15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
Walking along the road to Emmaus, discussing the events that had recently transpired, these two followers of Jesus were trying to make some sense of it all. The accounts that had been brought to them regarding Jesus’ resurrection had seemed to them as idle tales – sheer nonsense - foolish talk indeed. Approaching them to walk along the road with them, they were absolutely kept from laying hold of Jesus’ true identity. For all they knew, He was just a stranger on His way to Emmaus as well. Ever like Jesus to come into their midst as they were discussing and reasoning about the probabilities of His resurrection. When two are employed in faith and love, communing and reasoning together in their search for Christ, He shows up providing the third strand to the cord of which Solomon states is not quickly broken:
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Eccl 4:12 (NIV)
Our God is relational. From Genesis to Revelation His desire is to be with us - hence the need for Christ. Because of the fall our sin prevented relationship with His Holiness. A perfect sacrifice for our sins was needed to restore communion and counsel and Jesus alone fit that bill. He is a “with us” God. We find in Genesis:
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" Gen 3:8-9 (NIV)
Yet over and over again found both in Scripture and lived out in life, flesh is constantly seeking counsel from among flesh rather than from God. Oh, we cry out to Him quickly enough in our despair yet seek to handle everything else by ourselves as if we had all the answers or as if we had the discernment to always know the proper path. Job heard from God directly regarding
God’s opinion of man’s counsel compared to His:
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: 2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Job 38:1-2 (NIV)
While Scripture does admonish us to seek Godly counsel from others this comes only AFTER we have sought the Lord – it seems that this is to be done as almost a confirmation for us of the Lord’s guidance. Our first priority of the day should always be to seek God’s counsel and direction for our lives:
3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. Psalms 5:3 (NIV)
14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have understanding and power. Prov 8:14 (NIV)
26 His God instructs him and teaches him the right way. Isaiah 28:26 (NIV)
29 All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, wonderful in counsel and magnificent in wisdom. Isaiah 28:29 (NIV)
Indeed, in his prophecy of the coming Messiah, the very first name Isaiah gives to Him in Scripture is indicative of where we are to seek our counsel:
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
Isaiah also gives us a pristinely clear comparison between the wisdom and abilities of God compared to man’s found in Isaiah 40:
6 A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:6-8 (NIV)
God poses this question in this same awesome chapter of Isaiah:
25 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. Isaiah 40:25 (NIV)
The answer is obviously, no one. The closing of that chapter is a fitting closing for us today as well:
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)