closest star to the earth is called Alpha Centauri. It is actually 2 stars. They are 4 light years away. That means you have to travel 186,000 miles per second for 4 years to get there. Yet that is nothing. It is estimated that there are 100 billion stars in our galaxy. Yet that is nothing. It is estimated there are 100 billion galaxies in the universe. The size of the universe is way beyond our ability to conceive. Yet the creation of everything beyond the sun is covered by only 5 words: “he made the stars also (Genesis 1:16)”.

Day 4 – to whom then will ye liken God?

Verses 18-25

It is impossible to make a likeness of God, because He is eternal and infinite. He is not a person. He is a Spirit (John 4:24). He is invisible (John 1:18, Colossians 1:15, 1Timothy 1:17, Hebrews 11:15). That is why making idols, even those that are allegedly for the worship of God, is so foolish. God is incomparable. We cannot and should not even make an attempt at a visual representation of Him (Exodus 20:4-5, Deuteronomy 4), even in our vain imagination. God sometimes visibly manifested Himself momentarily in the Old Testament (Genesis 18, Genesis 28:13, Exodus 3:2, Exodus 13:21, Exodus 24:10-11, 1Kings 22:19, Isaiah 6:1). When God came in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:1-3 & 14, John 14:7-11, 2Corinthians 5:19, Colossians 2:9, 1Timothy 3:16), this was a permanent visible manifestation of God (John 1:18, 2Ccorinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3). Though we cannot visibly see the person of Christ today, we will someday (Acts 1:9-11, Revelation 1:7). That is all of God we will ever need or be able to see.

Day 5 – the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary

Verses 26-31

Look to the sky in the country on a clear night and behold the stars. He names all 100 billion times 100 billion of them. Why would we think He cannot keep track of all of us here on earth? God does not get tired. There is nothing He does not understand. He strengthens the weary. Even the vitality of the young can be exhausted, but those whose eager expectation is in God will find renewing. They will fly like eagles, run without exhaustion, and walk without fatigue. This is mainly talking about spiritual strength, but God can also give us physical strength when we need it, especially to do His work (Moses - Deuteronomy 34:7, Caleb - Joshua 14:10-11, Samson – Judges 14:6 & 19, Judges 15:4-5 & 8 & 14-19, Judges16:3 & 9 & 12 & 14 & 30, Elijah – 1Kings 18:46).