Isaiah 55:8-9 (God's Ways are Higher)

 

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts."

God does not think like you and I do, nor does He act like you and I do. God's ways are higher than our own. We must understand that our ways and our thoughts will always be lower than God's and His ways will always be higher than ours.

Easier said than done, though. It's difficult accepting that there is someone who will always be better than we could ever be. To accept this requires a great relinquishing of our own pride and self absorption.

We would do well to understand this verse's context. Isaiah 55:8-9 comes from the prohpecy of Isaiah, and it is in a chapter about inviting the thirsty to come before God. The chapter begins with God saying, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters" (Isaiah 55:1a). God promises those who come before Him believing He is God will see that His words shall not come up empty and every thing God desires will be accomplished (Isaiah 55:11). In the middle of this great chapter, God says, "Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts" (Isaiah 55:7a). God is not just calling people to come to Him. He is also calling them to come away from their sinful thoughts; come away from themselves. A prominent sin in everyone's life is the sin of pride; when you think you have enough in you or in the world that you don't need Jesus. God crushes that mindset in this chapter, when He says very clearly, "my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9b).

So what are the implications of God's ways being higher than our own? The first implication is this: Since God's ways are higher than ours, nothing we do can ever be greater than what He's done. If we think, "Jesus may have done it this way, but I think it would be better if we did it this new way," we'd better think again. God's thoughts are always higher than our own. If we are tempted to look at God's thoughts as they are written down in Scripture, and think, "See this is good, but I think we could add something in here to really spice it up," we should stop ourselves in those tracks. Jesus warns about those who add to Scripture when He says, "Be careful" and "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Matthew 16:6). These people added to the Scriptrues and it caused chaos and confusion amongst believers, but Jesus says His words alone are pefect and fully sufficient. There's no thought we can have that could be greater than the perfect thoughts of God. Why would we consider presenting people with something lesser than something that is perfect?

Here's a second implication from this verse: God's ways are higher than any of the earth's ways, so we should follow God alone. This world has nothing to offer us, other than lies and pleasures that always come up short. Everyone who lives by the ways of the world is wicked. In Ecclesiastes it is written, "The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead" (9:3b). If we follow God, whose ways and thoughts are perfect, our lives will have meaning and purpose. We should not follow anyone who speaks less than what God speaks. Anyone who builds their life on God will prosper, but everyone who builds on someone else's ways and thoughts will fade away and perish (Matthew 7:24-27). There is no god greater than the God of the highest heavens, so serve Him alone.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God You are higher than any other

Our God is Healer, awesome in power

Our God, Our God

- Chris Tomlin

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• Our God: by Chris Tomlin

What's up with Vague Modern Worship Songs? (The Porter's Gate)

Pastor John Piper says, "Right worship, good worship, pleasing worship depends on a right mental grasp of the way God really is." It is "a valuing or a treasuring of God above all things.” Worship songs, then, cannot be confusing or false, if Christians are to worship together in truth (John 4:24). It does not help that there are alot (not all of them but alot) of modern day worship songs that can be vague.

Take a look at the modern day worship song "Do it Again" by Elevation Worship. It features the opening line, "Walking around these walls I thought by now they'd fall, but You have never failed me yet." When I sing this line, I think I'm the one on the inside of the walls, and I'm walking around them and checking to see if they're still standing. From this viewpoint, God is the "walls," which reflects Psalm 18:2, "The LORD is my rock, my fortress...my stronghold." On the other hand, I know Christians who sing "Do it Again" and think of themselves as people on the ground hoping the walls before them wich they are walking around will fall. From this viewpoint, God in the song might be a bringer of justice exacting His wrath. The "walls" can be the preachings of false prophets, which reflects Ezekiel 13:10-11, "They lead my people astray...because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall...I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth."

Of what do you think, when you sing these lyrics?

Now, "Do it Again" features more than this opening line, but nowhere later in the song are the "walls" defined. What the "walls" in "Do it Again" are needs to be stated, in order to avoid confusion. Since to some the walls are God, to others the walls are lies, to more the walls are the difficulties in their life and to anyone the walls can be whatever they want them to be, the church can be in a state of confusion when they are supposed to be singing in harmony of word and mind. If every believer can sing the same worship song, but have varied ideas on what the song is about, then that puts a stumbling block between Christians and the likemindedness of believers in which God delights (Philippians 2:2).  The vagueness of many (not all) modern day songs allows for people to put meanings they desire (whether true or false) into the song's text. It is important for Christians to know what is true and cherish it in their heart, so that they don't sing songs of worship towards lesser things than God (whether on purpose or by accident).

This brings me to The Porter's Gate, a relatively new worship music group that according to their YouTube page "is a sacred ecumenical arts collective reimagining and recreating worship that welcomes, reflects and impacts both the community and the church." Personally, I'm skeptical of worship bands or churches that describe themselves as "reimagining" or "recreating" worship, and this group says they do both. The Porter's Gate website expressly states the group "was founded to help worship leaders respond theologically to the pressing questions of our times through the writing of new worship songs and the creation of new liturgical resources." On Septemeber 4th and September 11th The Porter's Gate released two new worship albums comprised of original worship songs. The albums are titled "Justice Songs" and "Lament Songs". Worship leaders can download the lead sheets for these songs on The Porter's Gate's website, so that they can integrate these new songs into their church's services. Like the somewhat vague nature of modern worship songs, these new worship songs by The Porter's Gate follow that pattern, but one song in particular does it possibly the worst.

The two covers for The Porter's Gate new worship albums

On the album "Lament Songs" Matt Maher (famous for the worship songs "Because He Lives" and "Alive & Breathing") sings a reimagined recreated version of the olde (with an "e") hymn "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded." The original version of this hymn is about Jesus' suffering on the cross for our sins, and this is clearly reflected in the hymn's original opening verse, which is as follows:

O sacred Head, now wounded,

with grief and shame weighed down,

Now scornfully surrounded

with thorns, Thine only crown;

O sacred Head, what glory,

what bliss till now was Thine!

Yet, though despised and gory,

I joy to call Thee mine.

This opening line reflects both the shame and glory of the cross, and what joy it is that we as born again believers can say that Jesus died for our sins. These lyrics place great value on God above all, by refering to His head as glorious. This song has a right grasp of who God is. 

This hymn was originally written in Latin, later translated into German and then English. On Septemeber 9th 2020, though, this beautiful hymn was released by The Porter's Gate with new lyrics and a new title, "O Sacred Neck." The opening line to this new worship song is as follows:

O, Sacred Neck, now wounded

Pressed down by blows and knees

This son of God surrounded

By silent enemies

Will no one stop and listen?

Will no one rise and speak

Of violence and oppression

Which hanged You from that tree?

These new lyrics do not clearly reflect Jesus' suffering on the cross, but instead feature new ideas about that suffering (ideas that you will not find in the Bible). To begin, Jesus' neck and it's sacredness is not important in the story of Christ's suffering on the cross. If it was, the writers of the four gospels inspired by the Holy Spirit would have mentioned it, and none of them did. Continuing on, the Messiah does not appear to have been "pressed down by blows and knees." According to the gospel of Mark in chapter 14 verse 65 it is written, "Some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, 'Prophesy!' And the officers received Him with slaps in the face." Jesus was slapped, beaten and hit, but it does not appear He was pressed down by someone's knees. The one time I can find knees involved in the suffering of Jesus is where it is written, "They kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting on Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him," but even here the body part of Jesus prominently refered to is His head; not His neck (Mark 15:19). Lastly, Jesus' enemies on that day were not silent before Him. Rather, they hurled insults at Him and mocked Him (Matthew 27:39-41). The one who was silent during Jesus' suffering was Jesus. As it was prophesied, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open his mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).

A depiction of Jesus being beaten, mocked and spat upon

So, why might The Porter's Gate choose to release this hymn with these vague and certainly misguided lyrics? According to the YouTube comments for the song "O Sacred Neck, Now Wounded," it is for the purpose of equating Jesus' death with the deaths of African American men and women (in particular the death of George Floyd) that have inspired the current Black Lives Matter movement. Many in the comment section refer to the song as blasphemy. Protestia, writes "the content [of the song] is replete with mention of George Floyd’s sacred neck, it being pressed down by knees, other officers not helping, being breathless in the streets, etc.," concluding that "apparently, this is their new savior." Alternatively, the Art & Theology blog states that the song, "'O Sacred Neck, Now Wounded' toggles between descriptions of Jesus’s murder and that of unarmed black men and women, highlighting the sacredness of every neck, head, and body." For the neccessity of Biblical truth, the word sacred according to Bible Hub means "Set apart by solemn religious ceremony; especially, in a good sense, made holy; set apart to religious use; consecrated; not profane or common." Since not everyone on earth has been set apart by God to do good works, or has a consecrated body that has been born again, not every neck on earth can be considered sacred by the standards of God's word.

Clearly a worship song like "O Sacred Neck, Now Wounded," can cause confusion in the Church and can even lead Christians astray. It is perhaps that creating this confusion and misdirecting of believers towards false doctrines is why vague modern day worship songs like these are made. Todd Friel, host of Wretched Radio, illustrates this with his following quote:

"That is precisely the modus operandi. 

Let's confuse language; 

confuse words, and import utter 

garbage into the Church." 

-Wretched Radio

I believe this importation of garbage has come about implicitly, through a lack of care and understanding of Biblical truths. It is written, "Jesus said, 'If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples.' Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32).

This is precisely one of the main reasons why I published this blog a year ago. Christians need to be "on the same page," when it comes to what's in the Bible and what it teaches. We need to know what God's word says, so that we will not be deceived by lies from this world. At the top of this blog I wrote this blog's mission statement, which reads, "This blog is dedicated to ensuring that the teenagers and young adults of this generation are well equipped with the truth of the word of God, in order that we may all be "like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind (Philippians 2:2)." I still believe this.

Sources

• The Bible (New International Version)
• John Piper: What is Worship?
• Elevation Worship's "Do it Again" lyrics
• "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" Wikipedia Page
• The Porter's Gate Official Website
• "O Sacred Neck, Now Wounded" Youtube
• "O Sacred Neck, Now Wounded" lyrcis
• 14 Bible Verses about the Beating of Jesus
• Protestia Article
• Art & Theology Blog Post
• Bible Hub: Sacred defintion
• Wretched Radio: O Sacred NECK Now Wounded. Seriously???

1 Peter 2:13 Submit for the Lord's Sake

1 Peter 2:13a
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority

If you can see the verse I have selected for this blog post, then you might have an idea where this post is going. Why am I going there? Because Jesus' disciples told their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ this message, so as a disciple of Jesus I too must share it. The Scriptures say if you love God, then you will obey His commandments (John 14:15), and one of Jesus' biggest commandments was to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). With this post I'm addressing the part about teaching others to obey God's commands.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit Peter wrote a letter to fellow believers, and in that letter Peter wrote, "Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by Him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right" (1 Peter 2:13-14). I don't know about you, but reading Scripture like that in this day and age makes me uncomfortable. There are many government mandates to which I have been under subject in my life, and recently I haven't been too fond of many of them. 

This photo was posted on the
governor of PA's Twitter account

Where I live, many stores will not allow you entry, unless you wear a mask. I don't like that. I miss the days, when I could breathe openly around others even if my breath reeked of the bizarre sandwich I just ate. I would like the mask mandate in my area to go away, but God says I have to obey that mandate. It's a mandate that was put into place by a governing authority, and the word of God says "there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God" (Romans 13:1). To really make this verse sting to a rebellious sinner like me, that verse goes on further to say, "Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves" (Romans 13:2). From this it's very clear the mandates my government puts into place are mandates I should follow. If I rebell against them, I'm sinning.

Peter, however, does not simply say we need to submit ourselves to the authorities, but he also writes why we should do this. Peter writes, "it is God’s will that by doing good you [meaning Christians] should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people" (1 Peter 2:15). It is God's will for me to do good by obeying the laws of governing authorities. The fools of the earth will be dumbfounded, when they see how people who love and serve God show their submission to the Lord, by submitting to earthly authorities.

When I put on a mask, because a store owner asks me to wear one, I'm witnessing to that store owner and everyone who sees me. I'm witnessing to the submissive character of my Lord Jesus Christ. According to Scripture, I am an ambassador of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). That means how I act will inform people about to whom I submit; what rules I follow shows people who gives me my rules. I have a desire to point people to Jesus, and Jesus humbled himself and submitted to authority "by becoming obedient to death- even death on a cross!" (Phillipians 2:8). If I want to reflect God's character with my life, then that means I must "show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God and honor the emperor" (1 Peter 2:17). Whoever becomes a governing authority over my life is someone I am called by God to honor and respect, whether I like them or not.

Yes. According to Scripture, no matter which one of these guys becomes
the next President of my nation, I am to submit to them, honor them and respect them.

Now, it would be wrong for me to type all this and leave my readers believing that the Bible says that Christians should always follow earthly laws all the time. Far from it. As a Christian, I have repented of my sins and put my belief in God, and my Lord has given me a new heart that does not desire to sin and longs to be righteous in God's eyes. What if a governing authority issues a mandate that asks me to sin? I should not obey that mandate. Even though God commands that I should honor and respect the governing authorities of this earth, God more importantly commands that I should love Him with all my heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37) and that I should turn away from sin (Luke 13:3).

A well known Biblical example of believers serving God by not obeying the sinful commands of their government is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and the firey furnace. You can read the whole story in Daniel chapter 3. In that story king Nebuchadnezzar builds a golden statue to himself and commands everyone in his kingdom worship to it. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego live in this kingdom, but they do not do as the king commands, because they know that worshipping anything other than God is a sin. In submission to their government, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego accept the punishment for their crime, which is to be thrown into a firey furnace. That dichotomy is one we as believers should keep in mind when we submit to our governing authorities.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not worship king Nebuchadnezzar's golden idol,
and so they submitted to his authority and allowed themselves to be punished. 

Going back to my example about wearing a mask in a store when I'm asked to do so, my response to the store owner's request would be different if the situation went like this: The store owner asks me to put on a mask, so that I can show others that I am afraid to die and want to live on earth as long as possible like everyone else. To put on a mask under that command would be a sin. If I put on a mask admitting I fear for my own mortality, that would show I do not trust what God said when He said, "The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die" (John 11:25). In this scenario I would have to tell the storeowner that I cannot comply with their request, because I do not fear death. I would honor their authority over their store, by leaving. I could respectfully ask the storeowener to reconsider their policy, which would be honoring that they have authority to change their laws, but if the only way to shop in a store is to sin, then a righteous Christian will not shop there.

If, however, the authority over me is commanding me to sin and they have authority over something from which I cannot walk away, then, like with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, I must disobey that authority. In doing so I will have to submit myself to the earthly punishment for my disobedience. If obeying God means disobeying the government, then that's what I'm called to do. Still, I have hope that God is good and will protect me from the hands of wicked governors. Before Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the firety furnace, they said this to the king, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up" (Daniel 3:17-18). Remember, Christian, who it is you serve. We serve a good and just God who has authority over all, and He is mighty to save.

Sources:

• The Bible (New International Version)
• Wretched Radio: Wearing Masks
• WWUTT: Submit to Governing Authorities
• MercyMe: Even If