Do you not know? (1)
| Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. 24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. (Isaiah40:21-24) |
If Isaiah was writing in our modern context I think he might have added a "Duh!!!" in front of that.
Isaiah is incredulous at how the Israelites have allowed their picture of God to shrink.
Although they were given a big picture of God at the start, (think of the creation accounts and the Red Sea rescue of the Israelites), they quickly forgot God's great power. Instead of remembering that all people are grasshoppers compared to God, they saw themselves as grasshoppers compared to the Canaanites (Num13:33). And it got worse and worse after that...
- They started to trust in earthly kings and idols
- The rich and powerful became more and more arrogant.
- Society degenerated for lack of a credible authority figure
BUT:
God is Lord of the Heavens.
He is Lord over the Nations.
He is Lord over princes and rulers.
The writer of Ecclesiastes puts it succinctly:
"...God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few." Ecc.5:2
He is Lord over all and He will bring the proud and arrogant to naught. Society loses its head when there is no clear conception of God's authority. And, if we continue to ignore God's powerful sovereignty, our societies, empires and Babel-Towers will crumble.
CHALLENGE: Before we point fingers at our leaders, let's ask ourselves:
- Do i recognise God as sovereign and mighty in my life?
- What symptoms of arrogance might God need to bring to naught or whirlwind away in my life?
