We’re continuing our series on the Holy Spirit, focusing on the prophet Isaiah. No prophet in the Old Testament has more to say about the Spirit of God than Isaiah, who ranks as the greatest of the writing prophets, as Moses was greatest of the prophet leaders. If you have your Bible, please turn with me to Isaiah 40.

Isaiah introduced Messiah in ch.11 as the one with the seven spirits of God: the Spirit of the LORD, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, and the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

Then in ch.28, we read “In that day the Lord of hosts will become a beautiful crown and a glorious diadem to the remnant of His people; ⁶ A spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment, a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.” The Holy Spirit crowns his people with the justice of His ways that vindicate those who honor God. He provides strength to the those who stand up to the Accuser, the devil, and all who unwittingly serve him in attacking God’s people.

Isaiah 30:1-2 reminds us that following the leading of the Spirit is essential if we are to serve the Lord. ‘“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord, “Who execute a plan, but not Mine, and make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin”’

Today I want to continue into the extended prophecy of chapters 40 through 66 that many call Second Isaiah, because it is the literary second half of Isaiah’s writings. It is one thematically connected work – the longest and most important prophecy by far in the Old Testament. Second Isaiah is the New Covenant in prophecy. It literally centers on the redemptive work of the Messiah, since the prophecy of the Servant’s atoning death in Isaiah 53 is the very center of Isaiah 40-66.

There are unbelieving theologians who deny that God could reveal the future to anyone. They presume there must be two or three writers feigning to be Isaiah, from a much later period than the 8^th and 7^th centuries, who wrote the latter part of Isaiah. But there are future prophecies about Jesus found in the first half of Isaiah, such as Isaiah 7:14 about a virgin who conceives a son named Immanuel, which means “God with us.”

Isaiah 9 states “Galilee of the Gentiles” shall become glorious, when “the people who walk in darkness will see a great light… For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest upon His shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” The coming of a “a shoot… from the stem of Jesse” in Isaiah 11 with the seven spirits of God resting upon Him also speaks of the coming Messiah.

There is also a prophecy about the overthrow of Babylon by the Medes in Isaiah 13 that was only fulfilled in 538 BC, over 150 years after Isaiah. So either Isaiah the son of Amoz who advised four kings in the eighth century wrote the whole prophecy or he wrote none of it. And Isaiah 39 foretold the captivity and plunder of Jerusalem by Babylon, which occurred first in 609 BC and then completely in 586 BC., over a century after Isaiah.

This is what the Holy Spirit spoke to Isaiah in chs.46:9-10, “Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’.” The Bible is full of future prophecies which were all fulfilled; but the a priori assumptions against the supernatural shrouds the minds of unbelievers in denial.

So let’s look at specific references to God’s Spirit in Second Isaiah, chapters 40-66. Isaiah 40 begins this way: “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.  “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; 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.” John 14:16 in the King James Version quotes Jesus saying, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” How interesting that this extended prophecy of the New Covenant opens with the promise of comfort and the removal of iniquity, works that the Holy Spirit brings to us when our spirit is regenerated with the nature of Christ. The promise of the Holy Spirit is implied in the opening words of Isaiah 40.

Let’s continue with vv.3-4: ‘A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. 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. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”’

The gospel writers Matthew, Mark and Luke cite John the Baptist’s coming and message as the fulfillment of this prophecy; and Luke quotes this passage explicitly. Just as Isaiah introduced the New Covenant prophetically, John was the forerunner of Jesus Christ who announced the coming of Him who would baptize people “with the Holy Spirit and fire.” John the Baptist clearly understood the prophetic portent of this passage in Isaiah. His fiery message cleared the way for the Lord in the spiritual wilderness, which was first century Judea, before God revealed His glory through His Son.

Now look at vv.6-8: ‘A voice says, “Call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.’ The Hebrew word for “breath” in the phrase “the breath of the LORD” is ruach, the same word for spirit. You may remember from previous sermons that the English translation of the Hebrew word for Spirit – ruach – depends on the context.

Isaiah describes the hot summer wind causing grass to wither as “the breath of the LORD”; and to the ancient mind, wind was literally the breath of God. But withered grass is also a metaphor for people whose lives are comparatively like a vapor relative to eternity. So the grass and flowers withering beneath God’s breath also portray the Spirit of God destroying works not birthed in faith. For “the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Any work of man not breathed by God’s Spirit is destined to wither and die.

Psalm 103:15-16 make the metaphor obvious: “As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the passes over it, it is no more; and its place acknowledges it no longer.” Apart from our connection to God, each human life is a transient, soon forgotten thing. Psalm 103 then reassures us, “But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children.” The legacy of the upright is blessed with generations of God-fearing offspring and an inheritance in heaven forever. This is what God’s Spirit, “the breath of the LORD,” brings about.

Further down in vv.23-24, Isaiah expanded his metaphor: “He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. ²⁴ Scarcely have they been planted, scarcely have they been sown, scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, but He merely blows on them, and they wither, and the storm carries them away like stubble.” Again you see a parallel between a scorching wind withering plants and the mighty Spirit of God reducing arrogant, self-serving rulers and judges to nothing.

Now look at Isaiah 40:12-16: “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? ¹³ 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? ¹⁵ 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.”

Here the Spirit of the Lord is revealed as the infinite God who transcends all creation with His power and understanding. The heavens, the mountains and all the dust of the earth are known by Him in size and quantity – something humans can’t fathom.

Again in vv. 25-26 Isaiah repeats: “To whom then will you liken Me that I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. ²⁶ 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.

In Isaiah’s day, men could count over two thousand stars in the night sky; but how could they have even imagined that for every star they could see there are at least 100 million galaxies in our universe, each containing a 100 billion or more stars?! And these awesome galaxies are woven like strings of pearls into magnificent tapestries across a universe that encompasses more than a million trillion trillion cubic light years! When the Psalmist wrote, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of His hand” they only knew the tiniest fraction of the truth! Appreciating the awesomeness of our God will help you trust in His wisdom to guide you safely through this life.

Isaiah prophesied to a small nation, Judah, that felt buffeted and threatened by greater nations around them. He boldly declared that all the kingdoms of the earth are nothing to God. Compared to God all the nations are like dust on the scales – they can’t tip God’s judgments. The human race cannot grasp God’s knowledge of the creation; so who are we to advise Him on a course of action or criticize God’s path toward justice?

Isaiah exposed the great tension that has always existed for us who are mortal, frail and vulnerable. As children, we grow up knowing we are helpless and dependent on those older, bigger and stronger than us to protect and provide for us. We need loving parents to guide and correct us, too. They are the earliest rulers and judges in our lives. When we have loving, stable parents, we are secure, and the world seems just and fair. But none of us are dealt the same hand in life.

My mother died when I was seven, and my world became less secure. Moms are the center of love in most families, and without a mother’s love I felt less emotionally secure. I had no one I could share my deeper feelings with growing up.

Every family and their history and connections are different; and for some of us, the hand we receive brings us down low and makes us feel unimportant. When you’re disciplined in love, it’s a lot easier to accept; but if you have a parent who can’t reign in their heavy hand or lashing tongue of judgment, it can make you feel low and helpless. Or when boyfriends come into the picture who have no real concern for you, it’s downright scary. Kids who grow up feeling worthless or marginalized are the ones most likely to become reckless and irresponsible, even criminal. Many of you know what I’m talking about.

So many of you grew up in dysfunctional families – an absent or alcoholic or abusive father, or a mother who took out her many frustrations on you. If you grow up in that environment, it’s easy to question God’s justice or concern for your life.

As children, we learn to bend the neck to whatever authority is above us, because we’re too weak to resist. But as we get older and stronger, we feel more empowered; and when we’re in a group of likeminded youth we can feel locally powerful. That’s why gangs form in crowded and lower-income neighborhoods: they give individuals a sense of belonging and empowerment that they never knew on their own.

The evilest example of misdirected youth are the warlords in African countries who kidnapped boys and turned them into child soldiers – armed with assault rifles but completely disarmed from a sense of moral conscience. Child soldiers become the most ruthless killers because they don’t develop empathy and social awareness from growing up in a caring community.

We might accept that God runs the universe, but think we’re too insignificant for Him to notice or care about us. Those are all the lies of the enemy, planted in our minds from earliest childhood to groom us for failure. The enemy grooms the strong to prey upon the weak and grooms victims to succumb to them. It’s what theologian Walter Wink calls domination systems. When the many are dominated and exploited by the few then Satan’s host are also dominating and exploiting both dominators and victims alike. He’s the one really in control; and for most of human history that is how it has been throughout the world.

This is the world that Isaiah saw as a visionary prophet. Israel had been divided and weakened after the glorious reign of King Solomon almost 300 years earlier; and the reduced kingdoms of Israel and Judah had suffered invasion and threats ever since. Within their kingdoms, unjust kings and judges twisted the law to favor their own social class or elite while the majority was at a permanent disadvantage. In the days of Samuel the prophet, God warned the Israelites what would ensue when they demanded a king to rule over them; and now they were reaping what they had sown through unjust kings like Ahab, Ahaz and Manasseh, who didn’t rule in the fear of Gd.

It doesn’t matter to Satan whether you’re the victim or the predator: either way you lose in the end, unless you turn to God for salvation. But that’s exactly where God meets us – in our darkest hour and deepest need. And when we meet Him there, we realize that God led us this way to tell a story through us that makes even the least of us seem mighty important. Why? Because God knows enough about us and cares enough about us to orchestrate circumstances to prove that He appointed us for salvation; and in eternity nothing can harm us.

Let’s see how the Spirit guides us to salvation. The prophet first declared in v.8, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” I can still remember reading those words at the front of my first New American Standard Bible over 40 years ago. Against the futility and failure that I felt as a young Army officer, here was a bold declaration that there is a God who makes promises He intends to keep, who is the Sovereign Ruler of all. Then Isaiah followed that bold declaration with an exhortation that speaks to all of us who believe. Look at vv.9-11:

Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ 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.

Zion and Jerusalem are appointed by God to be bearers of good news, and they are prophetic types for God’s redeemed people. The word “gospel” is simply old English for “good news.” In the New Testament Greek, “gospel” is euangelion, from which we get evangelical and evangelist.

I said that Isaiah 40-66 is the New Testament in prophecy. In this opening chapter, Isaiah declares the good news to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” He prepared the way for the coming of Christ, God incarnate, who brought the eternal good news or gospel to humanity. And when Jesus first appeared as the bearer and fulfillment of the good news He declared from the outset, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel” – the good news!

Christ’s Church is the heir of the good news that our God reigns! Isaiah said that their God would come with might, bringing His rewards with Him and shepherding the weak among the people like a shepherd tending his flock. And being the Good Shepherd, He will not abandon the least of His flock. When necessary, He carries us in our weakness, when we can barely carry on in faith. And though the winds of adversity may confront us, they can’t stop us. For the Spirit of God becomes the wind at our back, driving us forward to achieve the destiny God has appointed for us. He can blow through any obstacle the devil or the world can throw against us!

Isaiah concluded his opening argument by connecting the greatness of God to our struggle to find justice and well-being in a dangerous world. Let’s read from v.27 to the end:

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”?

²⁸ 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. ²⁹ 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.

Isaiah had a lifetime of hearing weary Israelites lamenting the decline of Judah’s kingdom. He both prophesied and witnessed the death of the northern kingdom of Israel by the Assyrian Kings Shalmaneser and Sargon. Even good King Hezekiah was humiliated by King Sennacherib’s armies sweeping through and plundering the villages of Judah before laying siege to Jerusalem.

Although God sent an angel to slay Sennacherib’s army for insulting Him, the people of Judah suffered enormously under the Assyrians. And the ordinary people, time and again, had taxes levied against them either to pay tribute to foreign powers or to refill the king’s treasuries from money lost to the invaders. No wonder people complained, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God.” If the God of Israel was truly the great God over all the earth, why wasn’t He able to guide Judah rightly and spare them from the ravaging of pagan enemies?

Isaiah didn’t answer that question, for there is no answer that in the short run could possibly explain God’s purposes in history. How could Israelites in the 8^th and 7^th centuries BC possibly understand that the centuries of weakness, poverty and decline they suffered were all necessary to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus the Messiah 700 years later? And even then, He would come among them in outward weakness, refusing to challenge the political powers of His day.

From our perspective, 700 years seems like ancient history. But compared to a universe that has existed nearly 14 billion years, it is nothing!

God never tells us why He allows suffering or injustice in a given situation, when there doesn’t appear to be a just cause for the effect experienced. He doesn’t explain why cruel men are permitted to harm others who are, from our perspective, innocent. It is the apparent lack of proportionality, of just causes and effects, that make people question the justice and ultimately, the existence, of God. For if God is not just, then He – or whatever guides the cosmos – is not worthy being called God.

Isaiah says in reply that God is here, and He is just no matter what appears to be true at the moment. His sovereign will always prevails in the end, when the rulers and judges who abused power over others disappear, often swept away by more powerful rulers than them.

This is the problem of paradox, where God allows things that seem to be untrue or contradictory to His nature to stand – seemingly unmoved – in defiance of His moral will.

Isaiah replies, “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. ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.” God always gives the righteous the ability to endure, to keep believing, to never give up pursuing justice and peace on earth. It is the just and the good who persevere in working to build and sustain strong families, which in turn build strong communities. Strong communities, in turn, build strong nations. And nations create civilization. Civilization enables the many to live and enjoy life in a context of relative harmony and security. And the history of humanity is one of ever-widening circles of opportunity, harmony and security.

The world Isaiah inhabited was dominated by selfish rulers and judges. But the new order that he saw in visions would challenge the political or racial or religious caste systems of the world. The Righteous Branch that Isaiah foresaw, Jesus of Nazareth, came to bring a domination-free world. He has been progressively advancing His gentle kingdom in the earth through the proclamation of the gospel. Wherever the good news is preached, “the increase of His government” ensues.

My wife and I went to see a movie last Monday night that speaks of the triumph of perseverance in the cause of life and justice to reveal the loving hand of God in Providence. This true-life story is called “Beautifully Broken.” Three families’ destinies intersected: two from the tiny African country of Rwanda and a wealthy, white Christian family in Nashville.

The movie starts with the Rwandan genocide of 1994. During a 100-day period an estimated 500,000 to one million Rwandan Tutsis were killed by members of the Hutu majority government and local Hutu militias. They slaughtered as many as 70% of the Tutsis in Rwanda, and 30% of the Pygmy Batwa people. The roots of this terrible slaughter lay in the exploitation of Belgian colonialists, who used armed Tutsis to force majority Hutus into economic slavery.

The genocide ended when a heavily armed militia backed by the neighboring, mostly Tutsi country of Burundi, took control of the country. Two million Hutus became refugees in the Congo, with their armed militias. This later led to the Great African Wars from 1996 forward, where over five million people have died.

A Tutsi man, William Mwizerwa, was the manager of the Rwanda Coffee Company until the genocide began. He and his family miraculously escaped being murdered in the capital Kigali, and walked to a country home of a Hutu lady who was a best friend to his mother. But when they got there a Hutu militia found them. William and his family were cornered by a Hutu farmer who had been forced to join the militia, under threat to his own family’s life. The Hutu farmer saw their daughter, Aimee, who was about the same age as his own daughter and told them to flee. William Mwizerwa told him that mercy would come back to him. The Mwizerwa family escaped to a refugee camp in southern Kenya, where they lingered in poverty for years.

The Hutu farmer was later arrested and imprisoned for years, leaving his family impoverished. Their daughter, Umuhoza, was taken up by Compassion International for sponsorship by wealthier Christians. Randy Hartley’s daughter, Andrea, asked her daddy if they could adopt a child. Umuhoza became their sponsored-child. Andrea, began corresponding regularly with Umuhoza, who lived in a shack made of sticks. Umuhoza told Andrea she was her best friend, though they lived eight thousand miles apart. Andrea asked her father if they could go visit her; and he said he would consider it.

One 4^th of July, Andrea went to a fireworks display with some girlfriends. Her friends left her when she went in a bathroom. A man snuck in and raped her there; and Andrea’s life went into a tailspin, because she kept that dark secret within. The only one she revealed that to was Umuhoza.

William Mwizerwa managed to come to the United States and was sponsored by a church in Nashville; but he had to leave his family behind in the refugee camp. Eventually, his family was able to come over after he established the Legacy Mission Village which assists refugees under the sponsorship of Randy’s church. William and Randy became good friends.

Andrea rebelled and hung out with a boy who used drugs, and planted drugs in her purse when cops confronted them at night. She nearly ended up going to jail. Her mom read through unopened letters from Umuhoza, and discovered Andrea’s dark secret. Her parents got her into counseling and her life started turning around.

Randy decided to take the family to see Umuhoza. Since William Mwizerwa knew Umuhoza’s village, Randy asked his family to accompany them. William’s daughter, Aimee, and Andrea became friends on that trip; and she learned of Andrea’s secret, which helped her understand that even people in America suffer loss. She also helped Andrea come to terms with her suffering and recover her self-esteem.

Back in Rwanda, Umuhoza’s father was released from prison and returned home. When William and his daughter saw him, they immediately recognized the Hutu man who had spared their lives. Andrea brought Umuhoza a new dress they had bought for her. They have since returned many times to Rwanda. Andrea now works for Compassion International in Kenya.

This is an amazing true story that validates the promise that God made through Prophet Isaiah at the end of ch.40. It is the promise of the Holy Spirit who energizes God’s children to persevere in the greatest of trials with grace and love. “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.”

If you have ever felt weary in your journey through life, or in your prison life, God the Holy Spirit is there to strengthen you. “He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.”

The Holy Spirit wants to fill you with His strength and power today. It begins when you receive Christ into your life as Lord and Savior; and increases when you commit your life to His service. I want to pray with anyone this morning who wants to be filled with His Spirit and empowered for service. Let us pray.