God’s Word for You
Isaiah 2:1-3 The mountain of the Lord’s house
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Saturday, December 7, 2024
From now until Christmas (or so) we will spend some time in Isaiah, “The Prince of the Prophets.”
2:1 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
This verse re-introduces us to the prophet Isaiah. This is a good place to stop and remember that his name means “The Lord saves,” which would also be an excellent heading for the entire book. Names in ancient times has significance and much more meaning that we ascribe to them today, and most especially among God’s people Israel, but there are obvious examples among the crown names that the Egyptian Pharaohs took for themselves.
Uzziah (Azariah) King of Judah died in 740 BC. That was the year that Isaiah was called to be a prophet (Isaiah 6:1). At that time, Israel was the northern kingdom and Judah was in the south. Besides the territory of the tribe of Judah, some cities of Benjamin had been recovered for Judah under King Abijah (2 Chronicles 13:19), and families from Ephraim and Manasseh had resettled in Judah in the time of King Asa (2 Chronicles 15:9). Libnah on the Philistine frontier had defected from Judah in the days of King Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:10), but the rest of the territory had remained fairly stable up the reign of Uzziah. This was the land of Judah. Jerusalem had been the capital since the seventh year of King David’s reign, 1003 BC (2 Samuel 5:5-6).
In 1:1, the prophet named what he saw a “vision.” Here he calls it the “word” that he “saw.” This obviously doesn’t mean that he saw text displayed and floating in the air before his eyes. What follows is a scene being acted out. There are words, but they are spoken by the nations that are depicted in the vision.
Notice that Isaiah is seeing something for “Judah and Jerusalem.” He was a prophet of the south who lived in the south; there is nothing to suggest that he preached anywhere except in Jerusalem, and some of the things he says tell us that he lived there and proclaimed God’s word there. For example, the Lord calls him outside the city to the washerman’s field (Isaiah 7:3). He describes some of the geography of Jerusalem (22:11, 62:6), he sings praises about the city (26:1) and also about the temple (56:4). Also, when he talks about the northern kingdom it is generally in the third person; it is “they” who are Ephraim (9:9), Zebulun, Naphtali, and Galilee (9:1). But he also hopes for rescue for the fugitives of the north, for the Sovereign Lord is the one “who gathers the exiles of Israel” (56:8). Like Jeremiah, Isaiah yearns for the return of the people of God to the land.
2 This will happen in the last days: The mountain of the LORD’s house will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, and all nations will flow to it like a river.
When “the last days” (or “latter/later days”) are described in the Old Testament, sometimes it is just a way of talking about the future in general (Genesis 49:1). But more often, it is about the days when Christ would come.
The mountain of the Lord’s house in Isaiah’s time was very definitely Jerusalem. Before we know the spiritual meaning, we should understand the physical and historical meaning.
Jerusalem is more than 2,500 feet above the Dead Sea, which is just ten miles to the east. It is truly a mountain city. Built on the long ridge that is the backbone of Canaan running north to south, it was only approached by wild mountain roads; the position of the city was one of its great strengths. It stands on a high plateau, but even then it is not the tallest peak. Four taller peaks stand watch from above: To the north is Mount Scopus (“Lookout Mountain”), to the east is the Mount of Olives (John 8:1), to the southeast is the Mount of Offense (or Corruption, 2 Kings 23:13), and to the south is the Hill of Evil Counsel (a reference to the location of the house of Caiaphas, where Judas betrayed Jesus, Mark 14:10). The position of these hills explains Psalm 125:2, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.”
3 Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. Then he will teach us about his ways, so that we can walk in his paths.” For the law will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Holy Scripture has many effects in people’s hearts. The first is that people gain a true understanding of who God is. “No one knows the Father except the Son, and those the Son chooses to reveal him to” (Matthew 11:27). “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only who is at the Father’s side, has made him known” (John 1:18). And David said to his Lord: “In your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9).
Scripture also gives instruction for those who make errors and who fall into sin. Through his word God teaches us the truth and strengthens us against harmful errors. This is what Isaiah means here when he says, “Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of God.”
God’s word also converts sinners and unbelievers to faith. “I declared to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God” (Acts 26:20). The word kindles (creates) and strengthens faith. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
God’s word also brings spiritual rebirth: “He gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures” (James 1:18). The Scriptures are food for our souls (Matthew 4:4). The word of God removes the hunger of our souls and fills us with everything good (compare Amos 8:11).
The Scriptures give comfort to the afflicted. “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). “This is my comfort in my suffering: that your word gives me life” (Psalm 119:50). The Scriptures give guidance for Christian living: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8). It gives strength to those who must fight in war: “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world” (2 Corinthians 10:4); “The word of God is the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17).
The word of God is, simply, “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). The prophet’s words are already fulfilled: “The law will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” And the result is our faith, our consolation, our forgiveness, and our life with God, his holy Spirit and his holy Son in heaven forever.
These verses (along with verse 4) are almost identical to Micah 4:1-3. Isaiah and Micah lived and preached at the same time, and their messages often touch the same subjects. In this case, everything is the same: It is a promise of the coming of the Savior. It is a privilege for us to read these words knowing the glorious outcome; we put our trust in Christ because we have heard, and we believe.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.