And So We Begin - Here is The One

Isaiah Chapter 40-66

For thirty-nine chapters Isaiah has pressed one question. Who will you trust?

Will you trust alliances?

Will you trust strength?

Will you trust wisdom?

Will you trust religion?

Will you trust kings?

Ahaz believed in God, but not enough to trust Him.

Hezekiah trusted God, but Hezekiah made mistakes and he is not the Messiah.

The nations boasted. Babylon exalted itself. Israel doubted and wavered. And Isaiah ch 1-39 doesn’t leave us feeling comfortable with all of our questions answered. It leaves us exposed.

Because belief is not the same as trust. And religious language is not the same as surrender. Exile is what happens when trust is misplaced.

But Isaiah 1–39 also leaves us with a question, and not a small one.

By the time we reach the end of that first half or Isaiah, we’ve seen enough to know this, human kings cannot carry the weight of God’s promise.

So if Hezekiah isn’t the promised one, then the promise to Abraham still has not been fulfilled. And that means we have to ask it plainly.

Who is this One? The promised One?

And now we arrive at Isaiah 40. And this is not a soft reset. And we are not hearing about a sentimental comfort.

Isaiah 40–66 is the answer to everything that came before it.

Isaiah 1–39 asked:

Who will you trust?

Isaiah 40–66 answers:

Here is the One who is worthy of your trust.

Not a better king or a stronger nation.

Not a new strategy or a smarter plan.

The Lord Himself. The Creator.

The Holy One of Israel. The Redeemer.

The One who declares the end from the beginning.

The One who comes down.

The One who bears the sin.

The One who makes covenant peace.

The One who restores righteousness.

The One who brings new creation.

This section carries weight. It will rebuild trust from the ground up and expose idols again. It will reveal the Servant. And we will see grace, not as some soft idea, but as the only way forward.

We will learn of suffering we did not expect. It will speak of a cup. We will hear of an arm bared. And He will invite us to come without price. He will call us to righteousness.

And it will not finish at suffering, it will move all the way through to restoration and glory.

This is not light and fluffy. It is packed with amazing truth. And amazing Grace.

We must not rush this. This is holy ground. This is where the promise sharpens. Grace is explained. Justice is satisfied. And trust finds its object. How can this be?

Isaiah does not simply comfort exiles. He reveals the gospel. So take a deep breath.

Lean in. Do not skim. Listen.

Because the question has already been asked.

And now we are about to meet the answer.

Prayer

Lord,

We stand at the edge of something weighty. You have asked us who we will trust. Now You are about to show us why You alone are worthy of that trust.

Open our eyes Lord.

Strip away familiarity. Quiet our distractions. Keep us from skimming what is holy.

As we walk through these chapters, help us to see You, not just ideas about You, but You.

Rebuild our trust where it has weakened. Expose the things we lean on instead of You.

Give us courage to follow wherever this leads. We come not to analyse You, but to know You. Lead us.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.