Author: Administrador

This passage in Isaiah shows God speaking into the pain of exile to send a servant who will bring justice, and not to Israel only but to all nations. Dramatic and powerful! But we’ve entered in the middle of the story of God’s people, so the point will be lost if the preacher doesn’t state … Continue reading “Isaiah 42:1-9 Commentary by Amy Oden”

The text this week holds two thoughts in tension. The proclamation of what seems impossible to believe is held together with the truth of what is impossible to deny. The opening lines of Isaiah 40 announce what was surely impossible to believe. Exile had left the people in a land far from their own wondering … Continue reading “Isaiah 40:21-31 Commentary by W. Dennis Tucker, Jr.”

Given the choice between a source of relief that is distant and slow acting but guaranteed and one that is nearby but ineffective, most persons may tend to choose the relief close at hand. While the immediate hardly translates into efficacy so too distance and timelessness more often yield better results. Second Isaiah articulates these … Continue reading “Isaiah 40:21-31 Commentary by Steed Davidson”

With its themes of comfort for the people and the transience of human powers by contrast with the enduring nature of God, Isaiah 40:21-31 is some of the most beautiful poetry in the Bible. There is no doubt that it is also part of a larger composition that is at least as extensive as the … Continue reading “Isaiah 40:21-31 Commentary by Christopher B. Hays”

Isaiah 40:1-11 is one of the most important texts in all of Isaiah. The narrative immediately preceding it (Isaiah 39:1-8) features King Hezekiah, who hosts an envoy from the faraway country of Babylon. This narrative, which functions as the conclusion to “First Isaiah” (Isaiah 1-39) points forward to what is arguably the book’s most formative … Continue reading “Isaiah 40:1-11 Commentary by Michael J. Chan”

With these opening words of Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55), the prophet offers a balm for the festering wounds of exile. Against the prophetic backdrop of First Isaiah and the experiential backdrop of the people’s life in exile, the prophet’s message is that in spite of and in the midst of human misery the Lord continues … Continue reading “Isaiah 40:1-11 Commentary by Samuel Giere”

The passage begins with an insistent double imperative: Comfort! Comfort! The intimacy and compassion that are to infuse this comfort are underscored in the parallel command: Speak tenderly! (literally:”speak to the heart”). This poignant command not only names a deep human desire and need, it summons to mind multiple biblical examples of such tender ministrations.  … Continue reading “Isaiah 40:1-11 Commentary by Elna K. Solvang”

Verse 1, with its command to comfort the people of God, sets the tone not just for this passage but for the whole of Isaiah 40-66. Prior to chapter 40 the news spoken in God’s name is a difficult word of judgment. The people have rebelled against God. The people have lived at the expense … Continue reading “Isaiah 40:1-11 Commentary by Kristin J. Wendland”

In many of our churches, we tend to align salvation with God’s grace, themes that we then set over against divine judgment. In the biblical witness, however, the salvation of the LORD is intimately connected to God’s judgment. In Isaiah 35, the LORD’s surprising mercy and terrifying justice converge and kiss. God’s coming is intimately … Continue reading “Isaiah 35:4-7a Commentary by Frank M. Yamada”

The oracle begins with a command to speak, to proclaim words that remedy weakness and conquer fear (Isaiah 35:4). Who needs to hear this word of strength and courage? The prophet names the audience for the sermon you will preach. In the NRSV they are “those who are of a fearful heart” (Isaiah 35:4). It’s … Continue reading “Isaiah 35:4-7a Commentary by Anathea Portier-Young”