Contemplate these questions as you dwell in Isaiah 2:6-22:

1. Isaiah's condemnation of idolatry extends beyond physical representations to the idols we may construct in our lives. How do we discern modern-day idols that might not be tangible but still hold power over our hearts and choices? How can we guard against such idols in our lives?

2. The prophet foretells a day of judgment when human pride will be humbled, and only the Lord will be exalted. How does the theme of pride relate to our contemporary society, and what lessons can we draw from Isaiah's warning about the consequences of human arrogance?

3. Isaiah emphasizes the fleeting nature of idols and the call to exalt the Lord above all else. How can we practically prioritize God over worldly achievements, recognition, or material possessions in our daily lives? How does this shift in focus influence our perspectives and actions?

Transcript:

In the first part of Chapter Two, we read about this time where everyone is going towards God and there will be peace. It's the whole famous beat their swords and plowshares passage, right? Then the tone turns to a tone of judgment. The idea here is that there is idolatry, there is rebellion against God, and that has to be punished. And once again, we see another example of the way that idolatry is spoken of. Obviously, idolatry is an issue. And it's important that, as always, we remember that while we don't turn our silver and our gold into idols that we bowed down before, there are plenty of things that we have as idols in our lives. It's not a statue. It's not something that we crafted with our hands necessarily, but we have things that we place with God. And so, while we can look at this passage and easily say, Yes, tear these things down against those people who have these idols, we need to remember that this should convict us of our own sin. We should be driven to worship of the one true God. Now, as we look at this passage, we see some beautiful, poetic language again.

Now, it's hard. I struggle with that word to call it beautiful necessarily, because it is words of judgment, but it's very poetic in the way that it's written, the way the words are repeated. It is beautiful literature to read, but then we have the harshness of the judgment. Look at what prophet has to say in verse 8, Their land is filled with idol, they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made. This is ultimately the issue with idolatry. I've mentioned before when we've been in passages that mention idolatry, that I just don't understand the idea of bowling down before something somebody made in their shop or something that I made in my shop or something that I formed together. I can't imagine making something then, bowling down before it as though it's a representation of God or another Pagan God or whatever. I once did a lot of sunny school lessons using object lessons. One of the object lessons I used was I went and bought a bunch of Play-Doh and I had the students make something out of Play-Doh. Then we talked about this idea of idolatry. Chances are we maybe even went to this passage or another passage like it, talking about the ideas of bowing down before the work of their hands.

At the end of the lesson, I had the student smash the Play-Doh down because we're throwing out the idea of throwing out things that we would idolize. But here we see, as God is talking about this, this is more than just, Hey, people, turn away. God is talking about the judgment that is going to come. It's not just God saying, Turn away from your idol. Yes, that's being said. There's this idea of a day of the Lord, a day where judgment is going to come, where God is going to punish this rebellion, this idol. Verse 11, we see that 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. Now, whether that is pride in the work of their hands in this idol that they have made, or whether it is pride in their own works and the things that they do, or in their own righteousness, Isaiah lets us know that someday the pride that we have is going to be humble. The Lord is going to be exalted on that day because he alone is the one that is worthy of praise, worthy of exhortation.

We see right away at verse 12, for the Lord of hosts has a day. It seems as though he is allowing this to pass. But Isaiah says, No, no, no, he's being slow. Perhaps he is being patient, perhaps. There is a day. There is a day of judgment coming. We see this in verse 17:18. The haughtiness of the man shall be humbled. There's that idea again of being humble. And the love to pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. Idols shall utterly pass away. The idea that we see here is not only get rid of your pride, idol that you have chosen over the one true God, they're going to go away and He is going to come and judge you. You can choose. You can either worship the one true God, you can worship the maker of heaven and earth. The one who will be exalted. Ideals that you have, they're done and overweighed. The people who are going to be judged are going to enter in a cave and the rocks are going to try to escape the judgment of the Lord because it is going to be awful.

It is going to be harsh. Notice how Isaiah says it, when he rises to terrify the earth, the judgment of God is a terrifying thing. And so in that day, we read in verse 20, mankind will cast away idols, are idols of silver and gold, which they have made for themselves to work. There is that idea again that they've made these things themselves. These things will be cast away because they will realize that they are worthless. As this chapter closes up, tells us verse 22, Stop regarding man whose nostrils is breath, for what account is he? Now we know that God values human life. He treats human life. He redeemed human life in the Lord Jesus Christ. The idea here is, if you are making these gods, you are acknowledging that you have power over them. You are giving exaltation to humans. You're giving exaltation to pride. Now, what is Isaiah saying? Stop lifting up man, you said, Exalt the Lord, your God. For without God, what account are we? Without Him, we have nothing. We are utterly nothing. We would not have been created. And if we abandon him, then we are judged for our idolatry.

That's the idea being of being made here. We see that we are called to return to the Lord our God, to turn away from the idol, to turn away from our sin, and from our human pride, our haughtiness, and to exalt the God, the maker of heaven.