Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Isaiah 2: Good Future...

The first four verses of Isaiah 2 optimistically point to a future of goodness and hope where the people of the world are united under the direction of God.

"In the days to come," the prophet utters, "the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it" (vs. 2).  Isaiah envisions a time when Mount Zion shall be lifted to a place of preeminence in the world.  All the peoples of the world will turn to Jerusalem to receive instruction and guidance for their lives (vs. 3).  Because of God's leadership in the world, weapons of war will no longer be needed.  Swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks (vs. 4).  The art of war will disappear as nations finally learn to dwell in peace with one another.

Sounds like a beautiful picture, alright - but is it possible?  Christians would argue that God has in mind just such a future through the sending of His Son Jesus into the world.  With the world united under the Lordship of Christ, Isaiah's vision can be realized as brothers and sisters - all children of God - living together in peace.  We believe that God's plan is for wisdom and instruction to flow from Jerusalem through the teachings of Jesus.

Unfortunately, that's not the only future that Isaiah foresees.  The remainder of this chapter through chapter 3 describes the darker picture of a coming day that is anything but peaceful and hopeful...




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