Human Pride Brought Down, Human Arrogance Humbled

Isaiah. 2:1-11 NLT  

  1 This is a vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2  In the last days, the mountain of the LORD’s house will be the highest of all—  the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. 3 People from many nations will come and say,  “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the LORD’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. 4 The LORD will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares  and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation,  nor train for war anymore. 5 Come, descendants of Jacob,  let us walk in the light of the LORD! 6 For the LORD has rejected his people, the descendants of Jacob,  because they have filled their land with practices from the East and with sorcerers, as the Philistines do. They have made alliances with pagans. 7  Israel is full of silver and gold;  there is no end to its treasures. Their land is full of warhorses;  there is no end to its chariots. 8 Their land is full of idols;  the people worship things they have made with their own hands. 9 So now they will be humbled,  and all will be brought low—  do not forgive them. 10 Crawl into caves in the rocks. Hide in the dust  from the terror of the LORD  and the glory of his majesty. 11 Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled. Only the LORD will be exalted on that day of judgment.

Since Isaiah was inspired to write this to Israel in about 700 BC Much has transpired on the world scene. Twice, the nation Israel has been destroyed and twice it has been supernaturally restored, in the midst of violent opposition by surrounding nations. Prior to its second destruction God fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah which was about the coming of Messiah and the expanding of "God's People" to include both Jews and Gentiles who trusted in Messiah for salvation rather than works or religious rules. The first warnings were against the people of Israel. The subsequent warnings found over in the Book of Revelation can be considered as focused on all God's followers who have claimed Christ as Savior and Lord.

Throughout its History, never has Jerusalem fulfilled the described circumstance in this passage. It has been taken to mean fulfillment during the time of a physical earthly reign of Messiah from Jerusalem. In the books of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation we understand that time to begin subsequent to Christ's second coming to earth and to last for a thousand-year period prior to a final battle and total re-creation of perfected humanity and the universe. But what would be God's point to reveal such things seven centuries before the Messiah would come and another 20 or more centuries before it would possibly take place? Because I'm asking the question, please do not think I have anything close to an accurate answer.

When I consider reasons why the above description does NOT fit our day, I realize that humanity has continued to rush down its path of replacing Creator God with its own created self to sit in the Lordship chair. And even in that, humans cannot agree and continuously conflict with each other as to which of them get to place their god on the universal throne and Crown it over everyone Else's little god. If God's people, the ones chosen through faith in Jesus Christ, will live up to the ways God is recreating them, then the seeds of this perfected life can begin to be sown. However, it will yet take God's full intervention in History to wipe away that portion of humanity dead-set on denying God and being the god of everyone else.

Verses 9-11 reflect a time echoed in the Book of Revelation and describing the people of the world responding to the coming Holy God. Even in that opportunity to repent they refuse and merely pray to boulders to crush them instead. They prefer to die in their sin than repent for eternal life. They are caught up in the lie of the Evil One and refuse to be set free. How about you? Is pride and arrogance something you should ask God to remove from your life?
Your servant in Christ's love

Dan

drdanelliott@gmail.com