Kuba iingcinga zam azizizo iingcinga zakho, nawam nandlela azihambi, utsho uYehova. Kuba njengoko amazulu ephakamile kunomhlaba, Ke iindlela zam ziphakame ngaphezu kweendlela zakho, kunye neengcinga zam kuneengcinga zakho. Many Christians use Isaiah 55:8-9 to indicate that God’s ways are unsearchable and they will never get to know and understand God, and to exonerate them from their responsibility and obligations. But what is Isaiah 55:8-9 referring to, why was God’s way not their ways, and His ways higher than their ways?
What is the meaning of Isaiah 55:8-9?
The meaning of Isaiah 55:8-9 is that God’s thoughts and His ways are not the thoughts and ways of the wicked people (the rebellious and disobedient people). God’s ways are unsearchable for people, who don’t know God personally and don’t spend time with Him and don’t do what He says but go their own way. uIsaya 55:8-9 refers to the wicked that are mentioned in verse 7.
Funani uYehova esenokufunyanwa, biza phezu kwakhe ngelixa esondele: Ongendawo makashiye indlela yakhe, nendoda engalunganga iingcinga zakhe: Kwaye makabuyele eNkosini, Kwaye uya kuba nemfesane kuye; KuThixo wethu, Kuba uya kuxolelwa kakhulu. Kuba iingcinga zam azizizo iingcinga zakho, nawam nandlela azihambi, utsho uYehova. Kuba njengoko amazulu ephakamile kunomhlaba, so are My ways higher than our ways, kunye neengcinga zam kuneengcinga zakho (uIsaya 55:6-9)
KwiTestamente eNdala, we read about the people of Israel and how they constantly left God’s way.
Ngalo lonke ixesha, they followed the will, inkanuko, and desires of their flesh instead of the will of God, which God had made known to them through the Umthetho kaMoses and the words of His prophets.
And so the people departed from the words of God and went in the opposite direction.
They left God’s way and entered the way of the pagan nations. They adopted their cultures and pagan rituals and served their gods.
This continued until someone arose, who sought the Lord and showed repentance and removed all the idolatry and pagan practices and rituals from their midst.
But this was only temporary. Within a matter of time, someone else arose. Umntu, who didn’t seek and serve the Lord, but was prideful and rebelled against the will of God and left the words of God.
These rebels with their wicked nature caused God’s people to depart from God and His Word.
God’s people envied the life and gods of the pagan nations
The people didn’t see, that God loved His children and wanted the best for them. They didn’t see that God’s way was the best way for them to walk on.
Hayi, the people looked at the other nations and cultures. They were envious of them and wanted, what they had. Therefore they adopted their cultures, pagan customs, kunye nezithethe.
Ngokwenza oko, they rejected and hurt God. Through their words and actions, they showed God, that He wasn’t (kulungile) enough for them. Ngokuba, if God had been enough for them, they would have been satisfied and grateful. They wouldn’t have searched for other gods to serve.
If God was enough for them, they would have listened to and relied on God. They would have remained faithful and obedient to Him and followed God’s way instead of their way. (Funda kwakhona: Ukuba uyifumene iNyaniso, kutheni usakhangela?).
God’s way is the way of the new spiritual man
In a previous blog post, God’s thoughts were covered, and how God’s thoughts are not in agreement with the thoughts of the old man, abakhokelwa yinyama, in which evil (imvelo yesono) is present.
Kodwa Indoda entsha has received God’s Holy Spirit. He abides in the new man.
The Holy Spirit knows the depths of God. If a person walks after the Spirit instead of the flesh and spends time with Jesus; ilizwi, then the person shall get to know God, Intando yakhe, and His thoughts. This also applies to His ways.
If you spend time on the things of this world and feed your mind with the things of this world, then your way shall become the way of the world.
You shall go your way and decide the direction you want to go in life. Kodwa amaxesha amaninzi, the way and direction you want to go is not God’s way and the direction He wants you to go.
Only when you spend time with Jesus; the Word and the Father and take His words and feed and renew your mind with the words of God and set your mind on the things above, then your way and the direction you want to go, shall line up with God’s way and you shall walk in His will.
Is submission hard?
Many people find it hard to submit to others. This behavior is already present in the lives of children and the way they rebel against parental authority and/or teacher’s authority. Children don’t want to submit to others, but they want to do their own thing and go their own way.
The world approves of this rebellious behavior. The ‘experts’ of this world not only approve of this rebellious behavior, but they also encourage this behavior. Bathi, that you must give your child some space. You must listen to their needs, let them decide, and make their own choices. But God has given the responsibility for the care and raising of children to parents and not to worldly experts.
If you don’t train your child in the way the child should go and don’t correct your child, kwaye musa raise your child in the right way, the child shall become a prideful unguided missile, who refuses to submit to others and authorities and doesn’t want to be told what to do.
If a child doesn’t learn to submit to parents, the child shall never be able to submit to others (abadala, abasemagunyeni, abaqeshi, njl.). When the child grows up, the child shall exalt him/herself above others. The child shall rebel against others and shall go his/her own way.
If someone is not able to submit to others, how can someone submit to Jesus Christ and His authority? Ngokuchanekileyo, ayinakwenzeka loo nto. And that’s exactly what happens in the lives of many Christians.
Everyone goes his own way and has his own faith. And everyone thinks that he is right and possesses the truth.
The Word is the Servant of Many Christians
Many Christians don’t take the Word of God as it is. They don’t believe the words of God and don’t apply the words of God to their lives, so that their lives change and line up with the will of God. Instead of adjusting their lives to the words of God, bona adjust the words of God kwintando. inkanuko, iminqweno, and needs of their flesh.
They choose random Scriptures, take them out of context, and proclaim these Bible verses to get what they want.
The Word is their Servant, instead of them being the servants of the Word.
They decide what to do and what is right and wrong. These Christians decide which way, they want to go and the Word must follow them.
Abayikhathalelanga intando kaThixo. They don’t listen to the Word, Who leads them and warns them of (ngokomoya) iingozi.
They’re not submissive to the Word. Because that could mean, that they have to go another way, instead of the way they want to go. And that’s something, that many Christians don’t want.
Most Christians have made their own plans for the future and are not willing to give up their plans and dreams. They are not willing to lay down their lives, including their plans and dreams, on the altar and give them up for Jesus.
Who is willing and bold enough to lay down his own will and dreams on the altar and give them up for Jesus? Who loves Jesus so much, that he is willing to lay down his life and will, ukuya landela uYesu?
Jesus may execute Christians plans and dreams
Many Christians confess they love Jesus and want to follow Him. But their actions and way of life don’t line up with the words they confess. Because they go their own way. They make their own decisions, follow their own dreams, and determine the way they want to go and Jesus may execute their plans and dreams.
They go their own way and execute their own isicwangciso for their lives. Kodwa… As soon as something happens and things don’t go as planned, and their plans and dreams are disrupted, they become angry, nemvukelo, or dejected, absorbed in self-pity, kwaye blame it on God.
They murmur and complain, “Why God, do You allow this to happen?, Why God, don’t you do something? Why God, …” (Gcwalisa izithuba).
But God doesn’t answer and keeps quiet and waits… until they are prepared and willing to go His way instead of their own way, which is focused upon the flesh and the world.
The way of the world is not God’s way
The dreams and plans of this world, are not God’s dreams and plans. God’s way is the way of the Spirit and not the way of the flesh. God’s purpose for man is not to become highly educated, to acquire the highest positions or ranks at work or in society, or to acquire fame just like the world does. His purpose for the new man is not to be focused on himself and invest all his time in the things of the world.
But God’s purpose for the new man is to save as many souls as possible from death and hell, who keeps them in bondage, and to redeem souls and set them free in the mighty Igama likaYesu.
God gave His Son and His Holy Spirit to the new man. UThixo ukwenzile given all power and authority to the new man to make the Kingdom of God visible to the people, who live in darkness and are on their way to eternal death.
Every soul needs Jesus Christ!
There is no single soul on this earth, who doesn’t need Jesus.
God appointed the new man and gave the commandment to represent and preach Jesus Christ, by living after the Spirit and doing His will.
The heart of the new man should have compassion for all those abantu, abalahlekileyo.
But many times this isn’t the case. Because many Christians are too busy with themselves.
They don’t care about other people living in darkness in the bondage of the devil, isono, nokufa. They don’t care about lost souls, they only think about themselves. And so they keep their mouth shut and approve of sin and allow people to walk in sin.
God’s ways lead to heaven and man’s ways lead to hell
Ke wonke umntu uyahendwa, xa etsalwa kweyakhe inkanuko, kwaye walukuhlwa. Ngoko xa inkanuko ithe yamitha, luzala isono: nesono, xa igqityiwe, luvelisa ukufa (UJames 1:14-15)
Kuba umvuzo wesono kukufa; Kodwa isipho sikaThixo bubomi obungunaphakade ngoYesu Krestu iNkosi yethu. (AmaRoma 6:23)
Nangona kunjalo, IBhayibhile ithi, ukuba umvuzo wesono kukufa. This applies to everyone, even if you call yourself a Christian.
You can call yourself whatever you want, but your actions and the way you live determine, Ungubani. Your life shows if you are born of God and belong to God and do His will or that you still belong to the devil and do his will. (Funda kwakhona: Ukuthanda kukaThixo ngokuchasene nentando kaMtyholi).
Wonke umntu, who keeps walking in sin, walks in rebellion against God on his or her way which leads to eternal death.
UYesu yindlela, inyani, kunye noBomi. If you abide and stay in Him, by living after His will and Imithetho yakhe, you shall walk on God’s way. God’s way is a narrow way that leads to eternal life.
But you can only walk on this narrow way if you have said goodbye to your own way; Intando yakho, iminqweno, amaphupha, plans, njl. Because often these dreams and plans for your life originated from the will of the flesh and not from the will of the Spirit.
Paul had an encounter with Jesus Christ
Ngokutsho kwehlabathi, Paul was a wise and educated man. But when Paul had a personal encounter with Jesus the Christ, Paul laid down his carnal knowledge and wisdom and gave his life to Jesus (IZenzo 9).
Paul made Jesus the Lord of his life and decided to follow Him. UPawulos wayesazi, what the consequences of his decision would mean for his life. He knew that if he decided to follow Jesus, he would suffer for the Name of Jesus and experience resistance, Intshutshiso, kunye nokuvalelwa. Jesus and the Holy Spirit had shown this to Paul (IZenzo 9:16 kwaye 20:22-28).
When the time arrived, that Paul would be taken captive for the Name of Jesus in Jerusalem, his brothers warned him and tried to stop him from going to Jerusalem. One of his brothers had received a revelation and saw what would happen to Paul.
But Paul knew that it was the will of God to go to Jerusalem. Ngoba? Because it was God’s way to be a witness and testify of Jesus Christ to the Roman officials (IZenzo 27:23-24).
If Paul had been carnal and walked after the flesh, Paul might have listened to his brothers and not gone to Jerusalem.
But Paul laid down his own will and walked after the Spirit on God’s way after God’s will. Paul was prepared to suffer and die for the Igama likaYesu. That’s why he kept walking after the will of God.
Paul didn’t go his own way. But Paul went God’s way, which God had prepared for Paul (IZenzo 21:11-14).
Paul didn’t rebel against the Holy Spirit
Paul had a free will, just like anyone else. But Paul had submitted himself to God. He always listened to the Holy Spirit, and didn’t rebel.
Paul didn’t rebel when the Holy Spirit prevented him from going to a specific country and instructed him to go to another country instead (IZenzo 16:6-10). He was fully submissive to the Holy Spirit.
Paul had Beka ubomi bakhe in word and deed. Ngoko ke, Paul was able to follow Jesus.
Maybe Paul had certain dreams and plans for his life. But when Paul had a personal encounter with Jesus, Paul only had one purpose for his life and that was to follow Jesus Christ and to go His way. And so Paul preached, represented, wazisa ubukumkani bukaThixo ebantwini. So that Jesus, nangaye, the Father would be honored and exalted.
The will and iingcinga zikaThixo became Paul’s will and thoughts. Because of that God’s way became Paul’s way. The way of God led to persecution, ukubandezeleka, kunye nokuvalelwa. Kodwa phezu kwazo zonke ezi zinto, Paul went God’s way, because Paul loved God above all. (Funda kwakhona: Ngaba uyamthanda uThixo ngentliziyo yakho yonke?).
Yindlela kaThixo indlela yakho?
Mamaxesha amaninzi, God’s way is not the easiest and most pleasant way for the flesh to go. But God’s way is the right way to go in life. Because God’s way is the only way to eternal life.
There is only one way to enter God’s way and walk on God’s way and that’s through Jesus Christ, uNyana kaThixo.
UYesu Kristu uyiNdlela, Inyaniso, kunye noBomi. The only question is, are you willing to give up your will, amaphupha, iminqweno, kwaye (kwikamva) plans for Him? Are you willing to submit to Him and do His will, so that God’s way becomes your way?
‘Yibani yityuwa yehlabathi’
