START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 40:21-31
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OBSERVE:
Many scholars believe that Isaiah 40 is the beginning of the second part of the Book of Isaiah, written, by Second Isaiah. They suggest that First Isaiah (chapters 1 to 39) was written by the historical prophet in the 8th century, whose ministry is described in 2 Kings 19 to 20, and 2 Chronicles 26 and 32. His context was the royal city of Jerusalem and its struggle against the rising imperialism of Assyria. Second Isaiah, they say, was written after the people of Jerusalem had been conquered and exiled by the Babylonian empire in 587 B.C. (For more insight into this debate concerning the authorship of Isaiah, click here to read my SOAR post from December 31, 2023.
If these words are not written by the original Isaiah, it seems obvious that these words are influenced by him. Some would suggest that the writer was a member of the School of Isaiah, one of his students perhaps.
Putting that debate aside, the literary setting of this passage seems to be a kind of debate, like a courtroom — the prophet is interrogating his audience:
Haven’t you known?
Haven’t you heard, yet?
Haven’t you been told from the beginning?
Haven’t you understood from the foundations of the earth?
What is it that he thinks they should understand? That the God of Israel is Lord over all creation; he is no mere idol; he is not a construct of the human mind or human hands.
This majestic passage describes the Lord’s enthronement above the earth and the perspective that the people are like insects in comparison. Not only has he the power to create and to sweep away all that he has made, his power over all political systems of human beings is absolute.
He invites the reader to consider all that God has created:
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
Some scholars suggest that this description of the circle of the earth implies the ancient understanding that the earth is indeed a globe. The metaphors that Isaiah uses strain to capture the immensity of Yahweh — the vastness of the fabric of space is stretched out like a curtain. Curiously, modern physicists use this same metaphor of the fabric of space-time to describe the cosmos.
The prophet asks again,
Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard, yet?
He answers his own question by describing the eternal and transcendent nature of God as Creator.
And unlike mortals, God never grows weary or requires rest. Those who depend upon him find their strength renewed in him.
These are words of comfort to anyone who believes in the transcendent, all-powerful creator of the universe — and especially for a people who have been humbled and live as conquered people in exile, these are words of soaring hope and promise.
APPLY:
Whatever we may think of the historical background behind this soaring passage, we can find profound inspiration here.
We are reminded by this ancient text that God is not a construct of our minds or imaginations — he is the Creator and Lord over all creation. All kingdoms and political systems will one day be swept away and replaced by his eternal reign.
It may be understandable that we might become apathetic or cynical or simply weary in the face of our own time and culture. That we might become discouraged about ever seeing a change in the world. But Isaiah reminds us that God never grows weary — and if we hope in him alone we will renew our strength. We will soar on wings like eagles… run and not grow weary… walk and not be faint.
RESPOND:
I can sometimes become so discouraged by the direction of our world, morally, politically, economically; and when I wonder if I’ve had any impact at all, I sometimes just want to give up. But then I go outside and look at the stars and consider what my God has created. Or I go for a hike and see the cathedral of nature. Then I realize that in comparison to his transcendence, all these things that fret me are temporary.
And when I turn to him in faith and hope, I feel a sense of renewal when I remember that:
The Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t faint.
He isn’t weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
Then, despite more than 60 years of my life and the encroaching cynicism of this age, my strength is renewed.
It is not lost on me that these Lectionary Bible studies that I attempt are formatted in what I call the “SOAR” method. As we read the Scriptures and apply them to our lives, may we SOAR as well!
Our Lord, words fail me as I consider your creative power and the scope of your knowledge and transcendence. I can’t do anything but echo the powerful words of Scripture! As I wait upon you, and hope in you, I pray that you will renew my strength that I may soar like an eagle, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. Amen.
SOAR Lectionary Bible Study 