Isaiah 40:18-31 "To whom then will ye liken GOD ? or what likeness will ye compare unto HIM ? The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved. Have ye not known ? have ye not heard ? hath it not been told you from the beginning ? have ye not understood from the foundations of the Earth ? It is HE that sitteth upon the circle of the Earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: that bringeth the princes to nothing ; HE maketh the judges of the Earth as vanity. Yea, they shall not be planted; yea they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the Earth: and HE shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
To whom then will ye liken ME, or shall I be equal ? saith the Holy ONE. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold WHO hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: HE calleth them all by names by the greatness of HIS might, for that HE is strong in power; not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my GOD ? Hast thou not known ? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting GOD, the LORD, the CREATOR of the ends of the Earth, faineth not, neither is weary ? there is no searching of HIS understanding. HE giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might HE increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Not only is GOD infinite, but HE also is self-existent, that is, the source of GOD's existence is HIMSELF. HE is completely independent of all things external to HIMSELF. Whereas man is caused, GOD is uncaused. Whereas man is dependent upon a CREATOR and a life-sustaining creation, GOD is totally independent of all things. HE always has existed and needs nothing in order to sustain HIS existence.
In John 5:26 (pictured above), the LORD JESUS said, "For as the FATHER hath life in HIMSELF, so hath HE given to the SON to have life in HIMSELF." Both GOD the FATHER and GOD the SON are self-existent. The SON has always existed as the SON, and the FATHER has always existed as the FATHER. This glorious verse reveals the deity of JESUS CHRIST and HIS eternal SONship as well as the general self-existence of GOD. HIS very name that HE revealed to Moses in the desert likewise attests to the self-existence of the LORD. HE told Moses, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (Exodus 3:14 pictured above). The name "I AM" implies eternal existence rather than derived life.
As believers, we can be thankful that the GOD we serve has always existed and is the CREATOR of all things. Our text describes the foolishness of worshiping man-made idols when mankind could, and should, be worshiping the eternally existent GOD WHO created the very materials used to craft those worthless statues. The LORD asks, "To whom then will ye liken ME, or shall I be equal ?" (v.25 pictured above). Our GOD, the "everlasting GOD," created all things and never faints nor is weary (v.28). May we not put our trust in anything other than the self-existent GOD WHO is the very source of all things. MDC
Your servant in CHRIST,
Julie
Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.
Used with permission. www.featoday.org
https://www.fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation
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