October 14. God heals by humbling. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him. I will lead him

and restore comfort to him and his mourners, creating the fruit of lips. Peace, peace to the far and to the near, says the Lord, and I will heal him.

Isaiah 57, 18 and 19.

In spite of the severity of man's disease of rebellion and willfulness, God will heal. How will he heal? Isaiah 5715 says that God

dwells with the crushed and humble. Yet the people of Isaiah 5717 are not humble.

They are brazenly pursuing their own proud way.

So what will healing be?

It can only be one thing.

God will heal them by humbling them.

He will cure the patient by crushing his pride. If only the crushed and humble enjoy God's fellowship,

Isaiah 5715, and if Israel's sickness is a proud and willful rebellion, Isaiah

5717, and if God promises to heal them, Isaiah 5718, then his healing must be humbling and his cure must be a crushed spirit.

Isn't this Isaiah's way of prophesying what Jeremiah called the new covenant and the gift of a new heart?

He said, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,

when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel.

I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts,

and I will be their God and they will be my people, Jeremiah 31, 31, and 33.

Isaiah and Jeremiah both see a time coming when a sick, disobedient, hard-hearted people

will be supernaturally changed. Isaiah speaks of healing. Jeremiah speaks of writing the law on their

hearts, and Ezekiel puts it like this. I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put

within you and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh

and give you a heart of flesh.

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