When you hear the word “judgement”, what comes to mind? Finding ourselves on the right end of the scale of morality at the end of the day? Standing before a judge awaiting our judgement? Does it strike in us a sense of fear, scaring us into submitting to Him?
In this study focusing on Isaiah’s declaration of the Day of the Lord, we will see that judgement is a refining process in which God helps us see who He is, who we are, and how we are in desperate need of Him. The goal is to turn to God in repentance and acknowledge Him as Lord of our lives.
(A) THE DAY OF THE LORD REJECTS MAN’S PRIDE (ISA 2:6-9)
In Isaiah 1, God’s judgement has been on Judah for their rebelliousness, evil, and lack of justice (Isa 1:2, 4, 7, 21, 27). The atmosphere has been one of a wreck – a complete mess of a people. In Isa 2:1-5, the atmosphere shifts to one that has more hope, joy, and excitement. But almost as quickly as it comes, the hope vanishes. To use a swimming analogy, it’s as if Judah had barely got its head above water to breathe before it starts drowning again. In Isa 2:6, Isaiah declares God’s judgement on Judah again.
Isaiah gives three reasons for God rejecting Judah in Isa 2:6-8. Firstly, they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers from the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners (Isa 2:6). “The east” refers to nations in the east – Chaldea and Persia. These are foreign nations with foreign gods, with different religious practices such as fortune-telling, witchcraft, and divinations. Judah had taken such abominations to the Lord (Deut 18:9-12) and merged it with their own Jewish practices. They used these syncretised religious practices to seek control of their future, apart from the sovereignty of God, after all He had done to rescue them for Himself.
Secondly, God rejects Judah because their land was filled with silver, gold, treasures, and horses and chariots (Isa 2:7). Their wealth and military might was their source of security and comfort in the midst of a geopolitical struggle with a larger, militant Assyrian empire on their doorstep. It seemed politically expedient and practical to make alliances that would improve their chances of survival, but in God’s eyes, this is sin. Judah had to be emptied because there was no room for God. For young adults today, our social media feeds often feature financial wisdom with words like “money”, “power” and “respect” appearing together. It is timely to ask ourselves: what is our source of security and comfort? What dominates our conversations with our friends? What do we look at the first thing out of bed and the last thing before bed?
Thirdly, God rejects Judah because their land was filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made (Isa 2:8). Such idolatry where the sculptors worshipped their sculptures was practised by the surrounding nations. These idols were known to have demanded child sacrifices to be appeased. Examine our idols today – are they different from what Judah bowed down to? Do we believe that the works of our hands will make us satisfied and secure? They demand our blood, sweat and tears, and they’ll ultimately consume our souls.
In light of this, Isaiah urges God, “do not forgive them!” Isaiah is not a neutral observer; it matters to him how Judah conducts themselves before God. He speaks on behalf of the living God. As we read Isa 2:6-8, do these verses conjure a sense of injustice? What is human pride to us – is it serious? Isaiah considers it detrimental – it must be addressed. If it is not dealt with, it will turn the hearts of Judah away from God. So God must humble them in order that He might restore them.
(B) THE DAY OF THE LORD ANTICIPATES THE HUMBLING OF MAN (ISA 2:10-21)
In Isa 2:10, the idolatrous are urged to enter into the rock and hide in the dust from the terror of the LORD and from the splendour of His majesty. This call to run from God’s wrath is repeated again in Isa 2:19 and Isa 2:21, emphasizing the reality and severity of the threat. This is the day on which God will bring low all that man prides himself on. This judgement will come to pass.
The day of man’s humbling is portrayed in a chiastic pattern through Isa 2:11-19, where Isa 2:10-11 are mirrored by Isa 2:17-19.
Man flees from the terror and splendour of the Lord’s majesty (Isa 2:10).
Man is humbled and the Lord alone is exalted (Isa 2:11).
God is against all sources of pride
Cedars of Lebanon and oaks of Bashan (Isa 2:13a), which signified economic resources, in the form of foreign good wood
Lofty mountains and uplifted hills (Isa 2:14), which represented geographical locations of religious idolatry
High tower and fortified wall (Isa 2:15), which stood for their military defense and impenetrability
Ships of Tarshish and beautiful craft (Isa 2:16), their maritime trade and economic prosperity and signified the ability to move people and resources around.
Man is humbled and the Lord along is exalted (Isa 2:17).
Man flees from the terror and splendour of the Lord’s majesty (Isa 2:18-19).
This chiastic structure in Hebrew poetry draws attention to the centre (Isa 2:12-16), the sources of pride that God is against. It shows the stark contrast between prideful men full of wealth, power and security, and their pitiful end on the Day of the Lord, where they crawl into caves to hide from His terror – a shameful transformation. When God humbles them, there would be nothing left for them but to hide in the ground.
In response to God’s utter show of strength and man’s own humiliation, man will cast away their idols of silver and gold to the moles and to the bats (Isa 2:18). They would lose all sense of security in military might and material possessions. We see in the prophets such as Joel that kingdoms rise and fall as a result of God’s judgement, and this day will be the final day of God’s ultimate judgement.
Passages such as 2 Pet 3:10 point to this day as a future event; the second coming of Christ. But in this passage in Isaiah, the Day of the Lord refers to the day that Judah is taken over by Babylon and all its sinful kinds are dealt with. Yet even this day is only a partial fulfilment, pointing forward to the final day. As we learn about Judah’s fall on this side of history, we ought to remember that there remains a final day to come, and rather than speculate about when it will be, we must repent of our idolatry. Today’s society seeks to build a world without God. It preaches security and stability in the self-made man and in good governance. But God brings these idols low. He disrupts them. This is a call for us to cast away out idols that are here today and gone tomorrow.
(C) THE DAY OF THE LORD DEMANDS MAN’S IMMEDIATE REPENTANCE (ISA 6:22)
Finally, Isaiah concludes, “Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?” (Isa 2:22) Indeed, man is formed from dust and is given life by God. We must look to the Creator and not the created. The fear of man is a snare (Prov 29:25) and God’s judgement is His way of pulling us out of that snare and calling us to trust in Him, to put our hope in a God who is sovereign and secure.
Col 3:1-4 reminds us that our lives are no longer our own, but Christ is our life. Therefore, we are to put to death our idols and pride, and set our minds on things above (Col 3:5). God hates pride and promises that there will be a day that our pursuits will be brought to nothing.
As young working professionals, many of us live in much fear and anxiety because we regard man more highly than we ought to. Stop regarding man who is but dust. God’s judgement is not to threaten or bring about a fear-based response in us, but it causes us to see with clarity that on the day of God’s judgement, some will give thanks that they invested their days in eternal things, while others will find their idols fall apart in their hands.
Is COVID-19 not another partial fulfilment of the day of the LORD? Are many of the things we built up before not showing itself to be dust? Will we give thanks on that day that our energies and time have been spent treasuring Christ, the glory that is not dust? Let us train our hearts to love eternal things that won’t pass away. Let us turn to the One who is life and come back to our Saviour.