Isaiah 40:18-30

18To whom then will you liken God? Or with what likeness will you compare Him?(G)

19The graven image! A workman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts silver chains for it.

20He who is so impoverished that he has no offering or oblation or rich gift to give [to his god is constrained to make a wooden offering, an idol; so he] chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to carve and set up an image that will not totter or deteriorate.

21[You worshipers of idols, you are without excuse.] Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? [These things ought to convince you of God's omnipotence and of the folly of bowing to idols.] Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?(H)

22It is God Who sits above the circle (the horizon) of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; it is He Who stretches out the heavens like [gauze] curtains and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in,

23Who brings dignitaries to nothing, Who makes the judges and rulers of the earth as chaos (emptiness, falsity, and futility).

24Yes, these men are scarcely planted, scarcely are they sown, scarcely does their stock take root in the earth, when [the Lord] blows upon them and they wither, and the whirlwind or tempest takes them away like stubble.

25To whom then will you liken Me, that I should be equal to him? says the Holy One.

26Lift up your eyes on high and see! Who has created these? He Who brings out their host by number and calls them all by name; through the greatness of His might and because He is strong in power, not one is missing or lacks anything.

27Why, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel, My way and my lot are hidden from the Lord, and my right is passed over without regard from my God?

28Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding.

29He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound].(I)

30Even youths shall faint and be weary, and [selected] young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted;

31But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.(J)



'Do you not know . . . ?' God asks, as pointedly as Jesus rebuked the disciples when they too were found wanting in faith. What is He chiding His people for? Failing to remember that He is sovereign over all that happens.

I love the way the Yahweh's complete and seemingly easy sovereignty over affairs on Earth shines through in these latter chapters of Isaiah.

The Lord urges us through Isaiah that instead of settling for the miseries of unbelief, we can adopt a completely different outlook on life. It may not be an easy attitude to maintain when the weight of  intimidating people and circumstances presses in on us, but a living understanding of His sovereignty will help us in the midst of our troubles to wait, to hope, to trust and to renew our strength in Him.' (v31). Yes the people have been through suffering and exile, but God is willing to bring them double comfort for all the trials they have endured. (vv 1-2); He is not against them, any more than He is against us, because of our sins and shortcomings. His reassurance is matched only by His willingness to help - but His people must be prepared to trust Him to find the ways to fulfill His promises.

The people complained repeatedly instead of trusting Him. It had become a way of life for them. They felt flattened and dejected, they had even stopped praying for God to get on the case.

Why the reference to Jacob in verse 27? After all, that is a name associated with that of being a trickster a deceiver. But the Lord knew that in his heart, Jacob really did feel after Him. When he had served his long years of servitude, the Lord came to him again and told him to return to the Land of Promise. Jacob who wrestled with God ended up with a physical limp but a new name: 'Israel' - 'he who strives with God.' With the new name came fresh strength to match the calling.

Since God is untiring in His longing to do us good, why do we waste so much time and energy doubting Him? The same God who upholds the stars directs and supports His people. Therefore we must prepare for action. God is preparing good things for us. Therefore, even though we often feel weary, we mustn't limit Him through our impatience and low level of faith.

Who has understood the mind of the Lord,
or instructed Him as His counselor? (v13)

I was surprised to discover that the word translated 'mind' is none other than Reach: the breath, wind or Spirit of God. God's mind is always moved by the flow of the Holy Spirit. It has been so from Genesis 1:2 onwards. Come, Reach of God, blow through our lives, our institutions and our churches!

Verse 28 encourages us to 'know' and to 'hear'. To 'know' is an appeal to our minds: to understand and trust in the nature of God, even if we are finding it hard to feel His presence. To 'hear' is an appeal to our senses: God reveals Himself (and His will) to us in so many ways apart from the purely audible.

Perhaps some of us need to get back to the place we have experienced in the past, when we knew very well that 'God never takes us anywhere where His grace cannot reach us or His power cannot work.' The cloud of witnesses encourages us to push on to fulfill the purposes He has in mind for us.

The people are so dispirited, however, that they question even His willingness to work on their behalf. The weariness we see here points to a near complete collapse in the face of life's pressures. 'Tired' and 'weary' in verses 29 and 30 are the same word in Hebrew; it means 'being overcome by circumstances.' We have all known that time when we feel unable to cope internally, and unbearably oppressed by external pressures.

Who is it who has grown weary? Not just those who feel old and 'past it', but even the youth of the generation who had survived the Babylonian exile. May God give to each one of us who feels profoundly tired and weary fresh strength to our bones and hope to our souls.

The prophet declares that 'those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.' (40:31) The word 'hope' contains both the concept of waiting (patience) and resting (trusting). This is better than a visit to the gym, helpful though that may be: this is a supernatural strength that the unfailing, Lord of the Ages imparts directly to battered souls. It is He who enables us to withstand pressures we could never have imagined, and can only endure by His grace.

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