Isaiah 55 - Part 4 - Designs & Paths

Please read this week's text from Isaiah 55 -

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

and your ways are not my ways,” says Yahweh.

9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways,

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky,

and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth,

and makes it grow and bud,

and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

11 so is my word that goes out of my mouth:

it will not return to me void,

but it will accomplish that which I please,

and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do.

I would like to briefly point out a few points that struck me very interesting in this passage:

1. The juxtaposition of the possessive pronouns - I find it very interesting here how verse 8 does not follow the customary pattern of Hebrew dialogue here by reversing the order of the subjects.

MY thoughts...YOUR thoughts

YOUR ways...MY ways.

I have always appreciated how (especially in the Book of Proverbs) ever important concept in Hebrew seems to be repeated in equivalencies, parallelisms. But here the order is flipped on its head.

So, I thought, I had better get a better understanding of the Hebrew words for THOUGHTS and WAYS.

2. THOUGHTS - The best means of understanding a word from the Former Days Scriptures (OT) is from its context, and across as many passages as possible. So here are a few of the other passages in which the same word is used. See if you can easily identify the Hebrew word from its context in English:

Jeremiah 18:11 “Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah,

and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Yahweh says: “Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a plan against you.

Everyone return from his evil way now, and amend your ways and your doings.” ’

***

Jeremiah 49:30 Flee!

Wander far off!

Dwell in the depths, you inhabitants of Hazor,” says Yahweh;

“for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has taken counsel against you,

and has conceived a purpose against you.

***

Ezekiel 38:10 “ ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “It will happen in that day

that things will come into your mind,

and you will devise an evil plan.

***

Exodus 35:33 in cutting of stones for setting,

and in carving of wood, to work in all kinds of skillful workmanship.

Now, from the context you can see that these are not 'fleeting thoughts' as we would think of them, but what is being described are planning, conceiving, designing thoughts. What HIS first portion appears to communicate is that HE is not reactive, but proactive in HIS designs and plans...HIS thoughts. And this does not change, and WE are not of the same character. Elohim ACTS, we REACT. HE is never shaken, we are often so.

3. WAYS - He follows the first statement with a second..."Your WAYS are not My WAYS, says Yahweh.' Here are some other verses that will help us understand this Hebrew word:

Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden,

and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

***

Genesis 24:42 I came today to the spring, and said, ‘Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, if now you do prosper my way which I go—

***

Genesis 38:21 Then he asked the men of her place, saying,

“Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?”

***

2 Samuel 22:33 God is my strong fortress. He makes my way perfect.

This word seems to be a bit more clear, the Hebrew word DeReK is pretty consistently translated WAY, PATH or COURSE.

We travel along a set course, He is not so bound. He conceives, we live within His design. There is a consistency because He always KNOWS the END from the BEGINNING, because He wrote the script, and it has tremendous efficiency.

This foreground creates the context for the latter few verses: