Isaiah 40:27 - Meaning and Application

The prophet reproves God’s people, who are here pictured as captives in Babylon, for their unbelief and discouragement under suffering (Isaiah 40:27). He says, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God’?” He is asking why they make such bitter, hopeless conclusions about their condition, as if it were beyond God’s care or help.

The names “Jacob” and “Israel” should have shamed them out of their distrust. They should remember where those names came from, from the man who found God faithful in every hardship, and from their place as God’s covenant people. The prophet also reproves them by reasoning with them: “Why do you say this? Think carefully about whether you have any real ground for it.” Many foolish fears and complaints would disappear if we examined them closely.

He especially corrects the evil words they spoke about God, as if he had cast them off. There is emphasis on the fact that they said it at all, not merely thought it. Bad thoughts are sinful, but it is worse to give them approval and turn them into words. David later remembered with sorrow what he said in his haste when he was in distress.

Their complaint showed despair over their painful condition. They were ready to think, first, that God would not notice them, “My way is hidden from the Lord,” as if he did not see their trouble or care about it. They also thought, second, that God could not help them, “My justice is ignored by my God,” as if their case were beyond repair. They felt as hopeless as dry bones (Ezekiel 37:11).

The prophet answers their fears by reminding them of truths they had already heard and known, just as he had done when exposing idolaters (Isaiah 40:21). Jacob and Israel were a people who had received knowledge by hearing, because wisdom had been proclaimed among them. Among the things they had heard again and again was this: “Power belongs to God” (Psalm 62:11). He is the everlasting God, Jehovah, the Lord who always is. He existed before all things, and he will remain forever, so there is no weakness, decay, or change in him.

He is also the Creator of the ends of the earth, meaning the whole world from one end to the other. Since he made all things, he owns all things and rules over all things. Therefore, he has complete power and full ability to help his people in their greatest distress. The God who first made the world is certainly still able to save his church.

He has wisdom to plan salvation, and that wisdom never runs out. “There is no searching of his understanding” means no one can outwit his plans or fully trace them out. When we do not know what to do, he does. He also has power to carry out salvation, and that power never fails. He never grows tired or worn out. He sustains the whole creation and governs every creature without strain, so he can surely help his church, no matter how low it falls.

He also gives strength and power to his people, helping them by enabling them to act. The strong God becomes the strength of Israel. He helps the weak, because he often gives power to the faint and increases strength to those who have none. He strengthens people’s bodies when they are worn out, and he strengthens faint hearts by his grace. Those who know their weakness and admit they have no strength often receive his help most clearly, because when we are weak in ourselves, then we are strong in the Lord.

He also helps the willing, those who humbly rely on him while doing their duty. Young people may trust in their own strength, but they will fail. They will faint and grow weary in their work, in their struggles, and under their burdens. This teaches the folly of self-confidence. But those who wait on the Lord, who obey him and trust themselves to his care, will not be disappointed.

They will have grace enough for every need. Their strength will be renewed as new duties and new trials come. It is as if God gives them fresh oil for their lamps and fresh strength for their work. He will be their arm every morning (Isaiah 33:2). If they have been beaten down, they will recover and receive new strength. Their strength will be changed as their tasks change, giving them power to labor, to wrestle, to resist, and to bear burdens. As the day, so shall the strength be.

They will also use this strength well. First, they will rise upward toward God. They will mount up with wings like eagles, high, swift, and strong, lifting their souls above the world and into close fellowship with God. Holy and devout desires are like eagle wings that carry believers upward (Psalm 25:1). Second, they will press on toward heaven. They will walk and even run in the way of God’s commands with gladness, without growing weary, and with perseverance, without fainting. Therefore, in due time, they will reap.

So let Jacob and Israel, even in their deepest distress, keep waiting on God. They should not give up hope of timely and effective help and rescue from him.