The Myth of an Indifferent God
Northwest Bible Church – July 26, 2026 – Isaiah – Daniel Deeds
Isaiah 61:1-4
The Myth of an Indifferent God
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD
has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; 2
To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn, 3 To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them
a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will
be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
John 16:1 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.
2 “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for
everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. 3 “These things they
will do because they have not known the Father or Me. 4 “But these things I
have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you
of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In
the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:16 “A little while, and you will no longer see Me; and again a little while,
and you will see Me.” 17 Some of His disciples then said to one another,
“What is this thing He is telling us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me;
and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?”
18 So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know
what He is talking about.”
19 Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are
you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me,
and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, that you
will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will
be turned into joy.
21 “Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has
come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers
the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world.
22 “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and
your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
Isaiah 40:1 “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.”
…
9 Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up
your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to
the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold,
His reward is with Him And His recompense before Him.
11 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.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand,
And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by
the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?
13 Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has informed Him?
14 With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him
in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of
the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as
a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
16 Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him
as less than nothing and meaningless.
18 To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
19 As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And
a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter.
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 sits above the 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 meaningless.
24 Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, 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 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 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 wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up
with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and
not become weary.
Hebrews 12:5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you
as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the LORD, nor faint when you
are reproved by Him. 6 for those whom the LORD loves He disciplines, and
He scourges every son whom He receives.”
Hebrews 12:11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful,
but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards
it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
1Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you,
which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange
thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings
of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you
may rejoice with exultation.
Psalm 37:1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as
the noonday.
7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him
who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they
will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you
will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves
in abundant prosperity.
12 The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted an
d the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct.
15 Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken.
…
34 Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked, violent man Spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in
its native soil.
36 Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not
be found.
Ps 94:1 O LORD, God of vengeance, God of vengeance, shine forth! 2 Rise up,
O Judge of the earth, Render recompense to the proud. 3 How long shall the wicked,
O LORD, How long shall the wicked exult? 4 They pour forth words,
they speak arrogantly; All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.
5 They crush Your people, O LORD, And afflict Your heritage. 6 They slay the
widow and the stranger And murder the orphans. 7 They have said, “The LORD does
not see, Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.” 8 Pay heed, you senseless among
the people; And when will you understand, stupid ones? 9 He who planted the ear,
does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see?
Proverbs 1:32 For the aimless wandering of the thoughtless will kill them, and the
smug overconfidence of fools will destroy them;
Isaiah 54:9 “For this is like the days of Noah to Me, When I swore that
the waters of Noah Would not flood the earth again; So I have sworn that I will not
be angry with you Nor will I rebuke you.
10 “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But
My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will
not be shaken,” Says the LORD who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:11 “O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, Behold, I
will set your stones in antimony, And your foundations I will lay in sapphires.
12 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies, And your gates of crystal, And
your entire wall of precious stones.
13 “All your sons will be taught of the LORD; And the well-being of your sons will
be great.
14 “In righteousness you will be established; You will be far from oppression, for you
will not fear; And from terror, for it will not come near you.
15 “If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me. Whoever assails you
will fall because of you.
16 “Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals
And brings out a weapon for its work; And I have created the destroyer to ruin.
17 “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper;
And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is
the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from
Me,” declares the LORD.
Isaiah 49:14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, And the Lord has
forgotten me.” 15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on
the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. 16 “Behold, I
have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.
Isaiah 41:8 “But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant
of Abraham My friend,
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from
its remotest parts And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and
not rejected you.
10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am
your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with
My righteous right hand.’
11 “Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and
dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.
1 2 ” Yo u w i l l s e e k t h o s e w h o q u a r r e l w i t h y o u , b u t w i l l
not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.
13 “For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do
not fear, I will help you.’
14 “Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,
declares the LORD, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges; You
will thresh the mountains and pulverize them, And will make the hills like chaff.
16 “You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, And
the storm will scatter them; But you will rejoice in the LORD, You will glory in
the Holy One of Israel.