Men as Men; God as God

I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest
be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall
be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched
forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast
feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if
he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
(Isaiah 51:12-13)

Let the text itself be taken as the portion for today. There is no need
to enlarge upon it. Trembling one, read it, believe it, feed on it,
and plead it before the Lord. He whom you fear is only a man after all;
while He who promises to comfort you is God, your Maker, and the creator
of heaven and earth. Infinite comfort more than covers a very limited
danger.

"Where is the fury of the oppressor?" It is in the Lord's hand. It is
only the fury of a dying creature; fury which will end as soon as the
breath is gone from the nostril. Why, then, should we stand in awe of one
who is as frail as ourselves? Let us not dishonor our God by making a
god of puny man. We can make an idol of a man by rendering to him
excessive fear as well as by paying him inordinate love. Let us treat men as
men, and God as God; and then we shall go calmly on in the path of
duty, fearing the Lord and fearing nobody else.