Sovereign & Shepherd
5/12/26 Bible Thought (Isaiah 40)
Main Idea: The living God is both Sovereign and Shepherd.
A Quick Backdrop:
The scene shifts significantly as we turn from Isaiah 39 to Isaiah 40. At present, Isaiah was ministering to a generation during a time of great instability when the landscape of nations was changing constantly.
Assyria had conquered many of Judah’s neighbors, but Babylon was on the rise.
As we saw yesterday, Babylon was in fact going to take Judah captive (see Isa. 39:6). While King Hezekiah seemed unbothered because there was peace and security in his day (Isa. 39:8), it certainly would have been troubling for the people of God to know they were in the sights of such a mighty nation.
To this, the next portion of Isaiah shifts to a future time. Instead of present exhortation in the midst of turbulent times, there is a prophetic hope for the future.
A Look at the Text:
Isaiah 40 takes us quickly from judgment to comfort.
The text begins with the twofold cry, “Comfort, comfort” for the warfare of Judah was ended (Isa. 40:1). Before Babylon even destroyed Jerusalem, there was a message of hope for the future!
God was working on His people’s behalf. While mortal flesh fades as quickly as withering grass, the Word of God stands forever (Isa. 40:8). As such, in Him and His faithful promise, His people could hope.
There is good news, their God would come (Isa. 40:9). Though exalted on high, holding the oceans in His palm and the heavens with His hand (Isa. 40:12), He took thought for them.
Though the true Sovereign over the nations (see Isa. 40:15-17), He would care for His people as a shepherd (Isa. 40:11). Unlike the vain idols of the people that were merely the product of their own hands (Isa. 40:19-20), He is the living God:
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable (Isa. 40:28)
Bringing it Home:
Isaiah 40 is such a beautiful chapter, not only because of the hope it brings to God’s people in Judah, but because of what it reveals to us about God.
He is the living God. In contrast to the idols of the nations, He is orchestrating history, and the nations are as a mere drop in the bucket before Him. Yet, this same God who is sovereign over the nations is also a loving and gracious God, depicted as a shepherd.
As we turn to the New Testament, we see that Christ, the One who has made this God known (John 1:18), holds these very qualities. “He upholds the universe by the word of His power” (Heb. 11:3b), and yet He is likewise the Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep (John 10:11).
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
The everlasting, all-powerful Creator is also our gracious Redeemer. Though enthroned on high, He cares for us (see 1 Pet. 5:7).
This is the God that we serve today—a God worth waiting for (see Isa. 40:31).
Challenge:
Do I ever focus on one aspect of God to the exclusion of others?
Let us never forget that God’s nature is multifaceted, to say the least. He is not only the King of Creation, but He is also a God who, in His grace, takes thought for us. All these things are true at the same time.