Interpretation of Isaiah 40:31
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles,
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint” NIV
Natural Unit: Isaiah 40:1-31
Next Larger Unit: Isaiah 40:1 -66:24
Historical Background/Facts/Notes:
Isaiah – Longest book in the bible next to Psalms and Jeremiah.
Prophet Isaiah is said to be the greatest prophet in history. He is a contemporary of:
Micah – in
Amos, Josea, Jonah – in
The book of Isaiah is like a bible in miniature, containing:
66 chapters = 66 books in the bible
first 39 chapters = the Old Testament
Last 27 chapters = the New Testament
Like the OT, the first 39 chapters of Isaiah is focusing on God’s judgment against the sin of people. On the other hand, like the NT, the last 27 chapters of the book of Isaiah focuses on God’s grace, giving the Lord’s comforting words to the hurting people of
Traditional Records say that Isaiah died under Kind Manasseh, who sawed his body in half.
Passages Before: God is proclaiming, through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, that He has had enough, and He is bringing judgment to the wickedness of the people.
Passages After: Isaiah 40 down to 66 focus on God’s giving of comforting words to the hurting people, after God has given His judgment to the nation. His words mirror the unending grace He is giving to people.
CIT: GOD RENEWS OUR STRENGTH AFTER ENDURING THE SUFFERINGS.
Keywords: Growth, Maturity, Eagle (and its aging process)
Detailed Interpretation
Growth means being like gold that needs to undergo extreme pressure to attain purity, turning like steel that needs to be beaten hardly to gain strength, and sitting like diamonds on the rough, waiting for hundreds of years before finally shining with crystals.
We all need to be in pressure and be beaten. We often have to wait and be still because God is just around, checking if we are trusting in Him for whatever circumstance we are in.
Wait in God. Hope in God. Isaiah 40:31 is about God’s promise to us if we will learn how to put our total trust in Him, once we are trapped in a life-and-death situation in life.
In the 31st verse of Isaiah 40, one important creature that God has made was mentioned- the eagle. Indeed, all of us can be compared to an eagle, especially when it undergoes its aging process.
Fact about the Eagle’s Metamorphosis
At a Certain point in an eagle’s life, it suffers a different method of aging. After a long time of successful flights on hunting preys and viewing every beautiful thing from above, it loses capabilities and beauty.
In this aging process, the eagle stays on the rocks, beating its beak and talon on the rough surface to break them. It endures the pain in plucking all its feathers. During the process. The eagle is almost defenceless. You cannot see a wild and brace hunter in its condition. Many eagles die at this point in their life. Nonetheless, the eagle who overcomes all these sufferings and pain, will get its feathers growing abundantly again, having its beak and talons sharper and stronger than ever. Later, the eagle who was once defenceless, ugly, and almost having no life at all, weary.. BUT persevering.. is spreading its beautiful wings, ready to soar on high again.
ISAIAH 40:31 is part of God’s comforting words to the people of Judah, who has undergone tragedies as consequences to her sins. After the sufferings, God has given them the second chance to live again. God’s amazing grace is everlasting!
Oftentimes, we transform like eagles, only if we endure and understand that God has designed such “aging process” to teach us something.
I would like to relate the inspiring truth with what God has said with His comforting words through the prophet Isaiah. Line by line..
(Let us call these E4 – E for Eagle)
_____________________________________________
“But Those Who Hope In The Lord Will Renew Their Strength..”
We are ENERGIZED. God wants us to pause for a while and learn from His instructions and later, get recharged by His power. Sometimes, we put too much energy out of our own strategies and plans, without consulting God, hence, we are often left out. Wait on God. Trust in God. Hope in God.
“..They will Soar on Wings Like Eagles..”
We experience EXCEPTIONAL FLYING. If we only allow God to take in control of the process, He will show us the beauty of the result. He will let us see His “long-range viewpoint”, “bird’s eye view” so to speak. He will also let us feel the freedom like how an eagle flies. He will also let us learn to see things beautifully from above.
“.. They will Run and Not Grow Weary..”
We get more ENDURANCE. Does the eagle run? Perhaps during the defenceless-stage, when it cannot fly, it will surely run when a predator shows off on the rocks to harm it. When it runs, it will really cost the eagle a quite ‘good dose’ of endurance. When you think you can’t, you really can’t. But if you say “yes! I will run even if it seems impossible to escape”, you will indeed overcome. God is the source of our strength, even in the most impossible time.
“..They will Walk and Not Become Weary..”
We gain ENDLESS JOY. As we witness God’s work in our lives, we will see ourselves, constantly walking in step with Him. In this, we don’t feel tired bored, and bothered. We won’t notice how long and tiring it has been. We will just feel the contentment and unexplainable joy. How happy an eagle is, when it sees itself walk, run, and fly as it reminisces its awful experience on the rocks, beating its beak and talon, while plucking all the feathers out. It is finished. The eagle is free!
Conclusion:
As We TRUST IN GOD’s WAY, We:
Last words:
God came on earth to give everything He can. And until now, He is still at work in us. Let’s submit to Him. Jesus said, “I’ve come that you might have life..”
Let’s hold on to His promise, He surely won’t break it.
Life means constant problem solving. We should courageously solve the problems, with the right attitude, like the persevering eagle that has beaten its beak and talon, and plucked its feathers out.
As we grow enduring the different problems and challenges in life, trust in God, Hope in God.
So, when you get caught up by “the Aging Process”
Stand firm.
Gain life.
Break your talon.
Pluck your feathers out.
And you will see,
The beautiful creature
That God has designed
In your life long before you were born.
You are special to Him.
Trust in Him.
Because He knows what He is doing.
Prepared by Lanilane Ocbina
Glory to God!
Book Review - SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP - J.Oswald Sanders
The book Spiritual Leadership by Sanders has a lot of eye-opening principles to tell. Indeed, the true rewards of being a leader are not richness, fame, position, great friends or any good things on earth. When you are a leader, according to Sander, it costs you suffering, loneliness, stress, persecutions and a lot more. To be greatest in the
Real leaders are in short supply, Sanders said. Many are called but few are chosen. Few wanted to respond to the call because it is too costly to follow God. That is, “expensive” in earth-bound richness and happiness. Only few understand that greater richness and happiness are promised when we follow Christ. And it takes wisdom to understand this.
Humility – Sanders pointed out that God has made it clear to James and John that high position in the kingdom of God is reserved for those whose hearts- even in secret places where no one else probes are qualified. God hates people who focus on position just like what happened to a group of Levites who rebelled against God and Moses because of jealousy in power. Leadership is neither about position nor power, it is about service to God. In our church, it is never about getting a position though most of us are youth, we don’t focus on labels or anything. Glory to God. “It is God who will give these places to those for whom He has prepared them.”
Being a leader sent by God, one has to undergo training to be completely qualified. It is said that no one is too weak to serve God because in every man’s weakness, God’s mighty and limitless power is made perfect. As Sanders explained, an ambassador for Christ needs to learn how to be qualified socially, morally, and mentally. God inspects the leader’s heart, where everything is coming from.
The perfect example of discipleship is what Jesus did. It shows even at this very moment. Christians are everywhere, burning for Jesus. If not because of Jesus’ effective and efficient leadership and discipleship, we might not be experiencing the fire in us today. The leadership of Jesus continued for years. For a long period of time, many disciples, however, have committed inefficiency. I personally still have problems with effectiveness and efficiency. Leaders commit mistakes. They are imperfect but undergoing the process of being perfected. God wants faults and failures to be corrected. He wants us to learn. In our church, we have a meeting called “bull session” wherein we practice rebuking with God’s love. We learned how to help one another by pointing the mistakes of one another in a constructive way. Then, we pray together often.
Nehemiah, a prophet and instrument of God rendered an example to the encouragement to his people. He faced weaknesses and remained faithful to God. Prayerful life is his lifestyle. It is great to know that Sanders emphasized the true necessity of prayer, which Jesus Himself had given example with. Truly, all Christian leaders should be prayerful as the Son of God. If it is not necessary, Jesus would have not cared to waste time in praying. A prayerful leader like Jesus surely endures the perfect but painful will of God. “The goal of prayer is the ear of God”, Sanders.
The Spiritual leadership by Sanders is truly a helpful tool that every Christian leader should read. It contains the right insights needed by a Christian leader who seeks an example to follow. In other words, this book is a Christ-centered book. He is the exact model for leadership. Many biblical characters were also used mightily by God but none of them is as perfect as Jesus. Everyone had flaws in their leadership but not God Himself.
Honestly, I have not yet finished reading the book; however, it is my goal to finish reading it because I believe, God has a lot more to teach me about Spiritual Leadership.
Before Moses became the Jews' liberator, he was raised as an Egyptian prince. Along his 40 years stay in the kingdom, he has learned to have vision and has also earned courage to lead a revolt.
He has also been lead to the Midian for another 40 years, when he ran away because of the Pharaoh’s command to have him killed because of what he has done with an overseer egyptian. There in the wilderness, he has learned the other side of living. From being a prince, he became a shepherd.
Moses has experienced both worlds, abundance and scarcity, which he both needed later when he led the Israelites out of
2. How did God utilize this leader’s SERVE profile to undertake his mission/task?
spiritual gifts
Moses has giftings in leadership, shepherding, and prophecy. God used all these to let Moses endure the unending trials faced in leading the 600,000 Israelites who do nothing but to complain all their way to the promised land.
experiences
Moses had 40 years of experience as a prince and 40 years of shepherding in Midian. He has got enough experience on both ends. God used his experience in the kingdom to easily penetrate and influence. God also used Moses’ experience in Midian as a shepherd to His people (Israelites).
relational style
Moses shows a deep commitment to fighting injustice and his concerns are not parochial. I remember when he intervened when a non-Jew oppresses a Jew, when two Jews fight, and when non-Jews oppress other non-Jews.
vocational skills
Moses became a shepherd in Midian, where his skills I shepherding was utilized by God when he led the Israelites out of slavery.
Enthusiasm
I remember Moses’ was diligently chiseling the two stone tablets, which God asked of him. This is clear presentation that Moses is eager to serve God and ready to obey His commands, although sometimes, he stutters.
3. Moses faced the following difficulties/conflicts in his leadership:
