Isaiah 40:12, commentary and pictures

The verse portrays a Creator of immeasurable power and wisdom who has measured the waters, portioned out the heavens, grasped the dust of the earth, and weighed the mountains and hills. He handles these vast things as easily as a person handles small objects, holding worlds in place and weighing hills and mountains as though they were little things. Its questions are rhetorical, declaring that finite minds cannot comprehend Him, for His understanding is beyond measure and beyond searching and no one has instructed Him. His holding the waters shows that winds, earthquakes, tempests, and all nature are not capricious outbreaks of unregulated force but remain in the fullest sense under His control as Maker and Sustainer. Because He is infinitely greater than human beings, people should humble themselves before Him and have faith in His unsearchable wisdom rather than exalt human wisdom or trust in men. The One who weighs mountains and hills regards each human soul as of infinite value, and He is mighty both to deliver sinners and to execute judgment so that mercy does not leave transgression unpunished.

Infinite God Portrayed

The verse portrays a Creator of immeasurable power and wisdom who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, meted out heaven with the span, comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance. All creation lies within his power and knowledge, while no finite being can direct or teach him, and human wisdom is limited before the vastness under his control. He holds the waters, measures the heavens and earth, and weighs the mountains with effortless precision, and people cannot discover anything that teaches him what he does not know. He handles these vast features as easily as a person handles small objects and small quantities, holding worlds in place and weighing hills and mountains as though they were small things. His works reveal his character, and he is not limited by nature or its laws.

No one has directed, counseled, instructed, or taught him in the path of judgment, knowledge, and understanding, because his understanding is beyond measure and beyond searching. No man has measured the waters, meted out heaven, comprehended the dust of the earth, or weighed the mountains and hills, and no man has directed the Spirit of the Lord or taught him knowledge and understanding. Its questions are rhetorical, asked to declare that finite minds cannot comprehend him and that only finite speculation about his ways and works is possible to human beings. People may inquire into his works, but creation remains fully in his grasp while its mysteries exceed finite understanding, and many things in nature remain beyond finite minds. These questions call attention to his unsearchable power and wisdom and teach human humility and faith in his unsearchable wisdom rather than exaltation of human wisdom.

He reveals himself only while shrouded in mystery, in a thick cloud of mystery, concealing more of himself than he makes known. If men could fully understand his ways and works they would not believe him to be the infinite One or give him reverence and fear. Even common things of daily life hold mysteries past comprehension, his judgments and purposes are past finding out and his wisdom unsearchable, and his love can never be explained upon natural principles. The incomprehensible mysteries are given in divine revelation to command faith, so that finite men will exercise faith in him and trust themselves wholly in his hands. From every drop of rain, flake of snow, spire of grass, leaf, flower and shrub is learned that nothing is beneath the notice of the infinite God and nothing too small for his attention.

The verse belongs to a chapter given as the Lord's declaration for prayerful study as instruction from God, giving a correct understanding of true higher education. That chapter confirms his sure mercies, grace, and glory and gives comfort and assurance for believers, giving reason for faith, hope, and assurance in him. Its promises are to be trusted even when calamities afflict the world and righteous followers, and amid coming judgments. In its setting, before him the nations are as a drop of a bucket and as the small dust of the balance, he takes up the isles as a very little thing, and all nations are as nothing and counted less than nothing and vanity, while Lebanon is not sufficient to burn nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering to him. There is no likeness to which he can be compared, he sits upon the circle of the earth with its inhabitants as grasshoppers, stretches out the heavens as a curtain and spreads them as a tent to dwell in, and brings princes to nothing and makes the judges of the earth as vanity.

Creator's Sovereign Control

His holding of the waters proves that winds, earthquakes, tempests and all nature are not capricious outbreaks of unregulated mechanical forces but are in the fullest sense under His control. That control operates through physical law, and physical law is the expression of His higher will, the working out of laws He Himself made and the manifestation of His sovereign will as Maker and Sustainer of the world and of all things in it. Human wisdom must not dethrone and defy Him.

The elements are under His jurisdiction as Ruler of nations and are placed in the power of His angels. He holds back or releases winds and waves at His command, holding the winds, gathering the waters, making the clouds His chariot, and sitting upon the flood as King forever. He works by His own laws, for He is a God of order, holding back winds, controlling tempests, calming the sea, and piling up the deep to make a path to deliver His people, as when Israel was brought safely through the Red Sea and Pharaoh's host was destroyed. Mercies are mingled with judgment, for while terrible judgments and plagues come upon the inhabitants of the earth for iniquity, including hail about the weight of a talent falling upon the wicked who insulted and despised God, the Lord has a people whom He will preserve, those who love God and keep His commandments, shielded until the seal of the living God is placed upon them.

He holds the waters in His hand and sets their limits, so that even the ocean's seemingly wild waves remain within boundaries appointed and maintained by their Creator. He can therefore keep His people safe in a tempest, and trusting in Him brings peace even when death seems near. He is not limited by nature or its laws, and His works reveal His character.

The measuring and weighing of creation portrays the Creator's power and authority over it. In its setting this greatness identifies the royal, heaven-sent Messenger, the Son of God and Christ, who humbled Himself to save humanity and was rejected by the world. His power over mountains and hills displays eternal endurance, majesty and awful grandeur in keeping with the exalted character of His law. At Sinai He showed contempt for cities and palaces made by human hands and chose a mountain in a great desert, setting vast rugged heights on every side. That sight makes men feel their ignorance and weakness before the One who weighs the mountains and hills, and was meant to impress the mind with solemnity and awe, to impress reverence for everything connected with the service of God, and to teach the holiness of His character and requirements and the great guilt of transgression.

Call to Trust Reverently

Because He is infinitely greater than human beings, people are to humble themselves before Him rather than exalt human wisdom or treat people as divine. He holds the waters, measures the heavens and the earth, and weighs the mountains, while no one directs, counsels, instructs, or teaches Him. Creation is fully within His grasp, yet its mysteries exceed the understanding of finite minds, calling for humility and faith in His unsearchable wisdom.

The Lord alone is to be trusted, and He is not to be trifled with. Men are not to trust in men or make flesh their arm, but are to look to Him rather than to finite people for wisdom. His church has the exalted privilege of having the wisdom of the Infinite at her demand, giving reason for faith, hope, assurance, and diligent, most earnest work for repentance, with strength given to His own people. This gives assurance that He will work for His name's glory and His people's good, and that no enemy can prevent His purposes from succeeding.

The One who weighs mountains and hills regards each human soul as of infinite value. The wealth of the earth is insignificant beside the worth of a soul for whom Christ died.

He is mighty both to deliver sinners and to execute judgment, holding worlds in place and weighing hills and mountains as though they were small things. He will avenge rejected mercy and spurned love, so mercy does not leave transgression of His righteous law unpunished and unrepentant sinners do not escape its penalty. As the heavens cannot be measured with a span, so the aggravating character of sin against Him cannot be estimated. The sin is against One to whom all is owed, for all that is possessed and all the bounties of grace come from Him, and He is a moral Governor as well as a Father, a Lawgiver who makes and executes His laws, whose law must have a penalty to have force, so it is not left to lawbreakers to say what punishment follows breaking the law.

The God who balanced the everlasting mountains and placed the hills in position suffers every trial He sends His people, and He controls every mind that is given to Him. He arms those under His banner with sufficiency and power and gives grace to walk through the fiery trials the enemy prepares to tempt every soul, so they need not yield to Satan and his army. Those who refuse Him their mind are taken and controlled by the enemy, but those who come under the Prince of Life are fully provided for and can be partakers with Christ in His suffering, since Christ took humanity to bless humanity and to encircle people in His everlasting arms.