A Final Look at Our Need to Wholly Trust Our Lord

Isaiah 39:1--40:5 brings me to the end of my sermon series on Isaiah.  I began the series in September and determined to preach the first major part of the book for now.  Lord willing, I'll be able to return to complete the book at a later date.  The narrative is strategically placed to show at the end of the first major section that Hezekiah, the king of previous faith, is not the promised Messiah.  He displays a lack of faith in God's ability to deliver and we read of the consequences of unbelief.  The story is designed to make us say, "I don't want that to happen to me!"  The first paragraph of chapter 40 provides good news of the possibility of redemption and cleansing.  Relevance can be shown through the temptation (39:1-2), the consequences of succumbing to temptation (39:3-8), and our only hope (40:1-5).  Christ is portrayed in the arrival of God.  The promise that God would arrive unhindered is fulfilled in Christ's coming.  This is why John the baptizer quoted Isaiah in Matthew 3:1-3.  The narrative is both functioning as an exemplar ("go and do otherwise") and also point to Christ who is the object of our faith and the source of our spiritual life.