The Book Of Isaiah. Day 175, No One Is Like God

Today's segment illustrates the magnitude of the glory of God. Our last study session ended with a promise of the coming King who will reign in peace and love over His people forever. When He comes as King, all forms of idolatry will cease. Today's passage reveals how useless idolatry is, for no one except the Lord created all things, no one except the Lord holds all things together, and no one except the Lord has a wonderful eternity in store for those who are His.

We begin with a series of rhetorical questions. "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, or with the breadth of His hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as His counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the right way? Who was it that taught Him knowledge, or showed Him the path of understanding?" (Isaiah 40:12-14) 

God has always existed and He always will exist. Although this is a difficult concept for the human mind to grasp, there was nothing before Him---He just always was. No one taught Him anything because no one existed before Him. In addition, no one needed to teach Him anything because all knowledge rests with Him. There is no knowledge that could be attained that He does not possess.

Did any other deity do the things outlined above? No, because there is no other. The Lord simply spoke the word and created all things. He knows the exact number of grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. He knows how many blades of grass are on the ground. He knows how many leaves are on the trees. And He knows the number of every hair on our heads! (Luke 12:7) What an awesome thought that the God who created all things deeply cares about every aspect of our lives. He is so far above us and so superior to us, yet He knows us so intimately that He has counted every hair on our heads. 

What are idols compared to Him? What are kingdoms compared to Him? This final portion of today's study regards how no kingdom can stand before Him and how no regime can eradicate His people. When these verses speak of how the nations are "worthless" this doesn't mean that the Lord regards people as worthless. He regards idols and idolatry as worthless, because they are, and He regards the plans of His enemies (and the enemies of His children) as worthless. In this next segment "the nations" is likely a reference to the Gentile nations of Isaiah's day because in that era all the Gentile nations were pagan nations. The enemies of Isaiah's people were heathen Gentiles. 

"Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; He weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. Before Him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by Him as worthless and less than nothing. With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken Him?" (Isaiah 40:15-18) Isaiah will continue to expound on this theme as we move on through the book: the Lord is the only God and nothing worthwhile is accomplished without Him---nothing in this life or in the life to come.