The Strong Hand of God

“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” (Isa. 40:12).

The prophet said God did three things with His hand. First, He “measured the waters in the hollow of His hand.” Which waters? All the waters—the rivers and lakes, the ponds and streams, the seas and oceans. Where did all that water come from? God measured out the right amount of water to put on the earth. He put the exact amount that was best for the earth. He didn’t put too much and flood it. He didn’t put too little and let it dry up. He told Job that He’s the one who says to the waters, “This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!” (Job 38:11). It is estimated that there are 326 million trillion gallons of water on earth. That’s 326 followed by 18 zeros. How much water can you hold in your hand? Not much. You can scoop up just a little and you’re lucky if you don’t spill most of it. Isaiah said God made all the waters and placed them on earth as easily as you would scoop up a little water in your hand.

The second thing Isaiah said God did with His hand was to “measure heaven with a span.” Heaven here means the vast expanse of space above us. A span in Bible times was half a cubit. A cubit was the length from the tip of a man’s fingers to his elbow. It was generally about 18 inches or a foot and a half. A span was the length from a man’s outstretched thumb to the end of his little finger. It was generally about 9 inches. When a Hebrew wanted to measure a small space, he would hold out the span of his hand. The Bible says that’s how easy it was for God to to hold up His hand and measure the dimensions of this incredibly vast universe.

Then Isaiah said God “calculated the dust of the earth in a measure” and “weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance.” God decided how big to make the land of the earth. He determined how big the earth would be. God had the power to make it bigger, but He didn’t. He had the power to make it smaller, but He didn’t. God has reasons for what He does and how He does it. God does everything perfectly. Scientists have discovered some of the advantages for the earth being created the way it is—its distance from the sun, its movements, its composition. And it’s great that there are scientists that believe in God. They can point out to us some of these remarkable features of the universe. But they can only see a little. And, you don’t have to be a scientist to understand what Isaiah is saying. Think about all the matter of the earth— the rock, the dirt, and everything made of them. Where did all this “dust” come from? The same place that all that water came from. God made it all out of nothing. That’s what the Bible teaches us in Hebrews 11 verse 3. The Latin phrase is that God created the universe ex nihilo which means out of nothing. How much thought and effort did God put into making all this dust? Not much at all. The Bible says he calculated the dust of the earth in a measure. The word “measure” in Hebrew means a third, an it could have been a third of the measurement they called an ephah. It could have been something as small as a handful or a few handfuls, which would fit with everything else He says in this verse. He said God “weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance.” When they weighed things in scales back in those days, it wasn’t a huge amount. The scales weren’t like the scales we use today to weigh a car or truck. So the point is the same: Making the massive planet called earth was nothing to God.

Anyone who is having doubts about the existence of God should spend some time with this verse and with the creation. And, any Christian who is discouraged and anxious should read and ponder it well.

Kerry

West End church of Christ • April 5, 2026