Because of sin, all of mankind has suffered separation from God and gone into bondage to the devil and his evil forces. God loves everyone and just like He rescued the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, has fulfilled the promise of salvation of all of humanity. His Son, Lord Jesus Christ is ‘the way, the truth and life’ and those who follow Him and walk in His way are cleansed of all sins.
Reasons of sufferings of His chosen – God created earth and on it all types of ‘grass, herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth’ (Genesis 1:11-12). After completing the creation work, ‘The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man He had formed’ (Genesis 2:8-15). The Garden of Eden had ‘every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food’ and it had the ‘Tree of Life’ in the midst and also the ‘The Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil’. Gold, precious stones and all that the man would need was there. God ‘took the man and put him in the garden’ and his responsibility was ‘to tend and keep it’.
But why did God create this exclusive place, separated from all else? This was the place that God desired to meet man to help him grow into a being who would bear His traits and be His able representative to rule over all the created beings. Adam and Eve were to expand the dominion of this place on the rest of the earth by living a holy and righteous life. The temptation to Eve in all this abundance and the Son of God in the wilderness in hunger and thirst was the same. The offer was to ‘be like God’ (Genesis 3:5) by meeting the hunger of the flesh using own authority while bye-passing the heavenly control. The Garden of Eden, then the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem were all specific places where man could be in the presence of God. Sin moves us away from the presence of the Holy God and the cherubim stand in guard to protect us from sudden death while attempting to come before Him, like Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu.
First God removes mankind from His presence but He Himself does not abandon them. But when sin becomes extreme, God even allows people to go into bondage, the Israelites to Babylon and a believer under evil, hunger, lack and disease. Prophet Ezekiel preached to the captives in Babylon with encouraging messages about their return to Jerusalem. When the sin in Jerusalem became unbearable, God took the prophet Ezekiel in the spirit to Jerusalem to show him all the evil committed by the priests, the leaders of Israel and the people in the Temple itself (Ezekiel 8 to 10). He also witnessed the coming judgement and death of all those sinners in Jerusalem.
Finally, God removes His presence from between the people in sin. Prophet Ezekiel finally saw that ‘the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the Temple and stood over the cherubim’ (Ezekiel 10:18-19). The cherubim ‘mounted up from the earth’ as seen by him. This becomes the final separation from God for sinful people, who are then destined to destruction.
God in His mercy and grace kept trying to get His chosen people, the Israelites to turn to Him. When all else failed to turn the people from evil, God enforced spiritual silence for four hundred years, with no Word from Him to the people. The long-awaited Messiah, ‘the Way, the truth and the life’ was finally revealed to mankind in the form of a child, born of a virgin. But the hearts of the leaders of the children of Israel were hardened and blinded by their earthly knowledge and understanding of the Scripture. They not only refused to accept Lord Jesus as the Saviour but even led Him to be crucified. Lord Jesus was fully aware of the coming events of His crucifixion and resurrection and ascension into heaven. What was seen by prophet Ezekiel around six hundred before and later came to be, the same was foretold and happened again in the Messiah. Looking forward to the events of the Passover, ‘Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple’ (Matthew 24:1-2). Then He declared the coming destruction of Jerusalem in A D 70 when, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down’. When we start concentrating more on the rituals and specific places, more than God, we get evicted from His presence.
Before giving the Ten Commandments to His people, they were reminded, ‘I am the LORD Your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage’ (Exodus 20:2). This statement is repeated more than fifty times in the Scripture. The people could have said, God You did it, so what more now, let us really live as free people now. They and like them all believers also need to be reminded of this blessing of salvation by the work of the LORD God, again and again.
We have been set on the Highway of Holiness leading into heaven, by Lord Jesus (Isaiah 35:8). The promise is that ‘all those who walk the road, although a fool, shall not go astray’. But we have an adversary, the devil and his forces of evil and darkness, who ‘walks about a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour’ (1 Peter 5:8). Satan’s lies are attractive and the weak, who look towards the storms more than towards God, are likely to fall and go astray. The difficulty is not the walk itself but to keep focused on Lord Jesus and follow Him. We tend to become self-sufficient even in our faith, like Apostle Peter, and end up denying God.
Meaning of reaching and walking on the Highway of Holiness – The events leading to this Highway of Holiness are about restoration of those lost in sin (Isaiah 35:8). From the wilderness, they are led into abundance of all earthly resources. This process of redemption is freedom from bondage, in the Old Testament, it was about rescue from physical slavery from other nations. This Highway being of Holiness, it is the walk from the wilderness of sin and evil into an altogether different path. Only the Lamb of God, Lord Jesus, being sinless and holy could die on our behalf to free us from the bondage of sin and evil. On the cross He declared ‘It is finished’ and the work of redemption of mankind was completed (John 19:30). Lord Jesus has won the freedom for our souls from the slavery of sin, the devil and his forces of evil.
The main aspects of this redemption are; First, it starts from God who acts out of His love, grace and mercy and not on human merit. Second, He leads them into a binding covenantal relationship based on faith, obedience, worship and service. Third, it gives a new identity with continuous inner transformation of the individual and purpose of living itself. They start living holy lives, reflecting the traits of God and heavenly kingdom values. Fourth, they are joined together as a community, bearing witness to God’s work in the world. The basis of this whole process is on faith and love of God, for God and for each other. Fifth, a deeper desire to know such a merciful and loving God as revealed in His Word.
Prophet Ezekiel preached to the Jewish people in captivity in Babylon and he was commanded by God, ‘eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel’ (Ezekiel 3:1-3). He ate and it tasted like honey in sweetness. Studying, meditating on and making the Word as part of one’s whole being becomes a part of life of a true believer. The Word then leads and strengthens them to walk in His way. Getting onto and walking on this God’s Highway of Holiness reflects some important things. First, it separates all who walk on it from worldly compromises into a renewed commitment to serve God. The traveller must recognise Lord Jesus as the Way and the One walking along. The Saviour strengthens and helps all to continue the walk, remaining focused on Him and the destination.
The walk involves a long process of transformation. Though the kingdom of heaven is established in each one in the presence of the Holy Spirit, all are being prepared for eternal life in heaven, in God’s presence. We are cautioned by Apostle Paul to not be conformed to this world, ‘but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’ (Romans 12:2). This is the change from doubt to faith and from sinful thoughts and desires to live holy.
Second, the indwelling Holy Spirit starts working to give His gifts as required for the decreed task by God in heaven. This helps in serving God and people by helping them walk right. The change is reflected in our behaviour towards others in the fruit of the Holy Spirit like love, joy, peace and faithfulness (Galatians 5:22-23).
Third, walking on the Highway of Holiness is lifelong and not for a few days or months, for on it we walk in God’s presence towards heaven. Since this is His Highway, His rules must apply to all who come and aim for His destination only. One does not leave this Highway but only falls from it into everlasting darkness.
The emphasis is on two points; first, ‘The unclean shall not pass over it’ (Isaiah 35:8). Those persisting in evil ways or rebellion cannot continue on this journey. The second, ‘No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it’. The devil and his demonic spirit will not access the Highway nor to those travelling on it, for they will be under the protection of the Good Shepherd. The name of the Highway defines its exclusiveness and those who travel on this, for all of them will be cleansed and sanctified by the blood of the Lamb.
Is this the Highway of Salvation only? Everyone knows about the judgement of God and in Zion also sinners will be afraid as anywhere else (Isaiah 33:14-16). This fear is of being cast into the devouring fire of the bottomless pit. The Israelites were aware of the Word, ‘I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings’ (Jeremiah 17:10). The same God instead of justice offered them this Highway of Holiness. During their wilderness wanderings for forty years, the Israelites ‘ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ’ (1 Corinthians 10:3-4).
God never abandons us in our pain, lack or sufferings or joys and celebrations also. He cares, protects and provides all that we need, but once we get on His Highway, we tend to forget Him. Joshuia led the people into Canaan with the flooded Jordan river being parted, the great walls of Jericho falling and its capture and Ai being captured. The people of Gibeon, a place not far from Ai devised a plan to form a covenant with the Israelites (Joshua 9:5-15). Wearing worn out sandals, having torn and repaired wineskins, dry and mouldy bread, they pretended to represent some distant country. The Israelites ‘did not enquire of the LORD; for His counsel’ and they were fooled by this and agreed to be at ‘peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live’.
God desires a secure place of fellowship with Him for His people but the devil comes with illusions and lies to trick us and lead us away from the LORD God. The Highway in itself is a means of worship, to offer praise to the God of love. It is to be the symbol of communion, for the Saviour Lord walks with the traveller. It is a clear display of God’s redemptive power as seen in His Son, who was sent by God, the Father, not to ‘condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved’ (John 3:17). He is the Way to salvation and eternal life, the Good Shepherd, who loves and cares for His sheep.
This Highway is the fulfillment of the prophecy about The Real Way, the Lamb of God, who puts us on the right path. Two disciples, probably part of the group of seventy who were sent by the Saviour Lord with authority, were met by the Risen Lord on their journey to Emmaus from Jerusalem (Luke 24:13-27). This was Sunday, the day of His resurrection and along the journey of about seven miles, ‘beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself’. The Old Testament, right from The Beginning to Prophet Malachi, reveals the Son of God and His work in various parabolic details.
Practical application of this Highway affects every day of our lives. First, it is a call to daily holiness with a continuous commitment to a righteous life of prayer, Scripture reading and meditation and acts of compassion towards others. This is about everyday change with the fruit of the Holy Spirit visible in our life-style.
Second, fellowship with the community of believers, who are co-walkers on this Highway. This is about sharing spiritual and physical burdens of stress and suffering, encouraging each other, for one is never alone. Small groups must be formed to help grow in faith and understanding.
Third, witness to the world. While the devil tries to distract, we try to attract others to join on this path, through personal testimony and transformed lives. The work of God’s grace and truth and the blessings of the finished work of Lord Jesus on the cross, are boldly proclaimed.
The promise and its fulfilment in Lord Jesus is timeless till the second coming of Lord Jesus. While it brings complete restoration, it also helps in daily living, in resisting all evil temptations. The commitment to serve the Redeemer in His work on the earth gets renewed daily and His power and authority also sought and received in the same manner every day.
All people in the world desire to live a life of happiness and joy, but it is not found in worldly pleasures but in living a holy life. The way out of most of the troubles of the world is to turn to live righteously. One must be filled with a deep thirst and hunger for Lord Jesus, the Living Word, to turn to walk on this way of salvation and holiness, for without this it is impossible to do so. Truly, salvation is not only in getting on this highway but in continuing to walk on it!
