Yeshayah 55:8

8 For My machshevot are not your machshevot, neither are the darkhei (ways) of you the darkhei of Me, saith Hashem.

Yeshayah 55:8 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 55:8

For my thoughts are not your thoughts
In some things there may be a likeness between the thoughts of God and the thoughts of men, as to the nature of them: thoughts are natural and essential to them both; they are within them, are internal acts, and unknown to others, till made known; but then the thoughts of men are finite and limited, whereas the thoughts of the Lord are infinite and boundless; men's thoughts have a beginning, but the Lord's have none; though not so much the nature as the quality of them is here intended: the thoughts of men are evil, even the imagination of their thoughts, yea, every imagination is, and that always and only so; but the thoughts of God are holy, as appears from his purposes and covenant, and all his acts of grace, in redemption, calling, and preparing his people for glory: the thoughts of men, as to the object of them, are vain, and nothing worth; their thoughts and sentiments of things are very different from the Lord's, as about sin, concerning Christ, the truths of the Gospel, the people of God, religion, holiness, and a future state, and in reference to the business of salvation; they think they can save themselves; that their own works of righteousness are sufficient to justify them; their privileges and profession such, that they shall be saved; their wisdom, riches, and honour, a security to them from damnation: however, that their sincere obedience, with repentance for what is amiss, will entitle them to happiness: but the thoughts of God are the reverse of all this; particularly with respect to pardoning mercy their thoughts are different; carnal men think of mercy, but not of justice, and of having pardoning mercy in an absolute way, and not through Christ, and without conversion and repentance; and so this is a reason why men's thoughts are to be forsaken, because so very unlike to the Lord's. Or else these words are to be considered as an argument, proving that God does abundantly pardon all returning sinners; since he is not like men, backward to forgive, especially great and aggravated crimes, but is ready, free, and willing to forgive, even those of the most aggravated circumstances. Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord;
the ways which God prescribes and directs men to walk in are different from theirs; his are holy, theirs unholy; his are plain, theirs crooked; his are ways of light, theirs ways of darkness; his are pleasant, theirs not so, at least in the issue; his lead to life, theirs to death; and therefore there is good reason why they should leave their evil ways, and walk in his. Moreover, the ways which he takes in the salvation of men are different from those which they, naturally pursue, and especially in the pardon of sin; he pardons freely, fully, without any reserve, or private grudge, forgetting as well as forgiving.

Yeshayah 55:8 In-Context

6 Seek ye Hashem while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is karov (near);

7 Let the rasha forsake his derech, and the ish aven his machshevot; and let him return unto Hashem, and He will have rachamim upon him; and to Eloheinu, for He will abundantly pardon.

8 For My machshevot are not your machshevot, neither are the darkhei (ways) of you the darkhei of Me, saith Hashem.

9 For as Shomayim is higher than ha’aretz, so are the darkhei of Me higher than the darkhei of you, and My machshevot than your machshevot.

10 For as the geshem cometh down, and the sheleg (snow) from Shomayim, and returneth not to there, but watereth ha’aretz, and maketh it yield forth v’hitzmicha (and sprout, spring up; Tzemach), that it may give zera to the zore’a (sower), and lechem to the eater;