Isaiah -

 


Question of the day: What is a strength you have and a weakness you have?


READ: Isaiah 2

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.

Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations
    and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war anymore.

Come, descendants of Jacob,
    let us walk in the light of the Lord.

You, Lord, have abandoned your people,
    the descendants of Jacob.
They are full of superstitions from the East;
    they practice divination like the Philistines
    and embrace pagan customs.
Their land is full of silver and gold;
    there is no end to their treasures.
Their land is full of horses;
    there is no end to their chariots.
Their land is full of idols;
    they bow down to the work of their hands,
    to what their fingers have made.
So people will be brought low
    and everyone humbled—
    do not forgive them.[a]

10 Go into the rocks, hide in the ground
    from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty!
11 The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled
    and human pride brought low;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

12 The Lord Almighty has a day in store
    for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted
    (and they will be humbled),
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty,
    and all the oaks of Bashan,
14 for all the towering mountains
    and all the high hills,
15 for every lofty tower
    and every fortified wall,
16 for every trading ship[b]
    and every stately vessel.
17 The arrogance of man will be brought low
    and human pride humbled;
the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,
18     and the idols will totally disappear.

19 People will flee to caves in the rocks
    and to holes in the ground
from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,
    when he rises to shake the earth.

20 In that day people will throw away
    to the moles and bats
their idols of silver and idols of gold,
    which they made to worship.
21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks
    and to the overhanging crags
from the fearful presence of the Lord
    and the splendor of his majesty,
    when he rises to shake the earth.

22 Stop trusting in mere humans,
    who have but a breath in their nostrils.
    Why hold them in esteem?



This isn't an easy chapter.  It is very poetic, in a complicated way.  So lets take it slow.

Verses 2

Why was the temple on a mountain?

What contributes to a "mountain top" experience? 

Are they important in our walk with God?

Verse 3-4

Here we see a part of the vision that speaks of what is to come.  A time of peace that comes from obedience.  Let's look at the order here. 

  1. Go to the mountain
  2. He will teach us His ways
  3. We will walk in His path
  4. He will be the one to settle disputes, to be the judge
  5. There will be peace! We will all put down our swords and other instruments of war, and start doing productive work. 
How important do you think the order is?
Obedience is where peace comes from.  
We need to spend time with Jesus, to go to church, and learn what His path is and how to walk in it! That is where peace comes from.  

Isn't it beautiful that peace does not just mean leisure? Peace means doing something!  Doing something that will better not only your life but the lives of others.  

Verse 5
This is a plea.  "Doesn't this sound like something we want?  Let's get it together and have some peace!"
We all need to walk in the light! To learn and to then act on what we learn!

Verse 6-9
This now starts the reality of what is going on..

What is the condition of the Israelites? 
How does this or does this mirror our times?
Don't just state how the "world" looks but us!
What in these verses can apply to us?

Verse 9 talks about being humbled.  What does this mean?
How important is it?

Verse 10-11
More about humility.  It is important we get what we are doing wrong.  It is important that we understand our contribution to the mess we are in!
Is there something in your life you know needs changing?  How have you contributed to the problem? Too many times we like to make excuses, or blame others instead of taking a good hard look at ourselves! 
Take sometime today and really do some soul searching! Ask questions about what you could have done differently! Or what you can do going forward. 

WE HAVE A PART TO PLAY! 

Verse 12-18
We will all be humbled! 
How was this prophesy fulfilled and how will this prophesy be fulfilled?

Verse 19-22
Why do we hide from God?
How effective is it?

The end of this chapter feels a bit disjointed.  Almost an afterthought. How is it connected to everything we have just  been talking about? 
Read verse 22 and then read verse 2.   
This is all about remembering to follow God.  


This chapter challenges us to do what?



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