Armed and Ready

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December 22, 2007 - Isaiah 2:1-22

  1. What would you do if you knew the world would end next week?

  2. Read Isaiah 2:1-22. To what period or periods do the words "day" and "days" refer (Isaiah 2:2, 11-12, 17, 20)?

  3. What distinguishes the mountain of the Lord (Isaiah 2:2) at Jerusalem is certainly not its altitude. It is lower than Hebron and much lower than Hermon. What then is its qualification to be the "chief" that makes other higher mountains look on enviously?

  4. For what purpose and in what spirit do the nations stream toward Jerusalem according to Isaiah 2:3-4?

  5. Consider Isaiah 2:4 in the light of your own country's and the world's expenditure on armaments. Is world security really being enhanced by building ever huger arsenals of ever more terrifying weapons?

  6. In what practical ways can you express your own commitment to global peace?

  7. Isaiah 2:6-9 provide a rather sad contrast to the vision of Isaiah 2:2-4. What is the land full of according to these verses?

  8. Isaiah 2:10-21 mentions a number of great things, some natural and some synthetic, which will be brought low in the day when the splendor of God's majesty is revealed. What things are specifically mentioned?

  9. What do you think is God's purpose in this process?

  10. If your life were more thoroughly ruled by a lively expectation of the coming day of God, with both its glory and its terror, what practical changes would you make?

  11. What incentives and encouragements do Isaiah 1 and 2 give you to trust God in troubled times?

Notes

Isaiah 2:5: The temple was built on the mountain of the Lord, Mount Moriah, highly visible to all the people of Jerusalem.

2:2-4 God gave Isaiah the gift of seeing the future. At this time, God showed Isaiah what would eventually happen to Jerusalem. Rev. 21 depicts the glorious fulfillment of this prophecy in the new Jerusalem, where only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life will be allowed to enter. God made a covenant (promise) with his people and will never break it. God's faithfulness gives us hope for the future.

2:4-5 This describes a wonderful future of peace when instruments of war will be converted to instruments of farming. Although we know that eventually God will remove all sin and thus the causes of war, conflicts, and other problems, we should not wait for him to act before we begin to obey him. Just as Judah was told in Isaiah 2:5, we should walk in his light now.

Isaiah 2:6: The people were following practices of the Assyrian empire. "Divination like the Philistines" meant claiming to know and control the future by the power of demons or by interpreting omens. These practices were forbidden by God. During the more sinful periods of their history, the people of Israel worshiped these pagan gods along with Yahweh, and even gave them Hebrew names.

Isaiah 2:8-9: Under the reign of evil kings, idol worship flourished in both Israel and Judah. A few good kings in Judah stopped it during their reigns. Though very few people worship carved or molded images today, worshiping objects that symbolize power continues. We pay homage to cars, homes, sports stars, celebrities, money, etc. Idol worship is evil because (1) it insults God when we worship something he created rather than worshiping him; (2) it keeps us from knowing and serving God when we put our confidence in anything other than him; (3) it causes us to rely on our own efforts rather than on God.

Isaiah 2:12: The "day" of the Lord Almighty is the day of judgment, the time when God will judge both evil and good. That day will come, and we will want a proper relationship with God when it does. God alone must be exalted (Isaiah 2:11, 17) as the first step toward developing that relationship with him.

Isaiah 2:15-17: Lofty towers were part of a city or nation's defenses. This phrase refers to security based on military fortresses. "Every trading ship" pictures economic prosperity; and a "stately vessel" is a pleasure vessel. Nothing can compare with or rival the place God must have in our hearts and minds. To place our hope elsewhere is nothing but false pride.

Isaiah 2:22: "But a breath in his nostrils" refers to mankind's mortality. People are very limited when compared to God. They can be unreliable, selfish, and shortsighted. Yet we trust our lives and futures more readily to mortal human beings than to the all-knowing God. Beware of people who want you to trust them instead of God. Remember that only God is completely reliable. He is perfect and he loves us with an enduring love (Psalm 100:5).

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