Haftarah V’et’chanan
“Consolation”
Isaiah 40:1-26
excerpted from TorahScope Haftarah Exhortations
During the past three weeks of retribution, from the 17th of Tammuz until the Ninth of Av—the period of mourning prior to the fast of the Ninth of Av, resulted in Haftarah passages selected from Jeremiah and Isaiah, which reminded one of the consequences of sin. The judgment of God executed by the foreign nations of Babylon and Rome, destroying the First and Second Temples, was something which the Sages and Rabbis wanted faithful Jews to consider and remember during this timeframe—from which we as Messianic Believers can surely benefit.
Now that the fast of the Ninth of Av is over, the emphasis turns toward comforting Israel, as the recollections of Deuteronomy for the next seven weeks, prepare people for Yom Teruah/Rosh HaShanah, and the Ten Days of Awe culminating on Yom Kippur. This week’s Sabbath is Shabbat Nachamu, starting the theme of the next seven weeks. For the next seven weeks of consolation, the ancients chose passages from the Prophet Isaiah for the Haftarah selections, as Isaiah 40:1, the first to be considered, begins with nachamu, nachamu ami, or “Comfort, comfort my people” (WMB).
While Devarim (Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22) always precedes the Ninth of Av, V’et’channan (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11) always follows the fast, and includes a reaffirmation of the Ten Commandments[1] and the Shema.[2] While the study of Deuteronomy finds Moses reiterating many of the episodes of the previous 39 years of Ancient Israel’s journeys, the Haftarah readings are designed to keep focus on the consequences of sin, so that the past patterns of God’s judgment do not reoccur. The choice of the highly respected and revered words of Isaiah, for the next seven weeks, enhances the sense of gravity, as people are encouraged to prepare their hearts through the month of Elul, to the Ten days of Awe, and ultimately for the Day of Atonement on the 10th of Tishri. The Sages and Rabbis took to serious heart the admonition to find yearly, instructional ways, to keep the Jewish community from departing from their roots, by teaching their descendants the critical lessons of life through a systematic study of the Word. Simply consider how Moses’ statement to Israel, in this week’s very Torah portion, is being adhered to by this course of study:
“Only be careful, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your children and your children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9, WMB).
As you consider the goals of the Sages and Rabbis, to keep the Jewish community focused on its responsibilities to future generations, let us turn to Isaiah 40, and let the words of this great Prophet comfort our souls. We too need to weigh the magnitude of keeping our own hearts sensitive and obedient to the commands of the Lord. After the opening repetition of the word “comfort,” readers are reminded that punishment for sin—in this case a double portion—is how the Lord has dealt with Israel:
“‘Comfort, comfort my people,’ says your God. ‘Speak comfortably to Jerusalem, and call out to her that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received of the LORD’s hand double for all her sins’” (Isaiah 40:1-2, WMB).
Readers see how there is an immediate reference to a coming voice in the wilderness, which will declare how comfort will be brought to Israel. We know this voice to have been John the Immerser, the forerunner of Messiah Yeshua, as identified in the Gospel accounts:
“The voice of one who calls out, ‘Prepare the way of the LORD in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain. The LORD’s glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it’” (Isaiah 40:3-5, WMB).
Luke’s Gospel quotes directly from Isaiah 40:
“He [John the Baptist] came into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming the immersion of repentance for remission of sins. As it is written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth. All flesh will see God’s salvation.”’ He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be immersed by him, ‘You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?’” (Luke 3:3-7, WMB).
With Isaiah’s comforting words, the ancients knew how the Lord was going to eventually send someone to announce how things were going to be made right, bringing salvation to the nation. For those of us who believe in Messiah Yeshua, the testimonies of the Apostolic Writings point to Him as the Redeemer of Israel, and where ultimate comfort and redemption can be found.
The next comforting prophecy describes the inevitability of God’s Word being performed, in just a matter of time. This was not only comforting to Isaiah’s generation and the generations to follow who looked for the Redeemer to come, but also those today who wait upon the return of the Messiah:
“The voice of one saying, ‘Cry out!’ One said, ‘What shall I cry?’ ‘All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the LORD’s breath blows on it. Surely the people are like grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God stands forever’” (Isaiah 40:6-8, WMB).
Readers discover that Jerusalem and Mount Zion will not be known for devastation, but instead they will stand up above all mountains with great declarations made about the Holy One of Israel. The strength of the Lord and His position as the Shepherd of Israel is noted:
“You who tell good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who tell good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength! Lift it up! Don’t be afraid! Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold, your God!’ Behold, the Lord GOD will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead those who have their young” (Isaiah 40:9-11, WMB).
God’s omnipotence and omniscience is cited, comforting those who follow Him:
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and marked off the sky with his span, and calculated the dust of the earth in a measuring basket, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the LORD’s Spirit, or has taught him as his counselor? Who did he take counsel with, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?” (Isaiah 40:12-14, WMB).
The Holy One rules over all the nations:
“Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on a balance. Behold, he lifts up the islands like a very little thing. Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor its animals sufficient for a burnt offering. All the nations are like nothing before him. They are regarded by him as less than nothing, and vanity” (Isaiah 40:15-17, WMB).
There is no other like the Almighty. He alone sits above the Earth and rules:
“To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to him? A workman has cast an image, and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts silver chains for it. He who is too impoverished for such an offering chooses a tree that will not rot. He seeks a skillful workman to set up a carved image for him that will not be moved. Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? Haven’t you been told from the beginning? Haven’t you understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in, who brings princes to nothing, who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. They are planted scarcely. They are sown scarcely. Their stock has scarcely taken root in the ground. He merely blows on them, and they wither, and the whirlwind takes them away as stubble. To whom then will you liken me? Who is my equal?’ says the Holy One” (Isaiah 40:18-25, WMB).
Israel has the Lord God to depend on for all things. This is a comforting word for all who have called upon Him, no matter when they have lived!
May we all be surely comforted, but never lose sight of the consequences of sin! Just because we have an Almighty God who rules from the Heavenly realm, does not exclude us from the penalties for sin. Of course, this is why the voice in the wilderness called out, declaring the arrival of the One who would be the propitiation for our sin. We praise you Lord, for sending the Good Shepherd Messiah Yeshua, our soon coming King!
NOTES
[1] Deuteronomy 5:1-21.
[2] Deuteronomy 6:1-9.
