January 4, 2011
UNNATURAL
Isaiah 2
Brooke Mauritzen
Central Truth
We live in a world that competes with God for our time and energy, but He has proven Himself worthy of our undivided attention.
Key Verse | Isaiah 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. (Isaiah 2:2)
Isaiah 2
The Mountain of the LORD
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,
3
and many peoples 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,
1
2:3
Or teaching
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
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.
5
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the LORD.
The Day of the LORD
6
For you have rejected your people,
the house of Jacob,
because they are full of things from the east
and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines,
and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.
7
Their land is filled with silver and gold,
and there is no end to their treasures;
their land is filled with horses,
and there is no end to their chariots.
8
Their land is filled with idols;
they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their own fingers have made.
9
So man is humbled,
and each one is brought low—
do not forgive them!
10
Enter into the rock
and hide in the dust
from before the terror of the LORD,
and from the splendor of his majesty.
11
The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
12
For the LORD of hosts has a day
against all that is proud and lofty,
against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low;
13
against all the cedars of Lebanon,
lofty and lifted up;
and against all the oaks of Bashan;
14
against all the lofty mountains,
and against all the uplifted hills;
15
against every high tower,
and against every fortified wall;
16
against all the ships of Tarshish,
and against all the beautiful craft.
17
And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,
and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,
and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
18
And the idols shall utterly pass away.
19
And people shall enter the caves of the rocks
and the holes of the ground,
2
2:19
Hebrew dust
from before the terror of the LORD,
and from the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth.
20
In that day mankind will cast away
their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
which they made for themselves to worship,
to the moles and to the bats,
21
to enter the caverns of the rocks
and the clefts of the cliffs,
from before the terror of the LORD,
and from the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth.
22
Stop regarding man
in whose nostrils is breath,
for of what account is he?
Dive Deeper | Isaiah 2
As mentioned in my bio, I have an affinity for mountains. To call their size impressive would be an understatement! As I learn over time how God's great character truly overshadows everything in existence, the likeness between Him and mountains is an intuitive connection to make.
Even still, there are many other competing "hills" in my life that I am consistently tempted to turn toward. After years of studying who God is and why He deserves my undivided attention, I can't seem to understand why my course often drifts away from Him toward the less majestic things that will never truly satisfy. My flesh tends to war against my spirit as I attempt to follow Scripture in my speech, the way I treat others, and how I steward the resources I have been given.
Much of Isaiah 2 reveals the despair of following what seems natural, or all that the world has to offer. My deceitful heart (Jeremiah 17:9) drives too often toward what feels right at the time, but in the long run will only cause pain. I find it quite interesting that the end of Isaiah 2:2 says that "all the nations will stream" to the Lord as the chief of all mountains. I have never known a river to flow towards a mountain, as that defies the environmental tendency for rivers to run downhill. But that's the entire point. He will change our natural, self-centered course. When we seek Him, He will renew us in a way that breaches the selfish behaviors we have nurtured through life.
Following that which is created by either God or man will never bring the same rewards as following the Creator Himself. As our time in Isaiah today begins by confirming to whom we should bow down, it ends with a firm exhortation about in whom we should not put our hope: Man. May we all learn to set our minds on things above, not on the things of this earth (Colossians 3:2) that beg for us to flow their way.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you understand why God deserves your undivided attention? If not, spend time meditating on some of His character from these passages: Job 9:4; Psalm 93; Psalm 102:26-27; Isaiah 40:25-31; Lamentations 3:22-23; Romans 11:33-36; Ephesians 2:4-5; Hebrews 3:4; 1 John 1:5.
2. Identify the things in your life that you run to more naturally than God, and ask Him to renew your mind (Romans 12:2) so that your focus shifts to things above.
3. Have you seen the benefits of living a life that is "streaming" towards the "chief of the mountains"? If so, take a few moments to praise Him for the joy that living in His presence brings (Psalm 16:11).
This year, The Journey adds a Weekly Family Activity written by Watermark's Children Ministry to encourage parents to read God's Word with their children and to facilitate family discussions about the daily Journey passages. Each week will bring a new family activity.
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
ISAIAH 1-5 (JAN 3-7)
Activity Part 1: Take a small, washable object and cover it with mud. As you cover it, take turns talking about behavior that is disobedient/rebellious towards God.
Read Isaiah 1:1-6 & 16-20.
Verses 4 and 5 tell us that the Israelites are rebellious, hardhearted, and far from God.
What was Isaiah encouraging them to do because of the condition of their hearts (verses 16-17)? Give examples of when you have rebelled/disobeyed authority in your life (God, parents, teachers, bosses, or coaches). What do you think makes you want to rebel/disobey? Also give examples of times of obedience and what made you want to obey.
How do you get to know God in a way that your heart consistently wants to honor and obey Him, rather than rebel and disobey? Think about the need daily to take a bath/shower. How do we do that with our hearts?
Activity Part 2: Now go back to your object. Talk about what needs to be done to remove the dirt from the object. Have fun getting the object clean and repeating together what Isaiah says in verses 16 and 17.
Talk together about how each of you can keep your hearts clean daily.