Who Has Weighed the Mountains?

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Isaiah 40:10-15 – Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. ¹¹ He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. ¹² Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? ¹³Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? ¹⁴ Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? ¹⁵ Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.

The setting sun highlights the granite peaks as evening settles over the Yosemite Valley. Yosemite National Park, California.

When Isaiah asks, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” he obviously anticipates only a single answer, it is of course the “Lord GOD [who] comes with might.” This is really a series of rhetorical questions that are being posed here, and the implied answers clearly are intended to demonstrate the power, wisdom, and might of our God and Creator. His conclusion that “the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales” is the exclamation point on this illustration of the insignificance of man in comparison to the magnificence of God.

And yet, if we back up to verse 11, we see that the same mighty God who created and rules over the heavens and the earth, is also a tender and loving God, for “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” And in John 10:14-15 we read Jesus’ own words describing himself, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

What an amazing God we have! He has weighed majestic, granite mountains towering over 3000 feet above the valley below, and stretched out infinite stars in the heavens above, and measured the roaring seas across all the earth, and yet the God of all creation has, in great compassion, sent his Son, “the good shepherd,” to suffer and lay down his life for the sins of the world, so that we could be forgiven and reconciled to him. Praise God our Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and Lord! Amen!

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The High Mountains Are For the Wild Goats

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Psalm 104:1, 18 – ¹ Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty. ¹⁸ The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

Mountain goat along the Hidden Lake Overlook trail at Logan Pass. Glacier National Park, Montana.

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Twisted Things

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Acts 20:28-32 – Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. ²⁹ I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. ³² And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Twisted tree roots at Jasmine Rocks, along Rough Trail, near Gray’s Arch. Red River Gorge Geological Area, Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky.

Today’s passage from the book of Acts is part of Paul’s admonition to the leaders in the church at Ephesus as he was preparing to depart for Jerusalem. And, although he was speaking specifically to church “overseers” in first century Ephesus, his warning is one that Christians, leaders and laity alike, of all generations would do well to heed.

Generally most of us are aware of the lies that abound in the world outside the doors of our churches. However, spotting the false teachings, the “twisted things,” within the walls of the church can often be a much more difficult endeavor. In Matthew 7:15 Jesus warns of this, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” The fact that they are disguised as sheep makes them that much harder to recognize. So what are we to do?

We need to follow Paul’s example and “commend [our leaders] to God and to the word of his grace,” that is, to pray for them and hold them accountable to the teachings found in the Bible. Not that we should eye every pastor with suspicion, or dissect every sermon with a fileting knife, but we do need to “be alert” for false teachings coming from within our churches, both locally and globally. Of course the only way we can do this is if we, ourselves, spend enough time studying the word so we are able to recognize something that is contrary to Scripture.

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The Rock That Is Higher Than I

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Psalm 61:1-4 – Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; ² from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, ³ for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. ⁴ Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!

Some of the towering cliffs along the trail in the Cantwell Cliffs area. Hocking Hills State Park, Logan, Ohio.

If you have ever hiked in an area with towering cliffs you know just how small and insignificant you feel when you take the time to stop and look above you. The use of rock imagery to describe God is found throughout the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament. For centuries rock was the only available building material strong enough to build fortresses and walls to protect a city from an invading army. And, even though the weapons of modern warfare have made the stone fortress obsolete, many ancient examples still survive demonstrating their permanence, so that this imagery is easily understood even today.

Although we can appreciate this imagery, it is still just a literary tool used to describe some of the characteristics of God in terms that we can understand. Fortunately our God is much stronger and more permanent than any rock formation found in nature or stone fortress built by the hands of man. Far better, still, our God is a living God, one to whom we can cry out in our times of need, one to whom we can look for protection when we are under attack from the world, the flesh, or the devil. He is also the God to whom we commit our time, talent, and treasure, the God to whom we offer our devotion, praise, and worship. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

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