Isaiah 40:22, commentary and pictures

He sits enthroned high above the round earth with heaven and earth under His command, having stretched out the sky as cloth and spread it as a tent to dwell in. Before Him the inhabitants of earth, with its nations, princes and judges, are as grasshoppers and tiny insects, small and insignificant by comparison. His infinite greatness, majesty, sovereignty and creative power are far above all human wisdom, and His wisdom, ways and works are past finding out by finite minds. No likeness can be compared to Him, which forbids making any image to represent Him or worshiping Him through any creature, for He is unlimited while nature is only His work. Therefore He alone is to be trusted rather than men, for He sees all confusion from above, knows need before asking, never grows weary, and gives strength to the weary and faint who wholly trust their souls in His hands.

Enthroned Creator Above Earth

He is seated and enthroned upon the circle of the round earth, high above it, with heaven and earth under His command. From that throne He rules as the supreme Creator over the earth and over the heavens He Himself has made. The circle speaks of the round earth beneath Him, and His seat speaks of exaltation far above nations, princes, and all human wisdom.

The inhabitants of the earth, including whole nations, are before Him as grasshoppers and tiny insects, small and insignificant by comparison. That smallness emphasizes the vast difference between finite humanity and God. Men beside Him are as grasshoppers, and all human stature shrinks before His infinite scale.

He stretched out the heavens as a curtain of cloth and spread them out as a tent made to dwell in. The heavens are hung overhead like cloth hung as a curtain, and spread as a dwelling-place tent. That stretching and spreading is His own act of making and ordering a habitation.

The verse displays His infinite greatness, majesty, sovereignty, unmatched creative power, and exaltation far above nations, princes, and all human wisdom. His greatness and power stand in direct contrast with human smallness, and His rule reaches over earthly rulers. Nations and earthly rulers are insignificant before Him, while He remains supreme and sovereign.

Finite people cannot fully comprehend Him, but can consider His ways and works only as finite beings. His wisdom, ways, works and love are past finding out and unsearchable, and cannot be comprehended or explained by finite minds. This holds even in the common things of daily life and in nature, where mysteries of divine power lie beyond human understanding. Those unsearchable works call for faith and cannot be measured by human comprehension, commanding reverence, fear and faith. He conceals more of Himself than He makes known, while finite minds cannot take in all His works and purposes.

No Likeness Can Compare

No likeness can be compared to him, so no image may be made to represent him. In contrast to the fashioning of powerless idols, the true God is not to be worshiped through any creature or image, and no made thing is to be associated with his worship. His enthroned greatness above the round earth, with its inhabitants tiny beside him and the heavens spread overhead like hung cloth and like a tent made for dwelling, is the reason no creaturely form can liken to him.

His supremacy brings princes to nothing and makes the judges of the earth as vanity, showing that nations and earthly rulers are insignificant before him. This was truth to have been known and heard from the beginning and understood from the foundations of the earth. By the same power he created the stars and sustains them, so no one should think their concerns are hidden from him.

The unlimited God is to be distinguished from nature, which is only his work and evidence of his immeasurable power and majesty. The Bible gives an authentic account of creation in laying the earth's foundation and spreading out the heavens. That creation is a message in nature which the Sabbath was appointed to keep in memory, pointing to his power and care.

Trusting God in Trial

The Lord alone is to be trusted, and men are not to trust in men or make flesh their arm. From above, where He rules over the earth and stretches out the heavens, He sees the world's confusion and devices to ruin people, and knows what they need before they ask. His wisdom and oversight make Him a reliable guide when human judgment is limited and prone to error. This Creator does not grow weary but gives strength to the weary and faint and helps those who trust Him.

Compared with His greatness the inhabitants of the earth are small, and human beings and their property are insignificant beside Him who owns the world and everything in it. Wealth and property therefore do not give anyone greater standing or favor with Him, who shows no partiality. Because His power and authority surpass the nations, a person who stands alone for what is right can take courage, acting in His presence. His supreme greatness commands reverence, fear and faith and calls finite people to trust the interests of their souls wholly in His hands, while nothing is beneath His notice and nothing too small for His attention, with every drop of rain, flake of snow, spire of grass, leaf, flower and shrub testifying of Him.

The chapter calls God's people to diligent work for repentance and most earnest work, warns that He is not to be trifled with, and promises strength to His own people. The word of Isaiah 40 gives the correct interpretation of true higher education and was written to comfort true believers amid afflicting providence in judgments coming upon the world near the closing of this earth's history. Those judgments include earthquakes, storms on land and sea, and heavy calamities by sea and by railroad, when many who have greatly sinned perish physically while sincere humble righteous followers also feel affliction from the judgments on the rebellious. It stands as a declaration whose word will certainly be fulfilled and is to be read with its following chapters for precious encouragement and assurance.