Isaiah 57:15 - Homiletics

The humility of God.

An ancient Jewish writer says, "Wherever the Scripture bears witness to the Divine mightiness, it brings out side by side with it the Divine humbleness" ('Megilla,' 31, a ); and this is nowhere more strikingly manifested than m the present passage. God "dwells in the high and holy place"—in the most exalted sphere to which human thought can possibly mount; and yet at the same time he dwells with the human spirit that is humble and crushed. As Delitzsch says, "The heaven of heavens is not too great for him, and a human heart is not too small for him, to dwell in." He who sits upon the cherubim, and hears the seraphim praise him with ceaseless voice, does not scorn also to "dwell among the sighs of a poor human soul." Note, in connection with this theme—

I. THAT ALL GOD 'S PROVIDENTIAL DEALINGS WITH THE THINGS THAT HE HAS CREATED ARE A CONDESCENSION . It is necessary that he should "humble himself" even to "behold the things which are in heaven and earth" ( Psalms 113:5 ). He is infinitely above these things—their "goodness extendeth not to him" ( Psalms 16:2 ). All contact with them is contact of the higher with the lower, and involves necessarily the higher stooping from his high estate. The distance between him and the highest of the angels is an infinite distance. His condescending to accept the praises of the angels is an infinite condescension.

II. THAT IT IS A GREATER CONDESCENSION FOR GOD TO HAVE DEALINGS WITH MEN THAN WITH ANGELS . Angels are pure, at any rate, from the taint of sin. God may "tax them with folly" ( Job 4:12 ), but he does not tax them with sin. There is no barrier of iniquity or impurity between God and the lowest angel. But with man the case is different. Man is "very far gone from original righteousness." He has corrupted his way before God. The best man "has sinned, and come short of God's glory" ( Romans 3:23 ). "What then is man, that God should be mindful of him? or the son of man, that he should visit him?" ( Psalms 8:4 ). It is an extraordinary condescension and humility that God should bring himself down to the level of man, hold communion with him, "dwell" with him, "heal" him. Yet he does this. Although his throne is in heaven, "yet his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men" ( Psalms 11:4 ). He "looks down from heaven upon them" ( Psalms 14:2 ). "From the place of his habitation he beholdeth all the dwellers on the earth" ( Psalms 33:14 ). The gratitude of men should correspond to the condescension of God.