Transcript
As we look up and see the stars, and learn from what is seen through telescopes and satellites today, the number, the distance, the power, of the stars is incredible.
Astronomers say if we would count one star per second, it would take 2500 years to just count the stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. And there are billions more galaxies than just the Milky Way.
If you were to hold out a dime at arm’s length, the coin would block out 15 million stars from your view in this galaxy, if your eyes could see with that power.
If the earth was a grape, in proportion the sun would be the size of a beach ball and would be 163 yards away, a football field and a half.
The largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter, would be about the size of a grapefruit, and it would be about 5 blocks up the road. In this scaled-down universe, the nearest star would still be 24,000 miles away.
Someone has pictured the distance from the stars like this. Say it cost a penny to ride 1000 miles, a trip to the moon would cost $2.38, a trip to the sun would cost $930, but a trip to the nearest star would cost $260 million.
And the stars are massive. Depending on which star, you can fit millions, billions, or quadrillions of earths into them.
One star named Betelgeuse is twice the size of the earth’s, orbit, around the sun. You could fit 262 trillion earths inside it. And there’s bigger stars than this! And this is just one star, among trillions upon trillions!
And the power released in stars is staggering. For example, the sun releases more energy in one second than a billion major cities on the earth, if there were a billion, would produce in a year. And that’s just released in 1 second.
The sun is mid-sized. There are gazillions of stars bigger than the sun. It isn’t anywhere near as big as a red supergiant star called Antares. Fifty million of our suns could fit inside of Antares. Think of the energy that star releases in 1 second.
And then you think of them all collectively. There’s over 200 billion in our galaxy, there’s hundreds of billions of stars in each of the billions of galaxies.
And yet the Bible describes the creation of all that energy, all that power, all that mass, in Genesis 1:16, with the single phrase, “He made the stars also.”
I love that. Like it’s no big deal. It was simple. Piece of cake. Scripture states things simply for God, because they were easy for Him to create. God is all-powerful.
The energy of all the stars is still an immeasurably small token of His divine energy and power.
Isaiah 40:22-24: “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.
“That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.”
In light of verse 21, Isaiah in verse 22 speaks of the One Israel should have known about and heard of and understood: “He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth.”
“Sitteth” refers to God as sovereign and Lord and King, as He makes the circle of the earth His throne. Circle is applicable to the spherical form of the earth. This was way before man understood the earth was round.
God’s seated position speaks of how He upholds and maintains His creation on a continual basis, and is in control, and is over it all, and greater than it all.
And God is so exalted that as He looks down from on high, from His elevated station and position, all the inhabitants of the world appear to Him as diminutive and little as insects, as grasshoppers.
From His exalted position what is seen is that we’re really small and very weak, plentiful, busy, moving, a multitude, spread over the vast circle of the earth beneath Him.
We need to see ourselves as God sees us. And we need to see God as He is.
God wants us to live in light of our size and stature and strength in relation to Him. Sometimes we live as if we are big, with a little God who we control, because pride tricks us into thinking we’re much bigger, stronger and more in control than we really are.
Instead God wants us to live humbly knowing that we are very small and very weak, with a massive, infinite, all-powerful God, who loves us and want us to trust Him.
Verse 22 continues, and says that God “stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.”
Referring to the heavens and universe above, it is stretched way out, spread far, far out. This is now far more striking than it was in the times of Isaiah.
The discoveries about space and the fathomless size of the universe that we learn through powerful telescopes, space telescopes, probes, and satellites, have given beauty and power to these statements. The heavens truly are stretched and spread out.
The call it the “known” universe, because it’s farther than we know. Mankind will never find the end of it. Its size though isn’t primarily to make a statement about us, although it does. It’s primarily to make a statement about God.
The prophet says God “spreadeth them out as a tent.” A tent is made for living in. The idea is that the heavens are extended like a tent in order to furnish a dwelling-place for God, “as a tent to dwell in” verse 22 says.
And what this statement is telling us is that the reason the universe is so vast and infinite, is that it was suited to and representative of the God who created it, and of the kind of space necessary for Him to dwell in it as a tent.
So in other words, the unbelievably huge universe represents and demonstrates to us, how infinitely huge, how indescribably immense, how massive, how vast, how gigantic God is, how big the God who created it is.
You’ll often here scientists say that the universe is an oversized habitation for us to live in. If the universe is created just for us to dwell in it, it is too huge for us. But as we see here, the universe’s primary purpose is to display the awesomeness and majesty of God.
It is to reveal the infinite size, power, and glory of the God who created it. Then we realize that the universe is just the right size. It is perfect.
And with each new discovery and each headline that says, “The universe is bigger than we thought it was” we should praise God, and not be surprised, and it should remind each of us each time we hear it, that God is even bigger than we thought He was.
And this God, Isaiah says, “bringeth the princes to nothing” (v. 23). God is in control and over all human leaders.
He removes them and sets them up according to His will. Daniel 2:21 says, “He changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings.”
No matter how great their power, their wealth, and their popularity, they are, by His hand, reduced to nothing before Him, and their power is nothing in comparison to Him.
There is no comparison with the majesty of God with that of princes and rulers. He far excels all, and is far above all, and ruler over all.
There is nothing so high and inaccessible in the world, that He cannot bring it to nothing. Proud rulers who are opposed to God constitute zero resistance to the execution of God’s purposes.
We can always rest in God no matter how dire or fearful situations become in this world, knowing He is over all, and is in control, and is always carrying out His will.
Isaiah 40:25-26: “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.”
With the majesty and glory of God having been set forth, the “Holy One” says this next statement. God asks it, and He can ask it, because of the fact and truth of His unspeakable power and glory and that He is absolutely exalted above all and everything. It cannot be challenged.
As the Holy One, He is set apart unto Himself, and greater than all. He is always the greatest thing in existence.
God Himself asks “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” There is no one to compare to Him. He has no equal. He has no competition. No rivals.
He is self-existent, self-sufficient and self-powered. He is timeless, ageless, and changeless. He is God Almighty, greater than all.
And mankind is told to look up in v. 26, and to direct our eyes toward the heaven and contemplate the stars, and to “behold who hath created these things.” The stars are evidence of God, of His creative power and handiwork. He is greater than the stars.
The number, the order, the greatness, and the harmony of the heavenly bodies, demonstrate the truth of the incomparable God in His infinite greatness and wisdom.
The phrase “Bringeth out their host by number” has military meaning behind it. It literally speaks of how God marches out the army of stars upon the plane of heaven, as one leads out his army upon the field of battle.
The number of the stars surpasses all of man’s powers of computation. There are billions of galaxies containing trillions upon trillions upon trillions of stars. And God is said to lead them all forth as a vast army under a mighty leader.
And they are arrayed for us to see, they are not out of place, all are arranged in infinite wisdom; all observe the proper order, and the proper times.
And God is intimately acquainted with all the hosts of stars. Though their numbers is so immense, yet in His almighty power, He knows each one individually.
He has given them their own unique attributes, and He knows each in all its distinguishing characteristics. And He has given each star a name unique to each one.
I don’t know about you, but I have trouble remembering people’s names from one day to the next. But God knows the names of trillions upon trillions of stars!
And it’s bad new for guys here because no matter how romantic it is, buying and registering a name of a star for your girl isn’t going to change its name. They’re already named by God.
When God spoke to Job out of the whirlwind we learn some of those names. He said, “Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?” (Job 38:31,32).
God knows His stars. He calls them all by name “by the greatness of His might.” It is His single and unassisted power that conducts them.
His hand alone sustains them and by His strong power not one fails, He holds them, knows their number, and calls them each by name.
Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
When you know God and how great He is, it produces a healthy fear and proper respect for Him. It changes how we talk to Him or about Him, and how we view life. It produces a humble submission to His will and the wisdom of His Word.
When you see the greatness of God, then you will see everything else in life in its proper perspective.
Verse 12-20 teach us that God is greater than anything on earth. Verses 21-26 teach us that God is greater than anything in heaven.
We learn that He is greater than the nations, than any ruler. Nothing is equal to God, nothing is greater than God. And we can rest in His control, always.
And if you ever wonder if God really cares about you personally, then look up, and remember that He knows the name and every detail of every star. Then know that He knows your name and every single thing about you, every single detail of your life. You are of more worth and more value to Him than all the stars put together.
Isaiah 40:27-28: “Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.”
The chapter then takes a turn after extolling the greatness of God. And it addresses the mistaken thought-process of mankind that people still think today, that our ways are hidden from God and that God doesn’t care what we’re going through or what we do.
Those in Israel thought that God had lost sight of them, that He didn’t know or see or notice them, and He was not familiar with their ways, and that He did not care about them or their cause and He passed over them without noticing.
Isaiah questions this thought process and asks them why they were saying this?
Israel had lost their confidence in God, and felt that He had neglected them. So the prophet sets before them this amazing description of the faithfulness and power of God.
The question is answered with another question. “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding.”
In light of who God is, God never forgets us. He never could. He is never ignorant of our condition. He is the everlasting, unchangeable God, the Lord, Creator and Sustainer of all things.
He is God eternally the same and never varying, always faithful, always all-powerful, always God. He knows everything. His power never wavers. He does not grow faint or weak as man does, nor does He become weary as man does.
God is never too weak or too weary or too busy. He is never “faint” or “weary” with having the countless wants and needs of people ever before Him.
We all have pet peaves, something that gets under your skin. These are ones for me: the kind of thinking that says that you don’t want to bother God with something, or thinking that He’s too busy to be concerned about our little problems, or believing that God is only concerned about spiritual things and not physical, all convey a very, very poor understanding and weak view of God.
God is never busy. God is never weary. He is never bothered. And everything you bring to God is little, even when they ARE big things. Because God is so huge, everything is little to Him. He is big enough to handle all and any of our problems.
And He knows and He cares about every single thing in our lives, whether they are spiritual or physical issues.
There is “no searching of His understanding,” therefore our cause and what we go through CANNOT escape His notice. It is actually impossible. The God who made all things is infinitely wise.
God whose knowledge and wisdom surpasses human understanding, is intimately acquainted with all our needs, every single one.
Nothing could be farther from the truth that our ways are hidden from the Lord, or our cause goes unnoticed by Him. It is absurd to think that He cares less for us than for the stars which He guides so unerringly and carefully. He loves you more than the stars. Yes, God cares about your life; He cares deeply about everything you’re going through.
And as His understanding is so vast, we should not expect to be able to always comprehend the reason He does what He does.
Instead we should expect that there is and will be much that is mysterious and unsearchable with what God does and why He does it on this side of glory.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says this, “no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.”
The reasons for what God does are often hidden from us; but our comfort is to be found in the absolute assurance that He is infinitely wise, and that He who rules over the universe absolutely knows what is best, and He cannot and does not ever make mistakes.
Isaiah 40:29-31: “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Verse 29 shows us that not only does God “not faint,” or grow weary, He gives power to them who do faint. And to them who have no strength in themselves, He gives and increases strength.
Verse 30 shows how even the most vigorous young men, those in whom we expect strength, they still become weary, worn down by fatigue and exhausted.
Watch a NFL football game and these world class athletes after just a few plays, are huffing and puffing and having to run off the field to take a break for a few downs.
Though even the young and strong become tired and fall, God never does. The power of God is inexhaustible. And so if we try to live in our strength and power, which fails, we’ll fail and faint and become weary and exhausted and we’ll stumble and struggle.
“BUT they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, ¬ be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
The God just described to us here, this huge God, out of His unlimited power, strengthens us in His care for us. The Hebrew word for “wait” means to hope, trust, expect.
It means that the people of God in their relationship with Him, who trust and hope in Him become strong in faith and life; able to contend with the daily challenges of life, able to have the strength to serve and live for Him and His glory by His almighty strength.
When believers wait and hope and trust in the Lord, God promises to renew our strength. “Renew” here means “to exchange.” We exchange our failing “strength” and weakness for His unfailing power (2 Cor. 12:1-10).
It’s the same as the Lord told Paul: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness…Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities…for when I am weak, then am I strong” (II Cor. 12:9,10).
“Wait” does not suggest that we sit around and do nothing. It’s an active hope and trust. So we keep waiting and keep placing our trust in God, we keep moving forward looking to Him by faith, we keep following Him, serving Him, living for Him, we keep praying and keep growing in His Word.
And as we wait on the Lord, we feel like we are swept up on the wings of eagles, and we are lifted and carried by the strong hand of the true and living God over all.
And in that strength we will run and not be weary and walk through anything in life and not faint. God Almighty promises to hold us up and carry us through life in all its varied circumstances as we turn to and wait on Him. And we are held and strengthened by this massive, majestic, almighty God described for us here.
He cares deeply about each of us and wants us to turn to Him for strength in life, and those who wait and trust and hope in the Lord are assured of His strength.
Soaring with wings as eagles reminds us of how eagles fly so high above this world, and so what it represents and speaks of is communion with God and nearness to Him and His heart. And nearness to God is where power is in life, and is where we soar.
How we should rejoice that we have a relationship with the “everlasting God”!
We do not need to be discouraged and ever wonder if God cares for us. He gave His own Son for us out of the depths of His love and care.
The Creator of the universe knows each of us by name. The God who spoke the universe into existence made each of us too, and He knows everything about you.
He cares deeply about each of us and wants us to turn to Him for strength, and those who wait and trust and hope in the Lord are assured of His strength.