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©Copyright January 9, 2022 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche
God created the world purposefully.
God did not create the world, and then us and then sit back and say to Himself, “This should be interesting.
Let’s see where this goes.”
He has a goal in mind.
We are told the plan of redemption was in place before we were even created.
The whole purpose of creation was to reveal His character to His creation so they might find joy and satisfaction in Him.
In Isaiah 2 we see the indictment against Israel taking shape.
Before the indictment, the Lord gives us a glimpse of where He is taking Hs creation.
In some respects, it is a picture of “what might have been.”
It is also a picture of what someday, through the grace and mercy of God we may see again.
Before we look at chapter 2 we need to see how it is related to chapter 3 and 4. In prophecy and poetry in the Bible we often see what is called a chiastic structure.
It is a literary technique used to drive home a point.
For example, you weave two themes together through repetition (a simplistic example):
· Food is Tasty
· I’m a hungry boy
· I’m a hungry boy
· Food is tasty
We see this structure in chapters 2 -4.
We read about the plan of God, the rebellion of Israel, the rebellion of Israel, the plan of God.
God’s Ultimate Plan and Vision (2:1-4; 4:2-6) (see also Micah 4:1-3)
2 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
will be the highest of all—
the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
3 People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
his word will go out from Jerusalem.
4 The Lord will mediate between nations
and will settle international disputes.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore.
Israel is on a hilltop but it wasn’t the highest mountain in the area.
Altars to various idols were erected on the highest mountains.
God says, there will be a day when the temple of the Lord will reign over all the other places of worship.
People from everywhere will recognize the Lord as God and come to Him.
They will be eager to learn from Him and walk in His paths.
The Lord will bring peace to the nations and their weaponry will turn into tools for useful labor.
In chapter 4:2-6 we see a similar picture.
The people in Jerusalem will be called holy because the forgiveness of God will have washed over them.
He will be their shelter.
He will live in their midst.
As believers, we need the reminder that God has a plan that He will bring to pass.
It is easy to get discouraged when we look at the world around us.
However, our task is to keep focused on the end goal.
The Barriers to God’s Plan (2:6-22; 3:1-4:1)
In verse 6 we see some of the most frightening words you can read, “The Lord has rejected his people…” The sin of the people had reached the point where God said, “Enough!”
It was time to discipline the nation of Israel and deliver them over to their enemies.
Is this what is happening today?
Is God turning away from America?
I think this is likely what is happening.
Many of the reasons for the withdrawal of the Lord from us are the same as listed here.
Divination or Idolatry
For the Lord has rejected his people,
the descendants of Jacob,
because they have filled their land with practices from the East
and with sorcerers, as the Philistines do.
They have made alliances with pagans.
(2:6)
God’s people were becoming indistinguishable from the pagans around them.
They were no longer distinct or holy.
The people were dabbling in the occult and were incorporating practices from other religions into their worship of the true God.
When you mix that with occult practices (like examining tea leaves, having seances, reciting “magic words,” decoding signs, relying on visions etc.) we are insulting God and dabbling with evil spiritual forces.
In fact, anytime we give something or someone the position of prominence and worship that should be given to the Lord, we are guilty of straying from God to worship idols.
Anytime we stray from or add to the Word of God we are beginning to dabble in places we shouldn’t be.
This is idolatry (or the worship of a false God).
This charge will be leveled again and again as we go through Isaiah.
Idolatry is subtle.
Anything can become an idol if we allow it to occupy first place in our lives.
It can be work, a hobby, possessions, pleasures, educational degrees, or even entertainment.
We are drifting toward idolatry anytime we bring non-Christian thinking into the church.
We’ll explore idolatry much further in weeks to come.
Materialism
The second reason for judgment is the materialism of the nation.
7 Israel is full of silver and gold;
there is no end to its treasures.
Their land is full of warhorses;
there is no end to its chariots.
8 Their land is full of idols;
the people worship things they have made
with their own hands.
9 So now they will be humbled,
and all will be brought low—
do not forgive them.
(Isaiah 2:9)
The people had begun to measure themselves and draw their security from the stuff they possessed, the money they had, the awards they have won, the position they hold.
They saw their abundance as a sign of God’s blessing, but they made gaining stuff (or living the American dream) their driving force.
It was another form of idolatry.
Even their military might became stumbling block because it kept them from depending on the Lord.
There is an emphasis among some (christian?) teachers on how God wants us to have riches and be prosperous in the world.
These teachers are leading us astray.
They are catering to our worldly passions.
Jesus told us you cannot serve God and money.
He says we will hate one and love the other.
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