Isaiah 40:12-31

Isaiah 40:12–17

- The first 4 rhetorical questions Isaiah asked in verse 12 are as follows:

1.   Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?

2. Or, with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?

3.  Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket?

4.  Or, weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?

The answers to these questions all point to God, our Father.

- The next 6 questions Isaiah asks are as follows:

1. Who has understood the mind of the LORD?

2. Or, instructed him as his counselor?

3. Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him?

4. Who taught him the right way?

5. Who was it that taught him knowledge?

6. Or, showed him the path of understanding?

The answers to these questions point to no one but God himself.

- Isaiah, through the above 10 questions, are pointing out that no one but God has the power to do the things that God alone can do. God is the creator of all, and no one is above God.

- The attribute of God mentioned in verse 12 reveals the magnificence of God, for example, the ability to measure water with His hand, to hold the dust of the earth, to weigh the mountains, etc.

- The power of the nations, when compared to God’s, are meager. Before God, all nations are nothing.

Isaiah 40:18–20

- The kind of people described by Isaiah is that of those who believes in other gods and idols as opposed to the one and only God.

- Idols of silver and gold are made by the hands of men. These idols cannot speak, cannot see, cannot hear, cannot smell, cannot feel, cannot walk. Idol-makers will thus resemble such idols. People who trust in these idols will also resemble them.

Jeremiah 10:8–16

- People who believe in idols are senseless and foolish, taught by the worthless wooden idols. But only the Lord is the one true God, a living God, our eternal King. No idol can ever measure up to God. These idols are frauds and worthless. The Lord is the one and only God who made the earth, founded the world. God will destroy such idols and the people who believe in them.

Habakkuk 2:18–19

- Idols have no value, for it is created by man. Man, as we all know, are not perfect, and therefore, idols created in the image of man cannot possibly teach man anything he does not already know. How can such idols provide any guidance? They cannot. They have no life. They have no wisdom.

- God is different from these idols because God was not created by the people, and God was certainly not created in the image of man. In fact, God is the creator of all and created man in His image. God thus is the source of the life that we have in us, and He provides us with the guidance we need to grow in Him. Since we come from God, only God can grant us the wisdom we need to move past the difficulties that we face in life. Nothing we make can ever provide us with any profound inspiration that surpasses our meager intellectual capacity.

Isaiah 40:21–26

- Isaiah reveals that God’s Word has been “clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20). God’s place in the world, His power, His love, His magnificence, etc. have all been told from the beginning, from the day that earth was founded. Consequences of straying away are all revealed in the Word of God, nothing are hidden. And so, come Judgment Day, man has no excuse for his choice in leaving God, in ignoring God’s ignorance, and every man will answer to such a choice.

- Isaiah tells the people to look to the Heavens to understand the greatness of God, for God created all things. “He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.”

- There is no comparison to God; there is no equal to God.

Isaiah 40:27–31

- From verse 27, exiles in Babylon may complain about how their way is hidden from the Lord, that their cause is regarded by the Lord.

- Isaiah, in response, comforts these exiles by telling them that the Lord is our everlasting God, one who will never grow tired or weary, one who will, instead give strength to the weary. Those who place their trust in the Lord will therefore be renewed in their strength by God and soar like eagles.

- In order to receive the promises of strength and power, we need faith, as defined in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” From Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” I believe this is so because if we do not sincerely place our faith in God, if we do not wholeheartedly trust God, how can we expect to receive anything good from God? If we do not believe in what we do not see, yet at the same time, we expect such an unknown power to grant us all the good that has been promised, is this not the perfect example of self-centeredness, of absolute selfishness? If we wish to be sheltered by God, we must therefore first choose to return to Him, to fully trust Him. Only when we form a strong bond with God, can we then understand the significance of our receipt of the promises of strength and power.

- Because God is the Creator of the ends of the earth, because God is our everlasting Lord, God’s promise of strength and power will allow His people to soar like eagles forever.