Charles Spurgeon Commentary Isaiah 40:6-8

"The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of Jehovah bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand forever." — Isaiah 40:6-8 (ASV)

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Now that is a cry that we all need to hear – the death-cry of all creature-confidence, for humanity at its very best is only like grass in flower. It will be mowed down in due time. But if the scythe does not come near it, it will still fade in its season, because it is a transient thing.

Every hope and confidence based on what is seen must be temporary and must pass away. All the joy that you have tonight – all the hope and all the confidence you have that is based on an earthly thing – must all gradually disappear.

Nothing is eternal but what springs from the eternal. Unless our hope is in the Lord alone, that hope will fail us at some time or another. This is a cry we need to hear because, until we are sick of the creature, we will not turn to the Creator. Until we are done with false confidences, we will not make God our trust.

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

So, you see, there is a withering work to be done by the Spirit of God, withering up all the glory of the flesh so that the glory of God's Word may be revealed, and that Jehovah himself may be seen in his majesty and might. This is the great battle of all the ages.

Sometimes people have set up a golden calf to be worshipped; at other times, blocks of wood and stone; but idolatry is universal wherever humanity is found. We are all far too prone to trust in something else instead of in God; and God is always jealous of these rivals of his—these Dagons that dare impiously to stand in the presence of the ark of the Lord.

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. Yes, the dearest ones that we have are but flesh, so they wither, and pass away like the green herb. Have you been bereaved, my believing friend?

Well, you may still say to your Lord, in the words of our hymn, "How can I bereaved be, Since I cannot part from you?" The mower with the sharp scythe cuts down the grass, but he cannot touch the secret source of our hope, and joy, and confidence in God, and, above all, he cannot touch the God in whom we confide.