My Way

     In life there are two "ways." We may think of many religions, but there are still merely two "ways." Isaiah knew thousands of years ago the ways of life:

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isa 40:3) Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? (Isa 40:27; italics mine)

     Isaiah was speaking of specific people in these passages. John the Baptist was "the voice":

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (Mat 3:1-3).

     Christians know that "the Way of the Lord" is Jesus's Way. Furthermore, Isaiah saw Jesus! Comparing the two passages, Isaiah said "prepare ye the way of the Lord," which we discover in the Book of Matthew that "the Lord" is Jesus. Isaiah saw God's face, and he was called Jesus (Mat 1:25). It turns out that Jesus, also called "the Christ," was called "the Messiah" in Isaiah's time. "The way" in Isaiah's time was the way of Jesus: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).
     Jesus was the disciples' "way," and Jesus was Isaiah's "way." Jesus - God Himself - said, "No man cometh to the Father, but by me." That includes Isaiah, King David, Adam, Moses, Abraham, and any of those faithful Jews throughout history. Hence, salvation was always by grace, for everyone, and by the only Way - Jesus Christ. Paul referred to that as the "mystery of God"/"the mystery of Christ." Isaiah revealed that mystery long before Paul was ever born.
    One of the first "ways' of which Isaiah spoke was the Doctrine of Christ Jesus: "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son" (2 John 1:9). Note that "the way" is abiding in the Doctrine of Christ. The Way of Christ is residing in his doctrine thereafter. Believing is merely a commencement of the Way; trusting is continuing in the Way.
     It says that those who "abideth not", inferring that some once believed but failed to trust - they failed to keep the faith (Rev 14:120. The Way, then, is something to be kept. Paul likened it to running a race with the eyes on the prize.
     The Way is not for a short interval, but steadfast faith (Col 2:5). So the Way of Jesus is by him, trusting him, and continuing in him. What about him? His purpose - to save mankind by dying, resurrecting, and living forever. With poetic justice, to live forever Christians must walk the Way until the end; no one can finish the race and end it because the vision of the prize would be fantasy; it can't be obtained without finishing the course! That is God's Way.

     On the other hand, Isaiah speaks of Israel's "way" as "my way," meaning their way. "Israel's way" was syncretic - claiming God but not trusting Him; rather than God's way they did it their way! They had other gods in God's face (The First Commandment forbidding). Isaiah saw the face of the Way and it was Jesus's face he saw! The Israelites saw Baal's face, and did it Baal's way rather than God's Way. Baal isn't real. They created all types of Baals. Effectually, having other gods is putting faces of idols on your own face. That's where "my way" comes in; people assign godhood to other gods, but it is merely them "doing what is right in their own eyes" (Jud 17:6). Those who were not true Jews were their own gods and did it their own way. Thus, the two ways: the Way of Jesus and "my way," in that "my" refers to those on the wrong way.
    In the case of the Israelites their "my way" was having other gods besides God, fighting battles using their own devices, and pleasuring instead of obedience. They most always did things their way, and paid for that dearly: their city and temple were destroyed and they were carried away to other lands.
     Judaism nearly died-out. We know that because in Nehemiah's time, the prophet Ezra found the Book of the Law and taught the returning Jews about God. The Babylonian destruction of their world was their "deluge" in much the same way as Noah's time. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was symbolically building the ark. In this new world, by God's grace, like Noah's family, the Jews got another chance! They were to cease walking the way of the world and walk on God's "water" - God's way. God's way was rebuilding the wall and the temple, thus providing a way forward that the Abrahamic Covenant could be fulfilled.
     Indeed, the Abrahamic Covenant was the Doctrine of Christ; we know that because the faith of Abraham is the type and degree of faith which is the reference for Christians (Rom 4:16). The Jewish Abrahamic faith was the Way just as the Doctrine of Christ is the same Way.
     Let's look at God's Way and some of the "my ways":

• Adam attempted to cover his shame with fig leaves from the Serpent's tree. God removed the poor attempt, and covered him entirely with a coat of animal skins - Adam's way vs. God's Way.
• The world tried to sin and not worry about salvation. Noah's family by faith obeyed God and built an ark - the world's way vs. God's Way.
• Abraham, for safety's sake, used Sara as his sister instead of his wife. Abraham later was willing to sacrifice his son to God - sinful Abraham's way vs. righteous Abraham doing it God's Way.
• Moses killed a man to protect the Hebrew people. Moses allowed God to kill the firstborn - Moses's way vs. God's Way.
• Most of the Hebrew people dodged the poisonous vipers themselves. Others, even those who had been bitten, looked on the dead Serpent which God promised to kill, and were saved - the Hebrew way vs. God's Way. Jesus even indicated that was the Way to eternal life (John 3:14).
• David stole the body of Bathsheba and squandered Uriah's soul. David repented and again became a man after God's own heart - David's way vs. God's Way.
• David killed innocent Uriah but refused to kill guilty Saul - David's way vs. God's Way.
• Nebuchadnezzar robbed and destroyed the temple. Later he saw Jesus in the fiery furnace and ate grass like the beast he was - Nebuchadnezzar's way vs. God's Way.
• Satan tempted Jesus. Jesus entered not into temptation - Satan's way vs. Jesus's Way.
• Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind. Unknown to Satan it was the Serpent who really died that day - the Way of Jesus vs. the way of Satan.

     All of Holy Scripture is comparison's of the two ways. Elementarily speaking, there are only two ways: Jesus's Way or "my way" - "your way." Isaiah knew the same two ways which were spoken of in the New Testament:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way (my way), that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way (God's Way), which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Mat 7:13-14; parentheses mine)

     Jesus said that! Furthermore he validated Isaiah's description of the two ways, as Jesus prefaced this to what was said above:

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this (the two ways) is the law and the prophets. (Mat 7:12; parenthesis mine)