Bible Commentaries
James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary
Isaiah 57
GOD’S TWO DWELLING PLACES
‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit.’
Isaiah 57:15
God has two special dwellings—the high and holy place, i.e. the heaven not merely of space, but of pure and blessed spirits; and the hearts of men who have felt their sin and their need of God.
I. These two dwellings are far apart.—How wide and great the one, how small and narrow the other! How permanent the one, how passing the other! How bright and untroubled the one, how dark and troubled the other!
II. They have yet something in common.—The high place is akin to the humble spirit, for to see the far and high, and to long for it, is to rise; to have something of God within lifts up. The holy place is akin to the contrite heart; for to feel the sin and separation is to reach to the holy, and this comes from having God already in the heart at work.
III. They are to be brought into one.—God dwells in them to unite them, to revive the spirit, to give life. And where God gives true life, He gives the earnest of heaven and eternity. These hearts are therefore on the way to being God’s perpetual home.
IV. The full end of these words is in Christ.—He came from the high and holy place to dwell among men, and find a way into human hearts—to make heaven and the heart one and eternal.
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