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Lowell Brueckner

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Divine Attributes and Power

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37. An expository study of Isaiah, chapter 40

Comfort, comfort my people

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (v.1). This chapter is one of the great treasures of Isaiah and ranks among the highest portions of Scripture. It is a wonderful word from God for His flock. His intentions are always good towards them and His longing is for them to feel comfort and security under His care. He instructs His messengers to give comfort.

He chastens, as a good father always must, and He said in his covenant with David, concerning his offspring, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul…” (2 S.7:14-15). The destiny of Saul should never be used to frighten the Lord’s sheep into obedience and subjection. The end of David’s line was not to be compared with Saul’s. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem…” Conflict was one of the ways, in which God frequently disciplined, but now Jerusalem is assured that the war had ended and the punishment was more than sufficient (v.2).

Hezekiah’s Illness and Error

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36. An expository study of Isaiah, chapters 38 and 39

Chapter 38

Please open your Bible to Isaiah 38, so that you can follow the text, as I try to comment on it. We run into a difficulty in this chapter, but it only serves to teach us the ways of God. It is our purpose in the study of Scriptures, not to look for support for pet doctrines, but to open our hearts to learn the character of God and His dealings with mankind.

When we contemplate the sovereignty of God, we must take the relationship between God and man into account. Abraham was His friend and He spoke and communed with him.  This is a most wonderful thing in God’s personality: “The Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do’” (Ge.18:17). God was also very intimate with Moses and spoke with him, “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex.33:11). I have always been amazed at the following passage, when God intended to destroy the Israelites, after they made a golden calf to worship. He exclaimed to Moses, Let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against your people” (Ex.32:10). Moses actually detained the hand of the Almighty.

There are multiple times in the Bible, when we see the Lord withholding judgment, which He had declared upon people. The case of Jonah, prophesying destruction to the people of Nineveh, is a classic example, when the grace and mercy of God entered into the picture. Here is another interesting prophecy from the life of Paul, in which the disciples in Tyre prophesied: “Through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem” (Ac.21:4). Agabus also prophesied concerning this in Caesaria, and all the Christians tried to persuade him not to go on, but finally resigned to “let the will of the Lord be done” (21:14). We must conclude that, in the end in every case, the sovereign, unchangeable will of God is done.