Haven’t You Heard?

Isaiah 40:28

“Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding.”

Did you know that the Book of Isaiah is considered one of the world’s greatest masterpieces? It was written more than 500 years before Christ, and it contains the most beautiful prophecy of Christ’s coming. Isaiah was an educated man with a great command of the Hebrew language. His elevated style, vehement expression and fervent feeling are all expressed in vivid imagery. It should come as no surprise that his prophecies are the most widely quoted in the New Testament.

At the time he writes the 40th chapter, the Jews are in captivity, and understandably, they are complaining. They’re displaced from their homeland. They’re surrounded by an unfamiliar culture. They’re forced to use their skills to benefit Babylon, a heathen kingdom. Day by day, they are being stripped of their covenant faith as many of them succumb and assimilate into a world of sin.

So what do they do? Right from the beginning, they complain to God. That’s what we humans do when trouble comes. We don’t consider what got us into the mess in the first place. We just complain that God is not getting us out of our mess fast enough. We didn’t follow His instructions, but now we want HIM to follow ours…and fast!

Babylon was located on the lower Euphrates River in southern Mesopotamia (which is now modern-day Iraq). Babylon was the main cultural and political center of Babylonia. At the time of the Jewish captivity, Babylon was one of the most important urban centers of the ancient Near East. Under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon used its strength to war against the Kingdom of Judah, destroy Solomon’s temple, and take thousands of Jews captive. And it was there that the Jews spent their next 70 years as captive people.

Babylon represented everything contrary to the Jewish faith. But you know how it is. When you’re in a strange environment that threatens your security, it doesn’t take long for you to learn how to “go along to get along”. You learn to keep your mouth shut, your head down, and your thoughts to yourself. After all, you don’t want to lose your job. Oh, wait! I was talking about the captive Jews, not us.

But there is trouble with that kind of attitude. It’s dangerous to recklessly approach your “captivity” with a completely submissive heart…at least right away. Submission is a serious matter, and you’d better know who you are bowing to before you decide to submit to their authority.

Most of the captive Jews lost their identity as God’s chosen people because they did not resist their oppressor. Their faith came unglued, and they bowed to other gods. A new generation of heathen Jews were born during the 70 years of Babylonian exile, and only few of those Jews knew their God, Jehovah.

At the very onset of their captivity, the Jews were depressed and began to cry in Psalm 137:4. ‘How can we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?’ They were complaining and accusing God of forgetting them. They felt far removed from the LORD. They were quick to forget God’s power and promise. Instead, they wallowed in self-pity and defeatism. So Isaiah the prophet says, ‘What’s the matter with you! Haven’t you heard?” And he begins to unravel the long-forgotten truths about their One True and Living God.

HAVEN’T YOU HEARD? (Just look at someone and ask them, have heard? Haven you heard?

First, God is “everlasting”.

In the years leading up to their captivity, the Jews had kicked God to the curb. That’s why they were in captivity. “Judah was carried away into exile to Babylon for their unfaithfulness” 1 Chronicles 9:1 reads, All Israel was listed in the genealogies recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. They were taken captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. NIV

The whole point of their captivity was to cleanse God’s chosen people of their apostasy. The present generation had to die out, and a new generation had to take up the mantle of faithfulness. Only a remnant came home from Babylon.

But God is everlasting. He was still watching over them. No matter how far they strayed, God wasn’t going anywhere. He watched and waited for the evolution of faithful followers who would return to Jerusalem one day to rebuild and recommit to their covenant relationship with the LORD.

It’s funny how we humans act…as though God is deaf, dumb and blind. We seldom consider that He is aware of our every move, our deepest thoughts, and every word that comes out of our mouth. Take a sip…He’s there! Cuss and fuss…He’s there! Slip out to dip in…He’s there! Make a mistake…He’s there! Thankfully, God is everlasting and omnipresent. No matter what you say or do, He’s not going anywhere. He won’t disappear because you wish He would. He was there the day you were born, and He will be there the day you leave this earth. You can take that to the spiritual bank.

Judah had to learn in captivity what they failed to learn in Jerusalem…that “the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations.” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

God is “everlasting”

Second, Isaiah tells Judah that God “fainteth not, neither is weary”.

Judah was tired of their captivity and tired of being separated from their homeland. When they were led away captive, 2 Kings 24:14 says Nebuchadnezzar’s army took “all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land.” So now, all their best efforts were being poured into building something that was not their own. They labored in vain.

Imagine…You work all your life and reap no benefit from your labor. You toil every day and earn no security from your effort. You sweat and grind and hustle and bustle, and you get nowhere fast. That was the life of the captives. They were on the fast-track to nowhere. Maybe you are too!

But God will never give up on mankind. We were created to worship Him, and to truly learn to trust and obey Him. He strengthens the weary and the weak, and He uses the strong for His glory. Whatever life throws at you, the LORD can handle it. He doesn’t buckle and break, no matter how long it takes us to get our act together.

God won’t get tired. The Apostle Paul affirmed this when he said, “[God] is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). That doesn’t sound like a weary God to me! You may get weary, but God is unwearied. When you want to throw in the towel, God is just getting started. He’ll pick up where you leave off. When you skip worship, dodge your commitments, take a break or leave the church altogether, God follows you. He’ll never get tired of tracking you down to get you back on track. He’ll be a thorn in your flesh, until He once again becomes the joy of your heart. You can run, but you can’t hide. God’s after you!

For Judah, life got tough. It gets tough for us too. But through Isaiah, God says to Judah and to us, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (41:10). Isaiah said that those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength.

Isaiah tells Judah that God “fainteth not, neither is weary”.

Finally, Isaiah says God is beyond our comprehension. “There is no searching of His understanding”.

Judah didn’t get it. They were God’s chosen people. And yet God allowed them to be led into captivity. How could this happen? But God had a plan.

You’ll never figure God out, no matter how long you study Him, because His ways are not your ways. Some lessons He desires to teach us are only learned through adversity. Sometimes the school of hard knocks is our best teacher. God will let you slip down your rope until there is nothing left to do but tie a knot and hang on. That’s when He will show you a better way. It doesn’t matter your age; God can strengthen you with wisdom and vigor you never thought you could have. Don’t try to figure it out. Just accept it. Man has a limited capacity to understand the LORD’S greatness anyway. The mind of God is way beyond our understanding. That’s where trust comes in. Don’t try to understand God; just TRUST God!

God is beyond our comprehension. “There is no searching of His understanding”.

A remnant from the Babylonian exile kept trusting in the LORD. And after 70 years they returned home with great joy, to rebuild…not just the temple, but their covenant relationship with the One True and Living God.

When life gets tough, don’t try to figure it out…just trust God. Trust Him to turn your torments into triumphs. Trust Him to replace your foolishness with His wisdom. Trust Him to turn your cares into comforts. Trust Him to turn your weakness into strength. Trust Him to replace your hurt with healing. Don’t try to figure God out…just trust Him, and do things HIS WAY. Let the LORD redeem your soul. Let Him cleanse you from all corruption. Let Him free you from Satan’s bondage.

If you’re trying to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land…a land of sin and suffering…maybe you haven’t heard what the LORD has in store for your life. Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 

Haven’t you heard that the LORD is everlasting? He doesn’t faint and He never gets weary. You’ll never completely understand Him, but you can completely submit to His will and His ways.

Haven’t you heard? Judah finally heard… and the LORD restored Judah. He can restore you! He alone can make you whole again!

God is “everlasting”

Psalm 41:13  Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting.

God “fainteth not, neither is weary”.

Psa 121:4  Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 

God is beyond our comprehension. “There is no searching of His understanding”.

Isaiah 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 

9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.