6. THE DAY OF THE LORD - Isaiah 2:5-22

 

Having prophesised of the glorious future for the church of God, Isaiah’s thoughts return to his present day and to the judgments of the Lord on sinful man. Judah is nothing like the future church of God, being more the opposite. Being in rebellion against God, Judah will soon be judged for her wickedness.

This passage though dealing with Judah in the immediate context, also points to the final universal judgment of God upon the ungodly. There are a number of passages where the final judgment can be clearly seen.

 

Please Read Isaiah 2:5-22

 

Verse 5: What a contrast between the future glory of God’s people (2:1-4) and the people of Judah in Isaiah’s day. Returning to his present day, the prophet is moved with earnestness, calling for the people of Jacob to repent from their current wickedness. Having seen the future glory of the church, Isaiah is moved with great desire to see Judah become this wonderful work of God, seeking to encourage them to become so. They are called Jacob (8:17; 10:20,21; 29:23) for they are Jacob’s physical descendants.

Isaiah longs for the people to ‘walk in the light of the Lord.’ What this means is that Isaiah is calling for the people to turn from rebellion to what God calls them to do. It is a call to obey the Lord’s revelation, which God has revealed to the nation.

Verse 6: The prophet now addresses God Himself (2:9; 9:2), reminding God as it were as to the reason why the people had been rejected by Him. God had cast them off on account of their wickedness and idolatry, leaving them to themselves. They were meant to be God’s peculiar people, yet they lived as the Philistines in all their wickedness. From the east, ungodly influences and practices had poured into Judah, and the result was that Judah was now full of eastern influence and false worship.

Judah had become obsessed with the religion of pagan rituals, and with the pagans themselves (Lev 19:26; Deut 18:10; Ps 106:35).

What a devastating picture when contrasted with the future glory of the church, when ‘all nations shall flow to it (2:2).’ Then they will come to Zion in order to learn the ways of God (2:3), but at the current time of Judah’s history, they came in order to pollute the people of God with ungodly ways.

QUESTION: Why was Israel to be a separate people and not to inter marry with the nations around about? Can you see any comparisons here with the church today?

 

Verse 7: The people of Judah had also become pre-occupied with wealth, a state that led the people away from the Lord, and a still further preoccupation with wealth. This was something of which they had already been warned against (Deut 17:16,17; cf Matt 6:21).

Instead of an abiding trust in the Lord as their strength, the nation of Judah was moving further away from Him, and as a result they sought to trust their own ability as a means of defence. The multiplication of horses and chariots points to this lack of trust and reliance in the Lord (Deut 17:16).

Verse 8: Judah’s lack of trust and reliance upon Jehovah was also clearly evidenced by the multiplication of idols within Judah. Their religion had become so futile, that now they had turned to worshipping that which they themselves had made, instead of the God who had made all things.

Verse 9: People from all walks of life were involved in this idol worship, bowing and humbling themselves before their hand made gods. It was an evil that had captured the nation. How can God forgive such evil, surely it would be against His nature (Ex 34:7)?

Verse 10: Isaiah instructs the people of Judah to hide themselves among the rocks and dust from the judgment of God, for He is coming in all His Majesty and Glory. There is no thought of an actual place existing where one can escape from God, but rather the idea being expressed, is that of the terror of the Lord when He comes in judgment. It will not be something to be enjoyed. There’s is a terrible plight.

Verse 11: The pride of self-reliant man shall be brought low, and all mans vain self-confidence will be over, but God will be lifted up and glorified.

NOTE INDIVIDUAL DISCOVERY QUESTION HERE: What is ‘the day of the Lord of Hosts’ mentioned in Isaiah 2:12?

 

Verse 12: The end of all pride, self-confidence, and self-reliance will occur because of the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord is the final judgment of the sovereign King of the universe, and will come upon all that is exalted and bring it down.

Verses 13,14: Everything of glory and exaltation in this world will be brought low. The glory of creation will be brought low to nothing, for man has exalted these above the Creator, and used them to serve his self-centred confidence and worship.

Verses 15,16: All that man has built and glorified, in which man has placed his trust and reliance, shall also be brought low. These things will offer no protection against divine judgment.

Verse 17: This verse is essentially a repeat of verse 11. Man will be brought low, for God alone will be exalted on judgment day to the exclusion of all else (2:11). Man will have had his day, it will then be the Day of the Lord, and all man’s vain confidence and hopes will crumble.

Verse 18: God will dismiss and brush aside the idols of men, which are nothing but nothing anyhow. What are they in the Presence of Almighty God? They are nothing but vanity.

Verse 19: Men will flee from the Presence of the Lord when He comes in judgment. They will try and hide in the caves and rocks from His Almighty and Majestic Presence and Glory. The last great Day of Judgment is one that men will dread, yet there will be no escape.

QUESTIONS: Is there any way to hide from the Presence of God?

 

When is this ‘Day of the Lord?’

 

Verses 20,21: As sinful man flees from the Presence of the Almighty, they themselves will cast away their idols, for they will finally realise that these are of no value in the Presence of God (Rev 6:15-17). Worthless idols will be nothing but worthless at the last great Day of the Lord.

Verse 22: Isaiah tells the people to abandon all confidence in the flesh, for what value is it in the face of Almighty God and His coming in judgment? Such trust is foolishness and must be rejected if they are to live in His Presence. Man can do nothing, his ‘breath is in his nostrils.’ This means that man can not deliver man from God, after all, even his breath comes from God and can be easily taken away (Ps 146:4). Reliance upon the arm of flesh is futility before God.

QUESTION: What is the treasure and confidence of your heart? Will it stand in the Day of the Lord’s judgment?

 

Individual Discovery

Do the righteous have reason to fear God’s coming judgment on Judah and Jerusalem? How did you arrive at this conclusion? See Isaiah 3:10.

 

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17/10/2006

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