“Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these?
He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of His might,
and because He is strong in power not one is missing.”
(Isaiah 40:26)
This excellent Scripture in Isaiah 40 rebukes our small ideas and wavering faith. It heralds God as Creator (12-20) and Disposer (21-26) of His universe. He is the Almighty One, the One with all might.
God is the Creator. Inanimate objects (12), the mind of men (13-14), and all living creatures (15-17) are all put in their place before their great Originator. All beings derive their meaning from Him alone (cf. Prov. 8:22-31; Rom. 11:34). God’s view of man makes man’s view of himself (18-20) doubly absurd. Such a Creator hardly needs our impatient advice or shares our powerlessness!
God is the Disposer. Verses 21-26 show His might. The transience of earthly kings and leaders bring the general truth of verses 6-8 a step closer to the particular situation of the captives Isaiah is speaking about; and verse 26 iterates the true lesson from the majestic progress of the stars. It shows the precision, not the absence, of God’s sovereign control.
God is a very present Help, 40:27-31. People mistakenly think God is too lofty, high and lifted up to bother with “mere” humans. The wrong inference from God’s transcendence is that He is too great and mighty to care; the right inference is that He is too great to fail (28). There is no point at which things overpower Him, for He in contrast is mighty, possessing all power over all things.
God’s knowledge and power, which set the stars in the heaven, is perfect, intimate, and distinct, and not superficial or confused. God does not consider aspects of His universe in merely general terms but is very specific in the extent of His knowledge. Thomas Ridgley said, “He has an exquisite knowledge of all things, as well as a propriety in using them at His pleasure.”
What this means for you is that this Great Creator, Disposer and very present Help is available to comfort you and relieve your distress as a believer. He is such a Help that He sent Christ to come and save His people and has given you all things in Him as a believer.
He lavishes spiritual benefits on you if you are His child by the power of His Spirit so that you may partake not only in life, but in abundant life. Since you live and move in and through His powerful influence, it follows that His knowledge of you is distinct and particular, as Scripture affirms (Matt. 10:30). He knows your thoughts, needs, and wants.
Things that we hardly take notice of, as well as every transient thought that is no sooner formed in our minds and then forgotten by us, is known by Him forever. Not only does He know them, but He is mighty to make the best use of them for His glory and your good. Is this not a comfort? Is this not a very present help from the One who has all great might? Does this not compel you to adore this great and mighty God?
- Lord, You are not only the God “of the hills, but of the valleys” (1 Kings 20). There is nothing so inconsiderable that You miss it. A sparrow does not fall to the ground, nor a hair of my head, without You take notice. All the contingencies in the world are ordered by You.
- Your divine providence, Lord, is more special and tender towards me that I can know. “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro through the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect towards Him.” You are filled with tender mercies, for they are evident in all Your works. Of even more concern to You than sparrows are Your people. I am encouraged in this… “Fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows.”
- Lord, I consider the vast distance between Your infinite power and what little, if any, I have in the world. “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?” Not me. But You, Lord. You have “counted out heaven with a span and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales.” What are the nations in comparison to Your might? They are as a drop in a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the balance. How magnificently the Scripture deciphers Your glorious majesty. Kings, presidents, governors and the like, in all their pomp, are nothing by comparison.
Further References for Isa. 40:26
Ps. 147:4, 89:11; Job 9:4; Gen. 2:1; Ps. 19:1; Rom. 1:20
