but they that wait upon Jehovah shall renew [their] strength they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not tire; they shall walk, and not faint.
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The Setting of the Verse
Isaiah 40 closes a chapter of comfort to a people whose flesh is "grass" and whose strength has utterly failed; against the backdrop of the Creator who never faints, the prophet announces a promise to those who wait. The verse meets weakness, weariness, and the bare insufficiency of nature with a divine remedy reserved for those who turn from human resource and fix their hope on Jehovah Himself.
Nature's Strength Fails — God's is Inexhaustible
Before we hear the promise, the prophet exposes the helplessness of even the most vigorous human flesh. Strength must come from a source outside ourselves.
Hamilton SmithMoreover not only is there infinite power and wisdom with God, but in grace He can give power to His needy people... If, however, He gives strength, we on our side have to learn our need of strength, and that mere natural strength cannot sustain the people of God in the trials they have to meet. Thus we read that the "youths" and the "young men" – those who set forth nature in its freshness and strength – will faint and grow weary and "stumble and fall". It is often a hard lesson to learn that the strength of nature cannot keep us in the path of faith.
Waiting — the Posture That Receives Strength
The receivers of strength are not the able but the dependent. Darby ties this lesson to the whole movement of the chapter — the contrast between Jehovah and idols, and the question why Israel should ever distrust Him.
J. N. DarbyThen comes the contrast between Jehovah and idols. Princes shall be brought to nothing. He is the Creator of the heavens. Why does Israel distrust Him? The strongest shall faint - "those that wait on Jehovah shall renew their strength." This is the general thesis.
Hamilton Smith adds the practical order: God is the giver, waiting is the channel, and rising above earth is the result.
Hamilton SmithFurther, we learn that if God is the giver of strength, and we need strength, it is those who "wait upon the LORD" that are the receivers of strength. Finally we learn the blessed result of being strengthened by the LORD. Such will "mount up with wings as eagles," they will rise above the sorrows of earth to see the glory that is coming. Moreover, they will "run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Mounting, Running, Walking — a Descending Order of Endurance
Several writers note the surprising sequence: from soaring, to running, to walking. The hardest test is steady plodding, and grace meets us at every level.
J T Mawson"But they that wait on the Lord shall renew [or change] their strength they shall mount up with wings as eagles [rise triumphant over every difficulty and depression], they shall run and not be weary [be untiring in their errands of ministry and mercy for the Lord to others]; and they shall walk and not faint," tread steadily and with endurance the upward way to "the hope that is laid up for them in heaven."
H J VineBeginning with mounting above the trials, we may grow stronger still and run through them; and, finally, so learn of Him who "fainteth not, neither is weary" (v. 28), that we, too, may walk and not faint, as we tread the heavenly road with steady steps!
The Promise Belongs to Us as Truly as to Israel
Although first spoken into Israel's collapse, the promise is held out to the believer today.
MagazinesAt the time Isaiah spoke, all was weakness and confusion in Israel... Their youths and young men, in whom strength and vitality would naturally be looked for, had utterly failed, and everything was in a state of complete prostration. Then came the blessed and definite promise (surely not less for us than for Israel) "they that wait upon Jehovah shall renew, or change their strength. They shall mount up as with the wings of eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Faintness and weariness are thus overcome, and power given to run in His service, and strength imparted to walk circumspectly.
Prayer is the Practical Form of Waiting
C. H. Mackintosh links the verse directly to prayer — the means by which a believer actually waits.
C. H. MackintoshPrayer brings in the power of God; and this is what we want. It is not the power of eloquence, but the power of God; and this can only be had by waiting upon Him. "He gives power to the faint... but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength."
Summary
- Nature fails. Even youths and young men — flesh at its strongest — utterly fall; the strength of nature cannot keep us in the path of faith.
- God is the source. The Creator who never faints freely gives power to the faint and increases strength to those who have none.
- Waiting receives. The channel is dependence on Jehovah Himself, the opposite of the idolatry and self-reliance the chapter rebukes.
- Three levels of endurance. Mounting up rises above trials; running serves others tirelessly; walking is the steady, unfainting tread of the heavenly road — and grace covers each.
- For us today. The promise spoken into Israel's prostration is "surely not less for us than for Israel," and prayer is the practical form of waiting that draws in this strength.