THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Isaiah: Yahweh Is Salvation

V. God's Future Judgment To Purge Men Of Exchanging Him and His Word For Worldliness

(Isaiah 2:6-22)

I. Introduction

A. As we recently learned in our study of the book of Revelation, God will judge the world for its rejection of the Lord and His Messiah, Jesus Christ in the Revelation 6:1-17 first six seal judgments.

B. Isaiah 2:21 gave the first prediction about men hiding in caves and clefts of the rocks when God judged this sin, what Revelation 6:15-17 later reveals occurs in the sixth seal judgment of the coming Great Tribulation, and Isaiah 2:6-22 states the specific causes of the sin involved, offering a timeless lesson for us (as follows):

II. God's Future Judgment To Purge Men Of Exchanging Him and His Word For Worldliness.

A. In our previous study in this series, we saw how Isaiah 2:1-5 describes how the saved world's focus will be on the God of Scripture and the exposition of His Word in the Messianic Kingdom, noting the world will be attracted to Israel's God and His truths, with wonderful blessings flowing out of His exposition of His Word.

B. However, Isaiah 2:6-8 exposed just the opposite state existed in the land of Judah in Isaiah's era:

1. Though God will bless Judah in the Messianic Kingdom (Isaiah 2:1-2a), Isaiah wrote that He had forsaken His people in Isaiah's day, for they had become influenced with the pagan superstitions of the east and indulged in the divination of the Philistines to the west and they were into the idolatry of materialism, clasping hands in business dealings that filled their land with silver, gold and treasures, Isaiah 2:6-7a.

2. Thus, in great contrast to the flowing out of God's Word from Judah to the nations with great resulting agricultural blessings in the Kingdom in Isaiah 2:3-4, Israel's forsaking of the Word in Isaiah's time had left her open to adopting the pagan ideas, practices and values of surrounding Gentile nations!

3. Scripture had especially warned Judah's kings not to multiply horses to themselves lest they forsake the Lord in trusting in human might for their national defense (Deuteronomy 17:16), but their kings had filled the land with horses and chariots, Isaiah 2:7b. Instead of worldwide peace and an end of war in the Messianic Kingdom due to the exposition of Scripture (Isaiah 2:4b), Judah was arming herself for war.

4. Instead of the holy worship of God alone in the Kingdom (Isaiah 2:2-3), Judah was filled with pagan idols, bowing down in illogical vanity to worship the productions of their own craftsmanship, Isaiah 2:8.

C. Hence, judgment would come as predicted in Isaiah 2:9-21 with its "interplay between the judgment which the Lord will inflict on the nation by the Assyrian and Babylonian Captivities and the judgment that will come on Israel and the whole world in the 'last days' just before the Millennium," Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 1039:

1. Isaiah 2:9a ESV, NASV, NIV in light of Rev. 6:15-17 shows God will make Judah's proud idolaters of low estate ('adam) to be humbled and her idolaters of high estate (ish) to be abased since they were already wickedly bowing down to man-made idols, E. J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, 1974, volume I, p. 120.

2. Isaiah accordingly asked God not to forgive them, for their sin was both inexcusable and great, Isaiah 2:9b.

3. God's prophet then directed Judah's sinners to go into the rocks and hide in the ground from the dread of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty in contrast to futile, man-made idols, for in that day, the pride in men would be destroyed and the Lord alone would be exalted, Isaiah 2:10-11 with Revelation 6:15-17.

4. Indeed, all man used to exalt himself, be it the tall and lofty cedars of Lebanon, the oaks of Bashan, the tall mountains and hills, the lofty defense towers, every fortified wall and every trading ship that brought wealth and even ships of pleasure (sekiyyoth, Ibid., p. 128), would be made low before God, Isa. 2:12-17.

5. Man's idols would thus disappear (Isaiah 2:18), for men would flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the dread of the Lord in His majesty when He arose to shake the earth, and as they fled, they would throw to the rodents and bats in these caves and crags their idols of silver and gold, Isaiah 2:19-21.

D. Isaiah then called to his generation, a call that applies to every generation in man's history, to stop trusting in man who has but mere breath in his nostrils versus trusting in God, for of what account was man, Isaiah 2:22.

Lesson: For rejecting God and His Word that will bring great blessing and peace in the Messianic Kingdom, Judah and the world were destined to face the futility of man's ideas and weaknesses and God's severe judgment.

Application: May we realize we have two extreme opposite destinies to choose in life: (a) either we can rely on man and his ideas and live in futility and face God's great discipline, or (b) we can trust in the Lord and heed the exposition of His Word to enjoy great blessing. There is no middle ground, only these two extreme choices.