Isaiah chapter 40 - Matthew

“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”

Is there something in the above passage that would be inconsistent if it were inserted into the text of Matthew, or for that matter, into the text of any one of the synoptic gospels? What do we see in the first five verses of Isaiah chapter forty? Especially verse three.

“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (v3)

This verse connects to Matthew 3:3, but then it also connects to Mark 1:3 and also Luke 3:4, so, Isaiah 40 3 could be a connection to any one of the synoptic gospels. Then in verse nine we read:

“O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!” (v9)

Is there something in this verse that looks like this passage from Matthew?

“Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:” (Matthew 24:16)

That seems to be a connection to Matthew, but then Mark 13:14 and Luke 21:21 say the same thing in almost the same words, so, Isaiah 40:9 could be a connection to any of the synoptic gospels. Perhaps verse eleven will be a unique connection to Matthew.

“He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” (Isaiah 40:11)

Does it have something in common with one of the following verses?

“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

“Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.” (Matthew 26:31)

Isaiah 40:5a says: “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed”. Did Matthew do it?

So, the shepherd in Matthew is connected to the shepherd in Isaiah 40:11, but then there are similar ‘shepherd’ verses in both Mark and Luke. What is there that is unique to Matthew’s account, that is also found in Isaiah chapter forty, but it not found in Mark and Luke? Perhaps it is this passage.

“O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.” (Isaiah 40:9-10)

Matthew is the gospel that presents Jesus of Nazareth as the promised King. Early in the book of Matthew2:6 we read:

“And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that Shall rule my people Israel.”

It is not that Mark and Luke do not speak of Jesus being the King of the Jews, because both books have the same details of His crucifixion; where the title on His cross was, ‘King of the Jews’ and where someone said, ‘if He is the king of Israel, let Him come down from the cross’, but only Matthew quotes Micah 5:2 and specifically identifies Jesus as the one who would rule over Israel.

This is Isaiah chapter forty, and Matthew is the fortieth book in the Bible. They are connected.