“Do you not know? Have you not heard?” Isaiah 40:12
This is a bit longer than usual, so indulge me a bit. My Bible reading this morning brought me to Isaiah 40. Most of us are familiar with this Chapter, because of the end, where we are told if “we wait on the Lord, we can mount up with wings like eagles”. And that’s a good thing! We constantly need that reminder. But if you read the whole passage, this isn’t presented as an isolated Promise. In its context, we are confronted by a stinging indictment!!!
Rhetorically, Isaiah asks the people of Israel twice, “Do you not know? Have you not heard?” Of course they had!!! From the Book of Genesis onward, they are constantly reminded about this Powerful God that created all things. But the Reminder is Patent! Did they live like they had known or heard? No! They lived indifferently. They lived as if God did not exist. In fact, many of them had become Idolatrous.
My point is this. How do you live? What do you trust in? How would you be perceived by Isaiah? Is your life characterized by faith and dependence in an All Powerful God, or one that looks to this Life and World for its fulfillment and contentment? Does it reflect one that joyfully loves and submits to God’s Word, or one that chafes and grudgingly labors to do His will? Would it be more in line with Isaiah, who “saw the Lord, high and lifted up” and said to Him in response “Here am I, send me!” Or would he say of you “Do you not know? Have you not heard?”