Summary of Isaiah 2

We have reached the end of Isaiah 2. Let's revisit the truths we discussed in each section of the chapter.

God will rule the world.

In Isaiah 2:1-2, we saw that Isaiah continues his vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem. He reveals that the Lord's mountain will serve as the center of the new kingdom, and therefore, the center of the nations. We examined further prophecies from Isaiah and Revelation that foretell worldwide peace and the end of sorrow and suffering among the people who love God.

Isaiah 2:3-4 reveals the method by which this worldwide peace will settle over the world. God will teach and judge disputes. People will choose to abide by His decisions, and then war will cease. God's reign will bring peace.

Isaiah calls the people to walk in the light of the Lord.

We likened the call in Isaiah 2:5 to a modern invitation. Merely hearing or receiving the invitation does not usually constitute acceptance. In Isaiah's case, it most certainly doesn't constitute acceptance. But it does represent a choice the people must make.

God's judgment will purify the world of idolatry.

Verses 6-9 demonstrate that the people of Judah will be humbled for their pervasive idolatry. We examined this humbling process as a part of God's discipline of His children because He cares for them. But because their hearts are stubborn and hard, the task becomes more complex.

In Isaiah 2:10-11, we noticed the pride of men. Even so, we learned that prideful men will be humbled, and the Lord will be rightfully exalted.

Next, we studied Isaiah 2:12-18, which affirms that God will not only judge the pride of Judah. In fact, Isaiah proclaims that the Almighty will judge the pride of the whole earth. We learned that, in the end, no pride can stand before God's wrath.

In Isaiah 2:19-21, we continued our discussion of God's wrath. Fear of God's wrath will cause people to throw away their idols to the vermin, contrary to their original plans for their idols formed of precious metals.

Isaiah issues the challenge to stop trusting in men, who cannot save.

Finally, we come to the climax of the issue, in Isaiah 2:22. We acknowledged that the source of salvation comes from God alone. Of course, this truth implies that salvation is possible. And, as the Bible repeatedly teaches, salvation surely is possible, but only through God.

Conclusion: God has plans for Judah to glorify Him.

Isaiah reminds his audience that God will rule the world in full glory someday. Next, he invites them to walk in God's ways. In other words, God will undoubtedly fulfill His plans, but the people have a choice where they will fit into those plans. When God executes final judgment over the earth, He will purify it of idolatry. If the people have already chosen to walk in His ways, they will not undergo this humbling. But if they have chosen to continue in their pride and idolatry, God will shake them with terror until they are willing to release their foolish pride. Finally, Isaiah exhorts the people to stop trusting men, who cannot save.

How does this all translate into the conclusion that God has plans for Judah to glorify Him? Christian theories about the future of the Israelite nation abound. For the most part, these theories build on one of two main thoughts - either the unfulfilled prophecies concerning Israel point directly toward a future fulfillment involving Israel, or that the church supersedes the nation of Israel as God's special people, and consequently, the prophecies will be fulfilled in the universal Church, which consists of all Christians from all cultures and times. I suspect that the Biblical teaching actually lies somewhere in between: We as Christians will undoubtedly share in the blessings God prophesied to His children since we have also now become His children, but He also still cherishes special plans for the Jewish remnant.

John Piper preached a sermon in 2004 titled, "All Israel Will Be Saved." Based upon Romans 11:22-29, Piper taught that God would one day bring Israel, as a whole, to a final repentance and trust in Jesus Christ. Paul, a Jew who places his faith in Jesus, explains:

Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

"The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins" (Romans 11:25b-27).

Certainly, based on a surface look at these verses, we may say that God indeed has future plans for the Jewish remnant. However, some people argue that the term all Israel simply refers to the entire church; that is, once the full number of the Gentiles have turned to Christ, the church will be complete. As Piper points out, this reading isn't very sensible. He gives several reasons why it makes sense, instead, to read this passage as actually referring to the nation of Israel (not every individual, but the nation as a whole). The best of these reasons is that it makes little sense to think the term Israel suddenly changes meaning between verses 25 and 26.¹ At the end of verse 25, the term refers to the Jewish ethnicity because Paul directly contrasts Israelites with Gentiles. Verse 26 carries along the same train of thought with no indication that the meaning of the term has changed.

God will fulfill the promises He made to Israel several thousand years ago, and probably in ways beyond anything we can imagine. John describes the heavenly congregation as "a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne in front of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9).

This truth affects our daily life now, as well as our future. If we believe God will keep His promises to Israel, then surely we can trust Him to fulfill His Word to us through our dark times. And trusting God more fully is the first step in loving Him more than we ever have before.

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¹ Piper, John. "All Israel Will Be Saved." Desiring God.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.