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Scripture Reading: 2:2-5, Isa. 2:7-22; 4:2-6; Zech. 8:20-23; Hosea 2:18
In this message we will cover two more of the secret and mysterious points in the book of Isaiah. These two points, which are much higher than the matters covered in the previous messages, are related to Christ as the God-man and to Israel. As we will see, Jehovah's humiliating judgment ushers in the God-man, Christ, and issues in the restoration of the nation of Israel. Both the ushering in of Christ and the restoration of Israel come from Jehovah's righteous judgment on the nations. The more God judges the nations, the more Christ is ushered in; and the more Christ is ushered in, the more the restoration of Israel issues out. The ushering in of Christ and the restoration of Israel will result in the millennial kingdom. Finally, the millennium will consummate in the ultimate age of God's economy, that is, in the new heaven and new earth.
If our understanding of Isaiah is limited to matters such as our sins becoming white as snow (1:18), our understanding will be too low. The highest point in the book of Isaiah is the ushering in of Christ as the God-man, issuing in the restoration of the nation of Israel, which brings in the kingdom and consummates in the new heaven and new earth.
Because the nations were so haughty, it was necessary for Jehovah to humiliate them, to bring them down, through judgment.
In 2:7-9 we have Isaiah's accusation against the haughty nations. Isaiah was displeased with the nations, and he brought their case to the heavenly court and accused them before Jehovah.
The nations were extremely rich (v. 7). Their land was full of silver and gold, and their treasures were limitless. Their land was also full of horses, and their chariots were limitless.
Their land was full of idols; they bowed down to the work of their hands, to that which their fingers had made (v. 8). They were rich not only in money but also in idols. Idols always go together with money. This is true of worldly people today. When such people are rich in money, they are also rich in idols. This is why money is called mammon (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:9, 11, 13).
Because the nations trusted in their idols, God judged them in order to humiliate them. Thus, the ordinary man was humbled, and the man of distinction was abased (Isa. 2:9a).
In his accusation against the haughty nations, Isaiah asked Jehovah not to forgive them (v. 9b).
In 2:10-22 we see Jehovah's humiliating judgment on the haughty nations.
The first object of God's judgment is man's haughty look and man's loftiness (vv. 11a, 17a). Each person has his own kind of look. For example, a banker has a banker's look, and a professor has a professor's look. Those with a haughty look make a display of their dignity. The same is true of those who are lofty.
God judges whatever is lofty and proud and whatever is lifted up (v. 12). If we study history, we will see that throughout the ages God has judged those who are proud, lofty, and lifted up.
The objects of Jehovah's judgment also include all the lofty and lifted-up cedars of Lebanon and all the oaks of Bashan (v. 13). These cedars and oaks are types of lofty persons, those who lift themselves up. All those who uplift themselves and become lofty will be "chopped" through God's judgment.
God also judges all the lofty mountains and all the lifted-up hills (v. 14). In figure and in typology, these mountains and hills signify countries, nations, and kingdoms.
Verse 15 speaks of God's judgment on every high tower and every fortified wall. Here a high tower and a fortified wall signify defense and protection.
God's judgment extends to all the ships of Tarshish and all their pleasant artifacts (v. 16). The word artifacts here refers to beautiful and pleasing manufactured items.
Finally, God judges the idols of the nations. Verse 18 says, "The idols will vanish completely."
The purpose of Jehovah's humiliating judgment is, first, to show the dread of Jehovah and the splendor of His majesty (vv. 10b, 19b, 21b). In God's judgment the dread of Jehovah is displayed so that we would fear Him. God's judgment also exhibits the splendor of His majesty. Throughout history, both the dread and majesty of Jehovah have been shown in His judgment.
The purpose of Jehovah's humiliating judgment is also to vindicate the fact that Jehovah alone will be exalted (vv. 11b, 17b). This is seen especially in the book of Revelation. Eventually, as the result of Jehovah's judgment, in which His dread and majesty are shown, Jehovah alone will be exalted.
The way of Jehovah's humiliating judgment is to make the earth tremble (v. 19b). In His judgment, He will shake the entire earth and cause it to tremble.
As the result of God's judgment, men will be abased and humbled (vv. 11a, 17a).
As a further result of God's judgment, men will cast their idols of silver and idols of gold to the moles and to the bats (v. 20).
Because of Jehovah's judgment, men will enter into the rock and hide in the dust (v. 10). They will also go into caves in the rocks and into holes in the dust, and they will go into the crevices of the rocks and into the clefts of the cliffs (vv. 19, 21). Men will do all these things in the attempt to hide from the dread of Jehovah and from the splendor of His majesty. They will not love God but, seeing only that God is fearful and full of splendor, they will be afraid of Him.
The lesson of Jehovah's humiliating judgment is that we should stop regarding man "whose life breath is in his nostrils" (v. 22a). We should not put our trust in man. Concerning man, Isaiah asks, "For of what value is he considered to be?" (v. 22b). The answer is that man is nothing.
God's judgment on the haughty nations ushers in the God-man, Christ (4:2, 5-6), issuing in the restoration of the nation of Israel (4:3-6; 2:2-5).
According to 4:2, the ushering in of Christ will be "in that day," that is, in the day of the coming restoration of the nation of Israel.
In 4:2 there are two striking expressions: the Shoot of Jehovah and the Fruit of the earth. These two are one pair, illustrating Christ's two natures: the divine nature and the human nature. The Shoot of Jehovah refers to Christ's deity, showing His divine nature, and the Fruit of the earth (Luke 1:42) refers to Christ's humanity with His human nature. As the Shoot of Jehovah, Christ comes out of God. As the Fruit of the earth, Christ, having a human body made of dust, grows out of the earth.
In the book of Isaiah, Christ is unveiled as the God-man, the Shoot of Jehovah with beauty and glory and the Fruit of the earth with excellence and splendor. In the restoration, to those of Israel who have escaped, Christ in His deity will be beauty and glory, and in His humanity He will be excellence and splendor.
The Shoot of Jehovah denotes that Christ is a new development of Jehovah God for the Triune God to branch out Himself in His divinity into humanity. This is for Jehovah God's increase and spread in the universe. The Fruit of the earth denotes that Christ, as the divine Shoot of Jehovah, also becomes a man of flesh from the earth. This is for the Triune God to be multiplied and reproduced in humanity. As a man with the divine life, He is a seed, a grain of wheat, to produce many grains through His death and resurrection (John 12:24).
Such a God-man, Christ as the Shoot of Jehovah and the Fruit of the earth, is ushered in by God's judgment. In particular, He is ushered in by war, which is used by God to judge the nations. The more war there is, the more Christ will be ushered in. Many believers can testify that they were saved during a time of war.
Out of the Christ who is ushered in by judgment issues the restoration of the nation of Israel. Therefore, God's judgment eventually results in Christ, the God-man, with restoration.
In Isaiah 4:5 and 6 there are another two striking expressions, revealing to us more of Christ in His divinity and humanity. These two are another pair concerning the revelation of Christ which issues from the first pair. The first of this pair is a canopy. The God-man, Christ, will also be a canopy, which is the covering glory of Christ in His divinity that covers the entire region of Mount Zion and all its convocations, that is, all the interests of Jehovah God on the earth. The glory of Christ will cover this entire region as a canopy which will be of two sections: the section in the daytime will be a cloud of smoke for a shade from the heat, and the section at night will be a cloud of brightness of a fiery flame to keep the darkness away.
The second of the second pair is a tabernacle which in the daytime will be a shade from the heat and will be a refuge and a cover (a hiding place that covers a person's body) from storm and rain. This overshadowing tabernacle is the God-man, Christ, in His humanity with His grace, as illustrated in 2 Corinthians 12:9. This is Christ as our overshadowing protection and defense. When we are in Christ as our tabernacle, we will be overshadowed from the attacks of heat, storm, and rain.
The Lord will wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion and will cleanse away the bloodstains of Jerusalem from her midst by the judging Spirit and the burning Spirit (Isa. 4:4). The Spirit will come first to judge and then to burn.
He who is left over in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been written down in Jerusalem for life (v. 3). This indicates that there will be a book of life in which all the names are kept.
Jehovah will create over the entire region of Mount Zion and over all her convocations a cloud of smoke by day and the brightness of a fiery flame by night (v. 5a) to be a canopy of His divine glory over all His interests on the earth, that is, the God-man, Christ, as the great canopy covering Zion and the children of Israel. This is similar to the pillar of smoke and the pillar of fire that went with the children of Israel in the wilderness. Furthermore, in the restoration of Israel, God will provide them with a tabernacle for a shade in the daytime from the heat and for a refuge and a cover from the storm and rain.
In the day of restoration, the God-man, Christ, as the divine Shoot of Jehovah, will be beauty and glory to Israel, and as the human seed of the earth will be excellence and splendor to them (4:2). In the coming restoration, the all-inclusive Christ will be the children of Israel's beauty and glory in His divinity and their excellence and splendor in His humanity that expresses the beauty and glory of His divinity. Then what the children of Israel will manifest and express will be the all-inclusive Christ Himself.
Isaiah 2:2 reveals that the mountain (signifying the kingdom of Israel) of the house of Jehovah will be established on the top of the mountains (signifying the kingdoms of the nations) and will be lifted up among the hills (signifying the kingdoms of the nations); and all the nations (the Gentiles) will stream to the mountain — the kingdom of Israel. This indicates that the nation of Israel will be foremost among the nations.
Many peoples will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah,/To the house of the God of Jacob,/That He may instruct us in His ways,/And that we may walk in His paths./For from Zion will go forth instruction, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem" (2:3). This indicates that all the earth will be under the teaching of Israel.
According to Zechariah 8:20-23, among Israel there will be the priesthood. This means that during the millennium, the thousand-year kingdom, restored Israel will be priests. Actually, in the millennium the priesthood will have both an earthly part and a heavenly part. Those of the restored nation of Israel will be the priests in the earthly part, and the overcoming believers in Christ will be the priests in the heavenly part. By this priesthood all the peoples will be taught and instructed.
Jehovah will judge between the nations and decide matters concerning many peoples (Isa. 2:4a). At that time, Christ will be the unique Ruler on earth.
The nations and many peoples will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore (v. 4b; Hosea 2:18). There will be no war, no weapons, and no learning of war.
Finally, when the nation of Israel is restored, the house of Jacob will walk in the light of Jehovah (Isa. 2:5).
Isaiah speaks concerning the ushering in of Christ and the restoration of the nation of Israel in several different sections of his prophecy. When we put these sections together, we will have a clear view of the revelation in this book regarding these two secret and mysterious matters.
