21 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who [s]sits above the [t]circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
23 He it is who reduces rulers to nothing,
Who makes the judges of the earth [u]meaningless.
24 [v]Scarcely have they been planted,
[w]Scarcely have they been sown,
[x]Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth,
But He merely blows on them, and they wither,
And the storm carries them away like stubble.
25 “To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the [y]strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And the justice due me [z]escapes the notice of my God”?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who [aa]wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will [ab]mount up with [ac]wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
These first verses carry on from yesterday, but kicked up a notch. Previously, we saw the earth and all of its features, how small they were in comparison to God. Then we saw the comparison of human-made idols and how silly they were next to the real thing (God). Now we look at judges and rulers, how men are like grasshoppers next to God. And then in v. 26 we look to the heavens and the stars, which God created, and which He alone knows the bounds.
Lest you think this more of the same, consider that our nearest star (the sun) is over a million times larger than the earth. Then realize that the largest star is over a thousand times larger than the sun. Yet God “leads them forth” and controls their movements. And in all of this, God does not become weary or tired (v. 28). Likewise, His understanding is incredible, and we cannot fathom the things God does with our human minds.
It’s all a bit daunting, but God doesn’t call us to control stars or planets, nor even the weather of our own. He even calls us to give up control of our own lives, and “wait” on Him. All the universe goes on the ways set in place by God without a second thought. Yet we alone have a choice, to submit, or try to control it ourselves.
When we take control, we will be weary indeed, even when we are young our energy is not actually limitless (v. 30). But when we yield to His ultimate control, then God promises new strength so that whatever He brings our way, we can run and not be tired. Though the task seem impossible, God himself will refresh and sustain you, as you walk in His way.