God Announces the Shepherd Pt 5

Considering for a number of weeks
now, we will be in it a total, if God will, seven weeks, several
yet to come. But we have been considering
this chapter in which the Messiah, the shepherd, is announced even
by God himself. We have been considering. The
subtitle, what I would subtitle this chapter as the glorious
truth of the Messiah’s advent, and we have been enriched so
far in our consideration of this passage and likewise this morning. The Messiah being introduced
here is being introduced by God himself in the first message
given is a comfort message of comfort, the comfort of peace
and that being peace between God himself, even in one of the
hymns that we sang this morning, that it is God that enacted this
peace treaty. It is God that has brought about
peace, true and lasting peace between a holy God and a sinful
people. The Herald’s announcement follows
in verses three through five, which is a preparation for glory,
glory itself of a kind that points specifically to salvation. The
only way to ready oneself for that glory is through preparation
and the specific preparation that is mentioned there is the
preparation of repentance. They’re pointing specifically
to the ministry of John the Baptist, which really is what opens this
entire chapter, this entire passage up to really a consideration,
an interpretation that is only legitimate In light of the Lord
Jesus Christ, we see that then the angel or perhaps God himself
begins to declare a series of messages. Four in number, the
first message is actually a two part, the first of which is the
eternality of God’s word. And the fleeting nature of mankind
there in verses six through eight. And then only then does God announce
the shepherd, the shepherd that would come, the Messiah that
had long been promised. But it was a Messiah whose nature
the people were not prepared for. They were not ready for
a Messiah of this kind. We saw that the Messiah was declared
to be God himself, that this God would take on human flesh,
that we would see In the Gospels, those truths unfold that here
is your God. The Messiah was not only God,
but he was mighty, almighty God. He was not only mighty and God,
but he was to be the judge that Christ in coming would come as
ultimately a judge. But he also came, as verses verse
11 says, he would come as a shepherd, one who would care tenderly for
his flock. We have so far considered the
glorious truths of the Messiah, but there is one more message. It’s the second of four messages
that tells us about the God of peace beginning in verse 12. If God’s people would pick it
up there with me. Who has measured the waters in
the hollow of his hands? and marked off the heavens by
the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by the measure,
and weighed the mountains in a balance, and the hills in a
pair of scales? Who has directed the Spirit of
the Lord, or as his counselor has informed him? With whom did
he consult? And who gave him understanding?
And who taught him in the path of justice, taught him knowledge? and informed him of the way of
understanding. Behold, the nations are like
a drop from a bucket, and regarded as a speck of dust on the scales. Behold, he lifts up the islands
like fine dust. Even Lebanon is not enough to
burn, nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations
are as nothing before him. They are regarded by him as less
than nothing and meaningless.” We’ve begun to consider the announcements
of the Messiah. But the obvious question. That flows out of the verses
that we’ve considered is what must this God be like that is
planned this. Plan of redemption. That is conceived
this comfort that only he could give that has demanded this repentance
that only he could demand because of his holiness. That has so
spoken these things that they literally are his eternal message
to humanity. But the most astounding piece
of the puzzle is this Messiah. This Messiah, what must God be
like if he has dispatched so great a Messiah? God has sought to comfort us.
God has desired from us a thorough heart readiness as nothing less
than repentance can provide. God is the one who has sent so
perfect a Savior, full of deity, mighty God, the judge and shepherd. What must this God be like who
would seek to redeem mankind by this Messiah? And that’s what
these verses before us this morning point out. They seem to some odd or perhaps
misplaced. We would spend more time talking
about the Messiah. We should spend more time considering
what is repentance. We certainly would hear more
of this comfort that God promises. And perhaps if we were writing
the 40th chapter of Isaiah, We would spend much less time on
this section and much more time on perhaps some of the others.
But God has included these words. God, by his spirit, provided
these words because God wanted us to know what he was like. And God wants us to know what
he is like, not just in these verses of Isaiah 40, but any
time God imparts any information about himself, it is so that
we might more perfectly worship him. God wants to be worshipped. God demands to be worshipped.
But he demands to be worshipped as he is and not as an idol. not as some idea that we’ve cooked
up in our head. God demands to be worshipped
as he is. And anytime God imparts a description
about himself, information about himself, revelation about himself,
he does so that our worship might be perfected. A.W. Tozer, years ago, Hit the nail
on the head when he said the history of mankind will show
that no people has ever risen above its religion and man’s
spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion
has ever been greater than its idea of God. Stay with me. Listen to what he says, worship
is pure or base. as the worshiper entertains high
or low thoughts of God. In other words, if you think
of God as puny, if you think of God in some less than perfect
way, that’s exactly where your worship will be. He goes on and he says, for this
reason. The gravest question before the church is always God
himself. We must be about theology, we
must be about knowing God and what he is like, not from what
we conceive him to be, not from what we wish him to be, not from
those elements that we learn about that we like, but about
God in his totality as he’s declared in his word and Tozer completes
it. When he says the most portentous fact about any man is not what
he at any given time may say or do, but what he in his deep
heart conceives God to be like. And that is Isaiah’s goal here. He wants to tell us about God.
And he gives us a three fold description of God so that our
worship here in this Christmas season And not just during the
Christmas season, not just in consideration of the Messiah,
but that our worship might be perfected unto eternity. What the prophet gives here. Is a description of what kind
of God? What kind of God has sent a Redeemer? What kind of
a God has sent a Messiah of such a nature? Which has been prophetically
announced by the prophets. This new section opens and it
gives us essentially a picture of a majestic God, a picture
of Jehovah as he is, which will stand in stark contrast in the
verses that follow. with the vanity and the feeble
nature of idols. These verses before us give us
a grand picture of God and tell us what a great God He is. How
glorious He is. What an awesome being Jehovah,
the God of Scriptures is. And it should bring us to knees
of worship. It should humble our hearts.
It should make us stand in awe of the God who has already moved
for our salvation. One pastor said, what kind of
God is he? Who’s coming, the prophet has
announced. He desires to show the matchless and wonderful power
of God, the God of Israel, Yahweh, the God of heaven and earth,
who alone is able to redeem his people. from the spiritual bondage
which their sin had imposed upon them.” And so, Isaiah will begin
to outline this God, discuss His power and His wisdom. Here, in these second of four
messages, the prophet Isaiah details the nature of this God
of salvation. If you would go back with me
to verse 12. have suggested that there is
a threefold picture of God here, three different attributes that
the prophet brings out. And I would even say that these
are the messages that were dictated to him by God. So in a very real
sense, this is revelation by God, God revealing himself to
us. And he wants us to know essentially
three attributes as pictured here. Let me tell you why I come
up with three. This almost sounds like a Sunday
school class as you begin to read these verses. At the end
of it, you know, in Sunday school, a lot of times you get into this
deal where the answer to every question that you pose is God
or Jesus. Well, it’s almost what it sounds
like as you get going. Who has measured the waters in
the hollow of his hand? God has, right? Who has marked off the
heavens by his back? God has, right? Who has calculated the dust of
the earth? God has. Who has weighed the mountains
in a balance? God has. And the hills and a pair of scales? God has. You know, in verse 12,
there really is only one question. It has those multiple elements. Five, essentially. But it’s one
question. It’s one long running question.
And that brings us our first element. And then in verses 13
and 14, there are really Only three questions there, but
they all essentially form one subject. Who has directed the
spirit of the Lord? Who, as his counselor, has informed
him? With whom did he consult and
who gave him understanding? And who taught him in the path
of justice and taught him knowledge and informed him of the way of
understanding? And then in the third section, the third attribute
that we’ll consider There are these series of statements. No
more questions. These series of statements that
outline to us exactly what this God is like. The prophet isn’t
wondering what he’s like in the earlier passages. He’s not wondering
who God is. It’s God essentially unfolding
to us. His nature. First and foremost. We have a declaration. In verse
12, that the God of salvation is all powerful, it’s essentially
an assertion, if you want to use the big theological word,
it’s an assertion of God’s omnipotence. Look again at verse 12, who has
measured the waters in the hollow of his hand? And that opening
section. God really poses, as I suggested,
only one question, one question with a number of elements. Who
has done these things? Who could lay a claim to having
completed these projects? Look at the passage again, and
what you have here is a series of what are called anthropomorphic
illustrations. They use human terminology, things
like hands, measuring tapes. And those kinds of things attributed
to God, anthropomorphic. And what he does is come up with
a series of these illustrations used to help us understand. And
it’s almost absurd when you begin to consider some of these things.
Here’s the picture. Somebody has complimented me
that I have a toolbox with plumbing stuff. And if I go to help somebody,
I grab the toolbox of plumbing stuff. And then I have a toolbox
that has electrical stuff. And if I go to help somebody
with electrical, which is really an event to watch, Then I grab
the electrical and I have different toolboxes for different things.
Here’s the image. It’s as if. They’re presenting
this image of God grabbing up a tool belt, which is so absurd,
but that’s the point of how great and how grand God is that we
should think that God grabbed up a tape measure, that we should
think that God set about measuring the foundation of the earth.
Watch this. Who has measured the waters in
the hollow of his hand? The image is this. It’s as if
God scooped up the totality of the earth’s water. In his cupped hands, that’s the
image. And it’s it’s wholly absurd. To think that God in his hand,
what it’s pointing to is the astounding nature. Let me tell
you how astounding, because I began to do some digging this week.
The oceans of the world, they cover about 70% of the Earth’s
surface. The rest of it is land, obviously. There are in that 70% estimated
to be, give or take a few gallons, 326 million trillion gallons. I don’t
even know how to illustrate that. That’s a lot of water. 97% of the Earth’s water can be found
in our oceans. 2% of the water on the planet
is fresh. 1.6% of the planet’s water is
bound up in polar ice caps and glaciers. That’s the part Al
Gore is worried about. Another 0.36% is found underground
in aquifers and wells. About another third of a percent
is found in lakes and rivers. And you think of all the lakes
and incredible rivers, the Mississippi and the Nile and whatnot. Yet
a third of a percent of the earth’s water, and then you have a tiny
fraction only estimated to be a tiny fraction of the earth’s
water, which exists as vapor. And all of that water is in this
constant cycle. These huge bodies of water yielding
up this vapor time after time, which becomes clouds, which becomes
rain, which becomes precipitation for the land. And the cycle continues
all over again. And it says that God As it were,
scoop this quantity of water up in the palm of his hands. Isaiah uses that term waters
here to point to the totality of water that’s on the earth.
For us to measure it, can you imagine if we were to all begin
to contribute to the oceans, dry holes near the coasts and
begin to feed the ocean as it were, how long it would take
us? It took God Just one trip. And then it says that he marked
off the heavens by the span. It’s as if God had to break out
a tape measure right here, he’s got his tool belt on during the
construction project of the world itself. Who marked off the heavens
by the span and calculated the dust of the earth by measure?
As if God measured out to the last speck, the infinite particles
comprising The creation. And who weighed the mountains
and a balance in the hills and a pair of scales, it’s as if
God during the formation of the greater and the lesser peaks,
the mountains and the hills that he employed some intricate measuring
system to ensure diversity in the size of these features. What
it points to is God’s power. God’s almighty power. God didn’t
need a measuring tape. God didn’t need a cup. God didn’t
need any of those things. He merely spoke it into existence. But what Isaiah is pointing to
here in these verses is God’s absolute power. That he wants
us to know that this same God that created this plan of redemption
and sent this Messiah is a God who absolutely can save people. He absolutely can
see through this plan of redemption. As one said, the Creator is the
great workmaster of the universe, ordering all things like a skilled
craftsman by number and weights and measures. Who has marked
off the heavens like a span? Job was asked the same questions. Remember in Job 38, which for
several chapters, God begins essentially to rebuke Job with
the truth. Job 38, verse four, where were
you when I laid the foundations of the earth? And he talks to
us on human terms as if we were part of that project, and we’ve
all seen those structures. First, it’s a flat piece of ground
and the next almost imperceptibly, there’s a hole in the ground.
And then before we know it, there’s a concrete structure. We call
it a foundation. God says, where were you, Joe,
when I was doing this construction project? Tell me if you have
understanding. Who said it’s measurements since,
you know, where would you even begin? I know, let’s build a
world. And we said, what tools would
you bring to that? Where would you even begin? Where
would you get the material? Who set its measurements, since
you know, who stretched the line on it, on what were its bases
sunk or who laid its cornerstone? God uses the same language here
to rebuke Job. God is the God of creation and
God is the all powerful God of creation. Puritan Thomas Watson
said to imagine that the work of creation was not framed by
God is as if we should conceive a curious landscape to be drawn
by a pencil without the hand of the artist. Can you imagine
such a thing? The scriptures tell us that it
was God. It was God and in God’s mercy,
God uses human language to tell us over and over again that it
was God who was there. It’s God who is all powerful
and it’s God who laid the foundation. Psalm 24, 2, he has founded the
world upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Psalm 89,
Eleven, you have founded them. Isaiah 24 or 44, 24. I, the Lord, am the maker of
all things, stretching out the heavens by myself and spreading
out the earth all alone. Nobody helped God. Nobody contributed
to this construction project. He didn’t have a project manager.
He didn’t have a supervisor. He didn’t have a crew. Isaiah
48, 13, my hand founded the earth, my right hand spread out the
heavens. Zachariah 12, one, the Lord who stretches out the heavens,
lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within
him. It was God. God, Almighty God,
is the one who established the earth, who created the heavens
and the earth and all that is in them. Someone or two is an interesting
passage in that it’s quoted in the New Testament. In fact, it’s
quoted in the book of Hebrews and it’s quoted pointing and
attributing these things to Christ. Here’s what it says. We talked
about Christ being God last week, being mighty. Listen to this. Of old, you founded the earth
and the heavens are the work of your hands. In the Psalms,
it seems to be talking of God generally. Even they will perish,
but you will endure. All of them will wear out like
a garment, like clothing. You will change them and they
will be changed. But in the book of Hebrews, the book of Hebrews,
it’s pointing to Christ. You, Lord, in the beginning laid
the foundation of the earth. The psalm talks about the coming
of Jehovah for redemption in very general fashion. But here. The writer of the epistle
of Hebrews is declaring these words that in light of history
you step back. It’s Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus
Christ. Who is the crowning manifestation
of the redeeming God the all powerful God Jesus was there.
Who has measured. The waters in the hollow of his
hand and marked out the heavens by the span and calculated the
dust of the earth by measure and weighed the mountains in
a balance on the hills and a pair of scales. It’s God and it’s the Lord Jesus
who was there. John Calvin said. it this way,
when he said the Lord began to show himself in the visible splendor
of his apparel ever since the creation of the universe. You
can’t not see God. That’s why Paul says in Romans
one, he’s without excuse. Somebody says they don’t believe
in a God, he’s without excuse. God has declared it to him every
day of his life. He brought forth those insignia
whereby he shows his glory to us whenever and wherever we cast
our gaze, wherever you cast your eyes. There is no spot in the
universe where you cannot discern some sparks of his glory. God,
all powerful, almighty God is seen in his creation. And he weighed the mountains.
in a balance, Isaiah says, using that imagery as if to measure
out exactly what size each hill and mountain was to be. It points
to God’s power. It points to the fact that God
is absolutely omnipotent. There’s nothing too difficult
for God, Jeremiah 32. In fact, one of the frequent
titles of God in the Old Testament is Almighty God. One Puritan. Commenting on God’s
power and the absolute astounding nature of it said this, the power
of God is that ability and strength whereby he can bring to pass
whatever he pleases. And if God wants to set his love
upon you and if God wants to craft out a plan of salvation
that includes the Messiah coming as a shepherd born as a baby,
who is very God and also the judge. If that’s God’s plan,
God can do it. God can do whatever he pleases. But I said there were three elements
uncovered here for us to consider. Not only a declaration that the
God of salvation is all powerful. But a declaration, secondly,
that the God of salvation is all-knowing. He’s all-knowing. Here, to use the big word, you
would call it an assertion of God’s omniscience. He knows all. Look at verse 13. Who has directed? This is almost absurd. Who has
directed the Spirit of the Lord? And here in these verses, 13
and 14, God addresses this foolish idea that he would have any need. Of any intelligent assistance,
as if he lacked those resources. And you have to you have to entertain
the thought, that’s what the writer is asking us to understand
here, you have to entertain this thought who has directed the
spirit of the Lord, who has listened to this, who has bossed God,
right? I mean, that’s the image. Who
has bossed God around? Who gave him a work list? Who
told him what needs doing, right? That’s the image. Who has his
counselor has informed him? Who served as a consultant, right? That’s what we would like to
consider ourselves. God, let me help you out here. Here’s
how I would approach the situation. I wouldn’t send this baby. I would send a powerful redeeming
God who served as a consultant for
God’s business. This business of creating and
sustaining the earth, not the least of which was the redemption
of it. Look at verse 14. With whom did
he consult? You know, God had a pretty good
idea. This is the image. God has this pretty good idea,
and I think I can pull this off. Let me see what the people think,
right? Let me tell you a story. This
is fresh, so I’ll tell you. I was talking with somebody recently. We were talking about organizations
and how things get done, and it was one of these deals, not
a church, Typical top down deal where there’s one guy in charge
and he wants everybody else. We’re on the committee. We’re
on the board. And he wants people to be there and allegedly to
give him ideas. But ultimately, he has the say.
And I told this guy, you know what? I’m not being part of anything
like that anymore. No more. I’m not building anybody’s
empire anymore. Because to me, if God has designed
the church to function with a plurality of elders and it’s the church
and these men are full of the Holy Spirit. If God doesn’t want
the top down approach used in churches, why on earth would
I go to a godless organization and put my time and effort there?
What God’s running is not that kind of organization either.
God is the only one who can run a top-down organization. And
with whom did he consult points to that? God didn’t need to consult
with anyone. God didn’t need to talk to anybody.
God didn’t need to get anybody’s approval. Nobody needed a vote.
He didn’t have to have a committee. He doesn’t have a board of directors. Who served in the capacity of
problem solver when God got stumped? That’s the question. When he
ran into unforeseen problems in the completion of his project,
who did God ask? It’s absurd. Look at the fourth
question. Who taught him in the path of
justice and taught him knowledge and informed him in the way of
understanding? I mean, this is just just to
even entertain it is absurd. Who taught God propriety? Right and wrong. That’s what
he’s talking about. Who provided God’s pool of intelligence? Who indoctrinated God? Who acted
as his schoolmaster? Who served as his professor?
Who was his tutor? The whole thing is absurd. It’s
God. And God is omniscient. God knows
everything. And he knows it independently.
He doesn’t need an instructor. He doesn’t need a schoolmaster.
He doesn’t need a consultant. He doesn’t need a counselor.
Because he’s God. Who has directed the spirit of
the Lord or as his counselor has informed him? Who did God either need, bring
alongside to advise him? Nobody. As one pastor said, to
say that God is omniscient is to say that he possesses perfect
knowledge and therefore has no need to learn. Isn’t that amazing? We were born learning and we
never stopped learning, hopefully. God has never learned. In fact,
he cannot learn, he points out. Could God at any time in any
manner receive into his mind knowledge that he did not possess
and had not possessed from eternity, he would be imperfect and less
than himself. Wow. God just knows and he knows
everything and he knows everything perfectly. What he’s saying right
out of the chutes is that, look, if God conceived of this plan
of redemption, it will work that there is going to be one sacrifice
given for the sins of mankind one time. And it’s the Lord Jesus
Christ and that his death on the cross, which we wouldn’t
even conceive of, much less plan out, much less present to a committee
for approval. Here’s a good way to save humanity.
We wouldn’t do it. But God did. In Proverbs, chapter eight, there’s
an interesting passage. It’s talking about wisdom, wisdom
being there from the foundation of the earth. And he talks about
the same, he brings up the same images. From everlasting, I was established
from the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth,
when there were no deaths, I was brought forth when there were
no springs, abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled,
before the hills, I was brought forth. Why, He had not yet made
the earth and the fields, nor the first dust of the world.”
God knew. And God formed it. Because that
whole section there is talking about the wisdom of God. We see
it again in the book of Romans. Which verse? We’ll get to someday.
Romans 11 verse 33. three and thirty five. Oh, the depth of the riches,
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are
his judgments and unfathomable are his ways, who has known the
mind of the Lord, who became his counselor, who has first
given to him that it might be paid back to him again, whoever
set up an account with God, whoever set up a consulting business
with God, With whom did he consult? Who
gave him understanding? Verse 14. Who taught him in the
path of justice? Who taught him knowledge and
informed him of understanding? He points here to the knowledge
base, the knowledge pool that God had. And the absurd questions point
to the fact that God knows all things of himself. He doesn’t
need a counselor. The Lord, Proverbs 319, the Lord,
by wisdom, founded the earth by understanding he established
the heavens. As one pastor said, when the
Lord, by his spirit, made the world, there was none that directed
his spirit, nobody. None to give him any advice,
either what to do or how to do it. Nor does he need any counselor
to direct him in the government of the world, nor is there any
with whom he consults, even as the wisest kings do. God needs
not to be told what is done, what needs to be done, for he
knows it already perfectly. He knows the right and proper
means. Job asks this simple question,
can anyone teach God knowledge? What it points to here, this
whole section, is that God is absolutely omniscient. God knows
everything. And if God knows everything,
He knows everything about us, which is disconcerting to some
people. The ways of the man are before
the eyes of the Lord. That rocks some people’s world
to know that God sees everything they ever do. But God also knows
the surest way to secure peace and to bring about redemption,
to provide forgiveness for sins and to bring about reconciliation
with lost people. And he did it by means of the
Lord Jesus Christ, he did it by means of sending that Messiah.
God knew. God had all intelligence of himself. God knows everything, as one
said, everything possible, everything actual, all events, all creatures,
God knows it all. And he knows his plan of redemption
will work because he’s all powerful. But there was a third element.
The third aspect or attribute, if you will, that God wanted
us to know about himself for the sake of a more pure and perfect
worship. He gives us a declaration that
the God of salvation is all-powerful. He gives us a declaration that
the God of salvation is all-knowing. And He gives us, thirdly, a declaration
that the God of salvation is all-encompassing. Where do you
see this? Look at verse 15. Behold, the
nations are like a drop from a bucket. And are regarded as
a speck of dust on the scales. Behold, he lifts up the islands
like fine dust. Even Lebanon is not enough to
burn, nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations
are as nothing before him. They’re regarded by him as less
than nothing and meaningless. Now, let’s put this in context,
because for a moment, don’t think that you’re not meaningful to
God. Don’t think that God doesn’t care and love people because
he sent his own son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for that very purpose. Look at verse 15. When he says,
behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, what he’s
pointing to there is they are infinitely small compared with
God, but they’re not unimportant. We saw a moment ago that God
scooped up the totality of the Earth’s water as it were in the
palms of his hands. They’re not unimportant, but
it’s as if they are a drop from a bucket filled with water. And
if you were to add a drop, you wouldn’t sense a difference in
the weight at all. If you were detract to lose a
drop, you wouldn’t sense a difference in the weight of the bucket at
all. They, these nations, are regarded as a speck of dust on
the scales. I don’t see a scientist worrying
about floating specks of dust on the scales. Even somebody
weighing out gold doesn’t worry about the dust. Again, it’s not
that they’re unimportant to God, they’re of great value to him,
but incomparable to him. Behold, he lifts up the islands
like fine dust. Look at verse 16. Even Lebanon
is not enough to burn. He’s not proposing setting Lebanon
on fire. What he’s pointing to is that,
look, if you were to gather up all the wood, all the logs, all
the forest in all of Lebanon, which at the time was a rich
and flourishing forest of all manner of trees. Even if you
were to gather all of that wood up for a fire, not just any fire,
but a sacrificial fire. Because look at verse 17. All
the nations are as nothing before him. They regard pardon me. It
ended verse 16, nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
You gather up all the wood and while you’re at it, gather up
all the critters. If you were to have that kind
of a sacrificial offering. It’s not as if God needs it. And then verse 17. All the nations
are as nothing, not nothing literally. God could have said that the
nations are nothing. I don’t care a bit about any
of you. God could have said, but that’s
not what he says. It’s not what he says here. Not nothing literally,
but as nothing compared to God in comparison with God. Are they
going to overwhelm God? Are they going to out think God?
No way. Isaiah isn’t telling us back
in verse 15 that God has no concern for countries, nations, people.
Because, as one said, the entirety of Scripture is a gracious testimony
to the contrary. The individuals of the nations
have been so loved by him that he has sent his son to die for
them. What Isaiah points to instead
is that in comparison with God, the nations are of no significance. What God points to, what Isaiah
wants us to know, is that God is all encompassing. He’s To
use, again, the big theological word, he’s omnipresent. He’s
everywhere. Theology speaks of his immensity. He’s so big, he
literally is everywhere at one time. Wayne Grudem described God’s
omnipresence in this way. He said, it may be defined as
follows. God does not have size or spatial dimensions. and is
present at every point of space with this whole being, yet God
acts differently in different places. In other words, God is
so big. He’s just literally everywhere. It’s not the pantheistic idea
that God is everything, that God is the tree and God is the
stone. It’s that God is everywhere at
all times. God doesn’t live in a building.
God is everywhere concurrently. He is ever present. He’s all
encompassing. God is perfectly unlimited. And as God looked down upon this
fallen world, it’s not that he didn’t care about it. God looked
down upon this world and he saw a nation of people that were
desperately needy. They needed they needed redemption. They needed a savior. They needed
a Messiah. And what this does for us is
bring us into focus. It reminds us of who God is.
It reminds us of what God is like and it informs our worship. Spurgeon was talking about that
kind of a thing when he said this. He said there’s something
exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the
divinity, God. It is a subject so vast that
all our thoughts are lost in its immensity, so deep that our
pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass
and grapple with, and in them we find a kind of self-content,
and we go away with a thought that, behold, I am wise. But
when we come to the master science, finding our plumb line cannot
sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height,
we turn away with a thought that In vain, man would be wise. No
subject of contemplation will tend to more humble the mind
than thoughts of God. But while the subject humbles
the mind, it also expands it. The most excellent study for
expanding the soul is the science of Christ and him crucified.
and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity. Nothing
will so enlarge the intellect. Nothing will so magnify the whole
soul of man. As a devout, earnest, continued
investigation into the great subject of the deity. Let’s go before him. O merciful God, we see now the
divine purpose of these verses. You want us to know you. You
want us to know who you are. You want us to know what you’re
like for worship. But you wanted us to know absolutely
definitively that this plan of redemption. This call to comfort,
this call to repentance. This call to a Messiah. Who is quite unlike anything
that Israel ever conceived. Lord, this is something. That
you can pull off because you are all powerful. This is something
that is doable because you conceived it, because you are all knowing.
And Lord, this is all encompassing your knowledge, your nature. Is over all the earth and you
will bring your people to faith. Lord God, if there are any here
who don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. This
God, this God is capable, this God is able to save. And he sent
his son as Messiah for that very purpose. In Jesus name we pray.