None Like Him

“To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?

Isaiah 40:18

Reflection

Have you ever sat down and simply thought about God? I mean, seriously, thought about God? I am not talking about the George Burns or Morgan Freeman god of the big screen; I mean The - pillar of fire, God.  The - speaks through a burning bush, God. The - knocks down city walls and raises the Son from the dead, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent God of Heaven and Earth. That God. Throughout the ages, humankind has attempted to capture God and depict Him in ways we can comprehend. Our efforts to capture God’s essence have produced some of the most extraordinary expressions of human creativity, such as The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, which adorns the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in which God is portrayed as an old bearded man extending His Holy hand to give life to His creation. In other, more simplistic efforts, God has been portrayed as an immense light shining through the clouds. Whatever the imagery, the reality is that all our attempts to capture God’s essence are futile at best. The truth is what we know of God is what He has chosen to reveal to us. And what He has revealed to us about Himself, including through His Son, He has revealed in ways we can comprehend. Yet, we will spend an eternity and never fully comprehend all He is. 

There is great value in thinking and reflecting on who God is, especially in moments of despair. Such was the case in the fortieth chapter of Isaiah, where we encounter the Israelites in a dark time in the nation's history, the Babylonian exile. In verse 18, God provides hope to his people through His prophet by challenging the people with a question: 

“To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? (Isaiah 40:18)

Application

As we consider the question, it is important to evaluate the verses that precede it. The tone is set from verses one and two, in which God calls for someone to remind the exiles that they are His people and He is their God, and though they have abandoned Him, He has not abandoned them. They are still His people. 

“Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. 

2. Speak kindly to Jerusalem; 

And call out to her, that her warfare has ended, 

That her iniquity has been removed, 

That she has received of the Lord’s hand 

Double for all her sins.” 
(Isaiah 40:1)

God is Faithful

God is faithful even when we are not. Though the consequences of our unfaithfulness and sin may at times be severe, such as the Babylonian exile, we, like the Israelites, can rest assured that He will never abandon us. 

In verses 3-11, three voices answer God’s call. One voice provides hope and promises that the Lord is coming and His glory will be revealed to the exiles and the world. 

3 A voice is calling,

“Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;

Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

4 “Let every valley be lifted up,

And every mountain and hill be made low;

And let the rough ground become a plain,

And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

And all flesh will see it together;

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
(Isaiah 40:3-5)

God is Trustworthy

This is a message meant to provide hope and reassurance.  Note that there is an emphasis on “the mouth of the Lord,” which has spoken the prophetic word.* What we believe about the prophetic word reflects what we think about the one who spoke it. Simply stated, if we believe God is truth, His word is also true. 

God is Providential

While in the verses above, God calls for someone to clear the way for the Lord to reveal Himself to the entire world, verses 6-11 are a promise that God, like a shepherd, will gather His people to Him. The suffering that the exiles were experiencing was not to be forever. God ultimately had a plan for them, and that plan was to bring them home. 

“Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,

In His arm He will gather the lambs

And carry them in His bosom;

He will gently lead the nursing ewes.”
(Isaiah 40:11)

What does this mean for our essential question?

“To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?” 

Looking back at the beginning of the chapter, we understand that there is none like Him. Though others falter, God will always be faithful. When we are left abandoned and alone, we can rest assured that He will never abandon us. In a world at war with truth, we know we can trust in His word. How do we know? 

We can simply look back through history and test His promises against the results.  His truth is evident in fulfilling His promises captured in the verses above. The voice in verse three predicted the return of the exiles and the deliverance from Babylon. 537/536 B.C. marked the return of approximately 50,000 exiles led by Zerubbabel. In 458 B.C., Ezra led another group of approximately 1,500 exiles home, followed by Nehemiah in 445/444 B.C. 

Though the prophecy had an immediate application and fulfillment through the deliverance of the exiles from Babylon, it also foreshadowed the coming of another prophet, John the Baptist. He was a literal voice in the wilderness that would beckon the coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to deliver all humankind from sin. 

Exercise

I encourage you to ask yourself the same question about God. Write down your thoughts. Then, take a moment to write down as many words as possible describing who God has revealed Himself to be in your life. When you are done, read your list out loud, beginning with:

Lord, I praise you because you are ______________. 

This exercise of humility, gratitude, and praise will undoubtedly remind you of who God is in good times and in times of desperation. Reflecting on God is an exercise that I expect we will enjoy as He continues to reveal Himself to us now through all of eternity. 

Yours in Christ,

Brad

 J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 275–276.