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| The Mountain of the Lord
2 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,[a]
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.
The Day of the Lord
6 For you have rejected your people,
the house of Jacob,
because they are full of things from the east
and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines,
and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.
7 Their land is filled with silver and gold,
and there is no end to their treasures;
their land is filled with horses,
and there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is filled with idols;
they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their own fingers have made.
9 So man is humbled,
and each one is brought low—
do not forgive them!
10 Enter into the rock
and hide in the dust
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty.
11 The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
12 For the Lord of hosts has a day
against all that is proud and lofty,
against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low;
13 against all the cedars of Lebanon,
lofty and lifted up;
and against all the oaks of Bashan;
14 against all the lofty mountains,
and against all the uplifted hills;
15 against every high tower,
and against every fortified wall;
16 against all the ships of Tarshish,
and against all the beautiful craft.
17 And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,
and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
18 And the idols shall utterly pass away.
19 And people shall enter the caves of the rocks
and the holes of the ground,[b]
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth.
20 In that day mankind will cast away
their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
which they made for themselves to worship,
to the moles and to the bats,
21 to enter the caverns of the rocks
and the clefts of the cliffs,
from before the terror of the Lord,
and from the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth.
22 Stop regarding man
in whose nostrils is breath,
for of what account is he? |
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The Day of the Lord
Season Tanner
Do today's headlines and stories have you worried and anxious? Perhaps you feel as though the Day of the Lord is near as word of government corruption, war, disease, murder and abuse, famine, and natural disaster reach our eyes and ears daily. Perhaps these fill you with a sense of awful dread. Perhaps you feel powerless and immobilized, overwhelmed by the chaos and sin that seems to be continuously erupting all around us. By all outward appearances, it may seem that the Lord has, indeed, given the Earth over to godlessness and wickedness as declared in Romans 1:18-32.
And yet...there is hope! There is no denying that Isaiah 2 is a stark reminder and warning. It should strike fear into the heart and mind of the unbeliever, for it prophesies about the coming destruction of all those who are lost - worshipping idols, given over to sin and rebellion against God, and unrepentant. It reminds us that as sinners, we are under God's wrath and subject to his judgment. It warns us that proud and unrepentant sinners will be brought low and humbled as the Lord is exalted to His rightful place in the world. Three times we are told that men will flee to caves and rocks - full of fear and attempting to hide from the splendor of God. Does that remind you of anyone?
If Isaiah 2 seems mostly convicting, don't miss the hope-bearing command in the final verse of Isaiah 2: "Stop trusting in man...of what account is he?" Verse 22 is a beacon of hope; it reminds us that God, Himself, reigns and helps us to recall other passages in Exodus, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah that proclaim boldly to our fearful hearts: "Who is like you, O Lord?" Our hope should not be in the things of this world; because of Jesus' saving work on the cross - His death, burial, a resurrection - we have a loving, faithful, merciful God who is ready to pardon every sin and welcome us into His kingdom as an heir. We have something better to look forward to. Nothing could be more amazing than that! And in our sin-stained world, nothing could be better.
Reading Isaiah 2, I was also reminded of the lyrics of an old hymn, one written by 18-year-old Annie Coghill in 1854: Work, for the Day is Coming. Each verse reminds us that we have work to do here on Earth as we await the Day of the Lord. Our time is not meant to be spent in fear-filled longing for Jesus, hiding under rocks - that is what sinners do! Instead, we should boldly proclaim the wonder of His works, boil over with His praises, sing for joy, and worship in awe of His holiness! We should share the Gospel with our family, our neighbors, and our communities - exalting the name and the work of Jesus Christ. For who is like God in all of creation? No thing and no one! |
As you read and reflect on Colossians 2, ask yourself these questions:
- What have you placed your faith in? Are your greatest concerns earthly in nature (work, reputation, wealth, possessions, security, recognition and rewards, food, physical appearance, etc., etc.), or are you more concerned with what God is concerned about?
- Read the lyrics of the hymn, “Work, for the Day is Coming” (provided below). How is it similar to what you read in Isaiah 2? How does it also remind us of the hope we have on the Day of the Lord?
- There are at least 11 verses in the Bible with the phrase "Who is like You, Lord" - look up a few of them (Exodus 15:11, Isaiah 44:7, Jeremiah 49:19, Psalm 35:10, Psalm 71:19, Psalm 77:13, Psalm 89:8, Micah 7:18). How do these verses help to fill you with hope and confidence?
Work for the Dayis Coming - Lyrics
Work, for the Day is coming,
Day in the Word foretold,
When, ’mid the scenes triumphant,
Longed for by saints of old,
He, who on earth a stranger
Traversed its paths of pain,
Jesus, the Prince, the Savior,
Comes evermore to reign.
Work, for the Day is coming,
Darkness will soon be gone;
Then o’er the night of weeping
Day without end shall dawn.
What now we sow in sadness
Then we shall reap in joy;
Hope will be changed to gladness,
Praise be our blest employ.
Work, for the Day is coming,
Made for the saints of light;
Off with the garments dreary,
On with the armor bright:
Soon will the strife be ended,
Soon all our toils below;
Not to the dark we’re tending,
But to the Day we go.
Work, for the Lord is coming,
Children of light are we;
From Jesus’ bright appearing
Powers of darkness flee.
Out of the mist, at His bidding,
Souls like the dew are born:
O’er all the East are spreading
Tints of the rosy morn.
Work, then, the Day is coming,
No time for sighing now;
Prize for the race awaits thee,
Wreaths for the victor’s brow.
Now morning Light is breaking,
Soon will the Day appear;
Night shades appall no longer,
Jesus, our Lord, is near. |
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| Craft a prayer based on Isaiah 2, praising God for who He is, asking for His help to remove any worldly fear from your heart, and His help to increase your courage to proclaim His goodness to others. |
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