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. (Isaiah 40:15)

Nations Are Only Drips

A 2021 survey ranks nations according to military alliances, international alliances, political influence, economic influence, and leadership. This survey determines how to define the nations that exert the greatest power on earth. In the 2021 survey, the top five nations are the United States, China, Russia, Germany, and the United Kingdom (in descending order). Ranked number 1, the United States boasts an economy with a GDP of $20.93 trillion in 2020. The United States spends more on its military budget ($778 Billion) than China, India, Russia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Japan, and South Korea combined.

Great empires in history covered vast areas of land. The British Empire at one time covered 26% of the world. Rome built an empire spreading across three continents. In the steppes of Mongolia, the Mongol nation rose to one of the most powerful nations on earth. Russia, China, Spain, and the French once ruled vast tracts of land. Throughout history, nations have risen to prominence, boasting of powerful armies and navies, conquering peoples throughout the world. The empires of Rome, Britain, Mongolia, Germany, and Japan have all vanished in the dustbins of history, as will all nations. There will come a day when the United States of America will be a nation of no importance. All nations are nothing but a drop in the bucket in the eyes of God.

Isaiah wrote his message about God during the days of world upheaval. The Assyrians had been a fierce and powerful nation conquering the nations around them. Nineveh fell in 612 B.C. when the Babylonians, Scythians, and Medes attacked the city. In 605 B.C., the end of the Assyrians came at the battle of Carchemish. Babylon rose to world power after defeating Assyria. Isaiah lived through these turbulent times and offered a fresh view of world domination. God sees nations as nothing more than a drop in a bucket – a drip. Compared to the Lord God Creator, the greatest nation is but dust on a scale. The same Creator that formed the earth and destroyed the world in the days of Noah looks upon nations as merely a drop of water – nothing.

Everything must be viewed in perspective. God knows exactly how much water there is on earth to the ounce. Science has opened the vista of the heavenly portals but admits it has yet to reach a point of conclusion. God has measured the heavens and knows how big the universe is and how many stars there are to an exact number (He has a name for every star). If a man were to inquire how much the mountains weigh and the weight of the hills, God would give him an exact number. Why would a nation that spends $778 billion on the military cause any concern for God? Does it matter to the Lord if a country has a robust GPD of $20.93 trillion? As much as He is concerned about one drop of water.

Humanity is a funny creature, unlike the animals of the world. Isaiah began his book declaring the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel did not know God. The animals know how great God is, but man refuses to acknowledge how small he is. Nations boast of their power and strength to the amusement of the animal kingdom. A nation will rise and fall, but God does not change. Nations are nothing more than a drop in the bucket and dust on the scale held in the hand of the Almighty. This is true of our country and any other country in the world. Praise God.