My Ways Are Higher

“My ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8)

If you’ve been in Christian circles for any amount of time, you have heard this verse before. You can probably find it on a coffee mug or on a dishtowel at your local decor store.

For a lot of the popular verses taken out of their context, I have found that placing them back in proper context does not reduce their brightness. It does not put a wet blanket over the fire that whoever took it out of context thought they were kindling. The context actually lights a brighter fire. The true context is always more glorious than sloppy exegesis.

When God is saying, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, My ways are not your ways”, He is not just saying, “I know better, because I said so”, which, I should add, He would have every right to say. As

Unofficial Pediatrics

has noted in one of our exchanges,

“One of Lewis’ points is that *it doesn’t matter* if there was a good reason not to eat the fruit. all the reason needed is that God said not to. At some point you need to obey out of love and trust, not your calculated self-interest.”

But God is saying more than, “My ways are higher, so listen up” in this verse. That is not the context. Here are the preceding verses:

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

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. (Isaiah 55:6–9)

The little word For is very important as the start of verse 8. God is saying, “Let the wicked man turn back to Me. Let him be at peace with Me… because My ways are higher.”

God is calling man to repentance. He is inviting him into the depths of His mercy to the shallow waters in which we are usually wading. The “mercy of the wicked is cruel” (Proverbs 12:10). Our sinful nature is vengeful, petty, bitter, and does not like to forgive. God outshines us in showing mercy to the undeserving. 

If someone stabs us in the back, betrays us, and turns his or her back on us, we are very slow to forgive. We are very slow to make peace. We want to hold that over their head. We want them to get what they deserve. But God says, “My ways are higher. Let the wicked man repent and live. I will abundantly pardon.”

This is actually a verse about forgiveness. I was listening to 2 Samuel as I was thinking about this. I found it interesting that King David is ready and happy to pardon Abner, even though Abner has been fighting for the enemy side against David, and killing his men. David is ready to pardon him the second Abner says, “Look, I know God is with you. Let’s make a covenant.” David is quick to say, “Sounds good, let’s make a covenant. We’re cool. Go in peace.” He is quick to abundantly pardon the one who came in faith. 

We see Christ, the Son of David, likewise offer pardon, without delay, to the thief on the cross. This thief got the death penalty! To the eye of man, he was a wicked man beyond mercy or reform. He says the simplest thing: “Remember me when you come into Your kingdom”. Simple words from a sinful man. But to that man, the Lord gave some of the sweetest words recorded in Scripture: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

The One whose ways are higher pardoned the lowest criminal who was worthy only to be crow food. The One whose thoughts are not our thoughts picked up his cloak and ran, to the bewilderment of the older brother, to meet His returning son.

Gustave Dore, The Return of The Prodigal Son

His thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways. That refers to the steadfast love of God. I find that to be much more glorious than the manner the verse is often quoted. The verse is not, “There are things we don’t understand, His ways are not our ways,” with the wave of a dismissive hand. No, rather, we see the high ways of God on display: the redemption of the wicked, the justification of the ungodly, the pardon of His enemies who will repent. We see all this and we still are still forced to say, “His ways are not our ways.”

As G. K. Chesterton has noted, the Christian idea of mystery is not like the occult idea of mystery. The pagan mystic claims to have secret spiritual knowledge, and hides it. The Christian mystic says that he has a mystery, shows it in full daylight, and we still cannot comprehend it. The pagan mystery is full of secret initiations and incantations. The Christian mystery is the Incarnation: “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory.” 

Our God wants to display His gracious character in eternity. Paul says that part of the reason God did all this saving by grace through faith is 

“…so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)”

Amazing. Part of the cosmic picture is that God is displaying his love toward us, who were his enemies through Christ.

I have talked about this in another post on the last verses of Micah: 

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. (Micah 7:18)”

He delights in steadfast love. There is no one like Him. The monad of Mohammedanism, the pantheon of paganism, or any other lofty argument against the knowledge of God are still too low compared to the thoughts and ways of our God. The Judge of all the earth is both Just and Justifier. Only our Triune God is like that.

His ways are higher: seek Him while He may be found.

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