Isaiah 2-4

(Isa 2:1) The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. (Isa 2:2) Now it will come about that In the last days, The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. (Isa 2:3) And many peoples will 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 concerning His ways, And that we may walk in His paths.\” For the law will go forth from Zion, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isa 2:4) And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.

(Isa 2:5) Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the LORD. (Isa 2:6) For Thou hast abandoned Thy people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with influences from the east, And they are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they strike bargains with the children of foreigners. (Isa 2:7) Their land has also been filled with silver and gold, And there is no end to their treasures; Their land has also been filled with horses, And there is no end to their chariots. (Isa 2:8) Their land has also been filled with idols; They worship the work of their hands, That which their fingers have made. (Isa 2:9) So the common man has been humbled, And the man of importance has been abased, But do not forgive them.

(Isa 2:10) Enter the rock and hide in the dust From the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty. (Isa 2:11) The proud look of man will be abased, And the loftiness of man will be humbled, And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

(Isa 2:12) For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is proud and lofty, And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be abased.

(Isa 2:13) And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan,

(Isa 2:14) Against all the lofty mountains, Against all the hills that are lifted up,

(Isa 2:15) Against every high tower, Against every fortified wall,

(Isa 2:16) Against all the ships of Tarshish, And against all the beautiful craft.

(Isa 2:17) And the pride of man will be humbled, And the loftiness of men will be abased, And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

(Isa 2:18) But the idols will completely vanish.

(Isa 2:19) And men will go into caves of the rocks, And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the LORD, And before the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.

Divisions:

  • In the last days, peace will reign through the righteous justice of God. (2:1-4)
  • All Jews, come and let’s return to the LORD; away from our sins. (2:5-9)
  • The LORD alone will be exalted and will have final judgment against men. (2:10-19)

Notes:

  • The Day of the Lord (referenced 19 times in the Old Testament) as the final judgment of God.
  • “In the last days” is literally “in future time” and referring to the coming Messiah.

Questions:

  • What is the “Mountain” and “house” of the Lord (referred to in 2:1-3)
  • Read Isa 2:9 – what do you see here that is similar to Jonah 4:2 (also a contemporary of Isaiah)
  • Do you see a common message from God through Hos 2:18 and Mic 4:1-4 (contemporaries of Isaiah)? Does this mean that they copied each other, or that God is speaking through them both with the same prophecy?
  • Who and what is God going to come against? (Isa 2:10-19)
  • What is the extent of God’s judgment and why?
  • What does it mean to go into caves and hide ourselves? What did it mean to the Israelites? (see Judges 6:2, 1Sa 13:6, Hos 10:8) What does it mean to us?
  • Since we can look back through the cross, what has changed in the world before the cross (the time of this prophecy) and after?
  • What in our lives is lifted up higher than the Lord? Will it stand?

(Isa 2:20) In that day men will cast away to the moles and the bats Their idols of silver and their idols of gold, Which they made for themselves to worship, (Isa 2:21) In order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, Before the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble. (Isa 2:22) Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed? (Isa 3:1) For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah Both supply and support, the whole supply of bread, And the whole supply of water; (Isa 3:2) The mighty man and the warrior, The judge and the prophet, The diviner and the elder, (Isa 3:3) The captain of fifty and the honorable man, The counselor and the expert artisan, And the skillful enchanter. (Isa 3:4) And I will make mere lads their princes And capricious children will rule over them, (Isa 3:5) And the people will be oppressed, Each one by another, and each one by his neighbor; The youth will storm against the elder, And the inferior against the honorable.

(Isa 3:6) When a man lays hold of his brother in his father’s house, saying, “You have a cloak, you shall be our ruler, And these ruins will be under your charge,” (Isa 3:7) On that day will he protest, saying, “I will not be your healer, For in my house there is neither bread nor cloak; You should not appoint me ruler of the people.” (Isa 3:8) For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, Because their speech and their actions are against the LORD , To rebel against His glorious presence. (Isa 3:9) The expression of their faces bears witness against them. And they display their sin like Sodom; They do not even conceal it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves.

(Isa 3:10) Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions. (Isa 3:11) Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, For what he deserves will be done to him. (Isa 3:12) O My people! Their oppressors are children, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who guide you lead you astray, And confuse the direction of your paths. (Isa 3:13) The LORD arises to contend, And stands to judge the people. (Isa 3:14) The LORD enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people, “It is you who have devoured the vineyard; The plunder of the poor is in your houses. (Isa 3:15) “What do you mean by crushing My people, And grinding the face of the poor?” Declares the Lord GOD of hosts.

(Isa 3:16) Moreover, the LORD said, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud, And walk with heads held high and seductive eyes, And go along with mincing steps, And tinkle the bangles on their feet, (Isa 3:17) Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs, And the LORD will make their foreheads bare.” (Isa 3:18) In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, (Isa 3:19) dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, (Isa 3:20) headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, (Isa 3:21) finger rings, nose rings, (Isa 3:22) festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, (Isa 3:23) hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans, and veils.

(Isa 3:24) Now it will come about that instead of sweet perfume there will be putrefaction; Instead of a belt, a rope; Instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp; Instead of fine clothes, a donning of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty. (Isa 3:25) Your men will fall by the sword, And your mighty ones in battle. (Isa 3:26) And her gates will lament and mourn; And deserted she will sit on the ground. (Isa 4:1) For seven women will take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach!”

Divisions

  • On the day of judgment God will overwhelm the arrogance of men. (Isa 2:20-3:9)
    • Put your trust in God, not men, idols, wealth
    • God will take away all that you trust
  • God’s judgment falls in the measure equal to their actions on the wicked and blessings equal to their actions on the righteous.
    • On the elders and princes – for they abused their authority
    • On the daughters of Zion for their pride

Questions

  • What is God removing from Judah in Isa 3:1-24? Has he done the same in your life? Why?
  • Read Isa 3:6 and compare with how king Saul (1Sam 9:14-17, 10:1, and David (1Sam 16:1) were selected as king. Also, see John 6:15 – what criteria were the people using to select their king and who are they trusting? How does that apply to us today?
  • Why has Judah fallen? (Isa 3:8-9)
  • What seems to be the most offensive aspect of His people’s sin in these verses? Why?

Note:

  • Isa 3:4, Manassah was 12 when he became king and was and did evil in the sight of the Lord (2Ch 33:1-2). Zedekiah was 21 when he became king (the last one of Judah) (2Ch 36:11-12)

(Isa 4:2) In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel. (Isa 4:3) And it will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy–everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem. (Isa 4:4) When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, (Isa 4:5) then the LORD will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. (Isa 4:6) And there will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain.

Questions:

  • What will be the source of pride and beauty in “that day”.
  • What do the people left in Zion represent?
  • What did they do to be called holy? What did the Lord do to make them holy?
  • What is the sequence that must occur before the Lord can be with his people (Isa 4:4-5)?
  • How does this judgment end?

Note:

  • Isa 4:5 (canopy) ḥuppāh: a chamber, a cover, a canopy. It refers figuratively to the “bridal chamber” from which the sun comes forth (Psa_19:5 [6]; cf. Joe_2:16). It indicates a mighty, protective canopy over God\’s people (Isa_4:5).

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