Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? … “To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see; who created these?
The Only Foundation for Truth
Although Isaiah’s audience may have been inattentive to his message about the greatness of God in creation, they had one great advantage over those who read his message today. They believed that the primary purpose for which men and women exist is to know God and to worship him. They believed that God’s self-disclosure was the foundation of all truth and that creation itself revealed truth about God. Moreover, it was expected that God would reveal truth about himself and what he required from his people through his divinely appointed emissaries. Thus, Isaiah’s message about the sovereignty of God in creation was not only persuasive, but it was also in keeping with the tradition of the sacred writings of Moses, David and other biblical authors (e.g., Genesis 1–2; Psalm 19; Job 26). In short, then, it was a commonly held belief that revelation was a valid system of epistemology. Epistemology is the theory of knowledge; it is an investigation into what distinguishes justified belief from opinion. It has been a long time since either natural or special revelation, as a valid system of knowledge, has been viewed without considerable skepticism.
Perhaps it is somewhat simplistic, but it seems to me not entirely unwarranted to trace the shift in epistemology back to the Cartesian roots of Renè Descartes. His famous axiom, cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am), grounded his theory of knowledge in man as the one knowable constant. The finite “I” rather than the infinite God becomes the measure of all things. However, one must acknowledge that the Cartesian model was constrained by rigorous methodology and inevitably led to what was generally accepted as universal truth. This at least was compatible with the absolutism of biblical revelation. Among many intellectual movements that followed the Enlightenment, deism soon gave way to the agnosticism or atheism of those who vigorously promoted the virtues of philosophical naturalism. A more recent shift in epistemology modifies the classic Cartesian model. It assumes that the finite “I” is the starting point of knowing but unlike Descartes there is no assumption of common ground between individuals. Each “I” is a world unto itself (cf. D. A. Carson, Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church, pp. 93-95).
“Postmodernism therefore insists that objective knowledge is neither attainable nor desirable. … Far from thinking that this loss in epistemological certainty is tragic, postmodernism glories in the diversity of outcomes. … [Such thinking] breeds absolutism that manipulates people and controls them, trampling on the splendid diversity of creeds and cultures and races that constitute humankind. Let the diversity flourish – but let none of the disparate voices claim to be ‘true.’ Or better yet, let them all claim to be true, but none in an exclusive or objective sense” (Carson, p. 97). A willingness to uncritically accept as true contradictory ideas fosters the peaceful coexistence of new age mysticism and science.
When a prophet claims to have a message from God and declares, “Thus says the Lord” his revelation is to be understood as a true categorical imperative, that is, an unconditional moral (and spiritual) obligation that is binding on all persons in all circumstances, independent of a person’s subjective inclinations. Of course, all prophecy is subject to the stipulations of Deuteronomy 18.18–22. At the very heart of Scripture is the assumption that God speaks and acts in a manner that may be understood and acted upon and that everyone is obligated to obey it.
Creation itself is a testimony whereby the believer recognizes that God speaks and acts. In it he sees the creative hand of God at work. Psalm 19 notes the difference between natural, or general revelation, and special revelation (Scripture). The creation narrative of Genesis is for the psalmist a declaration that God is the Sovereign creator. Even a cursory understanding of the cosmos ought to evoke in the observer a sense of wonder and awe (cf. Job chapters 26; 28–41). This, too, is Paul’s argument against paganism: For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they [unbelievers] are without excuse (Romans 1.20). Paul’s observation strikes at the heart of the deficient epistemological argument inherent in philosophical naturalism.
“Yet natural revelation is without words and is universal, being unrestricted by the division of languages. It transcends human communication without the use of speech, words, and sounds (cf. NIV mg. on v. 3). To those who are inclined to hear, revelation comes with no regard for linguistic or geographical barriers, even to the ends of the world (v. 4). Calvin observes, ‘When a man, from beholding and contemplating the heavens, has been brought to acknowledge God, he will learn also to reflect upon and to admire his wisdom and power as displayed on the face of the earth, not only in general, but even in the minutest plants’ (1:308–9).” (Willem VanGemeren, “Psalms” in Expositor’s Bible Commentary, p. 180).
The Incomparable God of Creation
We know that Isaiah’s personal vision of the holiness of God thoroughly altered his worldview. He now appeals to his readers’ spiritual sensitivities by reminding them of the greatness of God that is to be seen throughout all creation. As you read Isaiah, or for that matter the Bible, keep in mind that fundamentally it points to a way of understanding the world from God’s point of view.
“The Bible and science do not deal with the same problem. Scientific theory inquires: What is the cause of the universe? It thinks in the category of causality, and causality conceives of the relationship between a cause and effect as parts of a continuous process, as changing parts of an unchanging whole. The Bible, on the other hand, conceives of the relationship of the Creator and the universe as a relationship between two essentially different and incomparable entities, and regards creation itself as an event rather than as a process. Creation, then, is an idea that transcends causality; it tells us how it comes that there is causality at all. Rather than explaining the world in categories borrowed from nature, it alludes to what made nature possible, namely, an act of the freedom of God” (Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man, p. 16).
In the pursuit of wisdom, the ancient Greeks acquired knowledge for the love of learning; the Western modern man is primarily interested in knowledge as a purchasing tool or as a means of controlling his environment. Knowledge for the man or woman of God is the basic building block of worship. This is what Isaiah has in mind when he describes God as the incomparably great Creator of the universe. Like Job, after the Lord speaks to him (Job 40.3–5), so too the reader of Isaiah is left speechless with only a sense of wonder and awe at the majesty of God. “If we see God through our own eyes, we diminish him without meaning to or even realizing it. But if we see God through God’s eyes, it changes how we see everything else. Isaiah understands that. In this passage he shows us the whole universe through God’s eyes” (Ray Ortlund, Jr., Isaiah, p. 242).
The believer’s security rests in the supremacy of God’s sovereignty in all creation. Thus, Isaiah declares: Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 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 like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness (Isaiah 40.21–23). God pays attention to all the details of his creation; there is nothing that does not concern him. He exercises control over everything. Like the psalmist, the believer may take great comfort in God’s sovereignty over all creation: O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me(Psalm 139.1–5).
The Immensity of God
Of all the observable wonders of creation, of all the things imagined in heaven, these things are but the outer fringe of God’s glory: Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand? (Job 26.14). God is immense beyond any man’s ability to comprehend his majesty. It is not surprising that the authors of the great confessions of faith are at a loss as to how to describe the greatness of God. For example, “The Lord our God is but one only living and true God whose subsistence is in and of himself, infinite in being and perfection; whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but himself; a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; who is immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, every way infinite, most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute …” (The First London Baptist Confession of Faith).
God alone is all wise, self-existing creator and sustainer of all things. So of what consequence is human wisdom and human strength in comparison to God’s? God has no need for consultants: O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11.34–36).
There is Just One God
If all this is true about God, then what is there to compare to the greatness of God? Isaiah allows for no pretenders to the throne. Indeed, he exposes the pathetic inadequacy of idol makers and the folly of those engaged in idol worship. There may not be a bowing before carved images, but there is a constant stream of pop culture idols being paraded in every form of the media that are elevated as objects of devotion. Thus, it is simply another Isaianic illustration of a feckless generation of idol worshippers. The question is rhetorical and the answer is all too obvious: there is none like God. “The idolater would suppose his idol to represent some supernatural force or being, but the prophet inculcates a true understanding. Idols may look magnificent, venerable and mysterious, they may excite a sense of awe but there is nothing there except the materials - no ability but human ability, no innate resources but those of earth. Isaiah reflects not the creed of the idolater but the monotheism of the Bible” (J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, p. 305).
Those who insist on worshipping worthless idols forfeit the grace that might be theirs (cf. Jonah 2.8 NIV; Psalm 115). They are blind and deaf to the spiritual forces that are at work in the world. Few in our society would think of themselves as idol worshippers. While we may be free from graven images, we are certainly not free from idolatry. “As St. Paul explained long since, the person who is covetous is an idolater (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5), and this means that virtually anything can become an idol: money, power, fame, pleasure, sex – in short, humanistic self-centeredness in all its forms” (Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, The Book of the Revelation, p. 115). Stop, look and listen; pay attention to what you see and hear. The Lord is incomparable; there is none like him. Look at creation and think about how carefully everything is ordered in the universe. Now think about how God has brought about our great salvation through the atoning work of his Son. There is nothing you need that is missing. God has given you everything necessary for life and godliness (2 Peter 1.3–11), so don't throw it all away for a worthless idol.
Although Isaiah’s audience may have been inattentive to his message about the greatness of God in creation, they had one great advantage over those who read his message today. They believed that the primary purpose for which men and women exist is to know God and to worship him. They believed that God’s self-disclosure was the foundation of all truth and that creation itself revealed truth about God. Moreover, it was expected that God would reveal truth about himself and what he required from his people through his divinely appointed emissaries. Thus, Isaiah’s message about the sovereignty of God in creation was not only persuasive, but it was also in keeping with the tradition of the sacred writings of Moses, David and other biblical authors (e.g., Genesis 1–2; Psalm 19; Job 26). In short, then, it was a commonly held belief that revelation was a valid system of epistemology. Epistemology is the theory of knowledge; it is an investigation into what distinguishes justified belief from opinion. It has been a long time since either natural or special revelation, as a valid system of knowledge, has been viewed without considerable skepticism.
Perhaps it is somewhat simplistic, but it seems to me not entirely unwarranted to trace the shift in epistemology back to the Cartesian roots of Renè Descartes. His famous axiom, cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am), grounded his theory of knowledge in man as the one knowable constant. The finite “I” rather than the infinite God becomes the measure of all things. However, one must acknowledge that the Cartesian model was constrained by rigorous methodology and inevitably led to what was generally accepted as universal truth. This at least was compatible with the absolutism of biblical revelation. Among many intellectual movements that followed the Enlightenment, deism soon gave way to the agnosticism or atheism of those who vigorously promoted the virtues of philosophical naturalism. A more recent shift in epistemology modifies the classic Cartesian model. It assumes that the finite “I” is the starting point of knowing but unlike Descartes there is no assumption of common ground between individuals. Each “I” is a world unto itself (cf. D. A. Carson, Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church, pp. 93-95).
“Postmodernism therefore insists that objective knowledge is neither attainable nor desirable. … Far from thinking that this loss in epistemological certainty is tragic, postmodernism glories in the diversity of outcomes. … [Such thinking] breeds absolutism that manipulates people and controls them, trampling on the splendid diversity of creeds and cultures and races that constitute humankind. Let the diversity flourish – but let none of the disparate voices claim to be ‘true.’ Or better yet, let them all claim to be true, but none in an exclusive or objective sense” (Carson, p. 97). A willingness to uncritically accept as true contradictory ideas fosters the peaceful coexistence of new age mysticism and science.
When a prophet claims to have a message from God and declares, “Thus says the Lord” his revelation is to be understood as a true categorical imperative, that is, an unconditional moral (and spiritual) obligation that is binding on all persons in all circumstances, independent of a person’s subjective inclinations. Of course, all prophecy is subject to the stipulations of Deuteronomy 18.18–22. At the very heart of Scripture is the assumption that God speaks and acts in a manner that may be understood and acted upon and that everyone is obligated to obey it.
Creation itself is a testimony whereby the believer recognizes that God speaks and acts. In it he sees the creative hand of God at work. Psalm 19 notes the difference between natural, or general revelation, and special revelation (Scripture). The creation narrative of Genesis is for the psalmist a declaration that God is the Sovereign creator. Even a cursory understanding of the cosmos ought to evoke in the observer a sense of wonder and awe (cf. Job chapters 26; 28–41). This, too, is Paul’s argument against paganism: For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they [unbelievers] are without excuse (Romans 1.20). Paul’s observation strikes at the heart of the deficient epistemological argument inherent in philosophical naturalism.
“Yet natural revelation is without words and is universal, being unrestricted by the division of languages. It transcends human communication without the use of speech, words, and sounds (cf. NIV mg. on v. 3). To those who are inclined to hear, revelation comes with no regard for linguistic or geographical barriers, even to the ends of the world (v. 4). Calvin observes, ‘When a man, from beholding and contemplating the heavens, has been brought to acknowledge God, he will learn also to reflect upon and to admire his wisdom and power as displayed on the face of the earth, not only in general, but even in the minutest plants’ (1:308–9).” (Willem VanGemeren, “Psalms” in Expositor’s Bible Commentary, p. 180).
The Incomparable God of Creation
We know that Isaiah’s personal vision of the holiness of God thoroughly altered his worldview. He now appeals to his readers’ spiritual sensitivities by reminding them of the greatness of God that is to be seen throughout all creation. As you read Isaiah, or for that matter the Bible, keep in mind that fundamentally it points to a way of understanding the world from God’s point of view.
“The Bible and science do not deal with the same problem. Scientific theory inquires: What is the cause of the universe? It thinks in the category of causality, and causality conceives of the relationship between a cause and effect as parts of a continuous process, as changing parts of an unchanging whole. The Bible, on the other hand, conceives of the relationship of the Creator and the universe as a relationship between two essentially different and incomparable entities, and regards creation itself as an event rather than as a process. Creation, then, is an idea that transcends causality; it tells us how it comes that there is causality at all. Rather than explaining the world in categories borrowed from nature, it alludes to what made nature possible, namely, an act of the freedom of God” (Abraham Joshua Heschel, God in Search of Man, p. 16).
In the pursuit of wisdom, the ancient Greeks acquired knowledge for the love of learning; the Western modern man is primarily interested in knowledge as a purchasing tool or as a means of controlling his environment. Knowledge for the man or woman of God is the basic building block of worship. This is what Isaiah has in mind when he describes God as the incomparably great Creator of the universe. Like Job, after the Lord speaks to him (Job 40.3–5), so too the reader of Isaiah is left speechless with only a sense of wonder and awe at the majesty of God. “If we see God through our own eyes, we diminish him without meaning to or even realizing it. But if we see God through God’s eyes, it changes how we see everything else. Isaiah understands that. In this passage he shows us the whole universe through God’s eyes” (Ray Ortlund, Jr., Isaiah, p. 242).
The believer’s security rests in the supremacy of God’s sovereignty in all creation. Thus, Isaiah declares: Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 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 like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness (Isaiah 40.21–23). God pays attention to all the details of his creation; there is nothing that does not concern him. He exercises control over everything. Like the psalmist, the believer may take great comfort in God’s sovereignty over all creation: O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me(Psalm 139.1–5).
The Immensity of God
Of all the observable wonders of creation, of all the things imagined in heaven, these things are but the outer fringe of God’s glory: Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand? (Job 26.14). God is immense beyond any man’s ability to comprehend his majesty. It is not surprising that the authors of the great confessions of faith are at a loss as to how to describe the greatness of God. For example, “The Lord our God is but one only living and true God whose subsistence is in and of himself, infinite in being and perfection; whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but himself; a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; who is immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, every way infinite, most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute …” (The First London Baptist Confession of Faith).
God alone is all wise, self-existing creator and sustainer of all things. So of what consequence is human wisdom and human strength in comparison to God’s? God has no need for consultants: O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11.34–36).
There is Just One God
If all this is true about God, then what is there to compare to the greatness of God? Isaiah allows for no pretenders to the throne. Indeed, he exposes the pathetic inadequacy of idol makers and the folly of those engaged in idol worship. There may not be a bowing before carved images, but there is a constant stream of pop culture idols being paraded in every form of the media that are elevated as objects of devotion. Thus, it is simply another Isaianic illustration of a feckless generation of idol worshippers. The question is rhetorical and the answer is all too obvious: there is none like God. “The idolater would suppose his idol to represent some supernatural force or being, but the prophet inculcates a true understanding. Idols may look magnificent, venerable and mysterious, they may excite a sense of awe but there is nothing there except the materials - no ability but human ability, no innate resources but those of earth. Isaiah reflects not the creed of the idolater but the monotheism of the Bible” (J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, p. 305).
Those who insist on worshipping worthless idols forfeit the grace that might be theirs (cf. Jonah 2.8 NIV; Psalm 115). They are blind and deaf to the spiritual forces that are at work in the world. Few in our society would think of themselves as idol worshippers. While we may be free from graven images, we are certainly not free from idolatry. “As St. Paul explained long since, the person who is covetous is an idolater (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5), and this means that virtually anything can become an idol: money, power, fame, pleasure, sex – in short, humanistic self-centeredness in all its forms” (Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, The Book of the Revelation, p. 115). Stop, look and listen; pay attention to what you see and hear. The Lord is incomparable; there is none like him. Look at creation and think about how carefully everything is ordered in the universe. Now think about how God has brought about our great salvation through the atoning work of his Son. There is nothing you need that is missing. God has given you everything necessary for life and godliness (2 Peter 1.3–11), so don't throw it all away for a worthless idol.
RSS Feed