Speak to the Heart of Jerusalem

By Dan & Brenda Cathcart

The video version of this teaching is at: https://youtu.be/T5j_D1fdhEw

The scripture reading is Isaiah 40:1-26

Last Saturday was the ninth of Av on the biblical calendar. It was on this day twenty-five hundred years ago that God’s judgment fell on Jerusalem and Israel. The temple that Solomon had built to be God’s house on Earth was destroyed. The children of Israel had been exiled from the land that God had given them to possess forever. Jeremiah lamented that there was none to comfort Jerusalem for her loss.

Lamentations 1:2a NKJV 2 She weeps bitterly in the night, Her tears are on her cheeks; Among all her lovers She has none to comfort her.

The city had been denuded of her people. Jerusalem was left to be ruled over by a harsh taskmaster; the worship of God in Jerusalem was no more.

Lamentations 1:4-5a NKJV 4 The roads to Zion mourn Because no one comes to the set feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests sigh, Her virgins are afflicted, And she is in bitterness. 5 Her adversaries have become the master,

The glory of the LORD had departed from the city; the city of which God said His eye would always be watching. What would become of the children of Israel scattered among the empire of Babylon? What would become of God’s city of Jerusalem? Would the enemies of God rule there forever? And what about the promise to Abraham that his descendants would inherit the Land forever?

The beauty of God’s word and prophecy is that the answer to our problems is frequently already written in God’s word. The answer to Jerusalem’s physical, emotional, and spiritual desolation was given to Isaiah more than a hundred years before the children of Israel went into captivity. Although none of Jerusalem’s lovers, her false gods, were left to comfort her, God sent words of comfort through Isaiah that God was returning to Jerusalem. For each of the seven Sabbaths between the ninth of Av and the Feast of Trumpets on the first of Tishrei, the haftarah readings are from Isaiah bringing word of comfort from God to His people. This first reading ushers in the second half of the book of Isaiah centering on comfort to God’s people because God is coming!

Isaiah 40:1-2 MKJV 1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak lovingly to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is done, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins.

Isaiah opens this half of the book with the word “comfort.” The word “comfort” is the Hebrew word “nacham” number 5162 in Strong’s Concordance meaning to sigh or breathe strongly; by implication it means to console or comfort. Nothing surprising here, but First Fruits of Zion in Torah Club Volume 3: The Haftarah explains that the root word nacham was derived from another root word, racham, meaning the womb.

“By using this word, the Holy One is communicating something very tender to His people. He is comparing His care for them to that which a mother has for her children.”[i]

God had not abandoned His children; He speaks words of comfort to His children. He speaks directly to the heart of Jerusalem. His message is threefold. First, Jerusalem’s warfare is ended. At the time Isaiah wrote this word, the warfare was against Assyria. That war was spectacularly finished when King Hezekiah cried out to God when Jerusalem was surrounded. God answered with the miraculous death of the entire army of Assyria gathered around Jerusalem. Assyria never attempted to take Jerusalem again. However, it is interesting that in this half of the book of Isaiah, Assyria is not mentioned. Babylon and Persia are the enemies referred to in these prophecies. We can see that these words of comfort are not just for the time of Isaiah, but applied at the time of the Babylonian invasion and the Persian persecution. They continue to apply today. The warfare against Jerusalem will end.

The second word of comfort was that Jerusalem’s iniquity had been pardoned. The word “iniquity” is “avone” number 5771 in Strong’s Concordance meaning perversity. It comes from the word “avah,” number 5753 meaning to crook or make crooked, to bow down or do amiss. Jerusalem’s iniquity in perverting God’s commandments and bowing down to other gods had been pardoned. The word for pardoned is “ratsah,” number 7521 meaning to satisfy a debt. The debt for their iniquity had been paid!

Finally, the third word of comfort was that their punishment was over. God’s word was that they had received double for their sins. This doesn’t seem like the God of justice. When we look at the Hebrew word for double, “kephel,” number 3718, we learn that it means exactly that—double. It is from the root word “kaphal,” number 3717 meaning to fold together, to repeat or double. The seventeenth century theologian Matthew Poole explains that the word “kephel” is an idiom which can be understood as abundantly, as in abundantly enough to answer their sin. However, Ezra confesses that their punishment is far less than they deserve.

Ezra 9:13 MKJV 13 And after all that has come on us for our evil deeds and for our great sin, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such an escape as this,

So, how can we understand this idea of God doubling their punishment? Another explanation can be derived from the idea of folding together in the sense of identical or measure for measure. The explanation is offered by First Fruits of Zion. They quote Dr. Allen A. MacRae explaining that the word double can be understood as a “double” such as identical twins.

It (double) might be clearer to render it “equivalent,” “counterpart,” or “substitute.”[ii]

We can then read Isaiah’s words in verse two that Jerusalem has received of the LORD’s hand an equivalent or substitute for all her sins. In the time of the Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian captivity that Isaiah refers to, Jerusalem had received abundant punishment but less than they deserved. However, it was enough because an equivalent amount equal to what they deserved had been provided by the LORD as a substitute! This substitute was to come much later in Israel’s history.

The temple destroyed by the Babylonians was eventually rebuilt and the city of Jerusalem restored. The temple was again overrun by the Greek Seleucids and restored by the Hasmoneans. It was eventually rebuilt by Herod to be a magnificent structure that was in turn destroyed. Clearly something was missing. The longed for return of the glory of the LORD to the city and the temple was missing. The Ark of the Covenant, God’s throne on Earth where God would come to meet with His people was missing. The glory of the LORD had not returned in cloud and fire to Jerusalem.

However Isaiah assured Jerusalem that God’s presence would be among them; that God would return to His city!

Isaiah 40:3-5 NKJV 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Jerusalem and the children of Israel had to wait nearly six hundred years after Isaiah spoke these words for the voice to cry out. John the Baptist came preaching a gospel of repentance and baptism in water for their sins. He declared that he was the voice preparing the way for the glory of the LORD to come.

John 1:23 MKJV 23 He said, I am "the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord," as the prophet Isaiah said.

The long awaited comfort of God’s people arrived in the birth of Yeshua as testified to by Simeon.

Luke 2:25-26 NKJV 25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

The word “consolation,” is the Greek word “paraklesis,” number 3874 in Strong’s Greek Concordance meaning solace, comfort or consolation. At the birth of Yeshua, the comfort of Israel had come!

When the infant Yeshua was placed in Simeon’s arms at Yeshua’s circumcision, Simeon testified:

Luke 2:29-32 NKJV 29 "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."

Yeshua was the long awaited coming of the glory of God to Jerusalem! Throughout His ministry, Yeshua traveled to Jerusalem each year for the three yearly pilgrimage Feasts of the LORD. His coming into the city was mostly unremarked except for that of the last Passover when He enters to the acclamations acknowledging that He was the King Messiah. Yeshua came into Jerusalem riding on the foal of a donkey fulfilling the words of Zechariah.

Zechariah 9:9 NKJV 9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.

After assuring Jerusalem that the glory of the LORD would return, Isaiah assures Jerusalem that they could trust in the promises in the word of God.

Isaiah 40:6-8 NKJV 6 The voice said, "Cry out!" And he said, "What shall I cry?" "All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever."

Isaiah paints a complex picture with these words. We see that, in comparison to God, we are frail and our lives on Earth are short. This is especially true when confronted with God’s wrath.

Psalms 102:8-11 NKJV 8 My enemies reproach me all day long, Those who deride me swear an oath against me. 9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping, 10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath; For You have lifted me up and cast me away. 11 My days are like a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass.

In contrast, God’s word is eternal and entirely trustworthy. The Psalmist continues.

Psalms 102:12-13 NKJV 12 But You, O LORD, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations. 13 You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come.

The Psalmist concludes that God is unchanging and that His people will be eternally established in Him.

Psalms 102:27-28 NKJV 27 But You are the same, And Your years will have no end. 28 The children of Your servants will continue, And their descendants will be established before You."

Peter paraphrases Isaiah while making the point that we are born of the incorruptible seed of God not the transitory and corrupt seed of man.

1 Peter 1:23-25 NKJV 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 24 because "All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

The return of the LORD to Jerusalem and the promise of an eternal covenant relationship with God is good news for the hurting people exiled from the Promised Land! It is such good news, that Isaiah instructs Jerusalem to spread the word!

Isaiah 40:9 NKJV 9 O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"

God Himself is coming to Jerusalem and Jerusalem is to shout out boldly that He is coming! Isaiah, then, describes the manner of God’s coming.

Isaiah 40:10-11 NKJV 10 Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.

God comes with a strong hand to establish His rule. The word “reward” is the Hebrew word “sakar,” number 7939 in Strong’s Concordance meaning payment of a contract, a salary, compensation, or reward. The question naturally arises as to who God is rewarding or to whom is He paying compensation? In Hebrew thought, we consider all meanings of the word and so we have a dual meaning here. God is bringing His own reward with Him, that is, the people He has delivered from exile. When Abraham defeated the kings of Shinar and liberated Lot and the people of Sodom as recorded in Genesis 14, Abraham’s reward was only the people he delivered. God is, also, bringing compensation to His people for the suffering they endured in exile.

Contrasting with God coming with a strong arm, in verse eleven we learn that God is, also, coming as a tender shepherd. These two pictures of God are merged into one as the strong protector of the sheep. Yeshua explains His role as the good shepherd.

John 10:27-29 NKJV 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.

This God who tenderly cares for each of His sheep is the same God who created the universe and established the laws of nature as well as the rules of justice.

Isaiah 40:12-14 NKJV 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance? 13 Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has taught Him? 14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding?

Isaiah, then, returns to the reason that Jerusalem needed comfort; he returns to the reason that they were in exile and not residing in the land God gave them. This is, of course, their rampant idolatry and the sins that go with idolatry. Isaiah poses this as a series of questions.

Isaiah 40:18-20 NKJV 18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? 19 The workman molds an image, The goldsmith overspreads it with gold, And the silversmith casts silver chains. 20 Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks for himself a skillful workman To prepare a carved image that will not totter.

How dare they compare God to an object of metal or wood that they had created? Isaiah explains that God’s identity as creator and sovereign judge has been known and revealed from the beginning.

Isaiah 40:21-22 NKJV 21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

Isaiah begins to wrap up his message by taking his listeners back to the contrast of the enduring nature of God and the transitory nature of man.

Isaiah 40:23-24 NKJV 23 He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. 24 Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, When He will also blow on them, And they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

After this reminder, Isaiah returns to the question of to whom they would compare God urging them to see Him as He is, the creator of all.

Isaiah 40:25-26 NKJV 25 "To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.

God our creator knows and numbers each of the stars of the heavens and does not miss a single one. Yeshua while in the Garden of Gethsemane testifies that He knew every one of the people God gave to Him and did not lose any that were entrusted to Him.

John 17:12 NKJV 12 "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

Yeshua cares for each of us who belong to the Father through Him. He knows each and every one of us; there is not one that is missing. No matter what trials we go through or what exiles we endure, we know that the LORD is with us through them all.

Through Isaiah, God promised that He was the comfort of His people. The exiles of the children of Israel would return to the Land. The city of Jerusalem would be rebuilt. The presence of the glory of God would return to His city. The good news of the reign of God would be proclaimed throughout the earth. This good news is even now being spread throughout the world. Yeshua, the comfort and salvation of Israel is coming again!

Study Questions:

1. Discuss the connection of this teaching to the Torah Portion Va’etchanan Deut. 3:23-7:11.

2. How does God show mercy to Jerusalem even though He punishes them  double for their iniquities? How does this apply to us?

3. The word translated as “crying out” in Isaiah 40:3 is the Hebrew word “qara” #7121 meaning to accost or approach a person met, to call out or address by name. John the Baptist said that he is that voice calling out. To whom is he calling?

4. What imagery are we to take from the idea of all flesh being like grass that withers away in Isiah 40: 6-8? Back up with scripture please!

5. The phrase “bring good tidings” is the Hebrew word “mevaseret” from the root word “basar,” #1319 meaning to be fresh or full to announce good news. Peter uses the Greek equivalent of this word “euaggelizo,” #2097 meaning to announce good news in 1 Peter 1:25. What is the good news according to Isaiah and Peter?

6. What new insight did you gain from this teaching? How do you respond to this new insight? How will you realign your life based on this new understanding?

© 2019 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.

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[i] Torah Club Volume 3: The Haftarah. First Fruits of Zion. Page 690

[ii] Torah Club Volume 3: The Haftarah. First Fruits of Zion. Page 692