Because the LORD is ALMIGHTY

Isaiah 40:21–31 NKJV

21 Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is He who sits above the circle 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 brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless. 24 Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, When He will also blow on them, And they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble. 25 “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the Lord, And my just claim is passed over by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity to King Hezekiah at the end of chapter 39. Yet, in chapter 40 God called for the prophet to comfort His people with a message that will be needed more than 150 years later.

Therefore, Isaiah is giving comfort to the people by investigating the awesomeness of God.

The people are called to look (behold, gaze upon, stare at) their God, (LORD God)

Look, He is coming to Conquer

Isaiah 40:10 NKJV

10 Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.

Look, He is coming with Console

Isaiah 40:11 NKJV

11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.

Feeding

Gathering

Carrying

Gently leading

The prophet then ask a series of rhetorical questions, knowing that only God is the answer to his questions.

GOD’S UNIQUENESS: SCIENCE

Isaiah 40:12 NKJV

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, Measured heaven with a span And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales And the hills in a balance?

Who, (WHAT SURVEYOR) measured “the waters” (seas, rivers, oceans, lakes, and ponds) in the hollow of His hand? Who measured the heaven with a span?

Who, (WHAT MATHEMATICIAN) calculated the amount of dust?

Who weighed the mountains and hills and perfectly proportioned or balanced them?

Isaiah 40:22 NKJV

22 It is He who sits above the circle 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.

He then moved to questions about God’s UNDERSTANDING

GOD’S UNIQUENESS: AS SOVEREIGN

Isaiah 40:13–14 NKJV

13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has taught Him? 14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And showed Him the way of understanding?

Who directs God’s Spirit

Who taught God

Who instructed God

He tells them to Look at the INSUFFICIENCY of the following

Isaiah 40:15–17 NKJV

15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket, And are counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. 16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering. 17 All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.

Insufficiency of Nations (drop in a bucket and counted as dust v15, as nothing v17)

Insufficiency of the Islands, coasts, regions (lifts up like a very little thing v15)

Insufficiency of all the wood of Lebanon (v16)

Insufficiency of all animals for sacrifice (v16)

Isaiah 40:23 NKJV

23 He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.

Now the prophet ask a direct question in light of what he has said.

Who can compare to God showing the insufficiency of idols.

No-one and nothing is comparable to God

Isaiah 40:18–20 NKJV

18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? 19 The workman molds an image, The goldsmith overspreads it with gold, And the silversmith casts silver chains. 20 Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks for himself a skillful workman To prepare a carved image that will not totter.

NO MATTER WHAT YOU COVER THE IDOL

Isaiah 40:25–26 NKJV

25 “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.

Isaiah 43:10–11 NKJV

10 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. 11 I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior.

Psalm 89:6–8 NKJV

6 For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord? 7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him. 8 O Lord God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

There is nothing that escapes God

Isaiah 40:27–28 NKJV

27 Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the Lord, And my just claim is passed over by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

He is ABLE to conquer and console

​Psalm 86:10 NKJV10 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.

Isaiah 40:29–30 NKJV

29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,

​Psalm 86:10 NKJV10 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.

​Psalm 135:5–6 NKJV5 For I know that the Lord is great, And our Lord is above all gods. 6 Whatever the Lord pleases He does, In heaven and in earth, In the seas and in all deep places.

​1 Kings 8:23 NKJV23 and he said: “Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.

Implications of God’s uniqueness

God alone is to be waited on

Isaiah 40:31 NKJV

31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

God alone is to be worshipped

​Exodus 20:2–3 NKJV2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

Men have tried a number of things to change men’s heart

tried money

tried education

tried financial penalty

tried incarceration

At best these things may curve but cannot cure!

But The Lord

took my way that was bent toward wickedness and bent it toward righteousness

The Lord took my deceptive heart and gave my a devoted heart

He took my corrupt heart and gave me a clean heart

He took my greedy heart and gave me a gracious heart