STUDY THEME: ADOPTING A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW.   6-18-00
"CONTOURS OF A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. ‘HERE IS YOUR GOD." 
ISAIAH 40: 10-11, 18-31
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO ISAIAH 40.

Last Sunday we learned that because our human reason has been marred by
sin, it contributes to our lives of sin and unbelief. When we received
Jesus Christ as our Savior He renews our minds as part of His new
creation. Then Faith provides a way for us to be confident of God's
unfilled promises and to perceive unseen realities of God, that are
unseen by our physical senses. Reason and Faith working together make
sure that what we believe is true. 

Isaiah was one of four great prophets of the eighth century B.C. The
other three were Micah, Amos, and Hosea. In Ch. 40:1, Isaiah announced a
joyous message of comfort and redemption. In Vs. 9 he shouted to the
people, "Here is your God!" From Isaiah's prophecy we learn much about
who God is and what He is like. 

The Key to Ch. 40 is Vs. 27. The people complained that God did not know
about or care about them. Ch. 40 begins in Vs. 1-11 with a message of
comfort and the good news of divine deliverance. The second half of the
chapter shows the need to see the greatness of God and to trust Him for
strength for each of life's situations. 

As we move thru the 40th Ch. of Isaiah we will find that this passage
presents one of the finest pictures of God in all the Bible. Perhaps the
most important of all our beliefs is that concerning God. The Authority
for our beliefs is the Bible. The Bible gives us God's own revelation of
what He is. He is the most important part of a believers' worldviews. As
we study this lesson, let's seek to know more about God so we can give
proper honor and praise to Him. 

1. PLEASE READ ISAIAH 40: 18-20.

In Vs. 18 to show God's incomparable nature, Isaiah asked two rhetorical
questions: To whom and to what can God be compared? What is God like?
Many people have such a limited view of God that their God is not the
true God. They do not honor or worship Him because they do not know Him.
When people come to know the true nature of God they oftime have a desire
to worship Him and to know Him better.    

Some people who profess to have faith are practical athesists. They live
as if God did not exist. People of true faith build everything else on
their personal relationship with the Lord, and they base their
understanding of God on His revelation in His Word. 

The second question, "To what can God compare?", reflects the atmosphere
of the 8th century B.C. The religion of Judah was unique. Every other
religion of that era employed idols as the primary device for instruction
and worship. Idols symbolized the presence of the god they represented.
However, the distinction between the god and the idol virtually
disappeared. Comparison of the Lord with the gods of other religions
reveals that God is the only one in His category. Every other deity is in
another category. 

In Vs. 19 Isaiah pointed out that people make idols. The quality of these
idols varied greatly. A wealthy person would hire a smith to cast an idol
from metal. The workman heated the metal until it liquefied. He poured it
into a mold that he had shaped with his hands. Other artasans covered
wood statues with gold plating. Poor people hunted for the best wood they
could find. The primary consideration was that it not rot quickly. These
destitute worshipers were content if their idol simply did not topple. 

A longer passage dealing with this subject is found in Isaiah 44: 9-20.
There Isaiah told how the people would cut down a tree. Some of it was
used for firewood on which to cook. Another part was used to make an
idol, which the person proceeded to worship. 

The First and Second Commandments in Ex. 20:3-4 have to do with idols and
images. The First Commandment warns against making a pagan god one's god.
The Second Commandment warns against trying to make an image for
worshiping the Lord. People then and now were guity of both actions. The
First Commandment applies to anything we substitute for God. The Second
Commandment is more subtle. It applies to false and limited views of God.
Such false views reduce God to something less than He is. Gods made by
humans fail to depict the true God. Nevertheless, people prefer their
gods because they think they can control them to get what they want. But
the true God refuses to become the clay and let us be the potters to
shape Him to suite ourselves. He insists on being the potter to shape us
as the clay.

J.B. Phillips, the famous N.T. translater, wrote a short book titled
"Your God Is Too Small." He pointed out that  while some people still
make wood or metal images to depict God, in our contemporary society most
adults have false mental images of God. Some of the false mental images
of God mentioned by Philips include "Resident Policeman.", "Parental
Hangover", "Grand Ol' Man." "Meek and Mild", "God in a box", and "Pale
Galilean." These mental images limit God to our limited views of Him.
Thus we need to form our views of God based on His revelation of Himself
and not on our own ideas. The eternal God is alive and it is He who
sustains us.            

In these next verses Isaiah reminded the people of what they should have
known all along. God is sovereign over all the earth and over all people
including the political rulers of the earth. 

2. PLEASE READ ISAIAH 40: 21-24. 

In Vs. 21 Isaiah asked four more rhetorical questions. These are basic
truths the people should have remembered. Do you not know? Surely you
have not missed the knowledge of God. The affirmations of His deity and
majesty are overwhelming. Have you not heard? Everywhere someone and
something declares God's presence. Has it not been told you from the
beginning? These truths about God were not new. they were spoken in the
very first instant of time.Have you not understood since the earth was
founded? From creation these truths have been unmistakable. Their clarity
allowed anyone to understand them. The term "understood" makes it clear
that people have no excuse for not knowing about God. 

God is sovereign over all the earth and its inhabitants, including the
political powers of this world. The circle of the earth reflects a human
perspective of the earth. God sits enthroned above His creation. He is
superior to all creation and rules over it as its King. In comparison to
Him, humanity is like trifling grasshoppers. Because He is God, however,
he takes more notice of people than people do of grasshoppers. 

Standing on the surface of the planet earth, the enormous expanse of the
sky defies human comprehension. What we don't know about space surely
exceeds what we do know. Yet for God, creating the heavens was like
putting up a tent. The universe remains a vast mystery to humans, but to
God it was merely the erection of a temporary cover.  

Some people strive to rule over others. A few amass significant power.
They rule over nations with pomp and pagentry. They tell others what to
do and consider themselves magnificent. They are give grand titles and
are treated as superiors. God is not impressed. He quickly reduces their
power. The Bible and human history contain many examples of God doing
this. Some strutting tyrant rides high, only to come to an untimely end. 

King Agrippa 1 had put James, the brother of John, to death and had
planned to execute Peter. One day Agrippa appeared in a glittering
garment. The people spoke of him as if he were a god. Then, in Acts 20
the angel of the Lord struck him down. God is soverign over all the
world's political powers. Some strut across history's stage, caught up in
a sense of their importance; but they soon fall. God controls history. It
is His Story.  

God is King. He always has been, is, and always will be King. People of
faith live in light of this reality now. Others live as if they were
kings and ignore God. Someday all will be forced to recognize His
sovereignty. For those of us who honor Him now as the sovereign King,
this is a key feature of our worldview. Our faith in God shapes our
attitudes and actions. We who acknowledge God's sovereignty also
understand His authority. 

In these next verses Isaiah emphasized God's power by pointing to His
control of the stars. He asked the people why they complained that God
had forgotten them. He reminded them that God is the everlasting God and
Creator, who never grows weary. Total understanding of such a God is
beyond human comprehension, but we can know Him and what He has revealed
about Himself. 

3. PLEASE READ ISAIAH 40: 25-28.

Vs. 25 is similar to Vs. 18, except, rather than Isaiah it is God Himself
who asked two rhetorical questions that are virtually a repetition of the
two previous quesitons asked in Vs. 18. However, the second question
drives home the futility of any comparison. OR WHO IS MY EQUAL?
emphasizes the sharp distinction bvetween the Lord and other gods. Isaiah
emphasized God's power by pointing to His control of the stars. The
powerful Creator of the starry hosts brings out the stars, and calls each
by name. When God summons them each night, not one star failes to appear.
No other god or individual possesses such power. 

The stars come into sight in the same way every night because God created
them to do so. Their daily apparance communicates to us that God's great
power and authority have not diminished. God assigned each star its
particular nature, characteristics, and function. Ps. 19: 1 says "The
heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His
handiworks." 

As we said before, Vs. 27 is the key to this Ch. 40. It gives insight
into the problem that Isaiah was addressing. Often when the name Jacob
was used by the prophets, they were referring to the people of God as
being more like Jacob before the Lord changed him and gave him the name
Israel. The name Jacob suggests the unworthiness of the chosen people.
What was their complaint? 

My way is hid from the Lord means they felt God was unaware of them and
their plight. My judgment is passed over from my God means they felt God
was treating them unjustly. In other words, they accused God of not
knowing their plight; and if He did know it, they accused Him of being
unjust and uncaring. No information is given as to the precise
cirucmstances under which this complaint is uttered...it is a universal
complaint, raised in times of difficulty and adversity. "My God neglects
my cause."

The greatness of God is seen in His names and titles. What Isaiah asked
in Vs. 14 now is stated as a fact. He emphasized four facts. First,The
everlasting God. He has no beginning and no end. He is not limited by
time. He is eternal . The Lord Yahweh is the personal name of the
covenant God of Israel. The Creator of the ends of the earth shows His
all-encompassing power in creating all things. He is omnipotent.  The
true God is not limited by space. He is omnipresent. 

God's character is also seen in the words fainteth not, neither is weary.
Fainteth and weary have similar meanings. Both words appear again in Vs.
30 and 31, where they are used to describe human feelings. In Vs. 28, the
point is that God will not grow tired or weary as He is omnipotent. He is
eternal, having always existed, and He will always exist. He is
immutable, that is He does not change. 

No searching of His understanding means that "his understanding no one
can fathom." He is inscrutable. He is all knowing or omniscient. A full
compehension of God and of all His ways is beyond human ability. This is
stated even more strongly by Paul in Romans 11:33-36, where he said, in
Vs. 33, "O the depth of the riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God!
how unsearchable are his judgments. and His ways past finding out." This
does not mean that we cannot know God in faith and know those things
about Him that He has revealed, but it does mean that the full mystery of
God lies beyond us. If we fully understand and explain God, our god would
no longer be the true and infinite God but some image in our minds.    

In these concluding verses Isaiah emphasized both God's great power and
His loving care. He is a King, but He is also a caring Shepherd. He gives
His power and strength to the weak. Those who place their hope in Him
find strength for each of life's varied situations. The best definition
of God I have found is in 1 John 4:8 "God is Love." 

4. PLEASE READ ISAIAH 40: 10-11, 29-31.

In Vs. 10 Isaiah called on his people to look and comprehend. The
sovereign God was coming to their assistance. The term power could be
translated "might." God was susperior to any foe. His victory was
certain. 

ARM is used in both Vs. 10 and 11. In Vs. 10 it is a symbol of the power
of the strong hand of the Lord God as He rules . In Vs. 11, it is a
symbol of His loving care, His gentleness for His people. Thus God is
both a mighty Ruler and a loving Shepherd. Notice the words in Vs. 11
that describe what He does for the flock: feed...gather ...
carry...gently lead. He gives special attention to the lambs and to those
that are with young. 

Vs. 29-31 continue the Lord's word to those who complained that God
either did not know or did not care for them. Vs. 29 focuses on the weak,
who are described as the faint and them that have no might. To these
helpless and powerless ones, he giveth power and increaseth strength. Vs.
30 describes those who ought to have strength-- the youths and the young
men. Yet life is so tough that even the strong become weary and utterly
fall.

Vs. 31 is one of the great verses in the Bible. If you have not memorized
this precius promise, commit it to your mind and heart and recall it
often. To wait upon the Lord means to have patient trust in the goodness
of God no matter what happens and to have confident hope that His
promises will come to pass. Such faith involves a personal relationship
with the Lord. 

Those who have such a relationship with the Lord can handle anything that
comes. The variety of situations in life are depicted in three ways. God
gives us some experiences in which  He enables us to mount up with wings
as eagles. These are the mountaintop experiences of life that inspire and
encourage us for life in the valley's below. The Christian life is like a
long-distance race. We need perseverance for this race. Thus He enables
us to run, and not be weary. But much of life is like a walk. In fact,
the godly life is described as walking, and sometimes we must walk thru
the valley of the shadow. But He enables us to walk, and not faint. 

How does God do this? He renews us. God exchanges human weakness for
divine strength. People who place their trust in God will go from
strength to strength. Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 4:16  as he grew older,
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,
yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."  
We oftimes sing: 
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail, 
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail:
Thy mercies how tender, now firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend." 

NEXT SUNDAY FROM GENESIS 1 WE LOOK AT GOD'S GOOD CREATION. 
THIS SHOULD STRENGTHEN OUR BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW. A.V. DAUGHERTY