The Beginning of Restoration (40:1–48:22)

40:1–11 · Prologue:Isaiah 40:1–11 gives the context for reading chapters 40–48. The people of God have gone into exile because of their sins, but Isaiah affirms that the exile will end. The exile is therefore an expression of God’s judgment. It is first a just judgment; second, it is a form of restitution for damages. Israel and Judah not only have abandoned Yahweh but also have detracted from Yahweh’s glory by giving it to idols. The exile was a time in which God’s people could reflect on what they had done; this period of reflection was a way of paying the damages in order to be restored to fellowship with Yahweh. The statement “she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins” (40:2) is an allusion to the Old Testament laws of restit…