Be Comforted. Feeling Secure in the Arms of God

173 Pages·2011·1.5 MB·English

by  Warren W. Wiersbe

BE COMFORTED
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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public
Domain.) Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®.
NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All
rights reserved; TLB are taken from The Living Bible, © 1971, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL
60189. Used by permission; NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved; JB are excerpted from the Jerusalem Bible,
copyright © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and Doubleday & Co., a division of Bantam
Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Reprinted by permission.
LCCN 2009923009
ISBN 978-1-4347-6615-1
eISBN 978-0-7814-0098-5
© 1992 Warren W. Wiersbe
First edition of Be Comforted by Warren W. Wiersbe published by Victor Books®
in 1992 © Warren W. Wiersbe, ISBN 0-89693-797-6
The Team: Karen Lee-Thorp, Amy Kiechlin, Jack Campbell, and Susan Vannaman Series Cover Design:
John Hamilton Design Cover Photo: Getty Images
Study Questions: Susan Moroney
Second Edition 2009
CONTENTS
The Big Idea: An Introduction to Be Comforted by Ken Baugh A Word from the
Author
1. The Lord Is Salvation (Introduction to Isaiah) 2. Wanted: A Prophet (Isaiah 1
—6)
3. God Is with Us! (Isaiah 7—12)
4. The Burdened Prophet (Isaiah 13—23) 5. A Refuge from the Storm (Isaiah 24
—27) 6. Storm Clouds Over Jerusalem (Isaiah 28—31) 7. Future Shock and
Future Glory (Isaiah 32—35) Interlude: King Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39) 8. God
Save the King! (Isaiah 36—39)
Interlude: “The Book of Consolation” (Isaiah 40—66) 9. How Great Thou Art!
(Isaiah 40—48)
10. This Is God’s Servant (Isaiah 49:1—52:12) 11. Climbing Mount Everest
(Isaiah 52:13—53:12) 12. Promises and Punishments (Isaiah 54—59) 13. The
Kingdom and the Glory (Isaiah 60—66)
T B I
HE IG DEA
An Introduction to Be Comforted
by Ken Baugh
His name was Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton. His goal was to lead the first
expedition across the South Polar continent known as Antarctica. However,
before this expedition ended, Shackleton and his crew faced gale force winds
over 150 miles per hour, bone-chilling temperatures of 100 degrees below zero,
80-foot seas, hunger, and the oppressively dark days of the Antarctic winter. In
his book Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing describes
this darkness:
In all the world there is no desolation more complete than the polar
night. It is a return to the ice age—no warmth, no life, no movement.
Only those who have experienced it can appreciate what it means to be
without the sun day after day and week after week. Few men
unaccustomed to it can fight off its effects altogether, and it has driven
some men mad. (p. vii)
And yet in spite of these conditions, nothing could prepare Shackleton’s crew
for the devastating destruction of their vessel, aptly named the Endurance. The
Endurance became trapped in the icy Weddell Sea and forced the crew to
survive through extreme conditions for an entire Antarctic winter. However,
once the spring thaw began, instead of being released from its frozen prison, the
ship was crushed by large blocks of floating ice. These damaged the hull beyond
repair and left the entire expedition stranded.
Mounting all the courage and strength they could muster, the men loaded into
the three remaining lifeboats and began rowing toward Elephant Island, 100
miles away. By the time they reached the island, it was the first time in 497 days
that they had stood on solid ground. But their ordeal was not over yet. Elephant
Island was outside the main shipping channels, and nobody knew they were
there, so they had no hope of rescue. Their only chance for survival was to add a
makeshift sail to one of the lifeboats and attempt to sail from Elephant Island to
the South Georgia Whaling station.
There was only one small problem with this: South Georgia was 800 miles
away! Resolved to save his men, Captain Shackleton chose four others and set
sail for South Georgia on April 24, promising those he was leaving behind that
he would come back for them. Miraculously, on May 9, they sighted South
Georgia, but the winds made a landing impossible, so they waited until morning.
During the night, a full-blown hurricane hit, and they thought it was the end. But
again, by some miracle they survived the night drifting in their lifeboat and
landed on the unoccupied southern shore of South Georgia the next morning.
Fearing that putting out to sea again to reach the whaling station would be too
dangerous, Shackleton made a land crossing by foot that had never been
attempted before. It took him and two of the other men thirty-six hours to reach
the whaling station at Stromness.
Without delay, he assembled a rescue party to get the men he had left behind
on Elephant Island, but his first three attempts failed due to rough seas and bad
weather. Finally, he secured a small tugboat from the Chilean Navy and rescued
all twenty-two of his stranded men. Shackleton had kept his promise to return.
Wow! What an incredible story of courage and devotion. Shackleton loved his
men so much that he risked his life numerous times to save them.
The trials surrounding this event in the life of Sir Ernest Shackleton remind
me of the Big Idea that runs throughout the book of Isaiah, namely that the Lord
saves. According to Isaiah, Jesus is the Savior who is coming, the Savior who
came, and the Savior who is coming back one day. Let’s take a look at these
three dynamics in regard to our God who saves in the book of Isaiah.
First, Isaiah said that a Savior was coming (predicted in Isaiah 7:14; 9:6–7;
fulfilled in Matthew 1:18–25). He said this Savior would come through the line
of Jesse, the father of King David (predicted in Isaiah 11:1; fulfilled in Luke
3:23, 32). Isaiah recorded these prophecies seven hundred years before Jesus
was born. Jesus Christ is the Messiah, our Savior whom Isaiah said would come.
Second, Isaiah said what would happen to the Savior once He came. The
Savior would perform miracles (predicted in Isaiah 35:5–6; fulfilled in Matthew
9:35). He would be rejected by His own people (predicted in Isaiah 53:3;
fulfilled in John 7:5, 48). He would stand silent before His accusers (predicted in
Isaiah 53:7; fulfilled in Matthew 27:12). He would be wounded and bruised
(predicted in Isaiah 53:5; fulfilled in Matthew 27:26), smitten and spit upon
(predicted in Isaiah 50:6; fulfilled in Matthew 26:67). He would pray for His
persecutors (predicted in Isaiah 53:12; fulfilled in Luke 23:34). He would be
crucified with two thieves (predicted in Isaiah 53:9; fulfilled in Matthew 27:38).
He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb (predicted in Isaiah 53:9; fulfilled in
Matthew 27:57–60). Again, Jesus was the One who fulfilled all of these
prophecies, and He did so to pay the price for my sin and yours, so that through
faith in Him, we might gain forgiveness and eternal life. Jesus Christ is the
Messiah, our Savior who Isaiah said would come to suffer and die in our place.
Finally, Isaiah said the Savior will come back again one day to set up a literal
kingdom on earth and usher in a time of prosperity, peace, and joy (Isa. 2:2–5;
32:1–8; 35). The Bible describes this time as the millennial kingdom when Jesus
will personally reign on the earth for a thousand years. Jesus made two
incredible promises to His followers. First, He promised that after He rose from
the dead, He would go and prepare a place for us in His Father’s house. And
second, Jesus promised that He would come back for us, to take us to be with
Him forever (John 14:1–4). This means that when Jesus comes back to earth, we
will reign with Him too (Zech. 14:9; 2 Tim. 2:12). No matter what happens in
this life, my friend, nothing can change the fact that our God has saved us and
that in Him we have a glorious hope and future. As I have heard Dr. Dallas
Willard say, “We are in training for reigning.” Take comfort in that!
***
Dr. Wiersbe’s commentaries have been a source of guidance and strength to me
over the many years that I have been a pastor. His unique style is not overly
academic, but theologically sound. He explains the deep truths of Scripture in a
way that everyone can understand and apply. Whether you’re a Bible scholar or
a brand-new believer in Christ, you will benefit, as I have, from Warren’s
insights. With your Bible in one hand and Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary in the
other, you will be able to accurately unpack the deep truths of God’s Word and
learn how to apply them to your life.
Drink deeply, my friend, of the truths of God’s Word, for in them you will find
Jesus Christ, and there is freedom, peace, assurance, and joy.
—Ken Baugh
Pastor of Coast Hills Community Church
Aliso Viejo, California
A W A
ORD FROM THE UTHOR

“Isaiah is great for two reasons,” wrote William Sanford LaSor in his fascinating
book Great Personalities of the Old Testament (Revell, 136): “He lived in
momentous days, in critical days of international upheaval, and he wrote what
many consider to be the greatest book in the Old Testament.”
“We see Isaiah move with fearless dignity through the chaos of his day,”
wrote E. M. Blaiklock, “firm in his quiet faith, sure in his God” (Handbook of
Bible People, Scripture Union, 329).
At a time when empires were rising and falling and his nation was in peril,
Isaiah wrote, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and
confidence shall be your strength” (30:15 NKJV). And when a new generation
faced the arduous task of rebuilding a ruined nation, it was the words of Isaiah
the prophet that gave them courage: “But those who wait on the LORD shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run
and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (40:31 NKJV).
Isaiah is the prophet we need to hear today as he cries out God’s message
above the din of world upheaval, “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” (40:1
NKJV). The English word comfort comes from two Latin words that together
mean “with strength.” When Isaiah says to us, “Be comforted!” it is not a word
of pity but of power. God’s comfort does not weaken us; it strengthens us. God
is not indulging us but empowering us. “In quietness and confidence shall be
your strength.”
As we study Isaiah’s book, we shall meet not only this outstanding prophet,
but also some mighty kings and rulers; and we shall witness the rise and fall of
magnificent kingdoms. We shall see God’s people chastened and then restored.
But above all else, we shall see the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s “Suffering