Isaiah 55: 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
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 cometh down, and the snow from heaven and returns not thither, but waters the earth and makes it bring forth, and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater.
11 So shall my word be which goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
The above passage makes us to understand that The Lord does not think like we mortals do. Our thought patterns and processes are very limited in scope, for we are finite beings, relegated to natural constraints and boundaries, as we endeavor to make decisions, and reach correct conclusions, and only using about ten percent of our mental capacity.
God is not like us, for He has unique capabilities at His disposal, such as the singular ability to read the future accurately, with all of the fine details, and for this reason, He is able to plan and execute His plans with a surgical accuracy that baffles mortal minds.
That’s why when the decision was made in heaven, for Jesus to come to this earth to die for our sins, He saw in advance that Christ would be victorious, for He would use His freedom of choice to follow the plan of salvation even though at times the going got rough.
Hence the reason why all of the prophecies that are written in the Bible concerning Christ, always paint a picture of victory, and never of failure. From Genesis to Revelation, from bruising of the serpent’s head to the last verse in Revelation, every one, without any exception, portray Christ as a winner, and never as a loser.
This is not because God The Father prevented Christ from doing otherwise; He just saw the end result of Christ’s future decision-making, and made a perfect prediction, based upon what He foresaw. This is one of the reasons why we will have to trust God, even if things might not seem to us, to be going in the right direction.
For example, God knew in advance, that Joseph’s own brothers would sell him as a slave into Egypt. It is not something that took God by surprise, and God also saw that Mrs. Potiphar would try to seduce the young man, and try to force him into a rendezvous.
But God also foresaw that Joseph resist temptation and be victorious. Thus, with all of that foreknowledge before Him, He goes to work, planning with a surgical accuracy, the overthrow of the kingdom of darkness as it meddled in Joseph’s life experience, and thus, turning every negative in Joseph’s experience, into a positive.
Then, according to God’s perfect plan and timing, when He was ready, someway, somehow Joseph got placed in the second highest seat of authority in the land of Egypt, much to the chagrin of Mr. and Mrs. Potiphar. Let’s read:
Psalms 105:17 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant.
18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron.
19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him.
20 The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.
21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance.
22 To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.
Now, let us back up a bit and take the same purpose and end result to Joseph’s parents. The end result is that Joseph must end up being the second highest in the land of Egypt and he must do so without ever tarnishing his character. Joseph must also become familiar with politicians and the justice system that governed Egypt.
What therefore do you think will be a right, sensible way of achieving that goal, as per the finite, human perspective? Remember, our very first passage tells us that God does not think like we do!
His parents would most likely send Joseph to Havard or one of those Ivy league schools of the day. They would make certain he was well dressed, with that coat of many bright colors, and they would make sure that he was sufficiently financed, as he could call upon them at any time to pay for study material, meals, and anything that he would need along the way.
Now, let’s look at God’s providences, in causing him to reach the same goal. God permits Joseph to leave his parents’ home with only one shirt on his back. In his pockets there is not a single dime, nor any credit card, that he could use as backup.
He permits slavery, jail time, orange jump suits, and attempted rape, and dreadlocks, for the Scripture says Joseph’s hair grew so long in jail, that he had to shave, before going into pharaoh for his interview. It is most likely that Joseph’s parents would not agree with God’s plan for their beloved son. Let’s read:
Genesis 41:14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.
[P&P pp 220] Joseph was immediately sent for; he put off his prison attire, and shaved himself, for his hair had grown long during the period of his disgrace and confinement. He was then conducted to the presence of the king.
Sometimes, God, in His wisdom has to cut some of us down to size, before promoting us, lest we too become exalted above measure, and end up taking to ourselves, the glory, and the credit that is due to God alone.
Our achievements often go to our heads, and before you know it, God is often left out of the picture, and we often give glory to institutions of higher learning, rather than to God. Let’s read:
Psalms 75: 5 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.
6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.
7 But God is the judge: He puts down one, and sets up another.
2nd Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Again, The Lord shows us that His thoughts are not like ours, for in making the promise of a great nation to Abraham, He permits situations and providences that may not sit well in the minds of mortals. A lot of what God does, or permits, occurs as a result of Him taking into account our freedom of choice.
Thus, God incorporates that human element and He plans around it, all the while not forcing anyone into doing that which they would not otherwise have done. Thus, His providences must be understood in this context, because, if it were not for the obstacles incidental to our freedom of choice, God would, in many instances, have taken a different route.
For instance, it wasn’t His ideal will for the Hebrews to take forty years to enter Canaan, a journey that would normally have taken a few days at the most. But the obstacles presented by the human agents, thus caused Him to work with them on their level, so that His secondary will was accomplished.
The same is true of the nation that would come of Abraham. It was because of their tendency to like idolatry, why they were permitted to go down into Egypt, The Lord by this providence showing them what the worship of idols does to people, so that if they chose to, they might relinquish it.
But to the surface reader, it may appear as if God is taking a circuitous route to achieve what He intends to. Thus, as He makes His prediction to Abraham we are to understand that He incorporated the freedom of choice, to fulfill His purposes. Let’s read:
Genesis 15: 7 And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
8 And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13 And he said unto Abram, know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
Again, God’s methods and ways, together with His thought processes, may seem to make no sense at times, and the human agent often wonders if God really knows what He is doing. In the next instance, we’ll observe that Peter, James and John, who were experienced fishermen, had packed up for the night, after having not caught a single fish.
Like we so often do, they had chalked up their own failures to an absence of fish that night, but as the narrative would disclose, the problem was not with the fish, the problem was one of inverted priorities, for there were actually millions of fishes that night, waiting, hoping, and begging to be caught.
These same disciples had previously left their nets to follow Jesus, after He had personally called them to His ministry, but it seems as if their priorities in life were not as yet rearranged in the right order of priority.
So, they fished all night, putting their best energies and most ardent efforts into working for their daily bread, to make a living to provide for themselves, and their families.
This is good and worthy of every true believer, and it is even commanded in the Scriptures, that he who will not work, will not eat. The problem here is that providing for ourselves and our families is never to be our highest motivation in life because all of these “necessary” things, pale in comparison to the great commission God has called each of us to.
So, here comes Jesus, asking Peter to move his boat a little offshore, so that the multitudes could be fed with the written and Living word of God. It is worthy of note that the very same boat Peter used to make his living is the one that Jesus now uses in bringing souls to God.
This shows in unmistakable terms that the priorities of these disciples were, at the very least, partially inverted at that time, with work and family coming first, and the interests of Christ’s kingdom coming second.
This inversion of priorities is currently to be found in most Christians today, as some become consumed with paying the bills, supporting their families, and fighting off inflation.
Therefore, as Jesus arrives on the scene, He gently seeks to correct their inverted priorities, and He begins to preach to the multitudes, who were then pressing upon Him to hear the word of God.
There were more important matters at hand, other than working for their daily bread, and thus, Jesus rose to the occasion and deals with that which must be of the utmost importance to the you and me, in the here and now.
One of the reasons why some Christians may fish all night and catch nothing, is because of the inverted priorities in their lives, where the interests of God’s kingdom are an afterthought, and working for your daily bread, absorbs your best energies.
So, again, to the casual reader, it may seem as if The Son of God is oblivious to His disciple’s failures, and instead of first dealing with their temporal concerns, He addresses that which is most important in life, the salvation of souls. Remember, our first passage says My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways, my ways. Let’s read:
Luke 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and asked him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
4 Now when he had finished speaking, he said unto Simon, launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: never-the-less at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net broke.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees saying, depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
This leads us to the main subject matter which we’ll try to unpack today. God was just about to deliver Israel from Egyptian slavery, and God was looking for a particular king, with a particular mindset that would fit the bill, without God forcing him to do that which he would not otherwise have done.
In other words, He needs a stupid, stubborn king on the throne, at such a time as this, and lo and behold He finds a knuckle head, who is in the habit of not listening to anybody. This particular pharaoh would not listen to God, he will not listen to Moses, and he does not even listen to his own magicians.
But, believe it or not, this is actually the kind of person God is looking for, to fit the bill, and, even though God would give him, equal opportunity just like anyone else, this pharaoh will use his freedom of choice to resist, and resist, and resist. Egypt will be brought to ruins, the land will be devastated, and yet, he will continue to resist.
In the process, he will bury his own firstborn and he will still resist; his magicians would plead with him, and he will still resist, the entire land will be plunged into mourning and he will still resist, in so much that we had to coin him a name: “Brother Resistance”
Most folks, especially the Hebrews, would be hard pressed to agree with God in His choice of this King, for there would be collateral damage and suffering to God’s people, they will be thrown into a season of great distress, yet, because God’s thoughts aren’t like ours, He chooses this particular pharaoh so as to accomplish His good purposes towards Israel. Let’s read:
Exodus 1:8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we.
10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falls out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.
13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor.
14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor.
15 And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:
16 And he said, when ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.
22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.
Exodus 9: 16 And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
17 As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?
23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
24 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25 And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field.
34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
35 And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses.
Some may be wondering what’s the purpose of this study. The fact is that sacred history teaches us that there are times and there will be times when we too may not agree with God and thus, we are instructed to walk by faith alone, trusting in Him, knowing that he knows what He is doing.
In order for earth’s probation to finally come to a close, and in order for the mark of the beast to be instituted in America, God would be looking for a particular person with a particular mindset who, like pharaoh, would bring great distress to God’s people, and because of this many of us might not agree with what God might permit in the near future.
The issue of worship stands front, and center of the prophecies in Revelation 13 and 14, and therefore, a dear leader who is obsessed with human praise may be the very one God is looking for to fit the bill.
No one knows what will eventuate, but just in case your expectations and hopes are dashed to pieces; just in case your comfort zone gets disrupted, know for a certainty that God’s ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts, and who knows, He may just permit some things that we may not agree with.
God has not called us primarily to agree with Him, but rather to obey Him, and obedience, at such a time as this, when things seem to be going off the rails on several fronts, is the time when we need to understand that God is still on His throne.
Whenever it might seem to us that God is going off- script, that is the very time when we’ll need to trust Him most. The Christian walk is a walk by faith, for if we were to understand everything God does, and if we were to agree with every move He makes, then we would not need any faith.
But faith trusts God where we cannot trace Him and obedience to His every word and instruction at such a time when we might not see the future clearly, as He does is a must, for it’s only the mind of faith that will be prepared for what might be coming upon the earth in short order.
We therefore end with a passage of Scripture that will encourage us to walk by faith in God alone, as we trust His every move, for his thoughts and ways are higher than ours, as much as the heavens are higher than the earth. Let’s read:
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
God Bless!