“To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One, (40:25).

This chapter begins with a repeat! God calls His faithful servant to minister with what His people were so desperate for; it’s what all of us desperately need when we find ourselves in the midst of tribulation and suffering.

 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. (40:1).

And even though the people of Judah found themselves beleaguered in captivity, a bondage they had in fact brought upon themselves, God calls His faithful servant to minister relief and hope to His people. Can You hear His heart? Remember His longing, His waiting to bring the comfort of His compassion?

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him, (Isaiah 30:28).

And now He shows His people that the time of waiting is coming to an end, for He is about to send Cyrus, King of Persia to invade and capture Babylon; the king who God would use to release His people to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild His temple.

“It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd!
And he will perform all My desire.’
And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid,’” (Isaiah 44:28).

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah—the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, ²³ “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!’” (2 Chronicles 36:).

And as though the people needed a reminder, He lays out His plethora of reasons that will surely “Comfort, O comfort My people.” He has spoken, and what He says He will do; for none can stay His Hand. And if God’s people will see Him as He really is, unequaled comfort will surely make its way into their hearts.

This entire chapter reveals the truth; He Is Unequaled. So many verses, and so worth the time to give our full attention to consider Him, Unequaled.

Consider Him, Unequaled

• Him, Unequaled… in His Compassion and Comfort
  • “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.
    ² “Speak kindly to Jerusalem…” (40:1-2).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Forgiveness and Redemption
  • “…And call out to her, that her warfare has ended,
    That her iniquity has been removed,
    That she has received of the Lord’s hand
    Double for all her sins,” (40:2).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Plans and Provision
  • A voice is calling,
    “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
    Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
    ⁴ “Let every valley be lifted up,
    And every mountain and hill be made low;
    And let the rough ground become a plain,
    And the rugged terrain a broad valley, (40:3-4).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Glory
  • Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
    And all flesh will see it together;
    For the mouth of the Lord has spoken,” (40:5).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Enduring Word
  • The grass withers, the flower fades,
    When 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, (40:7-8).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Rule and Reward
  • Behold, the Lord God will come with might,
    With His arm ruling for Him.
    Behold, His reward is with Him
    And His recompense before Him, (40:10).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Tender and Gentle Care
  • Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
    In His arm He will gather the lambs
    And carry them in His bosom;
    He will gently lead the nursing ewes, (40:11).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Creation
  • Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
    And marked off the heavens by the span,
    And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
    And weighed the mountains in a balance
    And the hills in a pair of scales? (40:12).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Wisdom and Understanding
  • Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
    Or as His counselor has informed Him?
    ¹⁴ With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?
    And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge
    And informed Him of the way of understanding? (40:13-14).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Unrivaled Power
  • Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
    And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;
    Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
    ¹⁶ Even Lebanon is not enough to burn,
    Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
    ¹⁷ All the nations are as nothing before Him,
    They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless, (40:15-17).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Supremacy
  • To whom then will you liken God?
    Or what likeness will you compare with Him?…
    ²¹ Do you not know? Have you not heard?
    Has it not been declared to 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.
    ²³ He it is who reduces rulers to nothing,
    Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless, (40:18, 21-23).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Holiness
  • “To whom then will you liken Me
    That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One, (40:25).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Omniscience
  •  Lift up your eyes on high
    And see who has created these stars,
    The One who leads forth their host by number,
    He calls them all by name;
    Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
    Not one of them is missing.
     ²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
    “My way is hidden from the Lord,
    And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? (40:26-27).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Eternality
  • Do you not know? Have you not heard?
    The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
    Does not become weary or tired.
    His understanding is inscrutable, (40:28).

• Him, Unequaled… in His Sustaining Strength
  • He gives strength to the weary,
    And to him who lacks might He increases power.
    ³⁰ Though youths grow weary and tired,
    And vigorous young men stumble badly,
    ³¹ Yet those who wait for the Lord
    Will gain new strength;
    They will mount up with wings like eagles,
    They will run and not get tired,
    They will walk and not become weary, (40:29-31).

How do we respond to Him, Unequaled?

Wherever we find ourselves today, whatever the cause (remember it was God’s people who had brought their suffering upon themselves), whatever our affliction, if we will choose to turn our thoughts to Him, Unequaled, we too will receive His comfort and sustaining strength.

Perhaps our best response would be to spend much time in today’s chapter, hearing the Words of our Holy and Faithful God Who patiently reminds us of Who He Is; He Is Unequaled.

And when life is difficult and we can’t make sense out of it all; when circumstances attempt to dissuade us from believing; when the world barrages us with questions of doubt that threaten to weaken our faith, let us turn to Him.

Oh, let us come in faith that we would hear the Holy One of God speak to us His Words of Eternal Life. Let us ask Him to grow us in our faith that we would come to know Him more and more each day, trusting Him to secure us in His sustaining strength and to daily supply us with unequaled comfort in Him, Unequaled.

 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. ⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” ⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:67-69).

Let’s Grow Together!