Isaiah 40
War is over (if you want it). In Jesus, God offers peace and forgiveness.
Isaiah wrote to a group of people who had been exiled and cast out from the promised land because of their sin. They were not innocent bystanders in their fate. This tragedy was brought upon them through the sovereign direction of God for failing to obey and love Him as they were called to. Yet it is in this setting that God began to make promises that He would comfort His people. In these chapters in Isaiah, we find some of the most precious promises of God and see that God’s grace and comfort are truly greater than all of our sins.
Read Isaiah 40:1-11:
- How were the promises of these verses fulfilled?
- How does the gospel make these promises even greater?
- Why do you think Isaiah is told to remind the people that “all humanity is grass” that fades quickly?
- What contrast does verse 11 give to the image of God that we see in verse 10?
Read Isaiah 40:12-26:
- This passage speaks to how small the nations and rulers are when compared to God. What are a few other things that seem important in our world but are meager when compared with the awesomeness of God?
- What was Isaiah trying to teach people about the authority of God in these verses?
Read Isaiah 40:27-31:
- In what ways are people’s behavior impacted when they think they’re not being watched?
- How might people’s behavior change once they realize that their ways are not hidden from the Lord, that God has not forgotten them?
- What encouragement does this passage offer to those who feel weak?
Taking it Home:
- What obstacles or distractions in your life obstruct your view of God’s awesomeness?
- Since God has been so good to us, how can we extend the grace that we have received from God to one another?
Additional Scriptures to Engage with this week:
- Malachi 4
- Psalm 106
- Micah 7
- Zephaniah 3
- Genesis 22
- Leviticus 26