THE DAY OF THE LORD

Isaiah 2:5-22 / Keywords 2:20

In that day men will throw away to the rodents and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship.

 

2:5 Come, descendants of Jacob,

    let us walk in the light of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord

6 You, Lord, have abandoned your people,

    the descendants of Jacob.

They are full of superstitions from the East;

    they practice divination like the Philistines

    and embrace pagan customs.

7 Their land is full of silver and gold;

    there is no end to their treasures.

Their land is full of horses;

    there is no end to their chariots.

8 Their land is full of idols;

    they bow down to the work of their hands,

    to what their fingers have made.

9 So people will be brought low

    and everyone humbled—

    do not forgive them.[a]

10 Go into the rocks, hide in the ground

    from the fearful presence of the Lord

    and the splendor of his majesty!

11 The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled

    and human pride brought low;

the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

12 The Lord Almighty has a day in store

    for all the proud and lofty,

for all that is exalted

    (and they will be humbled),

13 for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty,

    and all the oaks of Bashan,

14 for all the towering mountains

    and all the high hills,

15 for every lofty tower

    and every fortified wall,

16 for every trading ship[b]

    and every stately vessel.

17 The arrogance of man will be brought low

    and human pride humbled;

the Lord alone will be exalted in that day,

18     and the idols will totally disappear.

19 People will flee to caves in the rocks

    and to holes in the ground

from the fearful presence of the Lord

    and the splendor of his majesty,

    when he rises to shake the earth.

20 In that day people will throw away

    to the moles and bats

their idols of silver and idols of gold,

    which they made to worship.

21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks

    and to the overhanging crags

from the fearful presence of the Lord

    and the splendor of his majesty,

    when he rises to shake the earth.

22 Stop trusting in mere humans,

    who have but a breath in their nostrils.

    Why hold them in esteem?

Footnotes

a. Isaiah 2:9 Or not raise them up

b. Isaiah 2:16 Hebrew every ship of Tarshish

1. The day of the LORD will reveal the superficiality of every idol that people have built up and put their trust in. This may include wealth, possessions, or one’s own fame or position or desired achievement. When our life’s worth is dependent on material things or endless human achievement, then it becomes a house on shifting sands.

 

2. Are there any pursuits that have taken away from real healing and real fulfillment in your life? The day of the LORD is coming, and when it does, may we recognize the futility of worthless pursuits. May we choose to live intentionally in the splendor of God’s sovereign reign in our lives. May we choose people over profits and grace over being right in our own minds. Let us love God and others deeply from the heart.

 

Prayer Lord, there are so many things that enchant me and fill my heart with desires yet always leave me unfulfilled, yet I cling to them. Humble me, and help me to cast them away and see the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.

One Word Walk in the light of the Lord