the future glory of jerusalem the lord’s day of judgment...

www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell

The Future Glory of Jerusalem

The Lord’s Day of Judgment

Isaiah 2:1-22

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN 37216, U.S.A., John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.

http://www.biblestudyworkshop.org/


The Future Glory of Jerusalem

The Lord’s Day of Judgment Text: Isaiah 2:1-22, 1. Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz. 2. In the future the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure as the most important of mountains, and will be the most prominent of hills. All the nations will stream to it, 3. many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the temple of the God of Jacob, so he can teach us his requirements, and we can follow his standards.” For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. 4. He will judge disputes between nations; he will settle cases for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations will not take up the sword against other nations, and they will no longer train for war. 5. O descendants of Jacob, come, let us walk in the Lord’s guiding light. 6. Indeed, O Lord, you have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob. For diviners from the east are everywhere; they consult omen readers like the Philistines do. Plenty of foreigners are around.



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell 7. Their land is full of gold and silver; there is no end to their wealth. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots. 8. Their land is full of worthless idols; they worship the product of their own hands, what their own fingers have fashioned. 9. Men bow down to them in homage, they lie flat on the ground in worship. Don’t spare them! 10. Go up into the rocky cliffs, hide in the ground. Get away from the dreadful judgment of the Lord, from his royal splendor! 11. Proud men will be brought low, arrogant men will be humiliated; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. 12. Indeed, the Lord who commands armies has planned a day of judgment, for all the high and mighty, for all who are proud—they will be humiliated; 13. for all the cedars of Lebanon, that are so high and mighty, for all the oaks of Bashan; 14. for all the tall mountains, for all the high hills, 15. for every high tower, for every fortified wall, 16. for all the large ships, for all the impressive ships. 17. Proud men will be humiliated, arrogant men will be brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. 18. The worthless idols will be completely eliminated. 19. They will go into caves in the rocky cliffs and into holes in the ground, trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord and his royal splendor, when he rises up to terrify the earth. 20. At that time men will throw their silver and gold idols, which they made for themselves to worship, into the caves where rodents and bats live,



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell 21. so they themselves can go into the crevices of the rocky cliffs and the openings under the rocky overhangs, trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord and his royal splendor, when he rises up to terrify the earth. 22. Stop trusting in human beings, whose life’s breath is in their nostrils. For why should they be given special consideration? (NET) Introduction: I. Isaiah 2:1-5 speaks to Zion’s mission to the Nations while Israel 2:6-22 speaks to humbling arrogant leaders, Hamilton wrote. II. Coffman wrote that Isaiah 2 has three paragraphs; viz., . . .

A. Verses 1-4 speak of the proclamation of God’s kingdom from Mt. Zion by God himself in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

B. Verses 5-11 speak of a call for apostate Israel to repent and return to God.

C. Verses 12-22 reveal the inevitability of the Day of the Lord, namely the great and final judgment identified with the second advent of the Son of God.

III. Clarke noted that Isaiah 2-4 constitute one discourse addressing in chapter 2: . . .

A. the coming Messianic kingdom (2:1-5).




B. the punishment of the Jews for their idolatrous practices, their confidence in their own strength, and distrust of God’s protection. The destruction of idolatry was also discussed (2:6-22).

Commentary:

The Future Glory of Jerusalem Isaiah 2:1, Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz. (NET) I. Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz.

A. Hailey wrote, “From the picture of Zion as a forsaken shed in the midst of desolation (1:8) and as an unfaithful wife who had become a harlot (1:21), the prophet turns to the future and sees Zion glorified above all cities and nations (2:1-4).

1. Smith via Hailey speaks of three Jerusalems as the ideal Jerusalem (2:1-4), the real Jerusalem (2:5-4:1), and the Jerusalem the redeemed (4:2-6).

2. The ideal Jerusalem (2:1-4) refers to the Messianic period, Hailey wrote.

B. Isaiah 2:1 and 1:1 are similar. The word is revealed to Isaiah. He was enabled to comprehend, understand the message.




C. Smith observed, that these opening words of chapter 2 signal the beginning of a new unit of the book of Isaiah.

1. This sermon begins and ends with promise, but sandwiched between are indictments against the sinful nation, Smith wrote.

Isaiah 2:2, In the future the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure as the most important of mountains, and will be the most prominent of hills. All the nations will stream to it, (NET) I. In the future* the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure as the most important of mountains, and will be the most prominent of hills.

A. NET Footnote: Hebrew – in the end of the days.

B. Hamilton explained verses 1-5 as follows, “Yahweh will exalt abased Zion and the temple. A faithful people will go out from Zion proclaiming God’s redeeming message to the nations, who will respond enthusiastically, make pilgrimages to Zion, and learn Yahweh’s word more fully.”

C. “In the future”, “In the latter days,” refers to the days of the Messiah, the Christian era. (See Hailey and Coffman.)

1. Daniel 2:28, However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come. The dream and the visions you




had while lying on your bed are as follows. (NET)

2. Joel 2:28, After all of this I will pour out my Spirit on all kinds of people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your elderly will have revelatory dreams; your young men will see prophetic visions. (NET)

3. Acts 2:17-18, ‘And in the last days it will be,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. (NET)

4. Acts 3:24, And all the prophets, from Samuel and those who followed him, have spoken about and announced these days. (NET)

5. 1 Peter 1:20, He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was manifested in these last times for your sake. (NET)

6. Hebrews 1:2, in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world. (NET)




7. 1 Peter 1:20, He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was manifested in these last times for your sake. (NET)

D. “In the future” and “in the latter days, Briley wrote, “ . . . can simply refer to the future in general and not what we think of as the end of time.

E. Mount Zion, Mount Moriah on which the temple was built, is for Christians the most important of mountains because it was from there the gospel was preached and has from there been heard in all parts of the world, standing as the preeminent kingdom, religion of the world. (See the Pulpit Commentary.)

1. Matthew 5:14, You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. (NET)

F. Smith wrote that this is a prophecy of the Messianic Age to be established in the last days.

1. This kingdom was spiritual and would tower over all the other kingdoms of the world.

G. Briley wrote, “By looking to the possibility of a glorious future, Isaiah reaffirms that all hope is not lost.

1. Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, said the same thing as Isaiah 2:2-4.

a. Micah 4:1-4, In the future the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important




mountain of all; it will be more prominent than other hills. People will stream to it. Many nations will come, saying, “Come on! Let’s go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the temple of Jacob’s God, so he can teach us his commands and we can live by his laws.” For Zion will be the source of instruction; the Lord’s teachings will proceed from Jerusalem. He will arbitrate between many peoples and settle disputes between many distant nations. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations will not use weapons against other nations, and they will no longer train for war. Each will sit under his own grapevine or under his own fig tree without any fear. The Lord who commands armies has decreed it. (NET)

H. The worship of Jehovah on his mountain transcends the worship of all other gods, all nations will worship the Lord there, they will live according to God’s standards, from Jerusalem God’s word would go to all the world and peace on earth will be the result. (See Briley.)

1. This is not a reference to the Jewish temple, but to the church of Jesus Christ. (Coffman)

a. 1 Corinthians 3:16, Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? (NET)




b. Hebrews 12:18-23, For you have not come to something that can be touched, to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words such that those who heard begged to hear no more. For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” In fact, the scene was so terrifying that Moses said, “I shudder with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, (NET)

II. All the nations will stream to it, . . .

A. Jehovah’s house, the church, was established in Jerusalem. Multiplied millions have streamed into it from all over the world.

1. Zechariah 8:3, The Lord says, ‘I have returned to Zion and will live within Jerusalem. Now Jerusalem will be called “truthful city,” “mountain of the Lord who rules over all,” “holy mountain.”’ (NET)




2. “Zion, as the mountain of God’s house and people, was the place from which the people would be ruled by His word,” Hailey wrote. 3. Hebrews 12:18-23, For you have not come to something that can be touched, to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words such that those who heard begged to hear no more. For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” In fact, the scene was so terrifying that Moses said, “I shudder with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, (NET) 4. 1 Timothy 3:15, in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves in the household of God, because it is the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth. (NET) 5. Hebrews 12:28, So since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us give thanks, and through this let us offer worship pleasing to God in devotion and awe. (NET)




B. God’s kingdom would be exalted above all others in greatness and grandeur, Hailey stated.

1. Ezekiel 40:2, By means of divine visions he brought me to the land of Israel and placed me on a very high mountain, and on it was a structure like a city, to the south. (NET)

2. Daniel 2:35, Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were broken in pieces without distinction and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors that the wind carries away. Not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a large mountain that filled the entire earth. (NET)

C. People of all nations (converts) would continually flow into that kingdom.

1. Spiritual Zion would be the center of religious instruction for the world. (See Smith.)

2. In the spiritual Israel, the church, physical Israel and people of all nations have equal access and equal standing. (See Coffman.)

a. This passage definitely does not envision Gentiles coming to literal Jerusalem to accept a less than equal position. (See Coffman.)




b. The Christian era is the millennium of scripture (Revelation 20) which began on Pentecost of Acts 2.

c. People of all nations, Jews and Gentiles alike, flow into this kingdom as equals.

d. If these to whom Isaiah prophesied understood what Isaiah said, they would have been totally appalled!

Isaiah 2:3, many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the temple of the God of Jacob, so he can teach us his requirements, and we can follow his standards.” For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. (NET) I. Many people will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the temple of the God of Jacob, so he can teach us his requirements, and we can follow his standards.”

A. God’s standards refer to God’s law, God’s requirements, God’s teachings.

B. Many people, that is, many nations, not just the people of Israel, would seek God’s will from the Lord’s mountain.

1. Those who flow into God’s kingdom would urge, encourage others to join them there.




2. Hailey noted that teaching always precedes proper conduct.

a. Isaiah 54:13, All your children will be followers of the Lord, and your children will enjoy great prosperity. (NET)

b. John 6:44-45, No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me. (NET)

c. Matthew 28:18-20, Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (NET)

3. Clarke noted that we can only know God’s ways when he teaches us what they are, but unless we then walk in his ways we have not pleased the Lord.

a. We are to both hear and do God’s will!

b. Romans 11:33-34, Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!




How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? (NET)

c. 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. (NET)

II. For Zion will be the center for moral instruction, the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem.

A. From Jerusalem the word of God has gone forth to all the world.

B. Coffman noted that the reference in this passage to Jerusalem is not speaking of earthly Jerusalem at all, but rather to the heavenly Jerusalem.

1. Galatians 4:26, But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. (NET)

2. Hebrews 12:22, But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly (NET)



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell Isaiah 2:4, He will judge disputes between nations; he will settle cases for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations will not take up the sword against other nations, and they will no longer train for war. (NET) I. He will judge disputes between nations; he will settle cases for many peoples.

A. Hailey wrote, “God will be the final arbiter or judge in all matters. God’s word will be the standard by which all mattes are judged.” B. To the extend the teachings of the messianic age are taught and believed, peace will prevail. (See Smith.)

1. Proverbs 8:15, Kings reign by means of me, and potentates decree righteousness; (NET)

C. War stands as a marked failure of mankind through all ages!

1. Wars and rumors of war! Can’t we find a better way to resolve our differences?

2. Why don’t we just do what God says? That would resolve our conflicts!

II. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.* Nations will not take up the sword against other nations, and they will no longer train for war.




A. NET Footnote: Pruning hooks were short knives with a curved hook at the end, sharpened on the inside like a sickle.

B. Peace is a major characteristic of those who enter God’s kingdom.

1. People of the world’s nations know of wars and rumors of work.

2. Christians have a long way to go to live harmoniously and peacefully with one another.

a. Isaiah 11:9, They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain. For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty, just as the waters completely cover the sea. (NET)

b. Hebrews 12:18-29, For you have not come to something that can be touched, to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words such that those who heard begged to hear no more. For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” In fact, the scene was so terrifying that Moses said, “I shudder with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the




assembly and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel’s does. Take care not to refuse the one who is speaking! For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less shall we, if we reject the one who warns from heaven? Then his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “I will once more shake not only the earth but heaven too.” Now this phrase “once more” indicates the removal of what is shaken, that is, of created things, so that what is unshaken may remain. So since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us give thanks, and through this let us offer worship pleasing to God in devotion and awe. For our God is indeed a devouring fire. (NET)

c. Zechariah 9:9-10, Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king is coming to you: he is legitimate and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey— on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey. I will remove the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem, and the battle




bow will be removed. Then he will announce peace to the nations. His dominion will be from sea to sea and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. (NET)

d. Hosea 2:18, “At that time I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creatures that crawl on the ground. I will abolish the warrior’s bow and sword —that is, every weapon of warfare—from the land, and I will allow them to live securely.” (NET)

e. Matthew 21:5, “Tell the people of Zion, ‘Look, your king is coming to you, unassuming and seated on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” (NET)

f. Ephesians 2:17, And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, (NET)

g. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, For though we live as human beings, we do not wage war according to human standards, for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ. (NET)




h. Ephesians 6:10-17, Finally, be strengthen-ed in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (NET)

i. Joel 3:10, Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears! Let the weak say, ‘I too am a warrior!’ (NET)

j. Psalm 46:9, He brings an end to wars throughout the earth; he shatters the bow




and breaks the spear; he burns the shields with fire. (NET)

C. Coffman wrote that this passage does not refer to worldly peace, but the spiritual peace enjoyed by the followers of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. God’s kingdom will defend itself by spiritual weapons, not literal sword and spears.

a. Ephesians 6:10-20, Finally, be strengthen-ed in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the




word of God. With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints. Pray for me also, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak—that I may confidently make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak. (NET)

Note: Isaiah contrasts in verses 5-11 the dreadful present conditions experienced by the children of Jacob with the glorious future he had just described in verses 2-4. Isaiah 2:5, O descendants of Jacob, come, let us walk in the Lord’s guiding light. (NET) I. O descendants of Jacob, come, let us walk in the Lord’s guiding light.

A. The people of Jacob were encouraged to walk in the Lord’s guiding light. (See Hailey.)

B. “Only in this way,” Hailey wrote, “could the ideal ever be attained.”

1. To the extent people walk in the Lord’s guiding light there will be peace.




2. The divisions among Christian believers is proof that we are not walking in the Lord’s guiding light as we should.

C. Followers of the Lord are active participants in bringing about this better future. (See Briley.)

1. The fulfillment of these wondrous promises may well be conditioned, hinge on whether or not Judah walked in the Lord’s ways.

D. Briley wrote, “ . . . the text at hand refers to conditions which were inaugurated by Christ’s first coming and the establishment of the church. The peace which Christ made possible at his first coming will be consummated at his return . . . in the eternal state which will commence at that time.”

E. The Pulpit Commentary states that “house of Jacob” is a common expression in Isaiah instead of “house of Israel.”

The Lord’s Day of Judgment

Isaiah 2:6, Indeed, O Lord, you have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob. For diviners from the east are everywhere; they consult omen readers like the Philistines do. Plenty of foreigners are around. (NET) I. Indeed, O Lord, you have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob.




A. God had abandoned Judah and Jerusalem because of their corruption. (See Hailey.)

1. After a brief reference to the return of better times in Isaiah 2:1-5, Isaiah now returns to the judgment to come upon Judah and Jerusalem for their sins.

2. Briley wrote that the judgment of God was designed not simply to punish, but to purify and restore.

B. God had abandoned his ancient people because they had walked in the superstitions of the pagans rather than in the Lord’s guiding light.

II. For diviners from the east are everywhere; they consult omen readers like the Philistines do.

A. These people were not just a little corrupt. They were full of corruption.

B. Judah and Jerusalem welcomed hordes of astrologers from the east and consulted soothsayers, omen readers.

1. The Philistines were leaders in this pagan practice.

a. Leviticus 18:26, You yourselves must obey my statutes and my regulations and must not do any of these abominations, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner in your midst, (NET)




b. Deuteronomy 18:9-12, 14, When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must not learn the abhorrent practices of those nations. There must never be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, anyone who practices divination, an omen reader, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, one who casts spells, one who conjures up spirits, a practitioner of the occult, or a necromancer. Whoever does these things is abhorrent to the Lord and because of these detestable things the Lord your God is about to drive them out from before you. Those nations that you are about to dispossess listen to omen readers and diviners, but the Lord your God has not given you permission to do such things. (NET)

c. The people of Judah and Jerusalem rebelled against God by taking part in these activities and by welcoming foreigners who observed these occult religious practices.

C. These eastern foreigners filled Judah with their customs, superstitions, divination and enchantment rituals.

1. 2 Kings 15:4, But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. (NET)




2. 2 Kings 16:3-4, He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel. He passed his son through the fire, a horrible sin practiced by the nations whom the Lord drove out from before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree. (NET)

3. 2 Kings 17:10-12, 16-17, They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. They burned incense on all the high places just like the nations whom the Lord had driven away from before them. Their evil practices made the Lord angry. They worshiped the disgusting idols in blatant disregard of the Lord’s command. They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, and worshiped Baal. They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord and made him angry. (NET)

III. Plenty of foreigners are around.*

A NET Footnote: Hebrew – And with the children of foreigners they (?); the meaning of the final word is uncertain.




B. Foreign adherents of these occult practices were welcomed by the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

1. These foreign occult practitioners influenced Judah and Jerusalem to observe such occult practices.

2. Remember that evil communications (associations) corrupt good morals.

a. The people of Jerusalem should not have allowed themselves to be influenced by these practitioners of a false religion, but they did and suffered the consequences.

Isaiah 2:7, Their land is full of gold and silver; there is no end to their wealth. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots. (NET) I. Their land is full of gold and silver; there is no end to their wealth.

A. Judah and Jerusalem were sinful, terribly sinful, but rich, very rich.

1. Wealth is not a certain proof of divine favor.

2. They also were faulted for putting their trust in gold, silver, horses and military might. (See Smith.)

3. The Lord had forbidden the Israelites to trust in gold, silver, horses, chariots, and military might because




these things would lead his people to fall away from God.

a. Deuteronomy 17:14-17, When you come to the land the Lord your God is giving you and take it over and live in it and then say, “I will select a king like all the nations surrounding me,” you must select without fail a king whom the Lord your God chooses. From among your fellow citizens you must appoint a king—you may not designate a foreigner who is not one of your fellow Israelites. Moreover, he must not accum-ulate horses for himself or allow the people to return to Egypt to do so, for the Lord has said you must never again return that way. Furthermore, he must not marry many wives lest his affections turn aside, and he must not accumulate much silver and gold. (NET)

B. This prosperity attests to the success of Israel’s commercial ventures and the natural resources of the land.

1. 2 Kings 20:13, Hezekiah welcomed them and showed them his whole storehouse, with its silver, gold, spices, and high quality olive oil, as well as his armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom. (NET)

II. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots.




A. Deuteronomy 17:16-17, Moreover, he must not accumulate horses for himself or allow the people to return to Egypt to do so, for the Lord has said you must never again return that way. Furthermore, he must not marry many wives lest his affections turn aside, and he must not accumulate much silver and gold. (NET)

B. Hailey wrote, “All of this accumulation of material wealth and power had led the Jews to forget their dependence on God.”

1. “These were signs of luxury and ostentation,” The Pulpit Commentary states.

C. Solomon digressed in response to horses, the accumulation of gold and silver as well as the worship of idols. Solomon’s army contained over 300,000 soldiers. Certain kings as well as the people appear to have followed Solomon’s bad example. (See Clarke.)

1. 1 Kings 10:26-29, Solomon accumulated chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands. Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt and from Que; the king’s traders purchased them from Que. They paid 600 silver pieces for each chariot from Egypt and 150 silver pieces for each horse. They also sold chariots




and horses to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria. (NET)

2. 2 Chronicles 1:15, The king made silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones; cedar was as plentiful as sycamore fig trees are in the lowlands. (NET)

D. Related references: . . .

1. Micah 5:10, “In that day,” says the Lord, “I will destroy your horses from your midst, and smash your chariots. (NET)

2. 2 Samuel 15:1, Some time later Absalom managed to acquire a chariot and horses, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard. (NET)

3. 1 Kings 4:26, Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12,000 horses. (NET)

4. 1 Kings 22:31, Now the king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight common soldiers or high-ranking officers; fight only the king of Israel.” (NET)

5. Ecclesiastes 10:7, I have seen slaves on horseback and princes walking on foot like slaves. (NET)



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 31 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell Isaiah 2:8, Their land is full of worthless idols; they worship the product of their own hands, what their own fingers have fashioned. (NET) I. Their land is full of worthless idols; they worship the product of their own hands, what their own fingers have fashioned.

A. The land of Judah and Jerusalem was full of idols made by their own hands.

1. They made them and then worshiped them.

a. Isaiah 44:9-20, All who form idols are nothing; the things in which they delight are worthless. Their witnesses cannot see; they recognize nothing, so they are put to shame. Who forms a god and casts an idol that will prove worthless? Look, all his associates will be put to shame; the craftsmen are mere humans. Let them all assemble and take their stand! They will panic and be put to shame. A blacksmith works with his tool and forges metal over the coals. He forms it with hammers; he makes it with his strong arm. He gets hungry and loses his energy; he drinks no water and gets tired. A carpenter takes measurements; he marks out an outline of its form; he scrapes it with chisels, and marks it with a compass. He patterns it after the human form, like a well-built human being, and puts it in a shrine. He cuts down cedars and acquires a cypress




or an oak. He gets trees from the forest; he plants a cedar and the rain makes it grow. A man uses it to make a fire; he takes some of it and warms himself. Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of it he burns in the fire— over that half he cooks meat; he roasts a meal and fills himself. Yes, he warms himself and says, ‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’ With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships it. He prays to it, saying, ‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’ They do not comprehend or understand, for their eyes are blind and cannot see; their minds do not discern. No one thinks to himself, nor do they comprehend or understand and say to themselves: ‘I burned half of it in the fire—yes, I baked bread over the coals; I roasted meat and ate it. With the rest of it should I make a disgusting idol? Should I bow down to dry wood?’ He feeds on ashes; his deceived mind misleads him. He cannot rescue himself, nor does he say, ‘Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’ (NET)

B. Coffman defined worthless as not gods, nonentities. Such are idols.

1. Although some kings such as Josiah and Hezekiah were especially faithful to God, others were unfaithful




to the Lord in varying degrees and the people did not always follow their king’s lead for good or evil.

a. 2 Kings 15:3, 4, 34, 35, He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done. But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple. (NET)

b. 2 Chronicles 33:17, The people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places, but only to the Lord their God. (NET)

2. Clarke mentioned that private, personal, secret, household idols may have been in mind in verse 8.

a. 1 Samuel 19:13, Then Michal took a household idol and put it on the bed. She put a quilt made of goat’s hair over its head and then covered the idol with a garment. (NET)

b. Genesis 31:34, (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle and sat on them.) Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. (NET)




C. “The historians declare that both Uzziah and Jotham maintained the worship of Jehovah and disallowed idolatry, so that we must regard the idol worship of the time as an irregular and private practice,” The Pulpit Commentary states. Hezekiah was certainly faithful to God.

1. 2 Kings 15:3, 31, He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done. The rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. (NET)

2. 2 Chronicles 26:4, He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Amaziah had done. (NET)

3. 2 Chronicles 27:2, He did what the Lord approved, just as his father Uzziah had done. (He did not, however, have the audacity to enter the temple.) Yet the people were still sinning. (NET)

4. Amos 2:4, This is what the Lord says: “Because Judah has committed three covenant transgressions—make that four!—I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They rejected the Lord’s law; they did not obey his commands. Their false gods, to which their fathers were loyal, led them astray. (NET)




5. Micah 5:13, I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst; you will no longer worship what your own hands made. (NET)

Isaiah 2:9, Men bow down to them in homage, they lie flat on the ground in worship. Don’t spare them! (NET) I. Men bow down to them in homage, they lie flat on the ground in worship.

A. Society had become so corrupt from the least to the greatest of them that Isaiah could see no hope for them. (See Hailey.)

B. This does seem totally ridiculous! They made an idol, then lay flat on the ground and worshiped it.

1. In turn these idols worshipers will be brought low under the avenging hand of God. (See Clarke.)

II. Don’t spare them!

A. Isaiah believed that their gross wickedness was so great they should not be spared or forgiven.

1. He was saying, “Don’t forgive them.” (Clarke)

2. The time was eventually coming when God would humble the proud! (Briley)

3. God will cause the proud to be brought low.




4. As long as Judah lived in sin, refusing to repent, God would not forgive nor put a stop to their punishment. (See Briley.)

Isaiah 2:10, Go up into the rocky cliffs, hide in the ground. Get away from the dreadful judgment of the Lord, from his royal splendor! (NET) I. Go up into the rocky cliffs, hide in the ground.

A. In view of the destruction that was coming on these sinners, Isaiah told them to hide themselves in hope of deliverance from destruction.

B. The day was coming when the Lord alone would be exalted. (Smith)

1. Smith wrote, “The prophets apparently regarded every temporal judgment as a day of the Lord which betokened that final day when God’s judgment will be poured out on the entire world.”

C. As stated elsewhere in this lesson, “The limestone rocks of Palestine are full of extensive caverns, to which the Israelites often betook themselves in times of danger,” The Pulpit Commentary states.

1. Judges 6:2, The Midianites overwhelmed Israel. Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds. (NET)




2. 1 Samuel 13:6, The men of Israel realized they had a problem because their army was hard pressed. So the army hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, strongholds, and cisterns. (NET)

3. 1 Samuel 22:1, So David left there and escap-ed to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s family learned about it, they went down there to him. (NET)

II. Get away from the dreadful judgment of the Lord, from his royal splendor!

A. However, the fact is no one can hide from God nor escape punishment for sins of which he refuses to repent.

B. Rather than deciding to return to God, they decided to hide and flee from God. (See Briley.)

1. It is impossible, as Jonah learned, to flee or hide from God!

C. Some awful, unspecified manifestation of Jehovah’s power is intended here. (See The Pulpit Commentary.)

Isaiah 2:11, Proud men will be brought low, arrogant men will be humiliated; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. (NET) I. Proud men will be brought low, arrogant men will be humiliated; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.




A. God will humble the arrogant. (See Hamilton.)

1. Proverbs 6:17, haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (NET)

B. Hailey wrote, “Because of their idolatry, their pride and arrogancy, their accumulation of wealth, and the consequent removal of God from their thoughts, the people must be brought low, the nation must be debased.”

1. “What a lesson this should be to the godless, materialistic world of today!” Hailey concluded.

2. Nothing in which the people of Judah had trusted could help them at all in the day of God’s wrath!

C. The day of the Lord does not refer to a twenty-four hour day, but to a time when God would dramatically intervene in the affairs of humanity either to bless or punish. (See Briley.)

1. Amos 5:18-20, Woe to those who wish for the day of the Lord! Why do you want the Lord’s day of judgment to come? It will bring darkness, not light. Disaster will be inescapable, as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a bear, then escaped into a house, leaned his hand against the wall, and was bitten by a poisonous snake. Don’t you realize the Lord’s day of judgment will bring darkness, not light— gloomy blackness, not bright light? (NET)




D. The Lord alone shall be exalted, not the proud and arrogant of whatever socio-economic position in life.

1. Isaiah 12:4, At that time you will say: “Praise the Lord! Ask him for help! Publicize his mighty acts among the nations! Make it known that he is unique! (NET)

2. Isaiah 33:5, The Lord is exalted, indeed, he lives in heaven; he fills Zion with justice and fairness. (NET)

Note: “The prophet now, having announced that God is about to visit his people in anger, proceeds to describe in highly rhetorical language the visitation itself.” (The Pulpit Commentary) I. Indeed, the Lord who commands armies has planned a day of judgment, for all the high and mighty, for all who are proud- they will be humiliated; . . .

A. A day of judgment was coming on the arrogant and idol worshipers who put their trust in wealth and military strength.

B. Sinners were advised to hide from the day of the Lord.

1. Amos 5:18-20, Why do you want the Lord’s day of judgment to come? It will bring darkness, not light. Disaster will be inescapable, as if a man ran from a lion only to meet a bear, then escaped into a house, leaned his hand against the wall, and was bitten by a poisonous snake.




Don’t you realize the Lord’s day of judgment will bring darkness, not light—gloomy blackness, not bright light? (NET)

2. On this day of judgment, the wicked, proud and arrogant would be punished by the wrath of God while the righteous would be delivered. (See Hailey.)

C. Coffman identified this “day of judgment’ as the world’s final judgment day, but many other days of judgment would come upon Judah and the world before the final judgment all reminding us of the final judgment at the end of the world.

1. Coffman specifically wrote, “Throughout history, God has repeatedly judged and destroyed apostate, heathen, and degenerate cultures. God will further execute his judgments upon excessively wicked and rebellious cultures . . . until the time of the final judgment.

a. Zephaniah 1:1-3, Amariah, son of Hezekiah. Zephaniah delivered this message during the reign of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah: “I will destroy everything from the face of the earth,” says the Lord. “I will destroy people and animals; I will destroy the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea. (The idolatrous images of these creatures will be destroyed along with evil people.) I will remove humanity from the face of the earth,” says the Lord. (NET)



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 41 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell Isaiah 2:13, for all the cedars of Lebanon, that are so high and mighty, for all the oaks of Bashan; (NET) I. For all the cedars of Lebanon, that are so high and mighty, for all the oaks of Bashan;* . . .

A. NET Footnote: The cedars of Lebanon and the oaks of Bashan are symbols for powerful men who think of themselves as prominent and secure.

B. On that terrible day of the Lord, four pairs of high and mighty things would be brought low; viz., . . .

1. the cedars of Lebanon and the oaks of Bashan, . . .

2. the high mountains and the hills that are lifted up, . . .

3. every lofty tower and every fortified wall; and . . .

4. all the ships of Tarshish and all the imagery (or articles of art brought from far countries). (See Hailey.)

C. The ancient Hebrews used things which were figurative, metaphorical, parabolical, poetical and allegorical to express their ideas. (See Clarke.)

1. Verses 13-16 are an example of this literary technique.




2. These figures are often based on nature.

a. Cedars of Lebanon and oaks of Bashan may reference kings, princes and potentates of the highest rank. (Clarke)

b. High mountains and hills may reference kingdoms. (Clarke)

c. Ships may represent people enriched by commerce. (Clarke)

3. Related references: . . .

a. Psalm 1:3, He is like a tree planted by flowing streams; it yields its fruit at the proper time, and its leaves never fall off. He succeeds in everything he attempts. (NET)

b. Jeremiah 17:8, They will be like a tree planted near a stream whose roots spread out toward the water. It has nothing to fear when the heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no need to be concerned in a year of drought. It does not stop bearing fruit. (NET)

c. Job 8:10-17, Will they not instruct you and speak to you, and bring forth words from their understanding? Can the papyrus plant grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds flourish without water? While they are




still beginning to flower and not ripe for cutting, they can wither away faster than any grass! Such is the destiny of all who forget God; the hope of the godless perishes, whose trust is in something futile, whose security is a spider’s web. He leans against his house but it does not hold up, he takes hold of it but it does not stand. He is a well-watered plant in the sun, its shoots spread over its garden. It wraps its roots around a heap of stones and it looks for a place among stones. (NET)

d. Ezekiel 31:3, Consider Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches, like a forest giving shade, and extremely tall; its top reached into the clouds. (NET)

e. Isaiah 37:24, Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, ‘With my many chariots I climbed up the high mountains, the slopes of Lebanon. I cut down its tall cedars and its best evergreens. I invaded its most remote regions, its thickest woods. (NET)

f. Ezekiel 27:6, They made your oars from oaks of Bashan; they made your deck with cypresses from the Kittean isles. (NET)

g. Zechariah 11:2, Howl, fir tree, because the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees have




been destroyed. Howl, oaks of Bashan, because the impenetrable forest has fallen. (NET)

Isaiah 2:14, for all the tall mountains, for all the high hills, (NET) I. for all the tall mountains, for all the high hills, . . .

A. Hailey quoted Leupold as saying, “We may well have here a kind of half-figurative description in which the literal and figurative blend inextricably.”

1. In other words, the invading armies may well literally destroy these four pairs of things identified in verses 13-16.

2. At the same time, these things could also represent the various wicked elements of Judah and Jerusalem which had brought about this day of the Lord’s wrath.

Isaiah 2:15, for every high tower, for every fortified wall, (NET) I. for every high tower, for every fortified wall, . . .

A. In due time everything will be destroyed!

1. Zephaniah 1:3, Therefore say to the people: The Lord who rules over all says, “Turn to me,” says the Lord who rules over all, “and I will turn to you,” says the Lord who rules over all. (NET)




2. Hebrews 12:26-27, Then his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “I will once more shake not only the earth but heaven too.” Now this phrase “once more” indicates the removal of what is shaken, that is, of created things, so that what is unshaken may remain. (NET)

B. The Pulpit Commentary states that both Uzziah and Jotham paid much attention to fortifications, high towers, fortified walls, and such.

1. 2 Chronicles 26:9-10, Uzziah built and fortified towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate, Valley Gate, and at the Angle. He built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns, for he owned many herds in the lowlands and on the plain. He had workers in the fields and vineyards in the hills and in Carmel, for he loved agriculture. (NET)

2. 2 Chronicles 27:3-4, He built the Upper Gate to the Lord’s temple and did a lot of work on the wall in the area known as Ophel. He built cities in the hill country of Judah and fortresses and towers in the forests. (NET)

3. Hosea 8:14, Israel has forgotten his Maker and built royal palaces, and Judah has built many fortified cities. But I will send fire on their cities; it will consume their royal citadels. (NET)




4. Micah 4:11, Many nations have now assembled against you. They say, “Jerusalem must be desecrated, so we can gloat over Zion!” (NET)

5. Confidence in human things is clearly futile!

Isaiah 2:16, for all the large ships, for all the impressive ships. (NET) I. for all the large ships,* for all the impressive ships.

A. *NET Footnote: Hebrew – ships of Tarshish (perhaps designating a class of large ocean going merchant ships).

1. Tarshish is generally thought to be Tartessus on the western coast of Spain. (See Briley.)

a. Jonah 1:3, Instead, Jonah immediately headed off to Tarshish to escape from the commission of the Lord. He traveled to Joppa and found a merchant ship heading to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard it to go with them to Tarshish far away from the Lord. (NET)

b. 1 Kings 10:22, Along with Hiram’s fleet, the king had a fleet of large merchant ships that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet came into port with cargoes of gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. (NET)




c. 2 Chronicles 20:35-37, Later King Jehoshaphat of Judah made an alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel, who did evil. They agreed to make large seagoing merchant ships; they built the ships in Ezion Geber. Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, “Because you made an alliance with Ahaziah, the Lord will shatter what you have made.” The ships were wrecked and unable to go to sea. (NET)

d. Jeremiah 10:9, Hammered-out silver is brought from Tarshish and gold is brought from Ufaz to cover those idols. They are the handiwork of carpenters and goldsmiths. They are clothed in blue and purple clothes. They are all made by skillful workers. (NET)

e. Ezekiel 27:12, “‘Tarshish was your trade partner because of your abundant wealth; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products. (NET)

f. 2 Chronicles 8:17-18, Then Solomon went to Ezion Geber and to Elat on the coast in the land of Edom. Huram sent him ships and some of his sailors, men who were well acquainted with the sea. They sailed with Solomon’s men to Ophir, and took from




there 450 talents of gold, which they brought back to King Solomon. (NET)

g. 2 Chronicles 9:21, The king had a fleet of large merchant ships manned by Huram’s men that sailed the sea. Once every three years the fleet came into port with cargoes of gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. (NET)

h. 1 Kings 22:48-49, Jehoshaphat built a fleet of large merchant ships to travel to Ophir for gold, but they never made the voyage because they were shipwrecked in Ezion Geber. Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my sailors join yours in the fleet,” but Jehoshaphat refused. (NET)

B. The phrase “impressive ships” can be explained as “pleasant pictures” or “idolatrous imagery.”

1. Numbers 33:52, you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images, all their molten images, and demolish their high places. (NET)

2. Ezekiel 8:12, He said to me, “Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in the chamber of his idolatrous images? For they think, ‘The Lord does not see us! The Lord has abandoned the land!’” (NET)




3. “Impressive ships” may refer to the ancient custom of embroidering sails with attractive designs,” Coffman quoting Dummelow suggested.

C. “Ships of Tarshish” were originally built to sail to Tarshish, but this expression was later used for ships of a special class or size which were built to make such long and dangerous journeys as to Tarshish requiring unusual strength and size.” (The Pulpit Commentary)

Isaiah 2:17, Proud men will be humiliated, arrogant men will be brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. (NET) I. Proud men will be humiliated, arrogant men will be brought low; . . .

A. Hailey suggested that the four pairs of things mentioned in verses 13-16 may point to the destruction of proud and haughty men.

1. The arrogant will be brought low!

2. Only God is to be exalted. (See Hailey.)

a. Isaiah 5:11, Those who get up early to drink beer are as good as dead, those who keep drinking long after dark until they are intoxicated with wine. (NET)

II. The Lord alone will be exalted in that day.




A. In the day of the Lord, God alone will be exalted!

B. The proud and arrogant will be gone. The idols made by men’s hands will be no more. Gold, silver, mighty human leaders, huge armies and their armorments will all be in the trash heap.

C. In the day of the Lord, God alone will be exalted! Amen!

Isaiah 2:18, The worthless idols will be completely eliminated. (NET) I. The worthless idols will be completely eliminated.

A. The people of Judah upon their return from Babylonian exile never again worshiped idols.

1. Idols once so revered would then be abolished, would disappear . . . for good! (See Clarke.)

B. This actually happened following the Babylonian captivity. The children of Jacob have never again worshiped idols.

Isaiah 2:19, They will go into caves in the rocky cliffs and into holes in the ground, trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord and his royal splendor, when he rises up to terrify the earth. (NET) I. They* will go into caves in the rocky cliffs and into holes in the ground, . . .




A. *NET Footnote: The referent is unclear; it could be the idols, but more likely it is the idolaters themselves.

B. In the day of God’s wrath, sinners will seek hiding places, but will find no safe retreat.

1. Hosea 10:8, The high places of the “House of Wickedness” will be destroyed; it is the place where Israel sins. Thorns and thistles will grow up over its altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!” (NET)

2. Luke 23:30, Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ (NET)

3. Revelation 6:16-17, They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?” (NET)

D. David took advantage of the cave country in the region of En Gedi when he and six-hundred of his men hid in a large cave without being discovered. (See Clarke.)

1. 1 Samuel 24:1-22, When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, they told him, “Look, David is in the desert of En Gedi.” So Saul took three thousand select men from all Israel and




went to find David and his men in the region of the rocks of the mountain goats. He came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave. Saul went into it to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the recesses of the cave. David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the Lord said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems appropriate to you.’” So David got up and quietly cut off an edge of Saul’s robe. Afterward David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off an edge of Saul’s robe. He said to his men, “May the Lord keep me far away from doing such a thing to my lord, who is the Lord’s chosen one, by extending my hand against him. After all, he is the Lord’s chosen one.” David restrained his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and started down the road. Afterward David got up and went out of the cave. He called out after Saul, “My lord, O king!” When Saul looked behind him, David kneeled down and bowed with his face to the ground. David said to Saul, “Why do you pay attention when men say, ‘David is seeking to do you harm’? Today your own eyes see how the Lord delivered you—this very day—into my hands in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I had pity on you and said, ‘I will not extend my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s chosen one.’ Look, my father, and see the edge of your robe in my hand! When I cut off the edge of your robe, I




didn’t kill you. So realize and understand that I am not planning evil or rebellion. Even though I have not sinned against you, you are waiting in ambush to take my life. May the Lord judge between the two of us, and may the Lord vindicate me over you, but my hand will not be against you. It’s like the old proverb says: ‘From evil people evil proceeds.’ But my hand will not be against you. Who has the king of Israel come out after? Who is it that you are pursuing? A dead dog? A single flea? May the Lord be our judge and arbiter. May he see and arbitrate my case and deliver me from your hands!” When David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is that your voice, my son David?” Then Saul wept loudly. He said to David, “You are more innocent than I, for you have treated me well, even though I have tried to harm you! You have explained today how you have treated me well. The Lord delivered me into your hand, but you did not kill me. Now if a man finds his enemy, does he send him on his way in good shape? May the Lord repay you with good this day for what you have done to me. Now look, I realize that you will in fact be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. So now swear to me in the Lord’s name that you will not kill my descendants after me or destroy my name from the house of my father.” David promised Saul this on oath. Then Saul went to his house, and David and his men went up to the stronghold. (NET)




2. In certain areas of the Middle East there were many caves, some essentially inaccessible, in which people could hide, but not from God.

D. Related references: . . .

1. Judges 6:2, The Midianites overwhelmed Israel. Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds. (NET)

2. 1 Samuel 13:6, The men of Israel realized they had a problem because their army was hard pressed. So the army hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, strongholds, and cisterns. (NET)

3. Jeremiah 41:9, Now the cistern where Ishmael threw all the dead bodies of those he had killed was a large one that King Asa had constructed as part of his defenses against King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with dead bodies. (NET)

4. Hosea 10:8, The high places of the “House of Wickedness” will be destroyed; it is the place where Israel sins. Thorns and thistles will grow up over its altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!” (NET)




5. Revelation 6:15-16, Then the kings of the earth, the very important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, (NET)

II. trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord and his royal splendor, when he rises up to terrify the earth.

A. The wicked of the earth in particular are to be terrified or shaken.

B. Nothing can save the wicked from the wrath of God!

Isaiah 2:20, At that time men will throw their silver and gold idols, which they made for themselves to worship, into the caves where rodents and bats live, (NET) I. At that time men will throw their silver and gold idols, which they made for themselves to worship, into the caves where rodents and bats live.

A. In their panic and distress, the wicked will see that their idols can be of no help to them and will abandon them in the caves where they had sought to hide and in which bats and rats (moles) live.




B. This is a huge let down for these idols, once worshiped by the high and mighty now are being ignored by bats and rats among which they now take their rightful place.

C. Bats and rodents were ceremonially unclean animals. Idols were also totally unclean. Idols belong with bats and rodents.

D. When in desperate need, the people find their idols are unable to save them.

1. The people consequently treated their idols with scorn and ignominy.

2. The people of Israel threw them away in disgust. They were left in the habitat of the unclean, bats and rodents. (See The Pulpit Commentary.)

E. Their idols were often made of gold and silver so as to please the god or goddess represented by these idols.

1. Sometimes the idols were made of stone covered with gold or silver. (See The Pulpit Commentary.)

a. Exodus 20:23, You must not make gods of silver alongside me, nor make gods of gold for yourselves. (NET)

b. Psalm 115:4, Their idols are made of silver and gold—they are man-made. (NET)




c. Psalm 135:15, The nations’ idols are made of silver and gold, they are man-made. (NET)

d. Isaiah 30:22, You will desecrate your silver-plated idols and your gold-plated images. You will throw them away as if they were a menstrual rag, saying to them, “Get out!” (NET)

e. Isaiah 31:7, For at that time everyone will get rid of the silver and gold idols your hands sinfully made. (NET)

f. Hosea 8:4, They enthroned kings without my consent! They appointed princes without my approval! They made idols out of their silver and gold, but they will be destroyed! (NET)

g. Hosea 13:2, Even now they persist in sin! They make metal images for themselves, idols that they skillfully fashion from their own silver; all of them are nothing but the work of craftsmen! There is a saying about them: “Those who sacrifice to the calf idol are calf kissers!” (NET)

h. Habakkuk 2:19, The one who says to wood, ‘Wake up!’ is as good as dead—he who says to speechless stone, ‘Awake!’ Can it give reliable guidance? It is overlaid with




gold and silver; it has no life’s breath inside it. (NET)

i. Exodus 32:4, 24, He accepted the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.” (NET)

j. 1 Kings 12:28, After the king had consulted with his advisers, he made two golden calves. Then he said to the people, “It is too much trouble for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” (NET)

F. These idols appear to have been made by those who worshiped them or, at least later, by commercial manufacturers.

1. Acts 19:24-27, For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought a great deal of business to the craftsmen. He gathered these together, along with the workmen in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this business. And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a large




crowd, not only in Ephesus but in practically all of the province of Asia, by saying that gods made by hands are not gods at all. There is danger not only that this business of ours will come into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing, and she whom all the province of Asia and the world worship will suffer the loss of her greatness.” (NET)

Isaiah 2:21, so they themselves can go into the crevices of the rocky cliffs and the openings under the rocky overhangs, trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord and his royal splendor, when he rises up to terrify the earth. (NET) I. so they themselves can go into the crevices of the rocky cliffs and the openings under the rocky overhangs, trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord and his royal splendor, when he rises up to terrify the earth.

A. Exodus 33:19-23, And the Lord said, “I will make all my goodness pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live.” The Lord said, “Here is a place by me; you will station yourself on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will cover you with my hand while I pass by. Then I will take away




my hand, and you will see my back, but my face must not be seen.” (NET)

B. Luke 23:26-31, As they led him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country. They placed the cross on his back and made him carry it behind Jesus. A great number of the people followed him, among them women who were mourning and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For this is certain: The days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore children, and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ For if such things are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (NET)

C. People were familiar from ancient times with the concept of hiding in caves and crevices which were plentiful in Palestine when danger threatened.

D. However, no sinner can hide anywhere from the wrath of God!

1. Psalm 139:8, If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there. If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. (NET)

2. Jonah was slow to learn that no one can escape from God, but he finally got the message.




a. Jonah 1:1-17, The Lord said to Jonah son of Amittai, “Go immediately to Nineveh, that large capital city, and announce judgment against its people because their wickedness has come to my attention.” Instead, Jonah immediately headed off to Tarshish to escape from the commission of the Lord. He traveled to Joppa and found a merchant ship heading to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard it to go with them to Tarshish far away from the Lord. But the Lord hurled a powerful wind on the sea. Such a violent tempest arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break up! The sailors were so afraid that each cried out to his own god and they flung the ship’s cargo overboard to make the ship lighter. Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold below deck, had lain down, and was sound asleep. The ship’s captain approached him and said, “What are you doing asleep? Get up! Cry out to your god! Perhaps your god might take notice of us so that we might not die!” 7 The sailors said to one another, “Come on, let’s cast lots to find out whose fault it is that this disaster has overtaken us.” So they cast lots, and Jonah was singled out. They said to him, “Tell us, whose fault is it that this disaster has overtaken us? What’s your occupation? Where do you come from? What’s your country? And who are your




people?” He said to them, “I am a Hebrew! And I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Hearing this, the men became even more afraid and said to him, “What have you done?” (The men said this because they knew that he was trying to escape from the Lord, because he had previously told them.) Because the storm was growing worse and worse, they said to him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea to make the sea quiet down, because I know it’s my fault you are in this severe storm.” Instead, they tried to row back to land, but they were not able to do so because the storm kept growing worse and worse. So they cried out to the Lord, “Oh, please, Lord, don’t let us die on account of this man! Don’t hold us guilty of shedding innocent blood. After all, you, Lord, have done just as you pleased.” So they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging. The men feared the Lord greatly, and earnestly vowed to offer lavish sacrifices to the Lord. (2:1) The Lord sent a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. (NET)

b. Jonah 2:1-10, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish and




said, “I called out to the Lord from my distress, and he answered me; from the belly of Sheol I cried out for help, and you heard my prayer. You threw me into the deep waters, into the middle of the sea; the ocean current engulfed me; all the mighty waves you sent swept over me. I thought I had been banished from your sight, that I would never again see your holy temple! Water engulfed me up to my neck; the deep ocean surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. I went down to the very bottoms of the mountains; the gates of the netherworld barred me in forever; but you brought me up from the Pit, O Lord, my God. When my life was ebbing away, I called out to the Lord, and my prayer came to your holy temple. Those who worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs. But as for me, I promise to offer a sacrifice to you with a public declaration of praise; I will surely do what I have promised. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” Then the Lord commanded the fish and it disgorged Jonah on dry land. (NET) c. Jonah 3:1-3, The Lord said to Jonah a second time, “Go immediately to Nineveh, that large city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah went immediately to Nineveh, as the Lord had




said. (Now Nineveh was an enormous city—it required three days to walk through it!) (NET)

Isaiah 2:22, Stop trusting in human beings, whose life’s breath is in their nostrils. For why should they be given special consideration? (NET) I. Stop trusting in human beings, whose life’s breath is in their nostrils.

A. This chapter ends with the injunction not to trust in human beings whose lives are ever so fragile and their time on earth so short.

1. James 4:13-17, Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes. You ought to say instead, “If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that.” But as it is, you boast about your arrogant plans. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows what is good to do and does not do it is guilty of sin. (NET)

2. The Pulpit Commentary explained that “breath is in his nostrils” means “whose life is a mere breath; who, if he ceases to breathe, ceases to live.”




B. The basic underlying problem was that Judah and Jerusalem trusted man rather than God.

1. These behaviors in their various forms were simply indications of the fact that they failed to trust God!

2. Trusting men rather than God has always been and will always be a major problem for the human race.

II. For why should they be given special considerations?

A. Human are not to be trusted! Humans have no ability to save anyone. (See Clarke.)

B. The Pulpit Commentary explained this to mean, “ . . . of what account is he? Surely, of no account at all.”

Conclusion: I. Briley wrote, “Israelite prophets were more preachers than predictors of the future.

A. Their ministry did include, however, speaking about the future of God’s promises and the relationship of the present to that future.

B. The Old Testament prophets speak frequently of God’s judgment against his people, but they also speak of a glorious future for Israel.

C. Although history affirms that God spared Israel from total destruction and restored his people to the land of their




nativity, a period of great peace, prosperity and influence has not yet occurred.”

D. This scribe believes these promises are “fulfilled in Christ and the church, either in this present age and/or in the eternal state following Christ’s return,” as Briley wrote.

E. Many of the Old Testament promises to Israel, in a figurative manner, apply to Christ and the church, the spiritual Israel. (See Briley.)

1. Many of these prophecies are written in poetic language and are couched in metaphor and imagery. (See Briley.) [For more detailed information on this subject, see: Terry Briley, The College Press NIV Commentary, Isaiah, Volume 1, College Press Publishing Company, Joplin, Missouri, copyright 2000.)

a. 1 Peter 1:10-12, Concerning this salvation, the prophets who predicted the grace that would come to you searched and investigated carefully. They probed into what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christ and his subsequent glory. They were shown that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things angels long to catch a glimpse of. (NET)




2. The church, spiritual Israel, and eternal life in heaven for the faithful beautifully fulfill these prophecies of a glorious future for God’s people.

a. Romans 4:16, For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, with the result that the promise may be certain to all the descendants—not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (NET)

b. Romans 9:6-8, It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel, nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.” This means it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants. (NET)

c. Galatians 3:29, And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise. (NET)

d. Galatians 6:16, And all who will behave in accordance with this rule, peace and mercy be on them, and on the Israel of God. (NET)




e. Philippians 3:3, For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials (NET)

f. Amos 9:11-15, “In that day I will rebuild the collapsing hut of David. I will seal its gaps, repair its ruins, and restore it to what it was like in days gone by. As a result they will conquer those left in Edom and all the nations subject to my rule.” The Lord, who is about to do this, is speaking! “Be sure of this, the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when the plowman will catch up to the reaper and the one who stomps the grapes will overtake the planter. Juice will run down the slopes, it will flow down all the hillsides. I will bring back my people, Israel; they will rebuild the cities lying in rubble and settle down. They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce; they will grow orchards and eat the fruit they produce. I will plant them on their land and they will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God. (NET)

g. Acts 15:16-18, ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David; I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord, namely, all the Gentiles I have called to be my own,’




says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago. (NET)

h. Jeremiah 31:31-34, “Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” says the Lord. “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land,” says the Lord. “I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people. “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,” says the Lord. “For I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.” (NET)

i. Hebrews 8:8-12, But showing its fault, God says to them, “Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. “It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not




continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord. “For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people. “And there will be no need at all for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. “For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer.” (NET)

j. Isaiah 65:17-25, For look, I am ready to create new heavens and a new earth! The former ones will not be remembered; no one will think about them anymore. But be happy and rejoice forevermore over what I am about to create! For look, I am ready to create Jerusalem to be a source of joy, and her people to be a source of happiness. Jerusalem will bring me joy, and my people will bring me happiness. The sound of weeping or cries of sorrow will never be heard in her again. Never again will one of her infants live just a few days or an old man die before his time. Indeed, no one will die before the age of a hundred, anyone who fails to reach the age of a hundred will be considered cursed. They will build houses




and live in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build a house only to have another live in it, or plant a vineyard only to have another eat its fruit, for my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest what they have produced. They will not work in vain, or give birth to children that will experience disaster. For the Lord will bless their children and their descendants. Before they even call out, I will respond; while they are still speaking, I will hear. A wolf and a lamb will graze together; a lion, like an ox, will eat straw, and a snake’s food will be dirt. They will no longer injure or destroy on my entire royal mountain,” says the Lord. (NET)

k. Isaiah 66:22-24, “For just as the new heavens and the new earth I am about to make will remain standing before me,” says the Lord, “so your descendants and your name will remain. From one month to the next and from one Sabbath to the next, all people will come to worship me,” says the Lord. “They will go out and observe the corpses of those who rebelled against me, for the maggots that eat them will not die, and the fire that consumes them will not die out. All people will find the sight abhorrent.” (NET)




l. Revelation 21:1-27, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more. And I saw the holy city—the new Jerusalem—descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. He will live among them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more—or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.” And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Then he said to me, “Write it down, because these words are reliable and true.” He also said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water free of charge from the spring of the water of life. The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. That is the second death.” Then one of the seven angels who had the seven




bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!” So he took me away in the Spirit to a huge, majestic mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. The city possesses the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. It has a massive, high wall with twelve gates, with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel are written on the gates. There are three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side. The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The angel who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at fourteen hundred miles (its length and width and height are equal). He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s. The city’s wall is made of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass. The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated with every kind of




precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls—each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The main street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass. Now I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God—the All-Powerful—and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur into it. Its gates will never be closed during the day (and there will be no night there). They will bring the grandeur and the wealth of the nations into it, but nothing ritually unclean will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or practices falsehood, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (NET)

m. Revelation 22:1-5, Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life—water as clear as crystal—pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, flowing down the middle of the city’s main street.




On each side of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. Its leaves are for the healing of the nations. And there will no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him, and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever. (NET)

n. 2 Peter 3:10-13, But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare. Since all these things are to melt away in this manner, what sort of people must we be, conducting our lives in holiness and godliness, while waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God? Because of this day, the heavens will be burned up and dissolve, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze! But, according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness truly resides. (NET)



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 76 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell II. Another vitally important point made by Briley relates to the conditional fulfillment of prophecy.

A. Jonah declared Ninevah would be destroyed in three days, but Ninevah repented and was spared.

1. This is not a failure of Jonah’s prophetic utterance, but a monumental example of God’s grace.

B. Another excellent example among many of the conditionality of God’s prophecies is the sparing of Jerusalem as referenced by Jeremiah and Micah.

1. Jeremiah 26:18-19, “Micah from Moresheth prophesied during the time Hezekiah was king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “Zion will become a plowed field. Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble. The temple mount will become a mere wooded ridge.”’ King Hezekiah and all the people of Judah did not put him to death, did they? Did not Hezekiah show reverence for the Lord and seek the Lord’s favor? Did not the Lord forgo destroying them as he threatened he would? But we are on the verge of bringing great disaster on ourselves.” (NET)

2. Micah 3:12, Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed up like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the Temple Mount will become a hill overgrown with brush! (NET)




C. Especially note Jeremiah 18:7-10, There are times, Jeremiah, when I threaten to uproot, tear down, and destroy a nation or kingdom. But if that nation I threatened stops doing wrong, I will cancel the destruction I intended to do to it. And there are times when I promise to build up and establish a nation or kingdom. But if that nation does what displeases me and does not obey me, then I will cancel the good I promised to do to it. (NET)

D. Remember, when reading the prophetic passages regarding Israel, that God’s promises are often conditional.

1. Do wrong and be punished.

2. Do right and be blessed.

3. And so it still is for us – heaven for the righteous and hell for the wicked.

4. Where we spend eternity is conditioned on our following or not following Christ in this life.




Questions

on

Isaiah 2:1-22 1. To what, as stated by Hamilton, does Isaiah 2:1-5 speak? To what does Isaiah 2:6-22 speak? ___________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. According to Coffman, of what do verses 1-4 speak? . . . verses 5-11? Verses 12-22? _____________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Clarke considered Isaiah _________ - _________ to constitute ______________ ______________. Isaiah 2:1-5 speaks of the ______________ ______________ ______________ and Isaiah 2:6-22 speaks of the ______________ of the ______________ for their ____________ ______________, their ______________ in their ______________ ______________, and ______________ of ______________’s ______________. The ______________ of ______________ was also ______________.



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 79 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell 4. ______________ had been liked to a ______________ in the midst of ___________ and to an ____________ ______________ who had become a ______________. Turning to the future, __________ is seen as being ___________ above ____________ _____________ and _____________. (Hailey) 5. Name and identify the three Jerusalems as mentioned by Smith via Hailey. ____________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. This sermon contained in chapters 2-4 begins and ends with ____________, but ____________ between are ______________ against the ______________ ______________, Smith wrote. 7. How does Hamilton explain Isaiah 2:1-5? _________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. To what time and events does “In the future,” “In the latter days” refer? ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 80 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell 9. What does The Pulpit Commentary say about Mount Zion and its importance? ________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. ______________’s ______________, the ______________, was ______________ in ______________. ______________ ______________ have ______________ into it from all over the ______________. ______________’s ______________ would be ___________ above all others in ___________ and __________, Hailey stated. ___________ of all ____________ (___________) would ____________ ____________ into that ______________. ____________ of ____________ ____________, ____________ and ___________ alike, flow into this kingdom as ____________. 11. How would the children of Jacob who had been God’s chosen people receive the news that people of all nations as equals could be God’s chosen people? ________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. Hailey noted that ______________ ______________ ______________ proper ______________. Clarke noted that we can only ______________ ______________’s ______________ when he ______________ us what they are, but unless we then



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 81 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell ____________ in his ______________ we have ______________ ____________ the ____________. We are to ______________ ___________ and ____________ ____________’s ___________! 13. Does Isaiah 2:3 speak of literal or spiritual Jerusalem? Give reasons for your answer. ________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14. When will nations beat their swords into plowshares? ______ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15. War stands as a marked failure of mankind. How can there be peace on earth? How can human conflict be resolved without violence? . . . war? _____________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 16. What were pruning hooks? ____________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 82 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 17. Why can’t Christians get along better? How can divisions among Christians be resolved and unity among believers established? ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 18. How did Coffman explain Isaiah 2:4? Do you agree with Coffman on this point? Give reasons for your answer. _________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19. Isaiah contrasts in verses 5-11 the ___________ __________ ______________ experienced by the children of Jacob with the ______________ ______________ he had just ______________ in verses 2-4. 20. The ____________ of ____________ were ______________ to ______________ in the ______________’s ______________ ______________ which light is ___________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________. “Only in this way, “ Hailey wrote, “could the ______________ ever be ___________.” To the ___________ ______________



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 83 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell ___________ in the ___________’s ____________ ___________ there will be __________. The __________ among ___________ ___________ is ______________ that we are not ____________ in the ____________’s ______________ ___________ as we should. __________ of the ____________ are ______________ ______________ in bringing about this better future. (See Briley.) 21. Briley wrote, “The ______________ which ______________ made possible at his first coming will be ______________ at his ______________ . . . in the ______________ ______________ which will ______________ at that time.” 22. Does God ever abandon his people? If so, why would he do such a thing? __________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 23. What purposes did God’s judgment serve? _______________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 24. Define diviners, astrologers, sooth-sayers and omen readers. Differentiate each from the others. What did they claim to be able to do? What did God think about these people and their practices? _____________________________________________



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 84 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 25. Do people still consult diviners, omen readers, astrologers and soothsayers? Give reasons for your answer. _________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 26. Were the wise men from the east who visited Jesus astrologers? (See Matthew 2:1-12.) _______________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 27. _____________ _____________ of these _____________ _____________ were welcomed by the _____________ of __________ and __________. These ___________ __________ ___________ ___________ _____________ and _____________ to _____________ such _____________. 28. The _____________ of _____________ should not have _____________ _____________ to be _____________ by these _____________ of a _____________ _____________, but they did and _____________ the _____________.



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 85 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell 29. What was wrong with the people of Jerusalem having a lot of silver, gold, horses and chariots? Isn’t prosperity a sign of God’s favor? ________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 30. Hailey wrote, “All of this _____________ of _____________ _____________ and _____________ had led the _____________ to _____________ their _____________ on _____________.” “These were ___________ of ___________ and ____________,” The Pulpit Commentary states. 31. Who among Israel’s kings was the leader in wealth, luxury and ostentation? Why did you select this person as the answer to this question? _________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 32. The children of Jacob had also filled their land with _____________ _____________, the _____________ of their ___________ _____________. They _____________ them and then _____________ them. 33. What idols are worshiped today? Be specific and answer thoughtfully. __________________________________________



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 86 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 34. “The _____________ declare that both _____________ and ___________ maintained the _____________ of _____________ and disallowed _____________, so that we must regard the ___________ _____________ of the time as an _____________ and _____________ _____________,” The Pulpit Commentary states. __________ was certainly ___________ to ___________. 35. What did Isaiah think God should do with these Jerusalem sinners? What was God’s position in this matter? _____________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 36. “The _____________ _____________ of _____________ are _____________ of _____________ _____________, to which the _____________ often betook themselves in _____________ of _____________,” The Pulpit Commentary states. 37. Was Isaiah’s advice for the Jerusalem sinners to run from God and hide in caves good advice? Is it possible to hide from God? Give reasons for your answers. ___________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 87 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 38. _____________ ____________ will be brought ___________, _____________ _____________ will be _____________; the _____________ will be _____________ in that _____________.” 39. What is “that day” mentioned in verse 11? _______________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 40. ___________ in which the ____________ of _____________ had _____________ could _____________ them at all in the _____________ of _____________’s _____________! The ___________ alone shall be ___________, not the ___________ and ___________ of whatever _____________ - _____________ _____________ of _____________. 41. On this ___________ of ___________, the _____________, _____________ and _____________ would be _____________ by the ___________ of ____________ while the _____________ would be _____________. (See Hailey.) 42. Coffman wrote, “Throughout history, _____________ has ___________ ___________ and ____________ _____________, ___________, and ___________ ___________. _____________ will further ___________ his ___________ upon _____________ _____________ and _____________ _____________ . . . until the time of the _____________ _____________.”



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 88 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell 43. Are references to the cedars of Lebanon and the oaks of Bashan, the tall mountains and the high hills, every high tower and every fortified wall, and all the large ships of Tarshish and all the articles of art to be understood literally or figuratively? If figuratively, to what do they refer? If literally, what is the reason for the mention of each of these things? ____________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 44. Locate Tarshish? Why do you think Jonah tried to go there instead of to some other place? ___________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 45. _____________ in _____________ _____________ is ____________ ____________! _____________ _____________ will be _____________, _____________ _____________ will be _____________ _____________. The _____________ alone will be _____________ in that _____________. 46. When did the children of Jacob quit worshiping idols? What caused them to finally quit worshiping idols? _________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 89 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 47. What would happen to the gold and silver idols which had been worshiped by the people of Jerusalem? (See Isaiah 2:20.) What are the reasons for and significance of this action? _______ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 48. Of what materials and by whom were these idols made? ____ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 49. ___________ were familiar from ___________ ___________ with the concept of _____________ in _____________ and _____________ which were _____________ in _____________ when ___________ ___________. However, no _____________ can _____________ _____________ from the _____________ of _____________. 50. The basic underlying problem was that _____________ and _____________ _____________ _____________ rather than _____________. _____________ _____________ rather than _____________ has always been and will always be a ___________ ___________ for the ___________ ___________.



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 90 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell _________ are ___________ to be ___________! ___________ _________ in ___________ ___________! 51. “____________ ______________ were more _____________ than _____________ of the _____________,” Bailey wrote. Their _____________ did include, however, _____________ about the _____________ of _____________’s _____________ and the ___________ of the ___________ to the ____________. 52. What was/is the glorious future for Israel foretold by Isaiah? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 53. Give examples to show that God’s pronouncements, prophecies are often conditional. __________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 54. Were God’s prophecies for a glorious future for the children of Jacob conditional or unconditional? Give reasons for your answer. ______________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



www.biblestudyworkshop.org 91 Commentary and Questions by John C. Sewell 55. Do ___________ and be ____________. Do _____________ and be _____________. God’s blessings and punishments are conditioned on our response or lack thereof to his commands.



the future glory of jerusalem the lord’s day of judgment...

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