Midras Yesaya 46:4: Midrash Tanchuma, Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Vayikra Rabbah & Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)

And thou shalt command the children of Israel (Exod. 27:20). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: Thou wouldst call, and I would answer Thee; Thou wouldst have a desire to the work of Thy hand (Job 14:15). The congregation of Israel said to the Holy One, blessed be He, Master of the Universe: You will call, and I will respond. Whatever You decree, I will fulfill, but with reference to Thou wouldst have a desire to the work of Thy hand, is there a man who actually desires to perform the work of His hand? The word desire can only be understood as in the verse, Now that thou have surely gone, for thou sore longest after thy father’s house (Gen. 31:30). Hence, Thou wouldst have a desire to the work of Thy hand means that You longed for the assistance of man in the work of Your hand. For though You bear the entire world, as is written: I have made and I will bear; yea I will carry and will deliver (Isa. 46:4), yet You did command the sons of Kohath to bear Your glory (the ark), as is said: But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the holy things belongs unto them (Num. 7:9). Hence, Thou wouldst have a desire to work of Thy hand. You feed the entire world, yet You did command me to offer sacrifices: My food which is presented unto Me (ibid. 28:2). You are a light to the whole world, yet Thou didst enjoin us to burn a lamp continually. By Your light, we see light, yet You tell us to light a lamp.

"the L–rd is a man of war': What is the intent of this? Because He revealed Himself at the sea as a hero waging war — "The L–rd is a man of war" — and He revealed Himself at Sinai as an elder full of mercy, viz. (Exodus 24:10) "And they saw the G–d of Israel … and under His feet as the work of a sapphire brick and as the appearance of the heavens in brightness" [[ see Rashi], and (Daniel 7:9) "I watched as thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days sat … (10) A stream of fire was flowing forth from before Him, etc." — So as not to give a pretext to the peoples of the world to say that there are two (i.e., numerous) deities, (it is written) "The L–rd is a man of war — the L–rd is His name. It was He upon the sea, He in Egypt, He in the past, He in the future, He in time to come, He in this world, He in the world to come. As it is written (Devarim 32:39) "See, now, that it is I, I, and there is no god with Me, etc.", and (Isaiah 41:4) "Who wrought and did? The Caller of the generations (into being) from the beginning. I, the L–rd, was the first (to perform wonders and to help,) and it is I (who will be) with (you,) the later (generations."

What did David see that led him to laud the Holy One blessed be He with his soul? It is that he said: The soul fills the body and the Holy One blessed be He fills His world, as it is stated: “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth…?” (Jeremiah 23:24). Let the soul that fills the body come and praise the Holy One blessed be He who fills the entire world. The soul bears the body, and the Holy One blessed be He bears His world, as it is stated: “I made, and I will carry, I will bear” (Isaiah 46:4). Let the soul that bears the body come and laud the Holy One blessed be He, who bears His world. The soul outlasts the body, and the Holy One blessed be He outlasts His world. Let the soul that outlasts the body come and laud the Holy One blessed be He, who outlasts His world, as it is stated: “Even they will perish, but You will endure. All of them will wear out like a garment” (Psalms 102:27). The soul is solitary in the body and the Holy One blessed be He is solitary in His world. Let the soul that is solitary in the body come and laud the Holy One blessed be He, who is solitary in His world, as it is stated: “Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). The soul does not eat in the body, and the Holy One blessed be He, there is no eating before Him. Let the soul that does not eat in the body come and laud the Holy One blessed be He, before whom there is no eating, as it is stated: “Do I eat the flesh of bulls?” (Psalms 50:13). The soul sees but is not seen, and the Holy One blessed be He sees and is not seen. Let the soul that sees and is not seen come and laud the Holy One blessed be He who sees but is not seen, as it is stated: “The eyes of the Lord, roving throughout the earth” (Zechariah 4:10). The soul is pure in the body and the Holy One blessed be He is pure in His world. Let the soul that is pure in the body come and laud the Holy One blessed be He who is pure in His world, as is stated: “You that has eyes too pure to see evil” (Habakkuk 1:13). The soul does not sleep in the body and the Holy One blessed be He, there is no sleep for Him. Let the soul that does not sleep in the body come and laud the Holy One blessed be He, for whom there is no sleep, as it is stated: “Behold [the Guardian of Israel] neither slumbers nor sleeps” (Psalms 121:4).