Charles Spurgeon Commentary Isaiah 40

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem.

The loss of comfort is no small loss. God would have his people happy. They are in the best condition for serving him, and less likely to be overcome by the temptations of the world, when the joy of the Lord is their strength. Therefore, three times over he bids his ministers comfort his people. O Triune Jehovah, help your servant now to fulfill this commission!

And cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished,

After all, beloved, you do not have to fight your own battles. Under one aspect, you may have to do so; but the great fight is already over, that fight which is so much greater than all others, that the lesser ones are scarcely worthy of the name of warfare. You only have to scatter the foes whom your great Captain has vanquished, and to march boldly onward because he has cleared the way before you.

That her iniquity is pardoned:

Oh, when that is the case, what does it matter about the warfare?

Brethren, if you have a sense of sin forgiven, you can certainly endure the path. The sting is gone from death itself when sin is pardoned; and, therefore, it is certainly gone from life as well.

For she has received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.

If the Lord's ancient people could thus be comforted in their seasons of sorrow, how much more may we be cheered when we think of all the blessing which has come to us through the sorrows of our great covenant Head! All is settled now. It is finished, was our Saviour's cry from the cross. Our debts are all paid, so we may well be comforted.

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

They need it, and they shall have it. Mind, O my servants, that you give it to them: Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

Speak comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry to her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she has received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.

The first meaning of these words was that, as Jerusalem had passed through a time of great tribulation, she should have a season of rest. But the grand gospel meaning to you and to me is that our Lord Jesus has fought our battle, and won the victory for us, that he has paid our debt and given to divine justice double for all our sins, and therefore, our iniquity is pardoned.

This is enough to make anyone happy, one would think. It is the best thing that even Isaiah could say, or that God himself could say by the mouth of Isaiah, when his object was to comfort the Lord's tried people.

You comfort, you comfort my people, says your God. You speak comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry to her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she has received from the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.

God would have his people happy. He knows that we are not in a strong, vigorous state, neither do we honor his name while we are lacking in holy joy.

Let the sinners be uncomfortable. Let them be like the troubled sea that cannot rest; but as for God’s people, it is his great joy that they should be happy. He bids his servants again and again to comfort them.

Sometimes we are in a condition of warfare, and we are under the chastising rod, but now the Lord appears graciously to his servants, and he says, "Your warfare is over: your chastisement is ended." Now the Lord returns in mercy, and he grants a sense of forgiven sin.