“My Way Is The Higher Way”
Text: Isaiah 55:6-9
9-24-2023
In the name of Him who always knows and does what is best for us, dear friends in Christ. Have you ever looked at someone who is in charge over you and thought to yourself, “If I were in charge, I’d do things differently... and I’d do it better!”?? C’mon, admit it. You’ve done this. It may have been your boss, your parents, your teacher, the Governor, the President, your Pastor, or whomever. We call it being a back seat driver, arm chair quarter back, or second-guessing. To be fair, there are some very unqualified people who end up in leadership positions and they royally screw things up. Sometimes there really is someone out there in the shadows who can do a much better job. The funny thing is, though, when the person doing the criticizing DOES get the job of decision-maker they often find that it wasn’t as easy as they thought. There were things going on behind-the-scenes that the average bloke doesn’t see. Suddenly, you get the bigger picture and take action accordingly. Then you discover that other people are grousing about you like you did about your predecessor. And guess what? Now you don’t like that criticism because those complainers aren’t aware of what you know about the situation.
But let’s face it. Even the most qualified and intelligent person is going to make mistakes because of the limitations of our human minds. Not so with God. He knows all the facts. Not only that, He also knows what the future holds. He sees the “big picture” and acts accordingly, always making the right decision which is best for our temporal and eternal good. Sometimes, though, God’s way of doing things doesn’t make sense to us. His way of handling a situation might have the appearance that He’s intent on harming us or simply doesn’t care. And that’s usually when we start second-guessing Him and complaining about the job than He’s doing as Lord of the universe.
A long time ago when we lived back in Nebraska, I was asked to babysit our 4-year-old niece, Shannon. She listened well and worked beside me as we baked oatmeal cookies. In fact, she thought Uncle Don was pretty cool. That is, until we headed down to do chores. Shannon was like my shadow, close behind me wherever I went. Our crib doors had a cement channel that kept the bottom of the door in place. As I stepped across that channel I quickly turned and yelled for Shannon to stay back. She kept coming, so I pushed her away and she fell to the ground. She sat there crying and couldn’t figure out why Uncle Don had suddenly become so mean. What she hadn’t seen was the sick, dazed rat that was sitting hunched in the channel right where she was about to step. After I dispatched the rodent with a shovel, we went about doing our chores. However, later that day when Shannon told the story to her parents, she made no mention of the rat. I don’t know if she didn’t comprehend the danger or if she just didn’t see it. She simply told her folks that Uncle Don had pushed her down. Needless to say, they weren’t happy and wanted an explanation. When I filled them in, they understood and were thankful that I had protected their daughter. Initially, my actions didn’t make sense and were misinterpreted. But I saw the bigger picture and had done what was best for Shannon.
This is what Isaiah was trying to get across in verse 8-9 in our text. God explains through the prophet, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” That’s not just hyperbole, it’s a fact. God’s ways of dealing with us and caring for us are higher and far beyond our comprehension. And part of the reason why we can’t begin to grasp the wisdom and perfection of God’s ways is because as humans we can’t see everything that He sees. Sometimes, like with my niece, God does things that appear to be harming us, when in reality He’s doing it to protect and save us from hidden dangers to both body and soul. Sometimes, after the fact, God allows us to see what He spared us from. But there are other instances where we simply won’t know the full story this side of heaven.
The other reason why we can’t begin to grasp the wisdom and perfection of God’s ways is because our minds are perverted by sin. Even if we could see all the factors that go into one of God’s decisions, we wouldn’t be able to fit the pieces together and do what’s right. Our sinful pride, selfishness, and self-righteousness skew our every thought. It doesn’t allow us to see things through the lens of God’s loving mercy. And that right there is the very reason why we often find ourselves second-guessing God’s ways. Look at the Gospel lesson and you’ll see what I mean in the parable that Jesus told.
The owner of the vineyard goes out and hires workers at 6:00 a.m., then 9:00, Noon, 3:00, and 5 p.m. Now keep in mind, ALL of these folks desperately needed this job so they could have money to put food on the table. The master didn’t have to hire them. So really, it was a kind gesture on his part to hire any of them. In the end, they all got paid an equal amount of wages. That’s when the workers who were hired first started second-guessing and complaining. It didn’t seem fair to them. But they hadn’t been cheated. They got paid exactly what had been promised to them. Besides, who were they to tell the master how to handle his money? Jesus never tells us what the reason was behind this disparity in wages. And that was on purpose. The point is that when the parable is applied to God’s Kingdom of Grace there are mysteries to God’s actions that we won’t know the answer to. He has a right to freely dispense His mercy and grace as His wishes. The proper response is not to complain and second-guess God’s ways. On the contrary, we are to humbly accept His all-knowing wisdom that does what’s best for us. And to thankfully receive His grace.
Think of it this way. The Titanic is sinking and people are climbing into the lifeboats. You’re one of the first ones in, but others are taking their time. Perhaps they don’t think the ship is really going down. Maybe they weren’t paying much attention to the severity of the situation or just plain sleeping. But now they’re the last ones climbing into the life boat. Even though there’s room for them and others, are you going to start complaining that they’re safe just because they were the last ones in? Better yet, are you going to get out of the life boat because you’re upset that they made it aboard or things aren’t being done the way that you would do them?
I know that sounds goofy, but isn’t that what we sometimes do here in the lifeboat called the Christian Church? We second-guess and complain about God’s grace and mercy being shown to another sinner. Maybe we just don’t like the way things are being done. Does it make any sense to complain about your fellow recipients of God’s grace or perhaps to even jump ship because things aren’t to your liking? “By golly, I’ll show them! I’ll leave the lifeboat until everything and everybody is arranged the way I say.” And all the while, the broken ship of this sinful world is sinking rapidly. All those who end up outside that lifeboat will die eternally, regardless of their reasons for not being on board. Wouldn’t it be better to rejoice that you and many others are saved?
Those opening verses of our text are an urgent plea. Isaiah is saying that God’s grace is being freely offered and now is the time to receive it, while there still is time. His grace and compassion are abundant. He can and will forgive the sins of everyone who comes to Him through His Son, Jesus. The death of Christ on the cross for our sins didn’t make any sense at the time. But now we are eternally grateful for the salvation that is ours through it. God’s mercy towards sinners is one of the greatest mysteries about Him. Yes, even His mercy shown towards you. The fact of the matter is that none of us deserve it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a lifelong Christian or new to the faith. We all are desperate for God’s mercy because of our multitude of sins. So rather than second-guess and complain about the mystery of how God dispenses it, we ought to rejoice that we have been saved and that He is graciously saving others. God knows and sees the hidden things that we can’t see. By faith, we can trust His wisdom to always do what’s best for us. And we can give thanks for His incomprehensible mercy that has been shown towards us undeserving sinners. To Him be the glory now and forever. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!