God restores shalom to the contrite.
Isaiah 57:15–19 (NIV)
15 For this is what the high and exalted One says —
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
16 I will not accuse them forever,
nor will I always be angry,
for then they would faint away because of me—
the very people I have created.
17 I was enraged by their sinful greed;
I punished them, and hid my face in anger,
yet they kept on in their willful ways.
18 I have seen their ways, but I will heal them;
I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners,
19 creating praise on their lips.
Peace, peace, to those far and near,”
says the Lord. “And I will heal them.”
20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea,
which cannot rest,
whose waves cast up mire and mud.
21 “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 23: The Justification of Sinners
We believe
that our blessedness lies in the forgiveness of our sins
because of Jesus Christ,
and that in it our righteousness before God is contained,
as David and Paul teach us
when they declare that man blessed
to whom God grants righteousness
apart from works.
And the same apostle says
that we are justified “freely” or “by grace”
through redemption in Jesus Christ.
And therefore we cling to this foundation,
which is firm forever,
giving all glory to God,
humbling ourselves,
and recognizing ourselves as we are;
not claiming a thing for ourselves or our merits
and leaning and resting
on the sole obedience of Christ crucified,
which is ours when we believe in him.
That is enough to cover all our sins
and to make us confident,
freeing the conscience from the fear, dread, and terror
of God’s approach,
without doing what our first father, Adam, did,
who trembled as he tried to cover himself
with fig leaves.
In fact,
if we had to appear before God relying—
no matter how little—
on ourselves or some other creature,
then, alas, we would be swallowed up.
Therefore everyone must say with David:
“Lord, do not enter into judgment with your servants,
for before you no living person shall be justified.”
Summary
What a contrasting picture of God that Isaiah paints for us here. On one hand, Isaiah describes God as "high and exalted" and "the One who lives forever," who lives in a "high and holy place."
Yet this transcendent (over all things) God doesn't live in a high and holy place alone. He lives "with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit." These unlikely roommates - a perfectly holy God living at peace alongside His sinful image bearers - require a significant transformation in order to be compatible.
After all, God finishes this address with the reminder that "there is no peace for the wicked." Our sin and evil cannot be tolerated by a holy and righteous God. Something needs to change for this ongoing relationship between God and man to continue, and it's certainly not God who needed to change!
So what happened? How can it be that God could go from being "enraged by their [our] sinful greed" to announcing "Peace, peace to those far and near?"
It's because of the gospel message God announces in v18. God says, "I have seen their ways, but I will heal them."
Dig Deeper
This passage is big on majestic promises, but short on specifics. Isaiah, writing hundreds of years before Christ was born, doesn't offer details on how this healing process would occur, but he was certain it would.
The one ingredient Isaiah does emphasize is repentance. Those who will live with God are lowly and contrite (v15), people who mourn their sin (v18). These are exactly the same types of people Jesus would declare blessed as He began the Sermon on the Mount centuries later.
But all the repentance and humility in the world could never fill the gap that your sin has created between you and God. I wonder what it must have been like to be Isaiah; to have been given these revelations from God Himself, and to be certain of their veracity, but yet to not know how it would be that God would fulfill these amazing promises.
You don't need to wonder. You can know exactly what God did to bring you back into shalom with Him forever. This is why this doctrine of justification is so crucial to Christianity: that Jesus took your sin upon Himself and in exchange gave you the perfect righteousness you need to live intimately with your creator.
God, through Christ, has "healed you" and has "created praise on your lips." So be sure to sing it today!
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the high and exalted One, whose name is holy;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to "revive your heart" by creating "a contrite spirit" within you;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Luke 16
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