The lofty one whose name is holy dwells with crushed and humble saints.

Can't think of a more sweet with crushed and humble saints.

Can't think of a more sweet truth in the world.

What is it about the lofty one

that he would come to us in our brokenness to heal us and to love us.

That's the question John Piper answers from Isaiah 5714 to 21 in this episode of Light and Truth.

This sermon was originally preached

at Bethlehem Baptist Church on October 21st, 1984. I'd like us to see this text against its preceding context in verses 9 through 12 for example in chapter 56 there's this awful

description of the leadership in Israel and how they have gone bad and failed to care for the people.

Take verse 11 as an example.

The dogs have a mighty appetite, they never have enough. The Shepherds also have no understanding. They have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all.

So the leaders of the people are all after their own gain and it's a mess and then in verses 1 through 13 of chapter 57 what you get is a description of a people who have bad leaders. When the leaders

go bad, the people go bad. For example, verses 1 and 2, the righteous perish and are taken away.

Versus three and four, adultery and sorcery and cruelty abound.

And then the first half of verse five, there are these sexual fertility rights taken

over from the Canaanite religions. And the second half of verse five there's child sacrifice.

Probably Isaiah lived during the time of Manassa,

the son of Hezekiah who actually offered up his own son to Molok, the idol and engaged in Zeus saying in mediums and

Wizards.

Versus 6 through 13 then are a long description of idolatry. So that's what the people of Israel were offering

up to Almighty God who had been so gracious to them from the days of Abraham and Moses and David, just a long series

of idolatry and sin.

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