Today let’s look at the middle section of chapter 40. From chapter 40 we enter the latter half of the book of Isaiah. From here on Isaiah speaks a message of restoration and hope. Israel who turned their backs on God was destroyed by Babylon and became captives. However, God is speaking a message of liberation from Babylon. Please look at verse 9. Here it says, “You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah,
‘Here is your God!’”
The “good tidings” is that God is going to set them free from Babylon. They won’t be bound as slaves. You won’t be bound as a slave of sin. Christ atoned for your sin on the cross. You don’t have to agonize about your sin. You can go to heaven. God has saved you. That is the “good tidings”. If you look to God, you will receive comfort. Today let’s look at what God is like.

I. God is powerful (Vs. 10,11)
First of all God is powerful. Please look at verses 10 and 11. Verse 10 says,
“See, the sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.”
“The sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him.” (10) No matter how much power Babylon has, our Lord is more powerful. This powerful “sovereign LORD comes with power” (10) and breaks down all worldly powers and rulers and will rule his people in Jerusalem. This unfair world will not continue forever. In the course of time the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ will come and rule over this unfair world. At that time he will reward those who followed him faithfully with eternal life. Here is comfort and hope.
That’s not all. If you look at verse 11, it says, “he tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” The Lord’s arm isn’t just a powerful arm for ruling all. It is also a kind arm that gathers the lambs and carries them close to his heart. You have nothing to fear. Even if you are an immature lamb or a small lamb, the Lord like a shepherd is taking care of the flock and with his arm “carries them close to his heart.”
(11) In our lives we make mistakes, are disappointed and lose hope, but even at those times the Lord is carrying us “close to his heart.” (11) God’s powerful arm reaches down to the depths and brings the lamb “close to his heart”. (11)
Please open your Bibles to John 10:11. Here it says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) There is no other shepherd like this except for Jesus Christ. No matter how much I love my ferret, I don’t love him enough to die for him. I wouldn’t die in his place. However, Jesus Christ is different. He laid “down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) Christ died in exchange for mankind who is nothing more than dust. That is Jesus Christ.
Let’s also open our Bibles to Hebrews 13:20-21. “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Here it says that Jesus Christ is the eternal “great Shepherd”. (Hebrews 13:20) He not only died for us, but rose from that death. Even now he is alive and is praying on our behalf in heaven. That is our Lord Jesus Christ.
Also please open your Bibles to I Peter 5:4 too. Here it says, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” “The Chief Shepherd” (I Peter 5:4) is Jesus Christ. He will appear again. Jesus Christ died and rose again. Not only is he now alive and praying on our behalf in heaven, but in the course of time will once again come back to this earth.
This is our “Chief Shepherd,” (I Peter 5:4) Jesus Christ. Please remember that his arm is always underneath you. We are really stupid, lost lambs, but the Lord carries such lambs “close to his heart.” (11) With his arms he carries them and feeds them and watches over them. This is real comfort, isn’t it?

II. God, the Creator (vs. 12-17)
Secondly, the Lord is God, the Creator. Please look at verses 12 to 17. I will read verse 12. “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
And the hills in a balance?
No one can measure the amount of water on the earth. No one can measure this huge universe. No one can hold “the dust of the earth in a basket, or” (12) or weigh the hills and “the mountains on the scales” (12) However God can put “the waters in the
hollow of his hand,” (12) and the universe in “the breadth of his hand.” (12) He can hold “the dust of the earth in a basket.” (12) That is because the Lord is God, the Creator that created the heavens and the earth.

Actually it is said that there is approximately 1,400,000,000 Km3 of water which is hard for us to comprehend. However, almost 97% of it is sea water. That’s a huge amount of water! There is a song “How wide the ocean is”. It would be impossible to measure that much water. However, God can gather all that the water and put it in “the breadth of his hand.” (12)
Also the huge universe too fits into “the breadth of his hand.” (12) The breadth of a hand is from the little finger to the thumb, but the universe fits in “the breadth of his hand.” (12) My hand is small only about 20 cm, but the breadth of God’s hand must be really big. That is because the big universe can fit in it.
For example, it is said that the distance for the earth to the sun is about 150,000,000 Km. It is hard to compromise how far away 150,000,000 Km. are, but a car that is going 100Km. would take 171 years of driving to go that distance. It would take without any breaks, driving continuously 24 hours a day for 171 years to go that distance. However, the sun and the earth fit in God’s hand.
Not only that, but our galaxy that the sun is in which is called the Milky Way, that galaxy has approximately 200,000,000,000 fixed stars. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, also fits in God’s hand. It is said that the diameter of our galaxy, the Milky Way, is about 100,000 light years. One light year is the amount of distance that light travels in a year so at the speed of light it will take 100,000 years. It is that huge. How much bigger it would be if it was the entire universe! According to one person’s calculation the universe’s radius is 46,000,000,000 light years. To go from the center of the universe to the edge at the speed of light would take 46,000,000,000 years. How greatly vast an expanse the universe is, is very far above our limits of comprehension. However, even such an immense universe fits in God’s hand.
God is that great and powerful. No matter how big a problem you have, looking from God’s eyes it is nothing more than a tiny thing. Your God is the Creator God who made the heaven and the earths. No matter how big a problem it is, it is not a problem that God can’t solve. How powerful it is to live a life of believing in God. If you know this, you will receive a huge comfort.
Please look at verses 13 and 14. “Who has understood the mind of the LORD,
or instructed him as his counselor?
Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge
or showed him the path of understanding?”
Even though God is the Creator God who made the heavens and the earth, there are people who as if they were God, they teach God.　“The mind of the LORD” of verse 13 is the Creator God’s knowledge, God’s plans, and God’s abilities. There are some people that think they understand “the mind of the LORD” (13) and as if they were god, they instruct “him as his counselor.” (13) They tell God that he should do this or that and give him advice. In prayer, in our life what is called “reverse order” occurs. However, God is absolute. He doesn’t consult. He is enlightened by himself. He knows the right way and has knowledge. There is nothing that we need to teach him. We need to recognize him as absolute, bow down to him and worship him.
Please look at verses 15 to 17. “Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
Before him all the nations are all nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.”
“The nations” (15) are not Israel, but the Gentile nations. They are the nations that do not worship the God of Israel as God, but who worship idols. They “are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales.” (15) For God “the nations” (15) are nothing more than “like a drop in a bucket” (15) or like “dust on the scales”. (15) If they were blown at, they would fly somewhere.”
“he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
Before him all the nations are all nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.” (15-17)
The Lord regards the islands too “as though they were fine dust.” (15) “Lebanon” (16) is the wood of the Lebanon cedar trees. No matter how much splendid high-grade Lebanon cedar trees there were, they were “not sufficient for altar fires.” (16) Also no matter how many animals they gave for burnt offerings, there won’t be enough. All “the nations” (15) too were before the Lord equaled nothing, and were completely powerless. That is because God made the heaven and the earth. He is your God. He saved you.

III. The incomparable God (Vs. 18-26)
The third point is that God is incomparable to any other gods. Please look at verses 18 to 26. First of all verses 18 to 20 say, “To whom, then, will you compare God?
What image will you compare him to?
As for an idol, a craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.
A man too poor to present such an offering
Selects wood that will not rot.
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not topple.”
Whoever “will you compare God” (18) to? Stupid man overlays the cast metal “with gold and fashions silver chains for it” (19) and makes it look like as if it is actually god. In Japan a fat cedar tree hundreds of years old is decorated with a sacred straw rope and is worshiped as god. Japanese treasure small little papers that say “safe home” or “perfect health” or “business prosperity”, etc. However, they are nothing more than just a piece of paper, or just a tree or a stone, or just metal. Unless man is supporting it, it can’t stand up on its own. Therefore such things can’t be compared to God who made us.
Please look at verses 21 and 22. Here it says, “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?
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.”
Don’t you know how “the earth was founded” (21) and how the heavens were stretched out? The Lord “sits enthroned above the circle of the earth…He stretches out the heavens like a canopy.” (22)
From this passage of Isaiah the famous Christopher Columbus said that the earth was round. At that time no one believed that the earth was round. They believed that the earth was flat. However the earth is round. More than 2700 years ago Isaiah by the Holy Spirit said that the earth is round. The Lord “sits enthroned above the circle of the earth.” (22) From God’s eyes the people of the earth “are like grasshoppers.” (22) We are such small beings.
Also here it says, “He stretches out the heavens like a canopy.” (22) The words, “stretches out” (22) is also used in 42:5. There it says, “He who created the heavens and stretched them out.” God “created the heavens and stretched them out.” (42:5) The universe was stretched out. It expanded. God expanded the heavens, but we don’t know how. The Lord “stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” (22)

“Do you not know? Have you not heard?” (21) Don’t you know how the earth was founded or how the heavens were stretched out like a canopy? That was by God who created the heavens and the earth. It wasn’t by idols made of wood and stone. All those things were made by man and are just wood and stone. They are so frail that they have to be supported by man or they fall over. Such things can’t be compared to the Creator God.
Of course, princes and rulers are the same. Verse 23 says, “He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.” God can’t be compared to any of the kings or rulers of this world nor can he be compared to any political leaders. God is not equal to the president of America, the super major power, The President of the People’s Republic of China、nor the prime minister of Japan. God can’t be compared to them at all.
Last year (2012) according to the world ranking of multimillionaires the number one for 3 straight years is a Mexican businessman. He has 5600,000,000,000 yen in assets. Number two is an American, Bill Gates. He too has 4800,000,000,000 yen in assets. However, no matter how much assets they have they are not equal to God. They can’t be compared to him at all. Such people just like a storm scatters straw, they will be scattered. God can’t be compared to anything or to anyone. He is unequaled.
Therefore, you must “Lift your eyes.” (26) If you look to God, then you will receive comfort. Let’s look at and read together verse 26. “Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”
God made the heavens and the earth. He “brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name… not one of them is missing.” (26) Jeremiah 33:22 says, “Countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.” Now it is said that there over 100,000,000,000,000,000,000　stars. That is said to correspond to the amount of sand on the earth. That many stars exist! The Lord brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.” (26) God has that much “great power and mighty strength.” (26) He is the God you believe in.
If that is the case, what do you need to fear? You have nothing to fear. This great God is with you. What you must do is not look at your problems and be fearful, but look to God. Put your eyes up high, and look at who created all these things. Then God will put his eyes on the tiny us who are inferior to dust. Pour out your heart, and remember that God will save you from sin and leave everything in his hands. Don’t solve your problems by humanistic ways, but have faith and look to God. This is the solution. From there you will receive comfort.

At the beginning part of the Second World War, a ship of English nationality in order to execute an important mission, it left for America. To the ship’s captain who was worried how they were going to be able to avoid the enemy ships and head for America, the person who commanded him to go on the mission said, “If you meet a dangerous situation, use the code on the radiogram. You will make contact.”
The ship’s captain believed those words, and continued on the dangerous voyage. Then suddenly an enemy ship appeared. Then just like he was instructed he sent the code on the radiogram. Then this kind of answer was returned, “I’m aware of everything. I too have my eye on the enemy ship. Don’t forget that I’m also watching over your ship.” The ship captain who received the reply became a hundred times braver and was able to continue the voyage. When the ship entered the port of San Francisco the captain found that there was a huge boat coming from behind. That was a submarine. From a place that couldn’t be seen the submarine watched over the little ship. Because of the message, “Don’t fear. We are next to you watching over you” the ship’s captain received courage and was able to execute an important mission.
Our life is just like a voyage on a ship. There are various dangers and problems lying in wait for us. However, no matter how big a danger, the Creator God is with you loving you and watching over you. That is real comfort, isn’t it? “Lift your eyes” (26) on Him. If so no matter what dangers you have, you will be able to execute your voyage of life.