Good News - Bad News Series

Isaiah 2: 1 – 22

Good News – Bad News

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, “ Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. 5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the LORD. 6 For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with eastern ways; They are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they are pleased with the children of foreigners. 7 Their land is also full of silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; Their land is also full of horses, and there is no end to their chariots. 8 Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made. 9 People bow down, and each man humbles himself; Therefore do not forgive them. 10 Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty. 11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up— And it shall be brought low— 13 Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan; 14 Upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up; 15 Upon every high tower, and upon every fortified wall; 16 Upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all the beautiful sloops. 17 The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; The LORD alone will be exalted in that day, 18 But the idols He shall utterly abolish. 19 They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. 20 In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship, to the moles and bats, 21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the crags of the rugged rocks, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily. 22 Sever yourselves from such a man, whose breath is in his nostrils; For of what account is he?

Have you ever thought like me that each time we gather to look into our Precious Adoni Jehovah – The Lord Most High’s Scripture it seems to focus on God’s displeasure with mankind? Well, for one thing our Holy Ruler Is Kind and Faithful to point out where we are wrong. A True Friend who sees us messing with danger, will do something. The 27th chapter of Proverbs describes this truth is a beautiful way, “Open rebuke [is] better than love carefully concealed. Faithful [are] the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy [are] deceitful.”

Our God Is Love. Yet, part of love means dealing with things that need immediate change. In chapter 2 our Magnificent Holy Trinity wants to point out to us what needs immediate attention. He Is going to point out in verses 6 through 22 the worse of all sins. Do you have a guess which one. The answer is ‘Pride’ Our Holy King has set standards for us and He expects us to try to do them. He tells us to be perfect as He Is Perfect. Sin means missing the mark of His target. All sin is wrong but the first sin that entered the world as you and I know was ‘Pride’ caused by the sin of Lucifer.

I have heard it said that if you have to deal with difficult issues with an individual, it is always good to start off with complements or encouraging words. So, we see our Wonderful Teacher doing likewise as He begins this chapter with ‘Good News’ in verses 1 through 5 o n what He will do for us in the future