Isaiah 41: Words of Comfort. Pt. 7

Good morning... 

Psalm 14: 1-2  The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.  They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.  The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

 Photo of Acacia Tree.

Future blessing from God brings comfort.

Isaiah 41:15-20  Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. 16  Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. 

The prophet Isaiah continues to teach us more about our compassionate God so that we learn just how loving and good He is. As we understand more of the character of Jehovah I think we trust Him more and our hearts are comforted by knowing Him better.

Isaiah speaks of what God will do with the nation Israel when they are confronting their enemies. Jehovah tells the people that He will make them like a super sharp sickle that will easily cut down their foes. 

The prophet is looking forward to that day when their King, the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth to defeat all enemies of Israel. When the Day of the LORD occurs Israel will rejoice in Jehovah and glory in their Messiah, Jesus Christ. 

Jehovah comforts all people by caring for the poor and maketh Himself known. 

Isaiah 41:17-20  When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. 18  I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. 19  I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: 20  That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it. 

Isaiah brings a message of comfort to the poor and needy who often lack the basic essentials of life. The God of Israel will not forget about the poor and underprivileged people in the world. When they are thirsty and need water He will open rivers in high places and cause fountains of water to spring up. Remember that in the ancient Middle East water was often a life and death issue. People fought over access to water for their animals and themselves. 

When the Kingdom of God is established Jehovah will cause the dry, hot desert areas to grow fir trees, pine trees and box trees in this area. Fir and pine trees are similar trees that can grow to a large size. They are evergreens with needles and cones. They have various sizes and similar shapes. 

The box tree is a smaller evergreen tree with a smaller canopy. It is similar to arbor vitae trees. Grouping these three trees together would yield a complementary grouping of similar trees providing shade and seeds for wildlife.

When the Kingdom of God is established Jehovah will also cause four trees to grow in the wilderness areas. Cedar trees, sihttah trees, myrtle tree and oil trees will grow together. The cedar tree can grow in a wide variety of conditions and is very resistant to disease or insects. Its appearance is similar to a pine or arbor vitae.

The Shittah tree is the acacia tree that grows in many hot climates. These trees have oils and fruits that are prized for medicines, food ingredients, tanning oil and ink or dyes. The Myrtle tree produces good berries and attractive flowers. It is not a large tree. The Oil tree refers to the olive tree. Olive oil is used for food, soap, medicinal ointment and fuel for lamps. 

When Jehovah causes these great transformations in the desert and wilderness places all who see it will know without a doubt that God did this mighty work.

Jehovah is All Glorious but idols are nothing. 

Isaiah 41:22-24  Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. 23  Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together. 24  Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you. 

The prophet turns his attention to the futility of idolatry once again as Jehovah speaks from heaven. An idol cannot bring anything forth. It cannot make anything nor can it give life to any. Idols cannot explain creation or human history nor can they foretell the future. 

Isaiah shows us the glory of God in stark contrast to powerless idols. Jehovah can do all those things that an idol cannot do, In fact, He has done all of them. His conclusion about idols is that they are nothing but an abomination. 

Thoughts to Ponder....

We continue to be comforted by Isaiah's words. When the kingdom of God is established Israel will be a mighty army empowered by Jehovah to defeat their enemies. There will be a geographical transformation that will occur. God will cause trees and vegetation to thrive in both the wilderness and the desert. 

God is in control and He is advancing His kingdom even when our own lives are filled with uncertainty. He still is not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. God can do all things as we see from the Isaiah texts. He is not limited by time, space or matter like we are. 

Are we trusting the God of all comfort? Are we seeking shelter under His wings and are we leaning on His everlasting arms? Are we feasting on His Word to find comfort, joy and hope? 

Bob