And aHis arm shall rule for Him;
Behold, bHis reward is with Him,
And His1 work before Him.
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.
Measured heaven with a1 span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
And ataught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
And bthey are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,
And the silversmith casts silver chains.
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman
aTo prepare a carved image that will not totter.
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who astretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a btent to dwell in.
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.
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
aHe calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
And speak, O Israel:
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
aHis understanding is unsearchable.
bShall 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 40:11 | Isaiah 40:13 >> |
What Does Isaiah 40:12 Mean?
Isaiah 40:12-31
Making and worshipping an idol is foolishness and a lie, because a manmade image can never truthfully represent the Eternal God. For a son of God, worshipping idols is irrational (Acts 17:29); to look to something physical as important or more important than God defies all wisdom. The way the world looks to physical objects is superstition (e.g., good luck charms, religious crosses, shrines).
Martin G. Collins
The Second Commandment
Isaiah 40:9-18
God commands Zion (a type of the church) to lift up its voice to reveal Him to the people. In His ensuing description of Himself, God proclaims Himself as the almighty, all-wise Creator. He has such incomparable power and wisdom that the combined might and intelligence of all nations are as nothing before Him. In our childish vanity, we think of ourselves as being of some account, but we are so insignificant that, compared to Him, all humanity combined is less than nothing and worthless! Considering this testimony, whose law should take precedence—God's or man's?
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Sixth Commandment (Part 2): War! (1997)
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Isaiah 40:12:
Amos 3:7
Matthew 24:36
1 Corinthians 13:8
1 Corinthians 13:8
Colossians 1:13-17
| << Isaiah 40:11 | Isaiah 40:13 >> |
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Because the Eternal God measures the waters, heavens, dust, and mountains, no manmade image can ever truthfully represent Him. Making and worshipping an idol is foolishness and a lie. For a son of God, worshipping idols is irrational (Acts 17:29); to regard something physical as important or more important than God defies all wisdom. The way the world looks to physical objects—good luck charms, religious crosses, shrines—is mere superstition.