Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Understanding God's Character in Isaiah 40

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the primary obstacle to believing the Gospel?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the primary obstacle to believing the Gospel is our "faulty and wrong conception of God." He states, "The main trouble with us all is that we don't know God. It isn't our particular problems that constitute the real problem." He explains that we struggle because "the categories are too high. They're too great, they're too exalted." Our inability to truly understand God's character leads us to question His ways and promises when things don't align with our expectations.

Why do people often question God's goodness when facing difficult circumstances?

People question God's goodness during difficult circumstances because they view everything through the lens of self-interest rather than holiness. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that humans are "controlled by selfishness and self-centeredness. What we are out for is not absolute truth and justice and righteousness and holiness. What we want is ease and comfort." When circumstances don't provide the happiness we seek, we question God's justice and goodness. This comes from viewing God through human expectations rather than understanding His holy character.

What three aspects of God's character does Isaiah emphasize in response to Israel's complaint?

Isaiah emphasizes three aspects of God's character in response to Israel's complaint that "My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed from my God":

1. The holiness of God - "To whom then will ye liken me? Or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One." God is utterly different from us in His moral character, being "light and in him is no darkness at all."

2. The changelessness (immutability) of God - "Hast thou not known that the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?" God never tires, forgets, or changes.

3. The eternal wisdom of God - "There is no searching of his understanding." God has a purpose and plan, seeing the end from the beginning, even when we cannot understand His ways.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain God's personal care despite His greatness?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones beautifully explains that although God is great enough to manage the universe, He never forgets the individual. Using Isaiah's illustration of the stars, he points out: "He calleth them all by names, by the greatness of his might." If God knows each star by name, He certainly knows each person individually. Lloyd-Jones gives several examples of Christ's personal care: feeling the touch of the woman with an issue of blood in a pressing crowd, speaking to the thief on the cross despite bearing the sins of the world, and teaching that "the very hairs of your head are all numbered." He concludes, "The Lord of the universe interested in the fall of a sparrow, the God of heaven taking the trouble to count the hairs of your head because he loves you."

How does the cross of Christ demonstrate all three aspects of God's character?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes that the cross perfectly demonstrates all three aspects of God's character:

1. God's holiness - The cross shows that "God's holiness dictates that sin must be punished. And God cannot forgive any sinner until the sin has been punished."

2. God's unchanging character - God doesn't compromise His justice to show mercy. At the cross, He remains "just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus."

3. God's wisdom - What appeared to be God's defeat (Christ dying) was actually His greatest victory. "The apparent defeat is the greatest victory" where God's plan to save humanity while maintaining His justice was revealed.

Through the cross, God found a way to forgive sinners while remaining holy: "He's punished the sin in Jesus, and therefore he can forgive the sinner. His righteousness is vindicated. His holiness remains unsullied, and yet men can be forgiven."