Sunday School Lesson 8 - Isa. 40:18-31 - GOD RENEWS
LAST WEEK: In Isa. 37:14-20, 30-35, we witnessed a mind-blowing display of God's sovereign power when, in answer to King Hezekiah's prayer, He delivered the inhabitants of Jerusalem from certain destruction by the massed armies of Assyria. However, in that lesson we saw that God wasn't even willing to listen to Hezekiah's desperate plea for help until such time as all of his purely human measures had utterly failed to save the city. The main principle-the practical model-we learned from this example is that effective prayer is always preoccupied with God rather than self. When Hezekiah finally reached this point, we saw him humble himself before God in complete submission and confess, in effect, that "I can't" and "only You, as the one true God," can. He admitted that only God had the sovereign power to save the city, and finally, he asked God to do this "for His own glory, so that all the kingdoms of the world would know that He alone is God." This is our template.
TODAY'S CONTEXT: Today, in Isa. 40:19-31, we move forward in time over a 100 years after the events reported last week in Chapter 37, to about 586 B.C., after Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylonia had conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and exiled the surviving inhabitants of the city into what's known as the Babylonian Captivity. Before this time, Chapters 1-39 have been focused on God's judgment on Israel, Judah, and the nations, with Assyria being the dominant power that God used as an instrument of judgment, until the end when, as we saw last week, God judged Assyria itself for its own sins and saved Judah from destruction in the process. Starting with today's lesson, Chapters 40-66, by contrast, will be focused on the return of the Jewish remnant from Babylonian captivity. Because these chapters foretell future events well beyond Isaiah's lifetime, Bible scholars are divided with regard to the authorship of the Book. Some believe that Isaiah himself wrote the entire Book, being divinely inspired to foretell events that would take place long after his death. Others believe that one or two more different authors wrote Chapters 40-66; however, all agree that this new section lifts up a promise of redemption for a people who are experiencing the judgment about which Isaiah warned in the earlier chapters. We will skip the first 17 verses of chapter 40, where the prophet begins the new section with a promise of deliverance that will reminds them of their LORD GOD's (YHWH's) everlasting covenant with them (v. 8), His continuing shepherd-sheep care for with them as His people (v. 11), and His sovereign power to accomplish His will (vv. 12-16).
Read Isa. 40:18-20 - HE IS THE INCOMPARABLE ONE
18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? 19 As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. 20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter.
v. 18a: "To whom then will you liken God?" - This is a rhetorical question, the answer to which is NOBODY! This verse now introduces a theme this runs through this whole section of Isaiah: There is no one else like God; He is wholly unique, the only true and living God. No one made God; He is eternal and un-created. On the other hand, God created everything else, including the human race. And He created humans in His own image (Gen. 1:27), spiritually, that is, not physically.
v. 18b: "Or what likeness will you compare with Him?" - The obvious and correct answer to this one is NONE! There is very simply no basis for comparison. Moreover, to compare God to any likeness or image constitutes blasphemy. How can anything conceived and then made with imperfect human hands be compared to a perfect and holy God? The clear message here is that God absolutely forbids us to make any kind of image that is intended to be a "likeness" of him. None, not ever.
v. 19: As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. It is ironic that even the materials from which human idols are fashioned-stone, metal, wood, etc.-are all substances created by God. People who want idols of what they suppose or imagine their false god look like, will want them to be durable, large, imposing, and maybe weatherproof if it's outdoor. And of course they want them to be expertly crafted. The Egyptians became were very good at this (e.g., the Sphinx), and even the Assyrians and Babylonians has skilled metal-smiths and stone carvers. But it was the Greeks, with all their various gods and goddesses, who perfected the art of idolatry.
v. 20: "He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter" - Here, the prophet is expressing sarcasm in describing a poor man's idol. The point God makes that idolatry-images of human-inspired gods-can tempt people at all levels. And in reality, idols can be nearly anything a person worships: SmartPhones, footballs, Corvettes, bass boats, mansions, movie stars, and on and on and on. Even Christians have to be careful. We might wear crosses, hang them on a wall, or put stickers on our cars as symbols of what we believe; however, we should never worship the cross itself; we worship the One who died on a cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Idols are a poor substitute for genuine faith.
Read Isa. 40:21-24 - DO YOU NOT KNOW?
21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to 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 live in. 23 It is He who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. 24 Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble.
v. 21: "Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? - In this verse, the speaker, God, through His prophet, reminds the exiles in Babylon with four rhetorical questions which are designed to remind them that they have known and heard about their LORD GOD (YHWH) through their Scriptures, prophets, and history.
• These four questions remind the exiles of what has been told to them "from the beginning"-from the "foundations of the earth"-i.e., that God created the heavens and the earth. They know that God created human life on the last day of creation; they know about sin and man's fall in the Garden. (Gen. 1-3)
• They know about God's call to Abram and the covenant established with him. (Gen. 12). They know about the birth of Israel in Egypt and the four centuries of slavery they endured. They know how God used Moses to free the people and how the Israelite people were forced to endure 40 years of wilderness wandering because of their sin. They know how God enabled them to enter the Promised Land so they could establish a nation there. They know how they rejected God's kingship during the period of the judges by demanding a human king. And finally, they know how Israel rejected the warnings of God's prophets and how their reliance on human efforts led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the enslavement of its inhabitants. They are without excuse.
v. 22a: "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth" - Here, the prophet gives these exiles a Gods-eye view of things. This isn't intended to project a particular astronomical position. The important idea here is not what is meant by "the circle of the earth," but that the all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful God who reigns above the earth has the absolute power to control it.
v. 22b: "And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers" - Figuratively, In terms of power and perspective, God is above the people on the earth like we are above the small insects that scurry around our feet.
v. 22c: "Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to live in." - This phrase pictures the universe like a tool in God's hands that can be formed according to His will. This would have a great impact on Isaiah's audience, who were familiar with the pagan belief systems in the Ancient Near East which considered their gods to be tied to certain territories and subject to it. These Jewish exiles know these stories like the back of their hands. But they need to be reminded.
v. 23: "It is He who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless." - Human rulers, who mistakenly believe themselves to be invincible, actually serve at God's pleasure. Since God is Creator, He doesn't have to play politics because He has the power to simply 'un-make' them out of existence, and the same principle applies to judges. What this tells the exiles (and us) is that all persons holding positions of authority-no matter how powerful they perceive themselves to be-are subject to God's sovereign power and can be "reduced to nothing" in an instant. The point is that God is in control of the rise and fall of rulers and kingdoms. He is controlling history now.
v. 24: "Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble." - These exiles, who worked in their Babylonians master's fields and vineyards, would readily understand this agricultural analogy: Most of the planted vegetation lasts only for a season; it's planted, sprouts, grows to maturity, yields its produce, dies and withers away, only to be blown away in the wind like chaff. In contrast to God's measurement of time-eternity-human kingdoms and civilizations are like these plants. They ultimately wither and disappear. But these exiles would surely remember that God had promised them an everlasting kingdom (2 Sam. 7:16).
Read Isa. 40:25-26 - TO WHOM WILL YOU COMPARE ME?
25 "To whom then will you compare Me That I would be his equal?" says the Holy One. 26 Raise your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who brings out their multitude by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.
v. 25a: "To whom then will you compare Me That I would be his equal?" - This verse is like the rhetorical question of v. 18, except this time God Himself is asking the question. And the answer is the same: God cannot be compared to anyone or anything. Since God is one-of-a-kind in the universe, there's no basis for comparison. Once again, these rhetorical questions bring to mind what the exiles already know. On the other hand, however, having been in exile for so long a time, they may have been tempted to forget God's promises-or perhaps even wonder of they were ever really true. So, God answers a question with a question-yes, I'm still here, the same Almighty LORD.
v. 25b: "says the Holy One." - This is Isaiah's favorite title for the LORD GOD (YHWH) in his writings.
It conveys the idea that God's holiness renders holy that which is associated with Him.
v. 26a: "Raise your eyes on high And see who has created these stars" - Wait until some moonless night, when the sky conditions are crystal clear, then go out, unfold a lawn chair and look up. If you aren't totally awed by this majestic display-the vast arrays of stars and nebulas, you need to get your eyes checked. In the context of this phrase, the exiles only had to look up into the night sky to remember that God had created all of it. Surrounded by pagans who worship the sun, the moon, and stars as deities , these exiles would surely know that they aren't gods but just part of God's creation.
v. 26b: The One who brings out their multitude by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing - "No human can ever count all the stars. New ones are being discovered all the time. And new stars are born while old ones-like people-are dying, a living universe. But God knows every single one. An no star can go missing or AWOL-because God knows it and controls its place in the universe.
Read Isa. 40:27-31 - WHY DO YOU SAY MY (ISRAEL'S ) WAY IS HIDDEN FROM THE LORD?
27 Why do you say, Jacob, and you assert, Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God"? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives strength to the weary, And to the one who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
v. 27: "Why do you say, Jacob, and you assert, Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God?" - The terms "Jacob" and Israel" both refer to God's own names for His nation, His chosen people. To rephrase the question: Has God forgotten about His chosen people; has He failed to notice the injustices they are suffering under their Babylonian masters? But, in actuality, they are wrongly heaping blame on God for the injustices they brought upon themselves out of disobedience-they need see to that they, not God, broke the covenant.
v. 28: "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is unsearchable." This echoes the rhetorical questions of vv. 21-24 in regard to things they should already know; have already heard: These exiles are well-acquainted with all of the attributes of the LORD GOD of Israel (YHWH). That they know "His understanding is unsearchable" means that everything about our God is so infinite, so vast that it's beyond the capacity of our limited minds to comprehend. We can't grasp God's eternal nature, stretching from beginning to end, or the scope of His creation extending in every direction, and His unlimited power. But even though God is beyond our understanding, He is not beyond out knowing. We can know Him.
v. 29: "He gives strength to the weary, And to the one who lacks might He increases power." - God never gets tired but He can and will give strength to those who are weary, and when they are completely worn down, He can empower them. Scripture speaks time after time about God's tender heart for those who are oppressed and vulnerable. If God can be said to lose patience, it would be with those who see themselves as strong and self-sufficient, people who trust in their own strength.
v. 30: "Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly," - This is the third repetition of the phrase, "weary and tired." The point here is that human strength, even at its young-adult peak, is limited and will inevitably fail.
v. 31: "Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." - However, "those "who wait for the LORD"-i.e., people who maintain their faith in the mist of adversity-will have access to the infinite resources of Almighty God. The word used here for "wait" (Heb. qawah [kah-vah]), literally means looking for something with a confident expectation. In the context of these exiles, it describes an attitude of confident faith in the promises of God combined with the readiness to move out when God began to act. They needed to believe that release was coming, and even if they didn't know exactly when it would happen, they were certain that it would happen.
APPLICATION-Knowing God:
1. Nothing can be compared to God (vv. 18-20). Very simply, there's no basis for making a comparison. Moreover, to compare God to any likeness or image constitutes blasphemy. How can anything conceived and then made with imperfect human hands be compared to a perfect and holy God? The clear message here is that God absolutely forbids us to make any kind of image that is intended to be a likeness of him. None, not ever.
2. As the present-day people of God, it's vitally important for us to know all the great works of God since the foundation of the earth (vv. 21-24). Because the Bible gives us a very complete report on God's work in history from the creation to the end-times, we are duty bound to "know' what's in it.
3. Even though God is beyond human understanding, He is not beyond our knowing (vv. 27-28). We know that God's understanding is "unsearchable," which is to say that everything about our God is so infinite, so vast that it's beyond the capacity of our limited human minds to comprehend. However, at the same time, we can know Him and can have a personal relationship with Him. The fact of the matter is that God knows us better than we know ourselves.
4. Believers who maintain their faith in the midst of adversity have access to the infinite resources of God (vv. 29-31). The key discipline here is having the faith to wait on God's timing. If our faith is strong and confident enough, God's will gives us the patience and strength we need to endure the wait.
