Our Cosmic Creator
Last Lord's Day evening I was preaching on Isaiah 40.12-26. In the course of the sermon I was speaking about two verses that are parallel in the symmetry of the passage, verses 12 and 26: 'Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? ... Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.'
Isaiah uses the familiar measures and gadgets of the kitchen to describe the Lord's creation and maintaining of the universe! All the oceans, seas, lakes and rivers are a teaspoonful to the Lord. From one side of the universe to the other is a mere hand's breadth! The sand, soil and dust of the earth fits in a jiffy bag! The Himalayas, Rockies, Andes, Alps and all the mountains of the world are like a few pinches of salt in the scales! The sextillion or so stars of all the galaxies each have a name (not just HR 0099) and they are all exactly where they are supposed to be because of his mighty power.
Isaiah's point? That the glorious promises of comfort, forgiveness and salvation in verses 1-11 will certainly not fail. This vision of the incomparable sovereign majesty of our eternal God is meant to encourage and strengthen believers who can hardly dare to believe that the Lord God Almighty could really want to have anything to do with them and is able to save them. There is nothing in all the universe that can interfere with God's purposes of salvation - for just look at the power and majesty of our God! There is no promise he has made in His word that he cannot keep!
A short video I came across on YouTube some years ago illustrates these verses better than any words I can write, so I thought this would be a good place to share it for the benefit of any who haven't come across it. (I warn you that you may end up watching it over and over again for the next hour!)
