Is. 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Isaiah = “The Lord saves”
Vision = a sight (mentally), i.e. a dream, revelation, or oracle:—vision.
“Isaiah, the son of Amoz” – God chose a specific person at a specific point in time for a specific ministry--to serve as His mouthpiece to Judah, the southern kingdom, and Jerusalem. God gave His message to Isaiah through a vision or dream; whether awake or asleep, he “saw” the message vividly portrayed.
Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of four kings of Judah: These are the general dates for the reigns of these kings. They are up for debate, but I am using the dates from Archbishop Ussher’s “The Annals of the World.”
Uzziah (810-759 BC) – Also known as Azariah. His reign was basically peaceful. He contracted leprosy after usurping the position of the priest in the temple. 2Kings 15:1-4 In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign. Sixteen years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned two and fifty years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done; Save that the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places.
Jotham (759-742 BC) – 2Kings 15:32-35 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel began Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah to reign. Five and twenty years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done. Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the house of the LORD.
Ahaz (742-726 BC) - 2Kings 16:1-4 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father. But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
Hezekiah (726-695 BC) - 2Kings 18:1-5 Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.
An interesting historial fact I found at www.cbsnews.com last year (December 2015): “The royal seal of an ancient biblical king has been unearthed near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The seal, a clay impression depicting a two-winged sun with two ankh symbols on either side, was once used to seal papyrus documents associated with King Hezekiah, who ruled the kingdom of Judea from 727 B.C. to 698 B.C. The seal was unearthed in a trash heap near the walls of the ancient Temple Mount.
‘Although seal impressions bearing King Hezekiah's name have already been known from the antiquities market since the middle of the 1990s -- some with a winged scarab (dung beetle) symbol and others with a winged sun -- this is the first time that a seal impression of an Israelite or Judean king has ever come to light in a scientific archaeological excavation," Eilat Mazar, an archaeologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who led the excavations, said in a statement.’”
Is. 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
As Isaiah begins to speak, he calls out for the heavens and earth to be witnesses to his message from YHWH, the Lord.
Through Isaiah, the LORD declared that He had nourished and brought up children (the nation of Israel). He had caused them to grow great in number, provided for them, cherished them and comforted them. He had given them a position of honor among the nations of the earth as His chosen nation.
What thanks did He get? They rebelled against Him and chose to ignore His authority over them. They were ungrateful for their many blessings. Any parent with a selfish, ungrateful child can at least empathize to a degree with God’s heart.
Is. 1:3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.
Now Isaiah makes a pretty pointed comparison. Even dumb animals are smarter than the people of Israel; an ox can recognize its owner and an ass can recognize its own stall, but Israel did not recognize their God as their Master and provider. They didn’t understand; they were not very perceptive or discerning. Why does Isaiah say this? Next verse.
Is. 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
“Ah sinful nation” – According to the Hebrew, this seems to be equating Israel with a heathen/Gentile nation.
Laden – kabed = heavy; figuratively in a good sense (numerous) or in a bad sense (severe, difficult, stupid)
Iniquity – avon, avown = perversity, i.e. (moral) evil:—fault, iniquity, mischief.
Seed – zera = plant or posterity
Evildoers –ra’a’ = properly, to spoil (literally, by breaking to pieces); figuratively, to make (or be) good for nothing, i.e. bad (physically, socially or morally).
Basically, the Lord is saying through Isaiah that Israel has become a wicked, amoral nation that is producing children destined for destruction. Why?
They have forsaken (withdrawn from, rejected) the LORD.
They have provoked (scorned, blasphemed) the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
They have “gone away backward”; the Hebrew refers to committing spiritual adultery.
Is. 1:5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
Why do you continue to be struck? Because you continue to rebel. The head references the part of the body that controls you, and the heart references the part of the body that is the center of your desires, feelings and understanding. The Hebrew for head included a reference to the priests. Maybe emphasis is being made that the spiritual leaders of the nation are spiritually sick/diseased; and as a result, the heart of the nation, the people, are sick/diseased as well as evidenced by their actions and desires.
Sad to say, I think that is becoming an ever more correct diagnosis of the “church” today. More and more “spiritual leaders” are corrupt and leading the “church” away from the truth of God’s word.
Is. 1:6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
The whole nation is declared sick. It is a nation of wounds; its reputation has been injured/damaged. It is bruised; the Hebrew indicates bound together by means of spells/charms—idols, false religions. It has putrifying sores, new wounds of evil that are causing spiritual rot. These injuries have not been treated in any way to help promote spiritual healing.
Is. 1:7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
The land of the country had been ruined and made desolate. The cities have been burned with fire. The land has been taken over and ruined by strangers. The Hebrew for the word strangers implies one who commits adultery. Maybe the Lord is saying here that the land is being judged because of the spiritual adultery being practiced by the people of Israel—their decision to reject God and His commands and turn to serving idols. This made them no different than the heathen Gentile nations.
Is. 1:8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
It was interesting that the Hebrew for the word daughter included “apple of the eye.” There are other places in scripture where God refers to the nation of Israel as the apple of His eye. Zion, of course, is Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah and the combined kingdoms.
Deuteronomy 32:9-10 For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
Zechariah 2:7-8 Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon. For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.
I’ve been taught that Hebrew poetry is different from ours in that one of the ways it is expressed is through repetition or restatement. I think that is what is happening in this verse. He is comparing Judah/Jerusalem to a cottage in a vineyard, a lodge in a garden of cucumbers and a besieged city. After looking at the Hebrew for all these phrases, it was the “besieged city” that stood out to me. It indicates being concealed or hidden. The words for cottage and lodge both included the idea of a hut as part of a vineyard or garden, which would fit in with the idea of being concealed to me. It’s like saying that instead of the beautiful ruling city/kingdom abundant in the blessings of God it was meant to be, it has become a speck among the lands of the Bible.
Is. 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Isaiah reminds the people that the fact that there is a remnant at all left is due to God, The LORD of hosts. (I believe hosts is a reference to His heavenly army of angels.) I think the word remnant is key. A remnant is something left over from the original source. I think it is referring to the remaining few in Judah that still served the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The next statement makes me think about Abraham’s conversation with the Lord regarding sparing Sodom if there be ten righteous found in the city (Genesis 18). Lot was the only righteous man found, and Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Evidently, there were enough righteous men left in Judah/Jerusalem to cause God to spare them the same fate as those wicked cities to this point in time.
Is. 1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
Still, the comparison to Sodom and Gomorrah is made because of the overall wickedness of the people. Now God directs His message to the rulers and leaders in Judah/Jerusalem. Again, use is made of poetic restatement. Isaiah refers to the LORD…..”our” God. He is still the God of Israel whether they recognize Him as such or not (because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob).
Is. 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
Evidently, the people were still going through the ritual of offering sacrifices to the Lord. God recognized those sacrifices as just that—ritual with no heart attitude of obedience to Him motivating their actions. God takes no delight in the senseless slaughter of animals as part of a ritual. (This makes me think of people who go to church and participate in a given type of service thinking that they have pleased God in the process. They are going through the motions with no real heart motivation or participation involved.)
Is. 1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Tread – ramac = to tread upon (as a potter, in walking or abusively)
The Lord is asking who had told them to present themselves at His house in such an abusive and disgusting manner.
Is. 1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Is. 1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
The Lord is saying that He doesn’t want any more of their evil and deceitful offerings and sacrifices. Their ritualistic offering of what was intended to be “sweet incense” before God is disgusting to Him. In fact, He considers it sinful.
The “new moons” were times of festival, and the Sabbaths were times of rest. “Assemblies” were public gatherings that usually included the reading of scripture. The Lord is saying that He is fed up with their going through these religious rituals with no focus or integrity of heart toward the One they were established to honor. He cannot endure their empty rituals; He hates them; He is weary of them.
It’s obvious you are going through the motions of a ritual when your life testifies of no respect for the God you profess to be honoring.
Is. 1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
I again think Isaiah is using Hebrew poetic style. To spread forth your hands was often associated with praise and prayer to God. The Lord is saying I am not going to acknowledge your prayers in any way. Why? He sees their hands (and hearts); they are guilty of shedding innocent blood—not only from the ritualistic killing of many animals, but also from sacrificing their children to Molech.
Their praise is false; it is just for show. Their prayers are made from hearts of disobedience that have rejected God as Lord.
Is. 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Is. 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Isaiah is conveying God’s message that the people need to cleanse themselves, physically and spiritually. The word clean carries with it the idea of being innocent, clear and pure. He wants them to stop performing evil acts.
“before mine eyes” - Isaiah is reminding them that God sees everything they do.
“Learn to do well” - I thought the Hebrew for the word learn was interesting—to goad, i.e. (by implication) to teach (the rod being an Oriental incentive). The Hebrew for well included the idea of being accepted. In other words it is going to take great effort to learn to do the right things, things that are acceptable before the Lord.
“seek judgment” – The Hebrew for the word seek included the idea of pursuit and worship. I think Isaiah is telling the people to pursue through worship a judgment of worthiness and right standing before God.
“relieve the oppressed” – Raise up to right again one who has fallen or carries a burden because of injustice or cruelty.
“judge the fatherless” – I think the word defend would have been a better choice than judge of the options given in the Hebrew. In other words, take care of orphans.
“plead for the widow” – Again, I think the word defend would have been a better choice from the Hebrew for plead. It was interesting that the word for widow included those who had been divorced. In other words, take care of women who have lost their husbands (protector, provider) through death or divorce.
Isaiah’s message echoes that given by Moses.
Exodus 22:21–23 Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry….
Deuteronomy 27:19 Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow.
Is. 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
“Come now,” let’s start walking in the right direction. “Let us reason together”; let Me correct you, chasten you, plead with you (all choices from the Hebrew). You haven’t passed the point of no return; forgiveness is available. Isaiah is basically saying that no matter how obvious your sins are, no matter how bloody your hands may be, you can again be declared pure and clean before God. How?
Is. 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
All you have to do is submit to the LORD God and willingly obey His commands. Submissiveness and obedience will result in your experiencing the best that this life has to offer.
We are used to thinking of submission and obedience in reference to earthly masters who are not always loving, righteous, and holy. We don’t readily accept submission and obedience as attitudes and actions that are purely for our well-being. All of God’s commands and desires for us are for our benefit.
Reminder: The Old Testament is rooted in the law—the New Testament in grace through faith in Jesus. A person with true faith will strive to obey God.
Is. 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
The contrast—If you choose to disobey Me, you will be devoured/consumed with the sword, which in the Hebrew includes the idea of drought. Again, we are reminded that these are the words of the Lord.
Is. 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.
Faithful = includes “to build up or support; to foster as a parent or nurse.”
City = includes “in the sense of flooring”
I think this is making reference to Jerusalem as the spiritual center of the nation. The city was once a place in right standing with God and was permeated by morals, prosperity and justice. In Isaiah’s day, its people followed other gods; and it was filled with murderers. I think this includes a reference to the sacrifice of children that was part of the worship of these false gods? It certainly references a lack of respect for life. Could it be a reference to the fact that because of the false teaching of the spiritual leaders, most of the people would be eternally damned?
I think it was, and I can’t help but make comparisons to America today. Abortion is declared legal, and the lives of the unborn are considered expendable. Multitudes of false teachers permeate the airwaves. The “church” is daily becoming more apathetic. We have lost our moral compass because we have turned from God to embrace the tenets of other religions as equal to His Word. There can only be one truth. By rejecting God’s Word as the truth, we are destroying the foundations upon which the morals of our country were based.
Is. 1:22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:
Is. 1:23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
One of the definitions Webster gave for silver was “anything having the luster or appearance of silver.” Dross is waste matter or worthless matter. It would seem that the Lord is saying that what was once beautiful and glorious about this city/kingdom has been lost; it is now a spiritual wasteland. Both worthless silver and watered down wine paint a picture of something that was once valuable and prized becoming worthless and impure.
The leaders of the people had become corrupt; they had become companions of thieves and deceivers. They loved to get bribes and persecuted others to get them. They weren’t taking care of the fatherless or the widows (cf verse 17). In other words, they were seeking to please themselves and did not care how it affected the people.
Sad to say, this sounds all too familiar and is becoming more descriptive of American political, governmental and judicial leaders every year.
Is. 1:24 Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:
Is. 1:25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
Is. 1:26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
“ease” – to avenge (oneself)
Now comes a word of judgment seasoned with hope from the mouth of the prophet of the LORD, YHWH, the self-existent, eternal God, the LORD of hosts (the angelic forces), the One who is the might and strength of Israel, the descendants of Jacob.
The Lord is going to take vengeance against those who oppose Him. The word turn in verse 25 makes reference to going back to the starting point. The Lord is going to bring His people back to the position of blessing that was theirs at their beginnings. He is going to remove all of their impurities (dross/tin).
Once again, God is going to give them leaders that are like their fathers of old. WHEN He does this, Jerusalem will again be called the city of righteousness, the city that nurtures its people in the ways of the Lord. (Obviously, this is a prophecy yet to be fulfilled.)
Is. 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
“converts” = to turn back
When Messiah establishes His kingdom, Zion (Jerusalem) and her people will once again enjoy a right standing before God as she turns back to God in repentance in response to the judgments He inflicts on her.
Is. 1:28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
These are two phrases saying basically the same thing. Those that choose to forsake the Lord, refuse to accept Him as LORD, those that rebel against His authority and who are found guilty of wrongdoing before Him, will be consumed (destroyed, made to perish).
Is. 1:29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.
Oaks – ‘ayil = properly, strength; hence, anything strong; specifically a chief (politically)…an oak or other strong tree:—mighty (man)
Garden – gannah = a garden, the feminine form for the word meaning “fenced garden,” and derived from the word meaning to hedge about, protect, defend.
I think this verse is saying that when the nation returns to the Lord, they will be ashamed of the leaders they had chosen to rule them and the people they had chosen to protect them. They had put their faith in the weak people and things of the world rather than trusting Almighty God.
Is. 1:30 For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water.
Isaiah now uses the normal meanings of the words to paint a picture of the preceding verse. They will recognize that as a people they had been like a mighty oak tree that had lost its magnificence as evidenced by its withering leaves; they had been like a withering garden that had lost its water supply. (This is in direct contrast to the godly man described in Psalm 1.)
Is. 1:31 And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.
The word picture continues. What they considered strong (their leaders; their idols) will be easily overthrown, and their works will kindle the fire of judgment that will result in the destruction of both; no one will be able to prevent it.
Is. 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
I would assume we are moving to another visual revelation given to Isaiah regarding Judah and Jerusalem.
Is. 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Is. 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
In this section of scripture, Isaiah is speaking of “the last days.” Of what? The phrase implies a culmination of a period of time, an end point. The whole of scripture is the story of God’s love as He gathers a people of faith unto Himself for eternal fellowship. This phrase was understood to reference the time when God would establish His earthly kingdom. There is coming a time when planet earth will be transformed into the perfect environment for man that it was first created to be. Sin will have been defeated forever, though men will still be born with a sin nature. God’s family will enjoy perfect fellowship for eternity—a concept I can’t really fully grasp.
Obviously, this is a time yet future. At that time the LORD’s house, the temple, will be established on the highest (from the Hebrew for exalted) mountain. It will serve not only the Jewish people, but also all those who serve God from all the other nations on earth. This will occur during the 1000-year reign of Christ as The King on earth from the throne of David in Jerusalem.
These verses tell us that the temple will be in Jerusalem and identify Mount Zion as the highest mountain. (It would seem that there are some geographical changes in store for planet earth.) Many people will want to come to Jerusalem to the temple. Why? To learn from the LORD how He wants them to live their lives. His teaching will produce obedience on the part of those who come to seek Him.
I think that last statement is true today of those who have sincerely trusted in Jesus as Savior. The Word is full of the truth that our actions prove our faith. (That is the theme of the book of James.)
Is. 2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
I think the better translation for the word judge would be govern (which includes judgments of guilt and innocence). The Lord will govern the Gentiles as well as Israel; and He will rebuke, correct and chasten as needed. The next phrase is a commentary on how He will govern. The nations will be forced to change their weapons of destruction into agricultural implements. The nations will no longer be allowed to attack one another, teach military tactics or incite one another to fight.
The Lord will rule as a dictator, but not like any dictator this world has ever known. He will rule with complete righteousness and holiness. In today’s society He would be seen as infringing upon the rights of the individual to make choices regarding His own welfare. He would be tagged as intolerant and not politically correct.
Is. 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Now Isaiah makes a personal plea to his people, the family of Jacob. “Come ye,” come away, depart from the direction in which you are now headed. Let’s follow the commands of the LORD and enjoy His blessings.
Maybe this was also a reminder of God’s desire to lead and protect His people as shown by the pillar of fire during the Exodus from Egypt.
I loved this quote from Spurgeon: “You know that, if you were to go to Australia in a good sound ship, you would get there even if you were always to lie down in the hold among the luggage and the rats; but I should like to go in a first-class cabin; and I do not see why you and I, if we are going to heaven, should not go first class.”
Is. 2:6 Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.
It appears that Isaiah switches from talking to the people to talking to God. As he makes a plea to the people to turn back to God, he is reminded of how wicked they had become. As that thought passes through his mind, he realizes why God has chosen to cast off His people and subject them to judgment. They have filled themselves with the ways of the people of the east. They had become soothsayers (sorcerers, enchanters, those who practice magic) like their neighbors, the Philistines. They were finding pleasure in fellowship with adulterous idolaters instead of guarding the purity of the nation of Israel/Judah before God.
Is. 2:7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:
Is. 2:8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
Is. 2:9 And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.
Isaiah continues his observations. God had blessed Israel with wealth to the point that they had storehouses for their treasures and many horses. This was in direct disobedience to God’s command for the kings of Israel.
Deuteronomy 17:16 “But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.”
In spite of God’s blessings, they had chosen to fill the land with idols (things of no value) made with their own hands and had chosen to worship (bow down, humble themselves before) these powerless icons. This was happening in all levels of society, from the poorest or most common to the richest or most exalted.
Isaiah’s own conclusion—The Lord should not forgive them.
Isn’t it sad that the more we are blessed, the more apt we are to forget the One who bestows those blessings!
Note from Larry Taylor (my paraphrase): When man rejects God, he always makes gods less than himself. That is why people can do such “less than human” crimes. If Jesus is really your God, He is your driving passion. You should be becoming more like Him—“more than human.” God would never have you lower your standards; He would raise you to His level.
Another great quote from Spurgeon: “Man in all matters of religion, and in all his dealings with God, is proud. It is wonderful how apparently humble men will be when they worship false gods. They will cut themselves with knives, and roll themselves in the mire. We have known some votaries to kneel before the representation of the Virgin Mary and lick the very pavement with their tongues by way of penance, and perform the most degrading rites in honor of their false gods. Man seems to be humble enough in his dealings with a false deity, but as soon as ever he comes to deal with the true God, the first things that have to be got out of him are his pride, his high looks, his haughtiness.”
Is. 2:10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.
Recognizing the wickedness of the people and the awesome power and might of YHWH, Isaiah advises the people to hide themselves. They should be afraid for YHWH to manifest His power.
Is. 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
The day is coming when YHWH alone will be glorified and lifted up in the eyes of ALL people. Mankind will be humbled and made to recognize their dependence on the LORD. Again, this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.
Is. 2:12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
Is. 2:13 And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,
Is. 2:14 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up,
Is. 2:15 And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,
Is. 2:16 And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
This is the first reference to “the day of the Lord” in Isaiah. This was a phrase that figured prominently in my study of the book of Revelation. The things associated with the day of the Lord in scripture include the following:
It will come as a destruction from the Almighty. Isaiah 13:6, Joel 1:15
It comes cruel and with fierce wrath to desolate the land and destroy sinners. Isaiah 13:9
It is a day of God’s vengeance. Jeremiah 46:10
It is the time of the heathen. Ezekiel 30:3, Obadiah 1:15
It is described as great and terrible. Joel 2:11, 31
It is a day of darkness. Amos 5:18, 20
It is a day when mighty men will cry bitterly. Zephaniah 1:14
It is described as great and dreadful. Malachi 4:5
“The day of the LORD” is a time of God’s wrath toward His enemies. These verses in Isaiah add the fact that it will be a time to bring down the proud and arrogant.
God often references people as trees in the scriptures—e.g., Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4, the Assyrian in Ezekiel 31, and the godly man in Psalm 1. I think God is saying that all those who Israel perceives to be powerful and mighty and those that they seek to emulate are the enemies of God, and He will one day come to exact vengeance against His enemies.
The Believer’s Bible Commentary made a more specific comparison of the words used in this section that I thought worth considering.
Cedars, oaks = individuals
High mountains, hills = governments
High towers, fenced walls = military might
Ships = commerce
Is. 2:17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
Is. 2:18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish.
That day will result in YHWH being recognized as the One with all power and might and the only One deserving of confidence and trust for protection. God will destroy all the powerless, useless idols of men.
Is. 2:19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
When the day of the Lord comes, men will try to hide under rocks and in caves because of their fear of YHWH and their recognition of who He is. They will understand that the terrible things happening on earth are a direct result of His wrath. Other scriptures also reference times when God shakes the earth.
Joel 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Haggai 2:6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land.
Hebrews 12:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
Is. 2:20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
Is. 2:21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Isaiah emphasizes the truth he has just stated by repeating it. In the day of the Lord men will realize that their idols of silver and gold are useless. They will be afraid of YHWH and will do their best to hide from His wrath.
The thing that jumps out to me is that men will recognize the power of God and will try to escape His judgment, but no mention is made of their responding in repentance for their sin.
As I was reading this section again, I was reminded of verses in Revelation regarding the 6th seal judgment.
Revelation 6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
I was reading some new articles by Peter Goodgame recently at www.redmoonrising.com that made me realize that I needed to differentiate between “the day of the Lord” and the 70th week/tribulation period spoken of by Daniel. I think I have unnecessarily been trying to make them synonymous. I use the terms 70th week and tribulation interchangeably. The “day of the Lord,” though different, will run in the same general timeframe—though not necessarily with an identical start point. The 70th week/tribulation period is a time specified as directed toward the Jewish people. The “day of the Lord” is a time specified as a time of God’s wrath directed toward the wicked and those who are enemies of God.
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city….
Jeremiah 46:10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries….
Isaiah 13:9 & 11 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Is. 2:22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?
Isaiah implores the people to quit putting their confidence in mere men. Man is nothing before Almighty God.