Forgotten People, Everlasting God (Isaiah 40:10-31)
Forgotten People, Everlasting God
Isaiah 40:10-31 | October 19, 2026
This past Sunday we had the privilege of welcoming Brandon Rose to preach. Brandon has become part of our BSBC family after a particularly difficult stretch of life, he brought a message from Isaiah 40 that clearly came not just from study but from lived experience.
Behold the Mighty and Faithful Shepherd
Isaiah 40 is addressed to people who have yet to be born ,a future generation that will be the carried off into Babylonian exile. They will have lost their homeland, their temple, and seemingly everything that represented God's covenant promises. Into that darkness, Isaiah 40 announces comfort: God has not forgotten his people.
God would eventually raise up a Persian king named Cyrus, even calling him a shepherd in Isaiah 44, to conquer Babylon and allow the exiles to return. But Cyrus was only a shadow. The true and faithful shepherd Isaiah was pointing toward is Jesus Christ, who would accomplish a far greater redemption than liberation from Babylon. The new exodus Isaiah describes anticipated the greater exodus from sin and death that only Christ could accomplish.
The passage opens in verse 10 with the sovereign arm of a conquering God, the mighty king who rules. Then verse 11 turns the image: "He will tend his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arms. He will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those who are with young." If you've been in John with us this year, that language should have a familiar ring. It is not a coincidence. In Isaiah 40, Yahweh himself is the shepherd of his people. In John 10, Jesus says: "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me." Jesus isn't just reaching for a warm metaphor. He's identifying himself as the divine shepherd that Isaiah promised, the same arm that rules is the arm that gathers. The God of power is also the God of tenderness.
Behold the Incomparable God
Isaiah then spends fifteen verses on the incomparable greatness of this God. He measures the waters in the hollow of his hand. He marks off the heavens. Nations are a drop in a bucket. Not even Babylon's empire could nullify what God had promised.
Then comes a passage that should feel like a mirror. While Israel stood under the thumb of the most powerful empire on earth, they were also fashioning idols with their own hands, crafting, overlaying with gold, securing them with chains so they wouldn't tip over. An idol has to be propped up. The living God sustains all of creation. Isaiah finds this comparison almost absurd.
Brandon was honest about his own version of this. For him, it's guitars. The things we make into idols are not usually bad things, they are often genuinely good gifts. The problem is when we make them the source of our ultimate security, our identity, our satisfaction. When good gifts take the place of the God who gave them, we've built an idol. It doesn't look like an ancient figurine; it looks like a portfolio, a relationship, a political outcome, a reputation.
Verses 21-26 call God's people to remember what they have always known. Rulers rise and fall. Nations come and go. The Lord remains. And then Isaiah points them upward: lift up your eyes and see who created these, stars beyond counting, every one of them named, not one missing. Brandon borrowed a line from pastor Alistair Begg that captures the point cleanly: "What is massive to us is manageable to God." The God who has not lost track of a single star has not lost track of his people.
Trust the God Who Never Grows Weary
Then, after fifteen verses of establishing God's incomparable greatness, Israel asks the question anyway: "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God."
Brandon pointed out that there are two complaints folded into that sentence. First: God doesn't see my circumstances. Second: God isn't acting justly on my behalf. These aren't just expressions of sadness. They're theological accusations. And they come from people who had experienced God's faithfulness firsthand for centuries, but whose present suffering made it feel like none of that was real anymore.
The apparent absence of God's intervention does not mean the absence of his care. Brandon said he had asked the same questions this past year and a half. And many of the circumstances he described still haven't changed. But he has been learning, slowly, that even what he cannot understand is not outside God's sovereign purposes, that somewhere in every circumstance, there is a thread of grace woven in that he may not be able to see yet.
Isaiah's answer to Israel's complaint is verse 28: "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable."
To make the point about human limits, Brandon brought up Ronnie Coleman, eight-time Mr. Olympia, a man who deadlifted over 800 pounds for multiple reps, arguably one of the strongest human beings who ever competed. Today Coleman gets around with crutches and a wheelchair, the result of years of accumulated injuries and surgeries. Even the most extraordinary human strength eventually runs out. Isaiah makes this point deliberately: it is not the elderly who collapse but youth and young men, the people we most associate with physical vitality.
We all eventually come to the end of ourselves. But our God never does.
"They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint."
The Hebrew word for "wait" here carries the idea of expectant, active hope, not passive waiting for circumstances to improve, but a continued confidence in God's character and promises. Practically, Brandon said, it means continuing to pray when you don't see an answer. Continuing to obey when obedience is hard. Continuing to trust when everything around you seems to contradict what you know to be true about God.
And the promise is not necessarily that circumstances change quickly or that suffering disappears. Sometimes the strength God provides is simply the strength to take one more step when you have nothing left. The shepherd Isaiah described has come. He laid down his life for his sheep. He rose again. And he is still calling: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The God who never grows weary has not forgotten his people.
Watch the full sermon above or on YouTube
Scriptures Referenced
Isaiah 40:10-31 | October 19, 2026
This past Sunday we had the privilege of welcoming Brandon Rose to preach. Brandon has become part of our BSBC family after a particularly difficult stretch of life, he brought a message from Isaiah 40 that clearly came not just from study but from lived experience.
Behold the Mighty and Faithful Shepherd
Isaiah 40 is addressed to people who have yet to be born ,a future generation that will be the carried off into Babylonian exile. They will have lost their homeland, their temple, and seemingly everything that represented God's covenant promises. Into that darkness, Isaiah 40 announces comfort: God has not forgotten his people.
God would eventually raise up a Persian king named Cyrus, even calling him a shepherd in Isaiah 44, to conquer Babylon and allow the exiles to return. But Cyrus was only a shadow. The true and faithful shepherd Isaiah was pointing toward is Jesus Christ, who would accomplish a far greater redemption than liberation from Babylon. The new exodus Isaiah describes anticipated the greater exodus from sin and death that only Christ could accomplish.
The passage opens in verse 10 with the sovereign arm of a conquering God, the mighty king who rules. Then verse 11 turns the image: "He will tend his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arms. He will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those who are with young." If you've been in John with us this year, that language should have a familiar ring. It is not a coincidence. In Isaiah 40, Yahweh himself is the shepherd of his people. In John 10, Jesus says: "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me." Jesus isn't just reaching for a warm metaphor. He's identifying himself as the divine shepherd that Isaiah promised, the same arm that rules is the arm that gathers. The God of power is also the God of tenderness.
Behold the Incomparable God
Isaiah then spends fifteen verses on the incomparable greatness of this God. He measures the waters in the hollow of his hand. He marks off the heavens. Nations are a drop in a bucket. Not even Babylon's empire could nullify what God had promised.
Then comes a passage that should feel like a mirror. While Israel stood under the thumb of the most powerful empire on earth, they were also fashioning idols with their own hands, crafting, overlaying with gold, securing them with chains so they wouldn't tip over. An idol has to be propped up. The living God sustains all of creation. Isaiah finds this comparison almost absurd.
Brandon was honest about his own version of this. For him, it's guitars. The things we make into idols are not usually bad things, they are often genuinely good gifts. The problem is when we make them the source of our ultimate security, our identity, our satisfaction. When good gifts take the place of the God who gave them, we've built an idol. It doesn't look like an ancient figurine; it looks like a portfolio, a relationship, a political outcome, a reputation.
Verses 21-26 call God's people to remember what they have always known. Rulers rise and fall. Nations come and go. The Lord remains. And then Isaiah points them upward: lift up your eyes and see who created these, stars beyond counting, every one of them named, not one missing. Brandon borrowed a line from pastor Alistair Begg that captures the point cleanly: "What is massive to us is manageable to God." The God who has not lost track of a single star has not lost track of his people.
Trust the God Who Never Grows Weary
Then, after fifteen verses of establishing God's incomparable greatness, Israel asks the question anyway: "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God."
Brandon pointed out that there are two complaints folded into that sentence. First: God doesn't see my circumstances. Second: God isn't acting justly on my behalf. These aren't just expressions of sadness. They're theological accusations. And they come from people who had experienced God's faithfulness firsthand for centuries, but whose present suffering made it feel like none of that was real anymore.
The apparent absence of God's intervention does not mean the absence of his care. Brandon said he had asked the same questions this past year and a half. And many of the circumstances he described still haven't changed. But he has been learning, slowly, that even what he cannot understand is not outside God's sovereign purposes, that somewhere in every circumstance, there is a thread of grace woven in that he may not be able to see yet.
Isaiah's answer to Israel's complaint is verse 28: "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable."
To make the point about human limits, Brandon brought up Ronnie Coleman, eight-time Mr. Olympia, a man who deadlifted over 800 pounds for multiple reps, arguably one of the strongest human beings who ever competed. Today Coleman gets around with crutches and a wheelchair, the result of years of accumulated injuries and surgeries. Even the most extraordinary human strength eventually runs out. Isaiah makes this point deliberately: it is not the elderly who collapse but youth and young men, the people we most associate with physical vitality.
We all eventually come to the end of ourselves. But our God never does.
"They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint."
The Hebrew word for "wait" here carries the idea of expectant, active hope, not passive waiting for circumstances to improve, but a continued confidence in God's character and promises. Practically, Brandon said, it means continuing to pray when you don't see an answer. Continuing to obey when obedience is hard. Continuing to trust when everything around you seems to contradict what you know to be true about God.
And the promise is not necessarily that circumstances change quickly or that suffering disappears. Sometimes the strength God provides is simply the strength to take one more step when you have nothing left. The shepherd Isaiah described has come. He laid down his life for his sheep. He rose again. And he is still calling: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The God who never grows weary has not forgotten his people.
Watch the full sermon above or on YouTube
Scriptures Referenced
- Isaiah 40:10-31
- Isaiah 44:28 (God calls Cyrus "my shepherd")
- John 10:14-15 (I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me)
- Ephesians 2:14 (the dividing wall of hostility broken down in Christ)
- Daniel 7:13-14 (Son of Man; everlasting kingdom — referenced in context of Isaiah/John connections)
- Matthew 11:28-30 (Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden)
- Romans 5:14 (Adam as type; Christ as the new and better representative)
Sermon Discussion Guide
Forgotten People, Everlasting God
Text: Isaiah 40:10–31
Leaders: Our goal is significant, Christ-centered connection and practical interaction with the Word. You have more questions here than you can cover in 45–60 minutes. Do not feel obligated to cover every question or take them in chronological order—select the ones that best serve your group's stage of life.
Text: Isaiah 40:10–31
Leaders: Our goal is significant, Christ-centered connection and practical interaction with the Word. You have more questions here than you can cover in 45–60 minutes. Do not feel obligated to cover every question or take them in chronological order—select the ones that best serve your group's stage of life.
Getting to Know Me
(Choose one or two to break the ice)- Growing up, when you completely ran out of gas or felt exhausted after a long school or work week, what was your favorite way to recharge?
- Have you ever attempted a physical challenge or DIY home project where you quickly realized you were way in over your head? What happened?
- In Sunday’s sermon, Brandon mentioned bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman, who once squatted 800 lbs but eventually faced the hard physical limits of the human body. When in your adult life did you first realize that your youthful energy and endurance actually had sharp limits?
Priming the Pump
- Looking back at your sermon notes from Isaiah 40:10–31, what was one insight or statement you found most helpful, challenging, or troubling?
- Brandon quoted the line, "What is massive to us is manageable to God". When you look at your current week, what circumstance feels most "massive"?
Into the Bible
- The God Who Governs the Nations
In Isaiah 40:15–24, the prophet describes the nations and their rulers as "a drop in a bucket" and "dust on the scales" compared to God's authority.- Read Daniel 4:34–37 and Psalm 33:10–12.
- How do these passages describe God's active involvement in human history and world governments?
- How does keeping this eternal perspective help calm our anxiety during turbulent political seasons or economic stress?
- Read Daniel 4:34–37 and Psalm 33:10–12.
- The Divine Shepherd’s Care
Isaiah 40:11 provides an intimate picture of God as a shepherd gathering lambs in His arm and carrying them close.- Read Ezekiel 34:11–16 and 1 Peter 5:6–7.
- In Ezekiel 34, what specific promises does the Lord make regarding the lost, the strayed, the injured, and the weak?
- In what ways does Jesus fulfill these promises for believers walking through seasons of suffering or loss?
- Read Ezekiel 34:11–16 and 1 Peter 5:6–7.
- Wrestling When God Feels Silent
Israel cried out, "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God" (v. 27), feeling forgotten in their Babylonian exile.- Read Psalm 13:1–6 and Lamentations 3:21–26.
- How do these biblical writers express raw grief and confusion while still anchoring their confidence in God's covenant love?
- Why is it essential for a small group to provide a safe space where believers can admit they are struggling without being handed quick clichés?
- Read Psalm 13:1–6 and Lamentations 3:21–26.
Application & Digging Deeper
- Recognizing Modern Idols:
Isaiah mocked the foolishness of crafting wooden or silver idols that have to be nailed down so they don't topple over (Isa. 40:19–20). In the sermon, Brandon pointed out that we rarely worship statues today; instead, we turn good gifts, careers, savings, home equity, hobbies, or relationships, into idols by seeking ultimate security in them.- Which "good gifts" are most tempting for adults today to lean on for ultimate peace of mind?
- What is one warning sign in your schedule or emotional state that reveals a good gift has become an idol?
- The Danger of Self-Sufficiency:
Even natural strengths, high intelligence, and strong career skills can become a stumbling block if they lead us to forget our dependence on the Giver.- In what areas of life (parenting, work decisions, finances) do you tend to operate on autopilot rather than seeking God in prayer?
- What has God used in the past to bring you to the end of your self-reliance?
- Waiting Expectantly on the Lord:
Verse 31 promises: "They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint". Pastor Brandon emphasized that biblical "waiting" is not sitting around passively, but continuing to trust and obey even when circumstances remain unresolved.- Where in your life right now are you having to wait on God for an answer, relief, or direction?
- When circumstances don't immediately change, what does "taking the next faithful step" look like for you this week?
- Finding Rest in the Good Shepherd:
Read Matthew 11:28–30.- What is the difference between working for the Lord out of human striving versus walking under Christ’s yoke?
- What is one tangible burden you need to hand over to Jesus and ask your group to pray about with you this morning?
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