Isaiah 40:8 - God's Word Is Eternal!
Isa.40:8; God's Word Is Eternal!
CONTENT; What's in the verse; Translations; Paraphrase; Word
Study:
Isa 40:8 (KJV) The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the
word of our God shall stand for ever.
Isa 40:8 (TEV) Yes, grass withers and flowers fade, but the
word of our God endures forever."
Isa 40:8 (CEV) Flowers and grass fade away, but what our God
has said will never change.
CONTEXT; What's around the verse; Overview; Topic:
Overview
Judah's sovereign LORD intends good for His people (40:1-31).
God, not the idols worshiped by the nations, controls the future
(41:1-29). Though Israel failed its national calling as God's servant, One
from the nation will fulfill God's purpose (42:1-25) when the Creator
acts to redeem His chosen people (43:1-44:25). As evidence, God will
appoint one named Cyrus to restore Jerusalem (v. 26-45:25). Oppressive
Babylon will be crushed, and God's word of blessing for Israel will be
fulfilled (46:1-48:22). [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
Isa 40 begins a new rhythm played for a time of desolation.
Comfort becomes the dominant theme; poetry is the idiom. The Messiah's
forerunner was predicted. His task would be to make straight the path for
the coming King. Early Christians recognized this crying voice as
that of John the Baptist (Mt 3:3). John himself perceived this as his
task (Jn 1:23). John's Gospel highlights the magnificent metaphor of
caring by portraying Jesus as the Good Shepherd (Isa 40:11; Jn 10:14).
Christians as recipients of such care must also learn to care in their
tasks of making ready the climactic royal appearance. Patient
preparation through concern and care is our ministry of comfort as we wait
for Jesus to return. [Disciple SB]
Isa. 40:1-31. "Here is your God" The first time I traveled in
the western America, I couldn't believe the sky. It seemed so big. I
had to keep looking to the left and right to take it all in.
This is something like Isaiah's treatment here of God. He is so
big, Isaiah has us look to the left and the right to try to take Him
in. Looking left, Isaiah described a God "enthroned above the circle
of the earth" to whom the nations seem "like a drop in a bucket"
(vv. 6-26). Looking left, we are simply overwhelmed by the awesome
greatness of God's power and mighty strength.
Then Isaiah has us look right, and we see the Creator stoop down
to touch the individual, and give "strength to the weary." Because
ours is a God who not only creates but who also cares, "Those who
hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings
like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not
be faint" (vv. 27-31). [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
The Greatness of God
Comfort for God's People
The Word of God Stands Forever (40:6-8)
CROSS REFERENCES; What's in verses elsewhere.
Psalm 119:89 (KJV) For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in
heaven.
Isaiah 46:10 (KJV) Declaring the end from the beginning, and
from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My
counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Isaiah 55:11 (KJV) So shall my word be that goeth forth out of
my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish
that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent
it.
Matthew 24:35 (KJV) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my
words shall not pass away.
Mark 13:31 (KJV) Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words
shall not pass away.
John 10:35 (KJV) If he called them gods, unto whom the word of
God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
COMMENTARY / APPLICATION: Moving From The Head To The Heart
What is God teaching here? What does it teach about Jesus?
People are compared here to grass and flowers that wither away.
We are mortal, but God's Word is eternal and unfailing. Public
opinion changes and is unreliable, but God's Word is constant. Only in
God's eternal Word will we find lasting solutions to our problems and
needs. [Life Application SB]
Truth never changes, for its Author is "the same yesterday, and
to day, and for ever" (Heb. 13:8). [SDA Commentary]
Because the word of our God stands forever their prophecies are
sure to be fulfilled. [Ryrie SB]
Human words come and go, making their impact for a moment and
then dying in the mists of history. God's Word never dies. It has
eternal authority. The comfort He offers His people is sure. We can
count on Scripture when all else seems to fail. [Disciple SB]
This is a glorious affirmation of the total sufficiency and
eternal existence of God's word. Regardless of the decay of nature,
human frailty, and changing circumstances, God's word is sure. He
gives absolute promises which certainly will be accomplished. His word
lives and breathes in the hearts of those who, through the ages, have
been regenerated. [Believer's SB]
So few things in our lives last forever. In fact, Jesus tells
us in Matthew 24:35 that "heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will never pass away." It makes you wonder, doesn't it, why we
spend so much time, energy, and resources on the things of this world
- making money, creating a name, impressing our neighbors,
collecting treasures, seeking pleasure - when we know that they will all be
gone one day. Like God Himself, His Word is eternal. What results
from His Word is also eternal: fruits of the Spirit such as love,
joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control;
fruits of our labor such as soul winning, seed planting, soil watering;
the fruit of righteousness such as a pure life. What will you say on
that day when you stand before the Lord to give an account of your
time? Today is a good day to start over: read His Word, apply it to
your life, and live it out! [In His Time; Walk With Wisdom]
Everything in our world is in a stage of transition. It has been
said that the day a person is born, is the day that person begins to
die. Now, think about the first chapter of John's Gospel where John
says that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. Jesus Christ, the Word, is the eternal
expression of God to man. He is the great I Am - who always was, always
is, and who always will be. This is hard to fully comprehend. To
the degree we can grasp the significance of eternity, we should
prioritize the elements of our lives to that same degree. If the material
and natural are at best transitory but the spiritual is eternal,
what should be of utmost importance to us? How can we be so
susceptible to the world's propaganda in ordering our lives by its ungodly
values? Wake up and order your life on what is really important. [In
His Time; Walk With Wisdom]
|
|
