Please forgive the small print, I really struggled with formatting this time around.
They sure keep writing and reading from becoming monotonous
and repetitive!
I am actually stealing the idea of this entry from my
husband’s Wednesday evening Bible lesson~ with my own little Light Thoughts, of
course. I’m actually going to go about this like some TV shows, when you start
at the end, go back to the beginning, then end at the end.
Let’s look at Isaiah 40:29. The verse starts with the pronoun
‘he’. But that is ok, because the Old Testament wasn’t written in verses, it
was written in paragraphs. The preceding verses (section of the paragraph)
explain clearly to whom the HE is referring.
Let’s take a look at this HE who promises to strengthen and
uphold.
Look all the way back to verse 9. The people being addressed
(the Jews) find themselves in a seemingly hopeless situation. Isaiah sets out
to remind them of their past and encourages them to stop and think about how they made it through previous circumstances. He
encourages them to
“BEHOLD YOUR GOD!”
Vs. 10 states, “Behold, the Lord God will come with strong
hand, and his arm shall rule…He shall feed his flock like a shepherd he shall
gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in His bosom.
After proclaiming this ‘let me get your attention’ message,
Isaiah then gives a quick, yet detailed list that clearly demonstrates who God
is, what He has done, what He can do, where He stands in the scheme of things,
how He ‘got’ to where He is (rhetorically, of course), and to whom He compares.
Once that has all been cleared up, Isaiah concludes by saying (verse 29ff) HE~~this God we have just exalted~HE gives
power to the faint…
I would like to briefly list some of these aspects and characteristics
to help you ‘see’ that this same God described in Isaiah 40 (and all of
scripture, for that matter) is the same God that CAN strengthen and uphold YOU as
promised in verses 29-31.
Verse 10 He
comes with Power.
Verse 11 Like
a good shepherd, He tends, carries, embraces, and leads His flock.
Verse 12 He measures the waters in the
‘hallow’ of His hand. The hallow of your hand is the deep part of your palm
when you cup you hand~~before the water rolls onto the rest of your palm!
He measure space
with the span of His hand (pinky to thumb)!
He gathers all
the dust of the Earth in a measuring cup He can hold in His hand!
He weighs the
mountains in His hands like a scale!
Note: Verse 12 makes it clear that HE is apart from Creation-not part of creation. Thus, He must be
creator, not part of the created!
In verse 13-14
Isaiah has the people stop and think by asking a series of rhetorical
questions.
Who counsels
Him?
Who teaches Him
right from wrong?
Where did He get
his knowledge and understanding?
Verses 15-16 show what this world is like through God’s eyes.
The nations are
as a drop in a bucket.
The nations are
equal to dust on a scale.
He can pick up
the islands and move them like Legos!
(Think of Legos all over the house! Such
are the islands in the sight of God!)
Not even Lebanon
has enough wood to adequately offer sacrifices!
Verses 18-20 demonstrate that the best crafted idols do not
compare to the great and powerful God.
Verses 21-24
reiterate once more the greatness and power of the Creator God.
His throne sits
ABOVE the Earth!
Humans are like
grasshoppers!
The grandeur of
space is but a tent where humans live!
(Compare a tent to the grand
descriptions of Heaven found in Revelation and throughout scripture!)
The ‘greatness’
of humans do not even take root in the grand scheme of things!
One breath from
God can destroy man’s ‘greatness’ like a tornado!
If I were giving this speech, I can imagine my hands and
arms waving feverishly as these descriptions increased in intensity! But, I
think Isaiah winds down a bit and looks squarely into the eyes of the people as
he pleads these last few words directly from God:
To Whom then
will you liken Me, or shall I be equal?
Then, after a
deep breath, and probably a few tears, Isaiah proclaims:
HE gives power
to the faint; and to them that have no might, HE increases strength.
At your wit’s
end? Completely overwhelmed? Feeling totally hopeless?
The God
described above is ready and waiting to pour out His strength and power.
BEHOLD YOUR
GOD!
Debbie
