Isaiah 57:13-15 (KJV)
“[13] … but he that putteth his trust in Me shall possess the land, and shall inherit My holy mountain; [14] And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of My people. [15] For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
When we carefully consider this passage, and observe the flow of the discuss, we observe that “… he that putteth his trust in Me …”, mentioned in verse 13, is associated with “… him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit …”, mentioned in verse 15. The Hebrew word translated to “trust” in verse 13 means “to flee for protection” or “to confide (hope) in” or “to seek refuge”. Indeed, anyone who has such a heart towards God — a heart of running to Him for help with the belief that He is able to protect and provide support — such a one would surely be humble and contrite. To be humble means to be low minded (as opposed to thinking highly of one’s self — feeling self sufficient), while to be contrite means to have a broken heart towards God — a heart that constantly uses the Word of God to examine itself and as such always seeks God’s mercy because of its weakness that it is aware of which are at variance with the Word of God.
The result of such character of being humble and contrite is that the person would run to God for help and assistance, having no confidence in his own ability to do the will of God. It is such a people that God is referring to in this passage. God is saying that these kinds of persons are the ones who will inherit His holy mountain (His high and holy place) by dwelling there with Him. We therefore have a hint to the appropriate heart condition for accessing God’s assistance to live a victorious (high and holy) Christian life that experiences the glory of God’s high and holy place — a humble and contrite heart that trusts and genuinely depends on God for everything, having no confidence in self to accomplish anything be it spiritual or physical.
So what is the high and holy place (the holy mountain)?
It is Mount Zion — the heavenly community. Hebrews 12:22-24 describes it, saying:
“[22] But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, [23] To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, [24] And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”
As such, the holy mountain (Mount Zion) is a symbol for heaven; because physically, a mountain is a structure that rises from the ground into the sky, meaning, by climbing it a person will ascend into the sky. The emphasis of the mountain is its peak, which is why verse 15 of the main text (Isaiah 57:15) refers to it as the “high and holy place”. It is heaven! Therefore, to dwell with God in the high and holy place (or to inherit the holy mountain) means to dwell in heaven.
What does it mean to dwell in heaven?
It means that although you are physically on earth, your life expresses the possibilities of heaven, such that you are like a heavenly being on earth. The life our Lord Jesus lived on earth is a perfect example, which is why in John 3:13 He said that He is in heaven (even though He was physically on earth).
God is saying (in Isaiah 57:13-15) that to live this kind of heavenly (high and holy) life you need to trust Him (run to Him for help without thinking you can do it on your own) and you need to have a humble and contrite heart. Then He will cause you to ascend to experience eternity even while in this physical body.
Prayer for today:
O Lord, help me to trust you. Help me to always depend on you, never thinking I can do it on my own. Help me to have an attitude of always running to you for refuge and assistance. O Lord, create in me a humble and a contrite heart, so that I can dwell with You in Your high and holy place, and so that, just like Jesus did, my life will express heavenly possibilities to bless and revive those around me, that Your name might be glorified in and through me. In Jesus name, Amen.
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