“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?
Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel?
Whom did he consult, and who made him understand?
Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales;
behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.
Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?
Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel?
Whom did he consult, and who made him understand?
Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales;
behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.
Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?
“An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains.
He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move.
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.
Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
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?
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 40:12-26
He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move.
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.
Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
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?
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 40:12-26
How can one attempt to explain the sovereignty of God when it is beyond the comprehension and mental capacity of mankind? We cannot fathom the greatness of our infinite God nor begin to grasp His power and might. While we’ve made a humble attempt to wrap our minds around His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence, individually these three attributes are merely parts of God’s most defining characteristic. When put together, however, they define one of the most important qualities of God’s character: God is SOVEREIGN.
What It Is
Supremacy, absolute power, highest authority, above all others. These are all definitions of sovereign. But why is God sovereign? What basis is there to ascribe this attribute to Him? The fact that He sees all things, He knows all things, He’s all-powerful, and His presence is everywhere--that’s why God is sovereign above all else. The essence of God’s sovereignty is tied to His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence.
But it’s also much more than that. God’s sovereignty also carries a level of majesty, power, and authority that is not directly defined in the “omni” attributes. Isaiah 40 is one of the most beautiful and powerful passages conveying the sovereignty of God. So go read the entire chapter or at least the fifteen verses quoted at the top of this post! However, below are a few more verses that speak of God’s absolute power and authority.
What It Is
Supremacy, absolute power, highest authority, above all others. These are all definitions of sovereign. But why is God sovereign? What basis is there to ascribe this attribute to Him? The fact that He sees all things, He knows all things, He’s all-powerful, and His presence is everywhere--that’s why God is sovereign above all else. The essence of God’s sovereignty is tied to His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence.
But it’s also much more than that. God’s sovereignty also carries a level of majesty, power, and authority that is not directly defined in the “omni” attributes. Isaiah 40 is one of the most beautiful and powerful passages conveying the sovereignty of God. So go read the entire chapter or at least the fifteen verses quoted at the top of this post! However, below are a few more verses that speak of God’s absolute power and authority.
“Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.”
~Psalm 135:6
“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”
~Psalm 115:3
“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.”
~Proverbs 21:1
~Psalm 135:6
“Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”
~Psalm 115:3
“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.”
~Proverbs 21:1
What It Means
God is so far above us and His will is supreme. He is higher than the greatest ruler or king that has ever lived; in fact He established those kings and emperors in their position. Nothing and no one can thwart or undermine His plan. Nations rise and fall at His command; rulers come and rulers go as the Lord wills. The history and course of mankind has not been a surprise to God; the bad decisions of humanity have not caused our Sovereign God to wonder. No! History is His story and God has been active and involved in the affairs of man, working out His will and purposes.
Therefore, just as we cannot escape God’s all-knowing, all-powerful presence, so also we cannot hide from His sovereign and supreme will.
How It Affects Us
But how should this knowledge affect us? What should our response be to this awesome attribute of God?
Trust. This is what our heart’s response should be. We could fear the Lord for His greatness, majesty, and supreme authority, but God would rather have our trust. Notice that after Isaiah 40:12-26, God poses this question to Israel:
God is so far above us and His will is supreme. He is higher than the greatest ruler or king that has ever lived; in fact He established those kings and emperors in their position. Nothing and no one can thwart or undermine His plan. Nations rise and fall at His command; rulers come and rulers go as the Lord wills. The history and course of mankind has not been a surprise to God; the bad decisions of humanity have not caused our Sovereign God to wonder. No! History is His story and God has been active and involved in the affairs of man, working out His will and purposes.
Therefore, just as we cannot escape God’s all-knowing, all-powerful presence, so also we cannot hide from His sovereign and supreme will.
How It Affects Us
But how should this knowledge affect us? What should our response be to this awesome attribute of God?
Trust. This is what our heart’s response should be. We could fear the Lord for His greatness, majesty, and supreme authority, but God would rather have our trust. Notice that after Isaiah 40:12-26, God poses this question to Israel:
“Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God’?”
~Isaiah 40:27
and my right is disregarded by my God’?”
~Isaiah 40:27
The revelation of God’s greatness, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, and sovereignty was meant to bring comfort and hope to Israel. It was to show them that they were not hidden from the presence and knowledge of the Lord and they were not forgotten. And this comfort was meant to be ours also. The One who measures the waters in the hollow of His hand also holds us tightly in His grasp. His omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, and sovereignty serve to bring us hope, joy, promises of love, and the comforting knowledge that He is always there with us.
Therefore, let us trust our sovereign God! Let us rely wholly and unreservedly upon His all-knowing, all-powerful, unending presence and supreme will. We will never fully comprehend the vastness of God’s greatness nor the scope of His sovereignty, but we can show our limited understanding by trusting Him. For, the level of our understanding and acceptance of God’s sovereignty is directly related to our level of trust and reliance upon Him.
So will you trust Him? Will you put all your faith and hope in the One who sits enthroned above the circle of the earth? Will you rely upon the God whose thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours?
What will be your response to God’s sovereignty?
Therefore, let us trust our sovereign God! Let us rely wholly and unreservedly upon His all-knowing, all-powerful, unending presence and supreme will. We will never fully comprehend the vastness of God’s greatness nor the scope of His sovereignty, but we can show our limited understanding by trusting Him. For, the level of our understanding and acceptance of God’s sovereignty is directly related to our level of trust and reliance upon Him.
So will you trust Him? Will you put all your faith and hope in the One who sits enthroned above the circle of the earth? Will you rely upon the God whose thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours?
What will be your response to God’s sovereignty?
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
~Isaiah 55:8-9
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
~Isaiah 55:8-9
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