The Gift Of Peace Series

(VIDEO INTRO: "Christmas Truce". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dtkeaj-ubuQ)

As the soldiers enjoyed a "Peace at Christmas" during WW I, the threat of the Assyrian army disrupted any notice of peace for the Israelis. Isaiah spoke out to Judah during the critical years of Assyrian expansion, when the Northern Kingdom, Israel, was destroyed (Richards, L., & Richards, L. O. (1987). The teacher’s commentary (p. 365). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.).

During Advent, peace is a gift that many desire but few expect. We fear conflict from family gatherings, conflict from unmet expectations and conflict from future uncertainty. Conflict is the hallmark of humanity apart from Christ. Peace is the gift of God for those in Christ.

"The Gift of Peace" is not only a historical reality, it is a future guarantee. God gave His son, the Prince of Peace to usher in a new era, a new kingdom of Peace. In Isaiah 2, the Prophet Isaiah saw: 1) Peace from the Person of God (Isaiah 2:1-2), and 2) Peace through the saving Purpose of God (Isaiah 2:3-5)

1) Peace from the Person of God (Isaiah 2:1-2)

Isaiah 2:1-2 [2:1]The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. [2]It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, (ESV)

While this verse obviously functions as a superscription, it certainly serves as a heading to chapters 2–4, and probably was intended to describe the collection of oracles which extends to chapter 12. Even so, the first vision is linked to the preceding description of Zion as ‘the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City’ (1:26), which is now portrayed in the glory she will be given in days to come. ‘The word that Isaiah … saw’ is an unusual expression; even so, ‘saw’ (from the same root as ‘vision’ in 1:1) is intended to convey no more than ‘received by divine revelation’. Isaiah literally saw “the word” (haddâḇâr.), which suggests that the revelation contained both visionary and verbal elements (Grogan, G. W. (1986). Isaiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 34). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.).

Please turn to Micah 4 (p.778)

The prophecy of 2:2–4 is found in substantially the same form in Micah 4:1–3, where (unlike here) it is an obvious link with preceding material. However, it does not necessarily follow that Isaiah is dependent on Micah. There is some probability attached to the suggestion that both spokesmen of Yahweh are citing an earlier source (which may also be partially reflected in Joel 3:9–12). It would seem that these words were popular in Jerusalem as a statement of the assured glory of Zion, and Isaiah, like his contemporary Micah, was led by the Spirit to use them in his own way to deepen the understanding that the people had of their situation (cf. 2:5; Micah 4:4–5). To the prophetic eye, the crises of the present are to be measured by the ultimate crisis of judgment and salvation toward which God is moving history (see Joel 2:28–3:21; Zeph. 1:7–2:3) (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1243). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).

Micah 4:1-5 [4:1]It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, [2]and many nations shall 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 his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.[3]He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and 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; [4]but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. [5]For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever. (ESV)

The expression in verse 2 that "It that it shall come to pass in the latter/end of the days" (cf. Gen. 49:1; Num. 24:14; Deut. 31:29; but not used elsewhere in Isaiah) looks forwards into the distant future (in fact the Hebrew idiom involves looking backwards: the unknown future is envisaged as lying unseen behind one). It is a designation looking forward to the messianic era (Ezek. 38:16; Hos. 3:5; Mic. 4:1). The NT applied the expression to the period beginning with the first advent of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:17; 2 Tim. 3:1; Heb. 1:2; James 5:3; 2 Pet. 3:3). Old Testament prophets, being without a clear word regarding the time between the Messiah’s two advents, linked the expression to the Messiah’s return to establish His earthly kingdom (MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 957). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.).