ISAIAH 40: “How Great Is Your God?”

By

Jim Bomkamp

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1. INTRO

1.1. In our last study we were in chapter 38 where Hezekiah is sick with a terminal illness but prays to the Lord and is healed, and then in chapter 39 we saw that Hezekiah entertains a delegation from Babylon who are desiring to see the wonder they had heard about of Hezekiah being healed, and they bring him a gift, but then foolishly Hezekiah shows this delegation all of the treasures of his kingdom

1.2. In our study today we are going to begin the second major section of the book of Isaiah where Isaiah begins to build theologically the Messianic hope for God’s people, and everything from this point on is prophetic and points forward for the people of Judea. The chapters previous to this one had dealt with events that were present or past the time of Isaiah’s writing, however from here on out all of the events pictured and addressed by Isaiah are in the future

1.2.1. Warren Wiersbe has written about how the breakdown of the book of the book of Isaiah itself is very similar to the Bible as a whole, “The book of Isaiah can be called “a Bible in miniature.” There are sixty-six chapters in Isaiah and sixty-six books in the Bible. The thirty-nine chapters of the first part of Isaiah may be compared to the Old Testament with its thirty-nine books, and both focus primarily on God’s judgment of sin. The twenty-seven chapters of the second part may be seen to parallel the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, and both emphasize the grace of God. The “New Testament” section of Isaiah opens with the ministry of John the Baptist (40:3-5; Mark 1:1-4) and closes with the new heavens and the new earth (Isa. 65:17; 66:22); and in between, there are many references to the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and King. Of course, the chapter divisions in Isaiah are not a part of the original inspired text, but the comparison is still interesting.”

1.2.2. We see in chapter 40 that Isaiah is writing to a generation of people who were yet unborn and who would live at least 100+ years after the time of his writing, and as he looks forward with the prophetic eye to events that would be occurring in their time he begins to focus his writing on encouraging the people of the hope that they will have when their Messiah arrives

1.2.3. Isaiah writes anticipating that the people will be in Babylonian captivity, and for the events of that time period he attempts to focus them upon the hope that they have as God’s people which is based upon the surety of God’s word, and His promises

1.2.3.1.Though the people may not be able to see how the promise of their deliverance from captivity would be fulfilled, Isaiah assures them though peoples and mighty nations will come and go that the word of God will stand forever, and thus God’s promise to return and restore them would be fulfilled

1.2.4. From verse 12 through the end of the chapter, Isaiah seeks to encourage the Judeans by having them consider just how great and mighty their God really is. Have you ever asked yourself, how great must God really be? This is what Isaiah writes and asks the Judeans in captivity in Babylon in this chapter, how great is your God?

1.2.4.1.Verses 12-17: Isaiah seeks to encourage the Judeans by having them consider just how great and mighty their God must be to have created the heavens and formed the mountains and the sand upon the earth, and he asks of whom the Lord sought counsel in order to do these things?

1.2.4.2.Verses 18-20: Isaiah seeks to encourage the Judeans to trust in the Lord by having them compare their God to the gods and idols of the nations

1.2.4.3.Verses 21-26: Isaiah asks the Judeans to consider that people on this earth are like grasshoppers to the Lord, He removes nations, He numbers and knows the name of each of the millions of stars

1.2.4.4.Verses 27-31: Isaiah tells the Judeans how that those who go to the Lord for their strength always have it renewed and they do not grow weary or lose heart

2. VS 40:1-2 - “1 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. 2 “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has ended, That her iniquity has been removed, That she has received of the Lord’s hand Double for all her sins.”” - Isaiah is told by the Lord to comfort His people

2.1. Beginning with this chapter, Isaiah begins to address the nation as if events have rolled forward in time. He is writing words of encouragement determined for his people after the events of 586B.C., at least 100+ years after the time of his writing. He knew and had already prophesied that Judea would be taken captive to Babylon. Isaiah’s words in this chapter are words of encouragement for a people who have been overwhelmed by their own sense of sinfulness and failure. It was because of their sin that the people had been taken captive to Babylon.

2.2. Being faced with their own sinfulness and failure, Isaiah writes this chapter to his people in order to inspire in them a sense of the ‘hope’ (confident expectation) that they still possessed in the Lord their God. God would one day return a faithful remnant, restore the city and nation, and once again the people would live in their own land and serve their God.

2.3. As we enter this next section of the book of Isaiah, we will see that all throughout it there are prophecies that Isaiah is making concerning events that will occur future to himself, and in fact the whole premise of this second half of the book is that since Judea will one day be taken captive to Babylon they as captives will have great need for encouragement of the hope that they still possess wrapped up in the covenant promises to God’s people. In the next few chapters we will see that Isaiah will predict more than 170+ years before the event even the name of the ruler, Cyrus, who will conquer Babylon and allow the Judeans to return to their land. This next section is full of prophecies, many of whom we know now looking back were in fact fulfilled later in history. The ones that have not been fulfilled are still future to us at this juncture in time. There were over 300 Old Testament prophesies fulfilled by Christ in His first coming. You see, the Bible is so radically unique in that it is the only book that has verifiable prophesies written in it, and it contains thousands of prophesies. Dave Hunt in his new book, “An Urgent Call To A Serious Faith”, writes the following, “…only the Bible has written history centuries and even thousands of years before it happened. It is this fact, above all, which puts the Bible in a class of its own. Its many plainly state prophecies (not in guarded, ambiguous language like the French quatrains of a Nostradamus) were recorded centuries and even thousands of years before their accurate fulfillment. These prophecies are so numerous, stated in perfect agreement by so many different prophets who had no contact with one another, and many of them so unlikely ever to happen, given the normal course of events, that the probability of fulfillment by chance is infinitely remote…There are no prophecies of verifiable date of origin and documented fulfillment centuries later-not one- in the Quran, in the Hindu Vedas, in the sayings of Buddha, in the sayings of Confucius, or in any other scriptures of the world’s religions. The Bible, however, is about twenty-eight percent prophecy, and its thousands of prophecies cover a wide range of subjects and events.” Speaking concerning how archeological finds continually support what the scriptures have written, Dave Hunt continues, “No other scriptures have been critically investigated like the Bible. It has been under the skeptic’s microscopes for centuries and analyzed from every conceivable angle by critics determined to discredit it. None of the scriptures of any of the world’s religions has been subjected to comparable scrutiny, nor could they withstand it if they were. Even a cursory reading of scriptures other than the bible reveals multiple erros of fact, history, and science. Yes, critics often claimed to have found errors in the Bible based upon what was known at the time. When further facts have been discovered, however, the bible has proved to be 100 percent accurate and the critics wrong. For example, earlier in this centure, it was claimed that the Hittite peoples, given a prominent mention in the bible (as strong and numerous from the time of Abraham to David), had never existed. Later, the archaeological evidence began to pour in. Today, there is an entire museum in Ankara, Turkey, devoted to the Hittites and filled with proof that what the Bible said about them was accurate. Great museums around the world display masses of evidence fully supporting what the bible has to say. In comparison, consider the Book of Mormon. For decades, at the cost of millions of dollars, the Mormon Church has maintained an aggressive archaeological program literally scouring North, Central, and South America in search of evidence to support the Book of Mormon. To date they have not found so much as a pin or coin or stone or inscription. There is no evidence whatsoever that any of the cities described in the Book of Mormon ever existed. Even the geography can’t be verified. The same is true of the Bhagavad-Gita and other Hindu writings, or the legends of various indigenous peoples around the world. Israeli students, however, study the history of their country and ancestors from the Bible and archaeologists use the Bible as a guide for locating the buried ruins of ancient cities.”

2.3.1. Note how that Isaiah in the following prophetic scriptures reveals how that through fulfilled prophesy the Lord attempts to prove to minds which are open to truth that He and His word can be depended upon:

2.3.1.1.Isaiah 42:9, “9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”’”

2.3.1.2.Isaiah 46:9-10, “9 “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’.”

2.3.1.3.Isaiah 48:5, “5 Therefore I declared them to you long ago, Before they took place I proclaimed them to you, Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, And my graven image and my molten image have commanded them.”

2.4. Though the people had sinned and failed the Lord and were now suffering the consequences of their sin, individually and corporately, Isaiah is told by the Lord to ‘comfort’ them.

2.4.1. The Lord often brings comfort and consolation in the lives of His people. H.A. Ironside writes about how that all three of the persons in the godhead console men, “God the Father is called the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). God the Holy Spirit is spoken of four times in our Lord’s last discourse to His disciples as the “Comforter” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). One aspect of our Lord’s work and ministry is “to comfort all that mourn” (Isaiah 61:2). He is also called our “advocate with the Father” (1 John 2:1) and the word translated “advocate” here is the exact same Greek word as the one translated “Comforter” in John’s gospel.”

2.4.2. The Lord tells Isaiah to ‘speak kindly’ to Jerusalem. The people had already suffered the consequences of their sin, having been disciplined severely by the Lord because of their having departed severely from the path that He had for them, and now was the time for healing and restoration to begin. God would now begin to reconstruct lives to live humbly and obediently before the Lord.

2.4.3. We Christians need to realize that the Lord does not bring difficulties, trials, tribulations, and chastisement in our lives randomly or because of a motive of vengeance, rather like any loving father does with his children so the Lord disciplines His children in order to teach them those valuable lessons that will motivate them to go in the right direction in the future and end up being good and God fearing people, not evil.

2.5. The sin of the people of Judea was so severe that in the Lord’s reckoning she had to suffer double the consequences for her sin during this time of her discipline at the hand of the Lord.

2.5.1. Judea had sinned in a breach of trust with the Lord. In Exod. 22:9 we read in the Law that for a breach of trust that a person must pay double for the loss incurred at his hands, “9 “For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.”

2.6. Isaiah tells his people that the Lord has now completed His discipline of the nation, for now her ‘warfare has ended’, however now the nation will take a full 70 years of captivity in order to fully turn back to the Lord and be healed and restored into His fellowship as His nation and people.

2.7. The prophet Jeremiah also wrote to the Jews who were in captivity in Babylon, however he was contemporary to the events that were occurring. Jeremiah also sought to encourage the people of the hope that they have in the Lord, and he wrote in Jer. 29:10-14 about how that the Lord would restore them from their captivity after 70 years, “10 “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,‘ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.12 ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.13 ‘And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.14 ‘And I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

3. VS 40:3-5 - “3 A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. 4 “Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; 5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”” - Isaiah proclaims to the Judeans to ‘clear the way for the Lord’

3.1. In Isaiah’s day when a king would be brought into a land, he would be carried upon his throne by his minions, and it was very important that the road on which the king would be carried be as level and straight as possible. Here, we see that the Lord who is king over the nation needs the road by which He would come to His people as the Messiah to be as level and straight as possible.

3.2. This prophesy of the need for a proclamation to ‘clear the way for the Lord’ had a dual fulfillment:

3.2.1. The Messianic fulfillment:

3.2.1.1.These prophetic verses we know are Messianic for they are quoted by Matthew in Matt. 3:1-3 in reference to John the Baptist fulfilling them, “1 Now in those days John the Baptist *came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’””

3.2.1.2.John the Baptist fulfilled these prophetic verses by his preaching the message of repentence to the people. As the people repented of their sins, that is made a 180° turn and returned back to the Lord and obediently following Him, then the people would be ready for the Messiah to come. Their hearts would be in that place where they would be able to hear and respond appropriately to His message.

3.2.1.2.1.The valleys of sinful actions and habits must be repented of and brought to the level ground of the righteousness of God.

3.2.1.2.2.The lofty mountains of pride and self-exaltation must be repented of and removed to be brought to the level ground of the righteousness of God.

3.2.1.2.3.The crooked ways of perverting and twisting of our ways from the straight ways of walking uprightly with the Lord must be repented of and straightened out to the righteousness of God.

3.2.1.2.4.The rough ways where though we may try to be walking uprightly with the Lord and yet we are not as genuinely loving and gentle towards others as we should be must be repented of and smoothed out to the righteousness of God.

3.2.2. The fulfillment with the Babylonian captives:

3.2.2.1.Isaiah knew that in that yet-to-be-born generation in Judea that as they were in captivity that they would be living in ‘the wilderness’ and a ‘desert’. It was even there that they would need in their day to begin to turn back to the Lord and to reform their ways so that the faithful remnant would be able to return to the land of Judea in time.

3.2.2.2.During the days of Ezra and Nehemiah when the Babylonian captives came back to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and the temple, we read in the scriptures of a tremendous reformation that occurred as the people turned back to the Lord and His word. In Neh. 8:1-12, for instance, we read of how when they had found a scroll with the law on it in the temple that the people all gathered together and the entire law was read, and then afterwards they repented of their sins and vowed freshly to walk in obedience to God, “1 And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel.2 Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month.3 And he read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law.4 And Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand.5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.6 Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.7 Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, explained the law to the people while the people remained in their place.8 And they read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading. 9 Then Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law.10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.”12 And all the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them.”

3.3. Isaiah promises that when the people have leveled the ground and made the way straight for the Lord to come, that it would be then that they would see the glory of the Lord, for He would come to them and restore them to Himself.

4. VS 40:6-8 - “6 A voice says, “Call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” - Isaiah has a voice tell him to ‘call out’ a message saying that the word of God will stand forever

4.1. Isaiah uses the metaphor of ‘flesh’, symbolizing people’s and nations ever so mighty, as being like grass and their loveliness like the flowers that grow in a field. Peoples and nations are going to ‘wither’, fade away from existence, because the Lord will blow upon them.

4.1.1. In Isaiah’s mind which is caught up with the prophetic future, the people of Judea and Jerusalem would now (100+ years after Isaiah had written these verses) find themselves in captivity to the mighty nation of Babylon, and to them it might seem as if they would never be able to break away and gain their freedom to go back and rebuild their city and temple. However, God is the one who raises up and brings down nations, and His word which He has promised about their returning from captivity and one day having their Messiah come and rule in power over the earth, will be fulfilled. The word of God will endure and reveal to all who are reasonable in inquiring that it can be relied upon as being infallible, accurate, and God-breathed.

4.2. The word of God will stand forever.

4.2.1. Jesus said in Matt. 24:35 that heaven and earth would pass away but that His words would never pass away, “35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.””

4.2.2. Jesus said in Matt. 5:18 that though this heaven and earth would pass away not even one punctuation mark of the Law of Moses would pass away, “18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.””

4.2.3. Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Tim. 3:16-17 about how all scripture is inspired by God and therefore can be relied upon, “16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

4.2.4. The apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:20-21 about how all scripture came to us from God’s inspiration for men were moved by the Holy Spirit to write it, “20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

4.2.5. In Matt. 7:24-27, Jesus taught His disciples that His word was a rock that if they heard His word and acted upon it they would build their house upon the rock and thus it could never be destroyed, “24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.25 “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.26 “And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.27 “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall.””

5. VS 40:9-11 - “9 Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10 Behold, the Lord God will come with might, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him, And His recompense before Him. 11 Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs, And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.” - The Lord tells Zion (Jerusalem) that they are to go up to a high mountain and proclaim the gospel (good news) that the Lord is going to come to Judah

5.1. The people of Judea are called by the Lord to be evangelists in these verses, for they are called to proclaim the gospel.

5.2. These verses are Messianic regarding their description as they speak at once of all aspects of what the Messiah will do when He comes:

5.2.1. The Lord is coming with His might.

5.2.1.1.We have already seen in Isaiah 9:6-7 that it was prophesied that when the Messiah would come that He would come in His might for He will reign as king and there will be no end to His government or of peace, “6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”

5.2.2. The Lord is coming to rule over His people.

5.2.2.1.In Rev. 2:25-27, which quotes Ps. 2:9, we read that when Jesus returns the second time to the earth (The Second Coming of Christ) that He will rule over the nations with a rod of iron, “25 ‘Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.26 ‘And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; 27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father.” See also Rev. 19:15.

5.2.3. The Lord is coming to recompense (or reward) people, which is indicative of Christ’s coming to act as judge over mankind.

5.2.3.1.In Rev. 22:12-13, we read that Jesus tells us that when He comes again to the earth that He will render judgment to every man according to his deeds, “12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.””

5.2.4. The Lord is coming as the gentle shepherd of His people.

5.2.4.1.Jesus said in John 10:11 that He is the good shepherd over God’s people, “11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

5.2.4.2.What a beautiful picture Isaiah paints for us of the loving care that the Good Shepherd Himself when He comes will take of His beloved sheep in their weakness and need:

5.2.4.2.1.The babies too weak to walk on their own are carried by the Lord in His very bosom.

5.2.4.2.2.The ewes who are fragile because they are nursing, He will gently lead.

6. VS 40:12-14 - “12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance, And the hills in a pair of scales? 13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has informed Him? 14 With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge, And informed Him of the way of understanding?” - Isaiah seeks to have the Judeans consider how great and mighty the Lord really is: He is the One who created the heavens and formed the mountains and the sand upon the earth

6.1. The intricacy of detail in God’s creation shows how great and mighty the Lord is:

6.1.1. All of the many mighty waters over the entire earth were ‘measured’ in the ‘hollow of His hand’, says Isaiah.

6.1.2. The Lord measured out the dust of the earth when He created the earth, and yet who among men is able even to calculate the amount of dust that there is upon the face of the earth.

6.1.3. The Lord measured and weighed out just the right amount of mountains and hills as upon a scale.

6.2. Isaiah asks the rhetorical question of whom the Lord sought counsel when He made all of His mighty creations? The answer is of course implied to be, ‘No one!’

6.2.1. This world either came into being from nothing (something that goes against the laws of physics as we know them), or it always was (something else that goes against the laws of physics since there is a prior cause for all things), or God created it from nothing (the only logical conclusion).

6.2.2. To be creator of all that exists, the Lord must be ‘omnipotent’, or able to do anything. Since God created everything from nothing, then His greatness and might must be infinite.

6.3. Isaiah asks the rhetorical question of whom the Lord sought counsel concerning the path of justice, and who taught the Lord knowledge? The answer is of course implied to be, ‘No one!’

6.3.1. The Lord alone is the originator of knowledge and justice, not man:

6.3.1.1.It was not man before the fall in the garden of Eden, that this creature whom God formed from the very dust of the earth taught the Lord knowledge or the path of justice.

6.3.1.1.1.It was the Tree of the knowledge in the garden of Eden that man was tempted to eat of, for in his pre-fall state man was quite innocent or ignorant of much knowledge of God and right and wrong.

6.3.1.2.It was not sinful man after the fall in the garden of Eden who taught the Lord knowledge or the path of justice.

6.3.1.2.1.On the contrary, to sinful man was given by God the 10 Commandments which stand as an absolute standard of righteousness. These commandments convict man’s hardened conscience, impervious understanding, and corrupted will, of what true righteousness consists of. The righteousness that is a reflection of the character of God much as the moon is not a light but reflects the light that shines upon it from the sun.

6.3.2. Dave Hunt in the same book previously quoted mentions something else which I have been mulling over quite a bit lately, for he says that our understanding and ability to think is so limited that we cannot even imagine something which has not already been represented to us in some way by the things that God has already created, “…we cannot even think of anything that doesn’t exist. This is easily proved by the fact that we cannot imagine a new prime color for the rainbow. We can think of “pink elephants”, but pink and elephants both exist. Even the extraterrestrials portrayed on the screen in the most fantastic science fiction and space odyssey movies are merely corruptions or bizarre combinations of creatures we know from earth experience.”

6.3.3. In Isaiah 55:9, the Lord reveals to us how much higher are His thoughts that ours and His ways than ours, “9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.””

7. VS 40:15-17 - “15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. 16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. 17 All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.” - Isaiah seeks to have the Judeans consider how great and mighty the Lord really is: He is the One before whom the nations are like a drop in a bucket or a spec of dust on the scales

7.1. Foreseeing that this nation of Judea who would be captives in Babylon would have a hard time believing that God could ever overcome mighty Babylon on their behalf and allow them to return to and restore Jerusalem and their temple, Isaiah asks them to consider the fact that compared to the Lord the mightiest of nations are miniscule to the greatest degree.

7.2. The people of captive Judea would need to realize that anything is possible with the Lord, even the bringing down of a mighty nation, or all of the nations.

7.3. Isaiah says that before the Lord the nation of Lebanon isn’t even enough to start a good fire, nor are all of it’s many beasts enough to offer a truly impressive sacrifice to the Lord.

7.4. Isaiah tells us that all of the nations are ‘as nothing’ before the Lord. They are even less than nothing and irrelevant, or meaningless.

8. VS 40:18-20 - “18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? 19 As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. 20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter.” - Isaiah seeks to have the Judeans consider how great and mighty the Lord really is: He is the One who can’t even be compared to the gods and idols of the pagan world

8.1. Isaiah asks the Judeans the rhetorical question of to consider who among all of the gods of this world that the Lord might be likened or compared to? The answer is of course implied to be, ‘None of them!’ The gods of this world:

8.1.1. A goldsmith plates them.

8.1.2. A silversmith fashions chains for them.

8.1.3. The poorer idolater makes his idol from a tree that won’t rot right away.

8.2. Isaiah tells us that the idol maker makes sure to use a quality craftsman to prepare the idol in such a way so that it won’t totter and fall over since it is such an embarrassment when someone’s god falls over and can’t set itself up right, as kept happening in 1 Samuel 5 to the Philistines and their god Dagon when they stole the ark of the Covenant from Israel and brought it to their country and the house of Dagon.

8.3. The Lord is so great and mighty that He cannot be adequately fashioned by man, and that is part of the reason that the Law forbid the Israelites to make any image of that which is in heaven. The Lord is so great and mighty that He created all that exists from nothing.

9. VS 40:21-26 - “21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is He who sits above the vault of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. 23 He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. 24 Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble. 25 “To whom then will you liken Me That I should be his equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power Not one of them is missing.” - Isaiah seeks to have the Judeans consider how great and mighty the Lord really is: He is the One to whom the people on this earth are like grasshoppers, He removes nations, and He numbers and knows the name of each of the millions of stars

9.1. Isaiah is motivating the Judeans in these verses by asking them repeated questions about whether or not they have known, have they not heard, has it not been declared to them from the beginning, and have you not heard from the foundations of the earth.

9.2. Isaiah portrays the Lord as exalted above all in verse 22, as He is sitting ‘above the vault of the earth’.

9.3. Isaiah shows us that compared to the Lord all of the mightiest people upon this earth are ‘like grasshoppers’ in their significance.

9.4. Isaiah shows the greatness of the Lord in the way that He ‘stretches out the heavens like a curtain’ or ‘spreads them out like a tent to dwell in’.

9.5. Isaiah shows the greatness of the Lord in that He reduces rulers to nothing.

9.5.1. The Lord Himself had destroyed 185,000 of the army of the Assyrians and then allowed the king of Assyria to be murdered by his own sons (See Isaiah 37), and now the Babylonians had conquered Jerusalem and taken the Judeans captive, however in time the Lord would raise up Cyrus the Persian who would conquer Babylon and allow those peoples whom Babylon had taken captive to return to their own lands.

9.5.2. Isaiah tells us that scarcely have the rulers of the earth been planted, sown, and taken root in the earth before the Lord brings them down. The Lord merely has to blow a little on them and they wither and are blown away.

9.6. Isaiah shows the greatness of the Lord in that He has created all of the millions of stars in the heavens, that He leads them forth by their number, and that He calls them all by the name He gave them.

9.6.1. Isaiah tells us that by the greatness, might, and strength of the Lord that not one of the stars that the Lord has created is missing.

9.6.2. This reveals God’s omniscience (all-knowing-ness).

10. VS 40:27-31 - “27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. 29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” - Isaiah seeks to have the Judeans consider how great and mighty the Lord really is: He is the One to whom His people for their strength, and they always have it renewed and they do not grow weary or lose heart

10.1. Isaiah foresees prophetically that the captive Judeans would feel as though the Lord did not know or care about them, and thus they had no hope, however he seeks to encourage them in the fact that the Lord can give them all of the strength that they need to do anything that they do.

10.1.1.Isaiah tells us that the Lord never wearies or gets tired.

10.1.1.1.The Lord has an inexhaustible power source, and doing all of the many things that He does are never a burden to Him.

10.1.1.2.The Lord never sleeps, for if He ever did, the enemy the Devil would make a quick attack and destroy all of the followers and faithful of the Lord.

10.1.1.3.If you think about it, it is amazing that the Lord can hear and answer the prayers of all those all around the world who are constantly praying to Him, and all of this is merely effortless to the Lord, for He can never weary.

10.1.2.Isaiah tells us that the Lord’s wisdom is inscrutable.

10.1.2.1.God is omniscient, all-knowing, and as such He cannot learn, for He always knows all. God would have to be omnipotent and know to do all of the things that He does on a regular basis.

10.1.3.Isaiah tells us that the Lord gives strength to the weary.

10.1.3.1.The Judeans would be weary after being conquered, humiliated, and taken captive to Babylon. However, if they would just look to the Lord He would give them all of the strength that they need to do anything that they do.

10.1.3.2.In Phil. 4:13, the apostle Paul wrote about how that he could do all of the things that God wanted him to do in serving the Lord through Christ who strengthened him, “13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

10.1.4.Isaiah tells us that to those who lack might He increases power.

10.1.4.1.God can make the weakest and most feeble saint into a power house when they simply by faith look to Him for the strength that they need to be a witness and servant for Christ.

10.1.5.Isaiah tells us that though youths grow weary and tired, and strong men stumble into sin, that those who wait upon the Lord will gain new strength.

10.1.5.1.The eagle is thought to be the most powerful of the birds, and thus Isaiah tells us that the one who waits upon the Lord will mount up with wings like the eagle.

10.1.5.2.Those who wait upon the Lord for His strength will run and not get tired, and walk and not get weary.

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