Page 2 - The Greatness of Your God - May 2018 - Truth & Tidings
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vancy to, meaning for, and application to ing of the Lord (40:3) so that the “glory of
our daily lives. David and Isaiah each had the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall
remarkable experiences with God in their see it together” (40:5, KJV).
lives, and from those experiences, devel We will focus our attention on Isaiah
oped a unique appreciation for the mind 40, but the subsequent chapters contain
and ways of God which will instruct us. one of the most thorough and extraordi
Psalmist’s view of God nary presentations of God’s greatness in all
of Scripture. We live in a day where God is
David, as the primary writer of the mocked and derided, and in an environ
Psalms, discovered the sovereignty of God ment of political, social, and religious tur
in his life and constantly wrote about it. In moil, thus it is imperative we know by ex
every situation, he viewed his life consider perience the God Who Isaiah presents, a
ing the providential hand of God. David
uses 24 different titles for God in the God deeply interested in the presentday
Psalms, and describes God in 33 ways. lives of His people and their future.
Psalm 68 is probably the most remarkable In chapters 4066, Isaiah presents one
of them, as he uses eight different titles, overarching truth, namely, that God has
with an extraordinary set of metaphors, not surrendered His sovereignty, nor is this
causing him to exclaim in closing “Blessed world, despite its current disorderly state,
be God” (Psa 68:35, KJV). going to be left in total chaos (40:10, 21
The Psalms are divided into five books 24). He presents the smallness of nations
and the doxologies which end each of the against the backdrop of God’s greatness:
books illustrate David’s awareness of the “They are like a drop of water from a buck
greatness of God. In Psalm 41:13; God’s et,” and regarded “as speck of dust on the
eternal nature is acclaimed. “Blessed be the scales” (40:15). The hand of God has been
Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to seen in all His actions throughout history.
everlasting. Amen, and Amen.” The second “I act and who can reverse it”(43:1213,
book closes with praise to the God of Israel, NIV)? One day the proud and the mighty
“Who only doeth wondrous things” will be destroyed and the weak will be ex
(72:1820, KJV). The third and fourth alted by God (40:29; 41:24, 1113, 25;
books end with the same chorus as the first 47:1011; 61:17).
(Psalm 89:52 and 106:48), and the fifth What our view should be
and final book of the Psalter closes with a
command: “Let everything that hath Twelve times in chapters 139, God is
breath Praise the Lord” (150:6, KJV). presented as the “Holy One of Israel.” By
contrast, in the rest of the OT, this expres
Isaiah’s view of God sion is only found six times. In the celebri
Isaiah’s prophecy of 66 chapters has tyobsessed society in which we live, where
been likened to the Bible as a whole, war self esteem is often based on social media, a
ranting closer examination. The first 39 meditation on Isaiah’s reaction in chapter 6
chapters of Isaiah are predominantly a mes is revealing. Isaiah described incomparable
sage of judgment. Chapters 4066, though, power and holiness, and while he could not
offer a message of comfort, pardon for sin, fully enter into what he saw, it compelled
and salvation (40:1), and speak of the com him to look inward, and to state “Woe is
2 TRUTH kTidings I The Greatness of Your God