a“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
bFor out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
And rebuke many people;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning1 hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
The Day of the Lord
Because they are filled awith eastern ways;
They are bsoothsayers like the Philistines,
cAnd they1 are pleased with the children of foreigners.
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land is also full of horses,
And there is no end to their chariots.
| << Isaiah 2:4 | Isaiah 2:6 >> |
What Does Isaiah 2:5 Mean?
Isaiah 2:5-20
Isaiah 2:5-20 mentions a number of idolatries that are just as present in our society today as they were Isaiah's time. Enslaved by the superstition of astrology, they were more concerned about what the omens read than the judgment of God (verse 6). They craved the power of money and the recognition and influence it drew, and took enormous pride in their military, political, and economic sway in the world (verse 7). They worshipped "the work of their own hands" (verse 8).
The underlying motivation for these idolatries is exposed in verses 11: "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down" (see verses 12, 17). Pride brings forth idolatry, and its destruction is idolatry's cure. Pride elevates its owner to find God and His ways as unnecessary, too restrictive, boring, or beneath his intelligence, station, or needs. It leads him to choose his own way, be his own man, and do his own thing according to his judgment. In short, even if a person of pride knows of God's way, he will not submit to worship God in the way He wants.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Second Commandment (1997)
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Isaiah 2:5:
| << Isaiah 2:4 | Isaiah 2:6 >> |
Join 137,262+ readers
A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning
Consistent Bible study is hard to start.
The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.
Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.