Up the Down Staircase

“He said, “Build it up, build it up, prepare the way, remove every obstacle from My people’s way.” For the High and Exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy says this: “I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed. For I will not accuse you forever, and I will not always be angry; for then the spirit would grow weak before Me, even the breath of man, which I have made. Because of his sinful greed I was angry, so I struck him; I was angry and hid; but he went on turning back to the desires of his heart. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating words of praise.” The Lord says, “Peace, peace to the one who is far or near, and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waters churn up mire and muck. There is no peace for the wicked,” says my God.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭57‬:‭14‬-‭21‬ ‭HCSB‬‬)

Contrasts, they highlight the differences between items in such a way as to make them clearly visible. For example, I am typing on a white screen with black lettering. The contrast between the white and the black makes this text clearly visible. Reduce the contrast by changing the colors, like gray on black, and that makes it much more difficult to see the text. 

Contrasts also make it easier to see the differences in lifestyles and choices. In our text, we have the second half of a very distinct contrast that God is displaying through Isaiah; the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. Last week, we took a look at the lifestyle and choices of those who choose to follow the dominant culture and their gods. Chapter 57 started out with the loss of the righteous and the effects it has on our culture. I spent time encouraging you men to step up and embrace the call that God has placed upon you to live your life and lead your family in obedience to God’s word. Last week, we talked about the consequences of embracing our culture and chasing after the wrong gods.

This week, I want us to spend some time looking at the last half of Isaiah 57 and seeing the next revelation that comes from this stark contrast. None of us are righteous on our own. “The Lord looks down from heaven on the human race to see if there is one who is wise, one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one.”(Psalms‬ ‭14‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭HCSB‬‬) I believe this is the heart of the biblical message and the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are ALL broken and in need of being rescued by God.

But I also believe at the heart of the biblical message and the hope of the gospel, is the very real struggle for us to admit the fact of our sinful brokenness and submit ourselves to the only one who can save us. Not just admit it to God but, most importantly, admit it to ourselves. We will never submit to God and seek His healing and eternal peace until we recognize that we are unable to realize it on our own. One of the biggest lies that exists in our modern culture is that we are basically good, and evil is an anomaly that exists only in a few. We desperately want that lie to be true, but it is the same one that the deceiver has been telling from the beginning of time: “God’s wrong, you’re right. Trust your feelings. God’s just holding out on you and is afraid you will become like Him.” 

First, notice that God is taking the initiative to build up the way and remove every obstacle in His people’s path. But this isn’t just any old path, this is the path that leads to Him. He’s not promising to give them a smooth and easy path in life but He is promising to remove any obstacle that might prevent them from coming to Him. That is one of the hallmarks of scripture, God makes the impossible possible: “Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ But the disciples were astonished at His words. Again Jesus said to them, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.’ So they were even more astonished, saying to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Looking at them, Jesus said, ‘With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.’” (Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭23‬-‭27‬ ‭HCSB‬‬)

But why would it be impossible for us to find God? Why would it be so hard for us to reach God? Our culture tells us that god is easy to find, we just need look inside ourself. While that is not entirely false, it is a half truth. When we look inside ourselves we do find a god but it may not be the one we’re seeking. It is certainly not the one who can save us because the god we find inside ourselves is the god of self – me. We elevate ourselves, our dreams, our feelings, our needs, our wants and desires to a level where they consume us and become our god. When we do that, and we do it far more often than we will admit, then we fit the description of the wicked in this chapter. We don’t need the god of self, he only digs us deeper into this mess. We need the God who can overcome the impossible and deliver us from ourselves.  

We don’t like the idea that the path to God is impossible for us. We balk when someone says we can’t do something. Our pride gets rankled and we begin to question this truth. But I would remind you that is the very temptation faced by Eve in the garden (see Gen. 3). She was told by the serpent that the pathway to being like God was the path of disobedience, the path of rebellion. In other words, God was lying to her about these things and if she would choose to eat then she “would be like God” and could “know” or determine good and evil for herself. 

That’s precisely why we can’t get to God on our own, we head off in the wrong direction. We define our own path. We make ourselves the end goal, god over our own lives. We defy Him and deny the truth of His word. Listen to how He says it, “For the High and Exalted One who lives forever (or is eternal), whose name is Holy says this: ‘I live in a high and holy place.’” He is above us, beyond us, unreachable and transcendent. He is exalted, worthy of our worship and praise. He is eternal, and lives forever. His name (or His being/nature/character) is holy and He lives in a high and holy place that is beyond our grasp and our comprehension. The words high, exalted, eternal, and holy describe Him and not us. He is worthy of our devotion, dedication and worship but, ultimately, we are not.

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.’ This is the Lord’s declaration. ‘For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭HCSB‬‬)

God not only prepares the way and clears the obstacles blocking the way to Himself, He tells us the landmarks that clearly mark that path. Listen, “I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed.” While He lives in that high and holy place,  He also lives with (among or in the midst of) the oppressed and lowly of spirit. God takes the initiative to clear the obstacles that keep the oppressed (crushed) and the lowly from Him. The crushed and the lowly in spirit have had the obstacles of human pride and self-sufficiency removed and that makes the path to God wide open.

Notice, “For I will not accuse you forever, and I will not always be angry; for then the spirit would grow weak before Me, even the breath of man, which I have made. Because of his sinful greed I was angry, so I struck him; I was angry and hid; but he went on turning back to the desires of his heart.” God uses our brokenness, our failure, our inability to be like Him as a means of reminding us of who we are and of who we need. We deserve His wrath against our sin, our rebellion towards His sovereign authority, but even His wrath and judgment have design and intent. They are designed to turn our hearts back to Him, to make us realize our need for His mercy, forgiveness and healing. 

Note: I would challenge you to read these verses (Is. 57:14-21) and then read Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:3-12 and not see the clear connection and context for understanding the Beatitudes better. 

If you’re paying attention, then you should begin to see that the very things we often seek first in our lives and in our culture are the very obstacles that keep God hidden from us. Jesus said that it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God (see quote from Mark 10 above), yet being rich is the most sought after goal in our culture. So, our culture will balk at the truth of these claims. This is directly tied to the lies that the deceiver keeps whispering in our ears and we keep believing. In fact, many modern preachers who have large buildings, large budgets and even larger egos are guilty of claiming that God’s desire is for you to have these things. Yet, that is clearly not what He says in Isaiah 57. God doesn’t contradict Himself. So, is His word correct or are these false teachers correct? You must decide…

Finally, we are told that God will heal, lead and comfort those who mourn causing them to praise Him (vs. 18-19a). Only God can do that. Only He has the ability to create praise from the lips of those who mourn over their brokenness, who confess their sinfulness with a contrite heart. Then the LORD says, “Peace, peace to the one who is far or near, and I will heal him.” The repetition of the word “peace” emphasizes its rich abundance and the extent of its reach. God alone can provide the healing and wholeness we so desperately need and seek. But the reference to “near and far” is indicative of its vastness. Nobody is beyond the reach of God’s grace or the healing and wholeness He offers. It is for all who will humbly come to Him in a spirit of lowliness, need and contrition. You and I are not too far gone, if we will heed the signs that point to the right path, His path. 

But if we refuse, if we continue to pursue our own way and allow our pride to remain an obstacle in the path to God then our lives will be “like the storm-tossed sea” that just churns up mire and muck. “There is no peace for the wicked, says my God (v. 21).” We cannot know peace unless we pursue the peace giver. We will live storm-tossed lives until we give ourselves to the only One who can calm our storm (see Mark 4:39). The world often tells us how it should be done, but Jesus shows us by doing it.

In conclusion, God does things differently than we do them and different than our culture claims. We think and the world tells us that the way to the top is by kicking, climbing and clawing our way up. But God tells us that the way to the top starts at the bottom. We are lifted up when we humble ourselves. We are placed at the front when we’re willing to serve at the back. So kneel, humble yourself before the King and let Him do what He promised. If you’ll serve Him, He will save you and exalt you.