“Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 40:27 Mean?
"Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?" God challenges Israel's complaint: 'My way is hidden from God — He can't see what I'm going through. My cause is ignored by God — He has passed over my case.' The two complaints are about God's AWARENESS (He doesn't see) and God's ACTION (He doesn't intervene). God answers both by questioning why Israel would say such things.
The phrase "my way is hid from the LORD" (nisterah darki meYHWH — my path is concealed from the LORD) is the complaint of the unseen: Israel believes God can't see their situation. The suffering feels invisible to God. The path they're walking — with all its difficulty and injustice — seems hidden from divine awareness. The complaint is: God doesn't even KNOW what's happening to me.
The "my judgment is passed over from my God" (me'elohai mishpati ya'avor — from my God my justice passes by) adds the complaint of inaction: even if God DOES see, He doesn't ACT. The justice that should be delivered passes by — skips Israel, moves to the next case, leaves their cause unaddressed. The feeling is: God sees and ignores. My case was on the docket and God skipped it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Are you currently feeling invisible to God — and does His response in verses 28-31 address it?
- 2.What's the difference between 'my way is hid' (God can't see) and 'my judgment is passed over' (God won't act)?
- 3.Which complaint is yours right now — feeling unseen or feeling skipped?
- 4.What does God asking 'WHY do you say this' teach about our complaints being challenged, not just answered?
Devotional
Why do you say 'God can't see my situation'? Why do you claim 'God has ignored my cause'? God challenges the two most common complaints of the suffering: He doesn't see me (hiddenness) and He doesn't act for me (passing over). Both complaints are asked as questions — not answered as theology, but challenged as assumptions.
The 'my way is hid from the LORD' is the complaint of invisibility: you feel unseen. Your suffering seems unnoticed by God. The path you're walking — with its specific difficulties, its unique pain, its particular injustice — appears to be hidden from divine awareness. God doesn't know. God can't see. God is unaware of what you're going through. The complaint is as old as humanity and as fresh as this morning.
The 'my judgment is passed over' is the complaint of being skipped: even if God DOES see (you grudgingly admit), He doesn't DO anything. Your case was on God's agenda and He passed over it. Other people's prayers get answered. Other people's justice arrives. Yours gets skipped. The divine court called everyone else's case. Yours was overlooked.
God's response (verses 28-31) is stunning: do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God doesn't faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint. The answer to 'He can't see me' is: He's everlasting and unsearchable. The answer to 'He skipped me' is: He gives power to the faint. The God who sees everything hasn't missed you. The God who empowers the weary hasn't skipped you.
Are you saying 'my way is hid' — and do you hear God's response?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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