Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.

All nations before Him are as nothing, And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless. 

(Isaiah 40:15,17)

The “affairs of the nations” that strike like a blow in the daily news are one of modern life’s greatest challenges.  Then, of course, there is the opportunity to comment on various social media platforms.  Opinions swirl like whirlwinds of resentment and discontent, with complaints and sarcasm stirring up dust and confusing ordinary rational thinking.

One can also easily become entangled in the “sins of the nations,” which ultimately revolve around power, sex, and money.  Unfortunately, the sins and affairs of the nations are not limited to politics on a global and national level.  Churches and religious organizations “compete” in fueling slander, wickedness, and destruction.  The scandals of the denominations are hurled over the headlines – on a fast and furious scale.  It can lead one to despair.  Is there truly no difference between the so-called Christian churches and the horrors of the world?

I must often comfort myself with the fact that God is in control and that the true Church of Christ is the invisible body of our beloved Jesus.  The Kingdom of God does not suffer from a leadership crisis like the one we perceive around us.  God is King; He is the King of kings – an intensive form in ancient Hebrew.  In the daily mud pit of church scandals and politics, it is necessary to cleanse oneself.  Our “bath” is the water of the Word. (Ephesians 5:26)

God reigns over the nations;  God sits on His holy throne. (Psalm 47:9)

He makes nations great and lets them perish;
He enlarges nations and leads them away.  (Job 12:23)

The Lord destroys the counsel of the nations;
He thwarts the plans of the peoples. (Psalm 33:10)

Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain? (Psalm 2:1)

Let us take another good look at the Scripture in Isaiah 40.  The insignificance of the nations was a great comfort at a time when the political outcome of an election in our country was disappointing, as democracy took its course and the “wrong” people came to power.

It was reassuring to hear that the nations are like a speck of dust on the scales, a drop in the bucket.  I rejoiced that God is in control of my life and that He would direct these “dust particles” for my benefit.  But in these very reassuring words, I read about a scale.  If the nations are just specks, then what truly matters on the scale? How does the scale find balance?

What comes to mind when you think of a scale?  The square, foot-sized bathroom scale with its numbers swinging back and forth, or a digital box that determines the fate of your eating habits?  Or do you think of the well-known symbol of Justice – Lady Law as we call her – a blindfolded woman handling the scales of argument?

The Bible has much to say about scales.  Most verses refer to dishonest scales, which were at the heart of financial and trade transactions.  This was also one of the abominations of exploitation by the money changers in the Temple—an act of corruption that stirred Jesus’ anger into an act of destruction.

In Revelation, we read about the black horse, symbolic of the economy. The rider holds a scale, signifying scarcity and expense.  Commodities are weighed and valued to determine monetary worth.  This is the world’s way.

God, however, is a God of abundance.  He makes your cup overflow (Psalm 23) and provides in good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. (Luke 6:38)

If the nations are merely specks on the scale, then there must be a scale. If we think the nations are important, yet to God, they are nothing more than dust—making no difference to the balance—then what, indeed, tips the scale?

From God’s perspective, His love for humanity and the coming of His Son are the most significant matters every single day since Creation.  This is the essence of everything we are and understand.

The Cross of Jesus on one side of the scale can only be balanced by the souls of mankind. This is the Scale of Salvation—the grand Plan, the ultimate solution to everything, and the pinnacle of all human history.

This is a great thought—but what about my daily struggles and sin amid the evil and brokenness around me?

God’s scale works in everything.

You tested us, O God, You refined us like silver;
You trapped us in a net,  You laid a heavy burden on us;
You let men ride over our heads; We went through fire and water,
but You brought us out to abundance.  (Psalm 66:10-12)

In every trial placed on one side of the scale, we are led into the abundance that God provides.  It is in the valley of the shadow of death where the feasting table is prepared and the cup overflows. (Psalm 23)

It is in the battle that we experience God’s character of faithfulness and love.  The scale is fair and perfectly calibrated to the needs and abilities of every beloved individual who places their life in God’s hands.  We must look up and, with a heavenly perspective, reach for our wealth of promises so that we may see that God’s scale is never unjust.  He holds it in His hand, and He is not blindfolded.  His eye is on you.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.  (Psalm 32:8)