- To know my place, and to find the God of hope -

Isaiah 40:15-17

“Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.  Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.  All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and worthless.”

Yesterday I was in both spiritual and physical discomfort. My mind was fixed on my life’s various worries and I was not able to find any relief in my normal self-efforts, until yesterday evening when I read Isaiah chapter 40. I found it odd that I would discover peace in the words that I am, “counted less than nothing and worthless”, before the LORD God in the truest since. I especially meet these words as encouragement since they are Gods divine instruction as both as a rebuke to me and on the other hand an exaltation of His comfort toward me. The counsel of this chapter of telling all mankind that they are vapors and less and nothing is more understandable when read with the first chapter of Isaiah.

Isaiah 1:3 “The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master's crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider."

This is the very first thing spoken out of the mouth of the Almighty and Merciful God to Israel. “They don’t know their place, you oh man don’t know your place.” God is being merciful to Israel by rebuking them so they might awake out of their sin and turn to God for mercy.  In this light, Gods first wisdom to us is, “know your place.”  For one day the jack-ass will testify against these people and us, if we don’t live a life worthy of repentance, if they being dumb animals know their place in their masters crib, then our punishment will be severe if we who are created in Gods image don’t know where our proper place is under our Creator who is the Holy and merciful God. 

As much I like to pride myself on how much I put my thoughts on the Sovereignty and Greatness of God, I found after reading these passages that I still have not learned to be completely at rest and comfortable in the dust before my God. It is odd how pride is so good at blinding its victims to how much they are infected by its venom. But this why God gave us His Holy Scriptures so that me might, through His mercy, apply His cleansing ointment to our hearts and burn away all that is not holy and not acceptable to Him.

Isaiah chapter 40 follows 4 preceding chapters of the account of King Hezekiah. Chapter 40 picks up as chapter 39 needs with the prophet Isaiah telling King Hezekiah that in the future all that is in Jerusalem, people and valuables all will be taken away, total destruction! Chapter 40 then starts off by saying, “Comfort yes, Comfort My people!” says your God.” Therefore this chapter is the announcing of the future Good News of God, that will come to all flesh.

Isaiah 40:3,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.”

Here in verse 3 is the quote John the Baptist(John 1:23) gives in response to the Jewish authorities to their question to him, “Who are you.” He responds by quoting Isaiah 40:3. Therefore Isaiah chapter 40 is the proclamation of the Gospel. For in verse 5 it then says, “The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together.” In other words the Almighty God is sending John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus Christ, who is the “(Heb 1:3)the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature”, through His life and death He will be how, “The Glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together.” Which is why it is not surprising to hear the Apostle John testifying “we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.(John 1:14)” 

Isaiah 40:6,9 “The voice said, "[God] Cry out!" And he said, "[John Baptist] What shall I cry?" "[God] All flesh is grass”… Say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!””

            Isaiah 40:6 is a very enlightening passage. It has God first saying “Cry out”, then the spirit of John the Baptist saying, “What shall I cry.” God has sent John the Baptist to “prepare the way of the LORD”, and since John the Baptist quoted this passage he knew exactly what God had called Him to. Which is why he said, “what shall I cry”, or in other words what shall I say in order to accomplish my mission of preparing the way for the LORD. To this God instructs John to tell the people that, “All flesh is like grass(ver.6)…[therefore turn your eyes and look at the only real and lasting hope]…behold your God(ver.9)”, because, “the word of our God stands forever”, and what was the eternal words spoken by the LORD to His elect, “That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned.” What most stood out me was the first thing God told John the Baptist to say in order to prepare the way of the LORD, “All Flesh is grass.” This message becomes even more explicit when we compare it to the one in Isaiah chapter 1, when the first thing God says to Israel is that they need to know their place; God created them, He showed them kindness, they belong to Him. Then here in the 40Chapter the first thing God tells John the Baptist is that mankind is like the fading grass, here today gone tomorrow. Does this sound strange to the reader? Should it? Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”  Which is why the Psalmist also says in 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

            When I look in the Gospels I see John the Baptist doing exactly what Isaiah 40 says. In this act I see God making an explicit point that we need to learn to “number our days” and realize our lives are but dust, without hope until we come to the Great Giver of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that is why God is so adamant in leading us to understand how worthless and nothing we are in and of ourselves. For if we truly grasp this, then by the working of the Holy Spirit, we are moved to put all our Hope, Love and Faith in the One who is alone Infinitely Strong and Valuable.

Luke 3:3-17

“And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins… Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance…and even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire”… John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”

            These where the words spoken by John the Baptist to the people of Israel, this was his ministry which he received from the Lord. In fact the gospel of Luke is filled with the same tone of langue, such as; “(Luke 32-33) He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Simeon said this of the Lord Jesus Christ, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel.” And what were the words of the Angels who appeared before and at the birth of the Holy Child, what did they say of His Name and Glory, the “Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God”, and “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Therefore the world did behold the Son of Gods Glory, they saw His Power, His strength, His wisdom, His truth, and His Grace.

            I now wish to return to Isaiah 40 where God is proclaiming His Comfort and mercy to Israel, but says in the mist of us understanding these wonderful truths we are to first consider our proper place, to consider we are but fading grass, worthless in and of ourselves.

counted as the small dust on the scales; Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing. All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.”

          This passage is one of he worst enemies of the human heart and its pride which tries to elevate its value higher than it really is. Here God tells us that all the nations are as nothing to Him. Notice it does not say only the godless or secular nations. This passage included all nations righteous or evil, and all the specific people in them, righteous or evil. It is devastating enough to our pride to think we are nothing to God, no more than a drop in the bucket. But God is not finished here for if nothing is nothing, then God goes on to say in our verse that we are “less than nothing” to Him! Surely this last phrase will bring home what is being said. All things are as “less than nothing” because all things have been created by God, for God. All things are every second of ever moment existing only by God excreting His power to uphold them in being. This does not mean God does not care about us and His creation, but means we are in value, as nothing to Him.

          The amazing thing is that all this teaching about our weakness, nothingness and vanity is not to lead us to utter despair, but on the contrary to lead us out of true hopeless state we are in and teach us that we have a real and living hope in Jesus Christ, in our God who is the “I AM who I AM.” And if this “I AM who I AM” chooses out of His freedom to comfort us and to be our strength for us then we have an eternal and lasting hope which does not fade away. Take for example the next passages in Isaiah 40 and notice Gods words of encouragement to us after telling us we have no strength in our selves and are less than noting to Him.

            Isaiah 40:28, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unreachable(infinite)… those who wait [hope] on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

            Herein lies hope for creatures who are like grass, which is here today and gone tomorrow; that the LORD God never “faints nor is weary”, and that He helps those who are weak and in need of strength.  God encourages us by reminding us that He is the “everlasting God…the Creator of the ends of the earth”, that “He calls them (stars) all by name, By the greatness of His might, and the strength of His power; Not one is missing.” By this God contrast Himself against us, and what we have is total opposites. We are like grass, which means we have no strength and what tiny strength we have is very temporary and useless. But God on the other hand has eternal and “everlasting” strength, and not only is it eternal but the magnitude is infinite and in everyway absolute “greatness”. 

            HOPE in the God, HOPE in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ who, “had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high... Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them… Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace.(Hebrews 1:3, 7:25, 4:16)” Which is why God is called the “God of Hope” in Romans 15:13, which translates for into a “living hope”(1 Peter 1:3). Now then also consider the command given to us in Corinthians 13:13 “And now abide [in] faith, hope, love.”

The reason we are instructed so explicitly in Isaiah about out weakness and hopelessness is because it is to lead us in running to the Lord Jesus Christ; who has both infinite Strength to aid us in our troubles and also Infinite Grace which assures our hearts of His love, and thus leads us to rest all our Hope in our Great and Magnificent God! Philippians 3:3 “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

“The only place from which we cannot fall is one down in the dust. It is there the Lord brings His own people, weaning them from all confidence in the flesh, and giving them to experience that it is when they are weak they are strong [in Christ]. Such, and such only, are saved and safe forever.” (A. W. Pink)

Therefore it will greatly profit and benefit us if we grow in as much hope in our Lord Jesus Christ as much as we can. Thus is will avail us if we grow in our daily acknowledging to ourselves of our great hopelessness and weakness, and then remind ourselves the only place WHERE hope, strength and grace are found, the Living God who is willing to forgiven and show mercy.

Isaiah 40:28-31,

 28. Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

 29. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.

 31. But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

 Prayer:

"Oh God my Strength and hope You are wise and have again lead me to realize the number of my days. Which leads to the place I am able to see afresh with humbleness Your all self-sufficiency, Power and infinite Kindness, which would lead You, the High and Lofty One to dwell with broken people. Forgive me for not daily realizing my place before You the Great and only “I AM who I AM.” Forgive me for not resting completely on Your everlasting Arms of strength for my help, when my weakness is so apparent and Your kind invitation so manifest. Forgive me for being too caught up with the cares of this life, which prevents me form being able to be in the hourly daily place of having my mind and heart drowned in awe, terror and love at Your Supremacy and Grace. I pray and ask You my Heavenly Father that You would change and reform my heart by shinning the knowledge of Your Glory in the face of Jesus Christ your precious Son. I pray I would daily be trembling in fear, Awe and Love that You the creator of the ends of the earth, who even the nations are less than nothing. I am awestruck You would desire to show me a mere clay pot such infinite Comfort and hope. I beseech Thee hollow Your Name in my life Oh God, so that the Name of Jesus Christ is praised and treasured, as He should be through my life. May my life then testify of the Glory of your Great Name and of the Son who bleed and die for sinners. Who is like You oh God that I might compare You too, For you are alone the Living God who dwells in Heaven above. Now to the God who alone is Wise and Good, who holds the stars in His hand, who as my name written on the other, be all Glory and Honor, and dominion and Praise forever, in Jesus Name, Amen. "