Isaiah 40-44

These chapters are filled with redemptive prophecies for Israel. It is both very specific, yet very vague. It is hard to use these chapters to point to a specific time in history other than just to say that Israel will one day be honored. From a Christian perspective, a lot of this might also refer to the general time of the New Testament in which Israel is glorified through Christ.

The chapters also contain a lot of discussion about idols. In one particular tongue-in-cheek passage in chapter 40, it is pointed out that idols are made of the same materials used to cook food (I.e., wood). So, Isaiah highlights the absurdity of worshipping something that is used by the same people for something as mundane as cooking. Following this logic and taking it to the metaphorical, he concludes that the people who worship idols are only fed with "ashes".