CONTENTS
I. THE ONLY TRUE GOD WILL RESTORE HIS PEOPLE PART ONE (40:1-48:22)
2. God's Power Removes Fear; He Will Bring Justice (40:12- 42:13)
This complex group of oracles includes diverse, yet thematically interrelated messages about (a) God's ability to bring about justice, and (b) how God's power will show that the nations and their gods have no power. No one in Judah needed to question the justice of God's sovereign control over the political history of the nations (40:14, 27). No one in Judah needed to wonder if God's almighty power is stronger than the power of the gods of the surrounding nations (40:15,17-19).67 If God took the nations and their gods to an imaginary court of justice (41:21), it would become clear that God can protect his chosen servants (41:9-10) and that these nations and their gods would be seen as completely impotent (41:12-13,24,29).
Eventually, God's special chosen servant “will bring forth justice”
(42:1,3) and “establish justice on the earth” (42:4). His life will proclaim God's glory throughout the earth (42:8-12) and demonstrate that the power of the idols and the nations that serve them are of little significance (42:8,13). The prophet's audience should respond in faith, confidence, and joy (42:10-13), knowing that God will strengthen them (40:28-31) while defeating their enemies and the gods that their enemies depend on (41:11).
These theological truths are structured into four interrelated messages that are designed to give hope to the weak and fearful audience the prophet was addressing. The first message (40:12-31) should persuade the listener to believe that courage and strength are possible because God is wise (40:13-14) and incomparably more powerful than the nations and their gods (40:15-26). The second
oracle encourages confidence in God based on his ability to control political events (41:1-16) and transform nature (41:17-20). The third message argues in legal terminology that God controls history and that other gods are not able to control anything (41:21-29). The fourth oracle confidently promises the establishment of God's new world of justice and joy through the work of his chosen servant (42:1-13). By trusting God's promise, Israel can gain new strength (40:29-31; 42:8- 10) and will give praise and glory to God (42:8,10-13).
SETTING. The exact setting of this group of messages is not explicitly stated at the beginning, for the prophet does not refer to the reign of any king in Judah, nor provide the name of any ruler of any foreign nation. The audience is made up of Hebrews who wonder what God is doing (40:27), who feel weak and helpless (40:29;
42:10,14), and who face people who are opposing and waging war against them (41:11-12). J. D. W. Watts suggested that these conditions should be read against the backdrop of the Hebrew people living in Babylonian exile.68 This interpretation is largely based on identifying the Persian king Cyrus as the unidentified conqueror from the east who will arise and defeat many nations (41:2-3, 25),69 but Cyrus is not mentioned in chapters 40:12-42:13. Even J. Calvin assumed that the prophet was giving hope to the exiles “because it was difficult for captives and exiles while they were at a great distance from their native country to hope for a return … Having been scattered throughout Chaldea and the neighboring countries, they thought that the road which led homeward was shut up against them.”70 Nevertheless, since many Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian kings came from the east to conquer western states along the Mediterranean coast, it is important not to jump too quickly to a conclusion about which conqueror 41:2-3,25 describes.
B. Childs recognized that any approach that identifies Cyrus as the ruler who was defeating many nations in order to let the exiles go
home from Babylon is weakened by the lack of any explicit reference to the Hebrew people in exile in these verses and no mention of Babylon in these chapters.71 In many sections of the Book of Isaiah one cannot assume that all the chapters are necessarily in chronological order or that they were all given at the same time and place (chaps. 13-23). The precariousness of the exilic hypothesis needs to be recognized, for people can feel weak and helpless for many reasons. A more serious objection to this setting is that there is no record of the Israelites fighting wars and God defeating their enemies (42:11-12) while the people were in exile. Because of multiple possible settings for this oracle, the interpreter is left in the dangerous position of having to propose an historical setting in 40:12- 42:13 based on a minimal amount of historical information in these paragraphs.
Nevertheless there are a few hints in 40:12-42:13 that might provide some evidence of the setting of the audience. (a) The Hebrews are very fearful and lack the strength they need; thus God encourages them not to fear and to be strong (40:29-31; 41:10,13-14). (b) God was stirring up a ruler from the east/north who would call on God's name and subdue many rulers and nations (41:2-3,25). (c) Some enemy is raging against, opposing, and waging war against God's people, but soon that enemy will be as nothing and will not be found (41:11-12). The first factor of having fear is probably too general to date these prophecies to any specific event or time, but the second and third factors invite one to compare various possible options that might fit these circumstances.
Since there is such a strong emphasis on the nations and their gods as powerless (40:15-20,23-24; 41:24), it appears that one of the fears that the Hebrews had was derived from the threats of a stronger nation and its gods. This connection is explicitly made in 41:10-13.
The opposing nation is not named, but many commentators connect
the ruler who subdues many nations in 41:2-3 and 41:25 with the rise of Cyrus around 540 BC.72 Although Cyrus was a strong ruler who did many of the things mentioned here, it is difficult to defend the suggestion that Cyrus actually called on the name of Yahweh (41:25;
see comments there).
A second problem is that there is no known text that indicates that Cyrus ever made war against the Hebrews or was considered their enemy. There is no indication in history or the Bible that God judged Cyrus by reducing him to nothing (41:11-12). Cyrus simply does not match the evidence of 41:11-12 or 41:25. In addition, there is no indication in the writings of the exilic prophet Ezekiel that the Hebrew people in Babylonian captivity feared for their lives or were waging war against another nation. Jeremiah's letter (29:1-23) to the exiles makes no reference to the Hebrews fighting wars while in Babylonian exile. Thus it is difficult to find an exilic setting that will provide an adequate backdrop for these chapters.
The fear of some strong military nation and its gods provides the general background for the setting of these chapters (41:10-13). Two possible military conflicts deserve consideration. First, a significant military setting where the Hebrews were opposed in a major war was at the fall of Jerusalem in 605-587 BC when God raised up Nebuchadnezzar to subdue most of the ancient Near Eastern nations, including Judah (Jer 22:3-10; 25:8-11; Ezek 5-6; Dan 1:1-3). This situation did cause the Hebrews to have great fear and this conflict would fit the military setting of 41:2-4,11,25. But the statements that God will (a) make Judah's enemies nothing, (b) help and strengthen his people, and (c) work on their behalf so that they need not fear (41:10-16), does not fit what happened at the fall of Jerusalem. God opposed his sinful people because of their wickedness and did not defeat their enemy Nebuchadnezzar. Certainly Nebuchadnezzar and his army were not reduced to nothing.
A second military setting that might qualify would be the Assyrian attack on Jerusalem in 701 BC when God raised up Sennacherib to subdue many nations and defeat Judah (22:1-13; 29:1- 8). In this context God not only promised that he would punish Judah for its sins, but that “your many enemies will become like dust” (29:5) for the “voice of the Lord will shatter Assyria” (30:31-32). The Assyrians did become almost nothing when God killed 185,000 Assyrian troops in one night (37:36). Isaiah 41:11-12 fits this situation perfectly, for at that time those who opposed Judah perished and their gods were proven powerless.73
Based on an Assyrian military setting (found in chaps. 36-37), these messages make sense and come alive as prophetic encouragement not to fear Assyria or its gods. If the Assyrians were just outside the walls of Jerusalem, one could understand why the audience was in need of so much encouragement to trust God and not fear the strong nation that was warring against them.74 Although Sennacherib arrogantly claimed that he and his gods had defeated all the other nations and their gods (36:18-20; 37:11-13), these oracles in 40:12-42:13 present a rhetorical argument for drawing one's strength and hope from the powerful God of Judah. From God's perspective Assyria, its army, and its gods have no power in comparison to Israel's true God who sovereignly created the world and controls its history.
(1) God's Incomparable Power Gives Strength to the Weak (40:12- 31)
GENRE. The genre of 40:12-31 is sometimes connected to a disputation speech because of the Israelites complaint (in 40:27) that God was not showing proper concern for them and is not treating them justly.75 R. F. Melugin found a wisdom influence in the rhetorical questions in 40:12-17 (compare with Job 40:25-32) and connected the complaint in 40:27 to the style of the individual lament
psalms, with 40:28-31 being an expression of confidence.76
Although one cannot find a totally consistent structural pattern for all the disputation speeches in the prophets (or in Isaiah), they usually begin by raising an issue where there is some theological misunderstanding, and then they present a divine correction and conclude with some sort of substantiation of the correct theological answer.77 As a whole, 40:12-31 does not follow this pattern very well, although the final paragraph (40:27-31) has some similarities to it.
One is left to conclude that this literary unit does not follow the pattern of any well-known genre of literature.
Nevertheless, this message follows the regular pattern of beginning each paragraph with a series of rhetorical questions (40:12- 13,18,21,25, 27-28a) that are then answered by God in order to instruct the audience. These organized questions serve several functions: (a) to structure the material into orderly subparagraphs; (b) to invite the audience to reflect on the answers to the questions and reconsider their own beliefs in light of what God was saying; and (c) to prove the absolute incomparability of God.78 Together these factors function “to lift up, to increase strength, to bolster and rejuvenate (40:28-31)”79 the prophet's audience. Interestingly, this positive instructional speech on the greatness of God has some parallels with the hymnic material in Psalm 33.80
STRUCTURE. The structure of this message is signaled by the repetition of similar grammatical questions (“who?” in 12,13,14,18,25), interjections (“behold,” in 15,15b), rhetorical questions (“do you not know,” in 21a,21b,21c,28), and a regular thematic movement. The subparagraphs deals with (a) who God is, (b) how he views the nations, and (c) how he compares to the idols.81 This repeated pattern naturally divides 40:12-31 into three parts.
The first subparagraph in 40:12-20
(1) begins with a series of questions (40:12-14)
(2) offers hope by comparing God to the nations (40:15-17) (3) begins with a question of comparison (40:18)
(4) offers hope by contrasting God and idols (40:19-20) The second subparagraph in 40:21-26
(1) begins with a series of rhetorical questions (40:21)
(2) offers hope by comparing God to the rulers of the nations (40:22- 24)
(3) begins with a question of comparison (40:25) (4) offers hope by exalting God's greatness (40:26)
The third subparagraph in 40:27-31
(1) begins with a series of lamenting questions (40:27)
(2) offers hope by extending God's strength to the weak (40:28-31).82 In light of the evidence presented in the answers to Judah's first two questions, it was no longer meaningful to make a comparison between God and the idols in the last section of this paragraph, for they are nothing. God's final answer also drops any comparison between God and the nations (40:28-31), presenting only promises of hope for those who truly trust him.
THERE IS NO POWER STRONGER THAN GOD (40:12-20)
12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?
13Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor?
14Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge
or showed him the path of understanding?
15Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
16Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
17Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.
18To whom, then, will you compare God?
What image will you compare him to?
19As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it.
20A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot.
He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.
The unit begins with a series of interrogative questions ( “who”) in 40:12,13, and 14. The second line in each verse presents another parallel question with an interrogative “who” implied. Although there is no explicit indication in these verses that identifies who was raising these questions, it is safe to assume that something was happening in that historical context that caused people in the prophet's audience to question God's wisdom, power, and greatness (possibly the war mentioned in 41:11-12). If Judah's enemies and their gods were winning military victories, this would inevitably cause some Hebrew people to wonder if God's abilities were weaker than the wisdom, power, and greatness of this enemy nation and its gods. Although the grammatical form of a question is used to raise this issue, the prophet has no doubt about the answers to these rhetorical questions (these are
not negative statements of unbelief).83 The obvious answers to the questions should cause these questions to function as reaffirmations of the audience's faith. The question format invites the listeners to remember what their traditions say about God. If these foundational truths are accepted, they have major implications for how the audience should view the strong enemy army and its gods.84 The messengers of the Assyrian king may have sounded very intimidating when he spoke outside the walls of Jerusalem about the great deeds of their army and their gods (36:1-20; 37:9-13),85 but the prophet's assertions in this chapter counter those claims.
This paragraph is organized around four points.
Who can understand the greatness of God? 40:12-14 God views the nations as nothing 40:15-17 Can God be compared to idols? 40:18
The idols are man made 40:19-20
40:12-14 The first series of rhetorical questions inquire about God's greatness (12), his sovereign knowledge and wisdom (13), and his incomparable understanding of justice (14). These questions reflect on God's character and ability to do what a divine being should be able to do. God's ability to excel beyond everything that is imaginable argues that he is an incomparably great God.
40:12 The initial questions seek to find out who can (a) measure out the water in the oceans; (b) “mark off, measure” (tikk n) the distances between the stars and planets in the heavens; (c) “contain, hold”86 the dust of the earth in a standard measuring devise,87 and (d) weigh out the various mountains to make sure that everything on earth balances out. The rhetorical question format would encourage the
audience to think about how they might answer these questions. It is very unlikely Isaiah was raising controversial issues that no one could answer from their religious traditions. Most people in the audience would immediately agree that their great God could do these superhuman things because that is what early Hebrew traditions said.
The audience could reflect on the truths that they had read in Hebrew creation texts (Gen 1; Prov 8; Job 38) and come to a legitimate conclusion.88 Once the prophet has reestablished these fundamental truths about God, he could explain how these beliefs impacted the difficult situation the audience was facing.
These questions point not only to God's ability to do what is humanly impossible, but also to his unfathomable greatness and power. When people consider the size of the oceans, the vastness of the heavens, and height and grandeur of the mountains, they would naturally find it hard to even imagine the enormous amounts of water in an ocean that is over six miles deep, the trillions of miles between the distant stars in all the different galaxies, and the untold tons of rocks and soil in each individual mountain or mountain range. But the truth is that when God deals with these parts of nature, he is able measure the small amount of liquid in each body of water by simply cupping his hand and filling it with water.89 God can measure the enormous breadth of the heavens by simply stretching out his fingers (Ps 33:6-7) to mark the distance between two stars. Indeed, God is glorious and great, far beyond human imagination. This passage does not expressly deal with God's creation of the world; it merely deals with his abilities to measure the size of the heavens, the seas, and various parts of the earth that are already in existence. Although no express comparison is made with other gods at this point (40:18-20), these initial claims will later serve as criteria whereby one can compare the God of Israel with the gods of the other nations.
40:13-14 Next the prophet addresses the issue of God's wisdom.
J. Oswalt points to the essence of the implied question: “if we cannot
even take the measure of the physical world, how can we take the measure of God?”90 It is preposterous to think that anyone can
“measure” (tikk n) the depth and breadth of the “mind”91 of God to understand how it works.92 Although some of the Hebrews in Jerusalem may have questioned what God was doing in Judah at this time, would anyone in the prophet's audience be so bold as to suggest that they might be able to help God understand the mysteries of this world through their very limited human knowledge?93 Does God need consultants, instructors, or advisors on how to govern the world according to a plan94 that will allow justice to prevail (Ps 119:24)?
This theme may be interlinked to Isaiah's earlier statement in 14:24-27 that claims that God has a “plan” to crush the Assyrians and his promise that he will accomplish what he has planned (28:29).95 God is the one who teaches men knowledge and wisdom (Ps 94:10; 119:66);
people cannot teach God anything. God knows how to bring about
“just results” on earth without man's advice or counsel. Although
“just results” often refer to the forensic decisions that a judge renders at the end of a trial (50:8; 54:17) or God's righteous judgment of sinful people (Ps 96:13; 98:9), in this context the term probably has a general application to God's judgments in making right decisions in running the world (28:8-9; 40:27).96 God's supreme abilities and wisdom should have given the prophet's audience a great deal of confidence to put their trust in him. He knows what is right; plus he has the power to establish his just plans on the earth.97
40:15 Both the first and third phrases in this verse are introduced by “surely, behold” (h n). These introductory exclamations draw attention to what follows, typically introducing an inference or conclusion that can be drawn from what precedes (41:11,24,29). If the mountains, heavens, and seas in 40:13-14 are so small from God's perspective, surely the great nations that dominate this small planet and oppose God's people are no greater than a tiny drop of water (an exaggerated comparative hyperbole).98 The infinitesimal size of these