Introduction
An Introduction to Be Comforted
by Ken Baugh
His name was Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton. His goal was to lead the first expedition across the South Polar continent known as Antarctica. However, before this expedition ended, Shackleton and his crew faced gale force winds over 150 miles per hour, bone-chilling temperatures of 100 degrees below zero, 80-foot seas, hunger, and the oppressively dark days of the Antarctic winter. In his book Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing describes this darkness:
In all the world there is no desolation more complete than the polar night. It is a return to the ice age—no warmth, no life, no movement. Only those who have experienced it can appreciate what it means to be without the sun day after day and week after week. Few men unaccustomed to it can fight off its effects altogether, and it has driven some men mad. (p. vii)
And yet in spite of these conditions, nothing could prepare Shackleton’s crew for the devastating destruction of their vessel, aptly named the Endurance. The Endurance became trapped in the icy Weddell Sea and forced the crew to survive through extreme conditions for an entire Antarctic winter. However, once the spring thaw began, instead of being released from its frozen prison, the ship was crushed by large blocks of floating ice. These damaged the hull beyond repair and left the entire expedition stranded.
Mounting all the courage and strength they could muster, the men loaded into the three remaining lifeboats and began rowing toward Elephant Island, 100 miles away. By the time they reached the island, it was the first time in 497 days that they had stood on solid ground. But their ordeal was not over yet. Elephant Island was outside the main shipping channels, and nobody knew they were there, so they had no hope of rescue. Their only chance for survival was to add a makeshift sail to one of the lifeboats and attempt to sail from Elephant Island to the South Georgia Whaling station.
There was only one small problem with this: South Georgia was 800 miles away! Resolved to save his men, Captain Shackleton chose four others and set sail for South Georgia on April 24, promising those he was leaving behind that he would come back for them. Miraculously, on May 9, they sighted South Georgia, but the winds made a landing impossible, so they waited until morning. During the night, a full-blown hurricane hit, and they thought it was the end. But again, by some miracle they survived the night drifting in their lifeboat and landed on the unoccupied southern shore of South Georgia the next morning. Fearing that putting out to sea again to reach the whaling station would be too dangerous, Shackleton made a land crossing by foot that had never been attempted before. It took him and two of the other men thirty-six hours to reach the whaling station at Stromness.
Without delay, he assembled a rescue party to get the men he had left behind on Elephant Island, but his first three attempts failed due to rough seas and bad weather. Finally, he secured a small tugboat from the Chilean Navy and rescued all twenty-two of his stranded men. Shackleton had kept his promise to return. Wow! What an incredible story of courage and devotion. Shackleton loved his men so much that he risked his life numerous times to save them.
The trials surrounding this event in the life of Sir Ernest Shackleton remind me of the Big Idea that runs throughout the book of Isaiah, namely that the Lord saves. According to Isaiah, Jesus is the Savior who is coming, the Savior who came, and the Savior who is coming back one day. Let’s take a look at these three dynamics in regard to our God who saves in the book of Isaiah.
First, Isaiah said that a Savior was coming (predicted in Isaiah 7:14; 9:6–7; fulfilled in Matthew 1:18–25). He said this Savior would come through the line of Jesse, the father of King David (predicted in Isaiah 11:1; fulfilled in Luke 3:23, 32). Isaiah recorded these prophecies seven hundred years before Jesus was born. Jesus Christ is the Messiah, our Savior whom Isaiah said would come.
Second, Isaiah said what would happen to the Savior once He came. The Savior would perform miracles (predicted in Isaiah 35:5–6; fulfilled in Matthew 9:35). He would be rejected by His own people (predicted in Isaiah 53:3; fulfilled in John 7:5, 48). He would stand silent before His accusers (predicted in Isaiah 53:7; fulfilled in Matthew 27:12). He would be wounded and bruised (predicted in Isaiah 53:5; fulfilled in Matthew 27:26), smitten and spit upon (predicted in Isaiah 50:6; fulfilled in Matthew 26:67). He would pray for His persecutors (predicted in Isaiah 53:12; fulfilled in Luke 23:34). He would be crucified with two thieves (predicted in Isaiah 53:9; fulfilled in Matthew 27:38). He would be buried in a rich man’s tomb (predicted in Isaiah 53:9; fulfilled in Matthew 27:57–60). Again, Jesus was the One who fulfilled all of these prophecies, and He did so to pay the price for my sin and yours, so that through faith in Him, we might gain forgiveness and eternal life. Jesus Christ is the Messiah, our Savior who Isaiah said would come to suffer and die in our place.
Finally, Isaiah said the Savior will come back again one day to set up a literal kingdom on earth and usher in a time of prosperity, peace, and joy (Isa. 2:2–5; 32:1–8; 35). The Bible describes this time as the millennial kingdom when Jesus will personally reign on the earth for a thousand years. Jesus made two incredible promises to His followers. First, He promised that after He rose from the dead, He would go and prepare a place for us in His Father’s house. And second, Jesus promised that He would come back for us, to take us to be with Him forever (John 14:1–4). This means that when Jesus comes back to earth, we will reign with Him too (Zech. 14:9; 2 Tim. 2:12). No matter what happens in this life, my friend, nothing can change the fact that our God has saved us and that in Him we have a glorious hope and future. As I have heard Dr. Dallas Willard say, “We are in training for reigning.” Take comfort in that!
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Dr. Wiersbe’s commentaries have been a source of guidance and strength to me over the many years that I have been a pastor. His unique style is not overly academic, but theologically sound. He explains the deep truths of Scripture in a way that everyone can understand and apply. Whether you’re a Bible scholar or a brand-new believer in Christ, you will benefit, as I have, from Warren’s insights. With your Bible in one hand and Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary in the other, you will be able to accurately unpack the deep truths of God’s Word and learn how to apply them to your life.
Drink deeply, my friend, of the truths of God’s Word, for in them you will find Jesus Christ, and there is freedom, peace, assurance, and joy.
—Ken Baugh
Pastor of Coast Hills Community Church
Aliso Viejo, California