FIRE AND GLORY

Isaiah 1:24-2:4 / Keywords 1:27

Zion will be redeemed with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness.

 

1:24 Therefore the Lord, the Lord Almighty,

    the Mighty One of Israel, declares:

“Ah! I will vent my wrath on my foes

    and avenge myself on my enemies.

25 I will turn my hand against you;[b]

    I will thoroughly purge away your dross

    and remove all your impurities.

26 I will restore your leaders as in days of old,

    your rulers as at the beginning.

Afterward you will be called

    the City of Righteousness,

    the Faithful City.”

27 Zion will be delivered with justice,

    her penitent ones with righteousness.

28 But rebels and sinners will both be broken,

    and those who forsake the Lord will perish.

29 “You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks

    in which you have delighted;

you will be disgraced because of the gardens

    that you have chosen.

30 You will be like an oak with fading leaves,

    like a garden without water.

31 The mighty man will become tinder

    and his work a spark;

both will burn together,

    with no one to quench the fire.”

The Mountain of the Lord

2:1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2 In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established

    as the highest of the mountains;

it will be exalted above the hills,

    and all nations will stream to it.

3 Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

    to the temple of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his ways,

    so that we may walk in his paths.”

The law will go out from Zion,

    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 He will judge between the nations

    and will settle disputes for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares

    and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation,

    nor will they train for war anymore.

Footnotes

Isaiah 1:17 Or justice. / Correct the oppressor

b. Isaiah 1:25 That is, against Jerusalem

1. God’s wrath is often described as a consuming fire. We also think of hell as a fiery pit of endless torment for the wicked. This may make us fear that God will destroy us for any and every mistake. But the fire of God is a refining, purifying fire. It is a saving fire that restores and saves the oppressed and contrite in heart. It leads to justice and righteousness. God wants to heal and restore, not traumatize his people. We should examine our hearts if it has a right view of God.

 

2. The vision of God’s reign in the last days is of the mountain of the LORD’s temple as the highest of mountains. All nations will flock to the LORD’s temple, where, “The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Weapons of war and conflict will be turned into tools for cultivation. There will be justice and peace. What comes from the mountain is beyond words and rituals. It is truth, grace, and awe in God’s majesty.

 

Prayer Father, purify our hearts and our lands, and renew us to see the majesty of your kingdom on high. Give us a heart of justice, righteousness, and peace.

One Word Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord