Advent 2019: 1

With the beginning of the church calendar, I started thinking this week about the start of our secular calendar, New Years Day and all that. And with every New Year comes of course the inevitable New Year’s Resolutions. Now, my wife can tell you, I’m a sucker for grand, sweeping gestures, so I have a special place in my heart for New Years Resolutions. And I’m certainly not alone in that. There is something compelling about pausing, taking a step back, and considering the big picture of our lives.

Sometimes though, the message that God gives his prophets to share is a message of what will come to pass in the immediate or distant future, and this right here is that sort of message. Isaiah is announcing what God is going to do, what he’s planning to do.

Isn’t it interesting, though, that we can so easily forget what’s important? We all know what happens after we make these resolutions. We have a momentary feeling of accomplishment, and then an inevitable lapse. Anyone who has ever joined a local gym knows that feeling.

I had a week a few months back where I found myself ordering from the Arby’s dollar menu just about every day at lunchtime.

So what is he planning to do?

This is what Isaiah is dealing with in this text this morning. He’s speaking to a people who have forgotten the big picture. In the chapter before this, Isaiah is speaking the word of God to the people, condemning them for not knowing the Lord. He says that they are utterly estranged from God. But the fascinating part of it all is that they were still coming to the temple, still sacrificing to God according to the law that he had given them, still burning incense, still following the appointed feasts, still adhering to the sabbath, still lifting up prayers. God himself says that he sees them doing all these religious things. So how is it that these people who were so apparently religious, how is it that they could be estranged and distant from God?

But this isn’t a mystery to us. We know exactly how this happens, because we do the same exact thing. We know what it’s like to go through the motions, whether it’s at work, with our family, or in our faith. I think one major reason we find ourselves going through the motions is that we are satisfied with where we are in life, and so we desire to maintain the status quo.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

2  It shall come to pass in the latter days

that the mountain of the house of the LORD

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and shall be lifted up above the hills;

Over Thanksgiving break, my family and I were up in a small town in North Carolina, and we were walking through the town and we came across a little sign that said, “Wash your hands, and say your prayers, because germs and Jesus are everywhere.” I read the sign and winced because the parallels were just so relevant. We wash our hands to keep germs away, so, should we also pray to keep Jesus away? But sometimes that is exactly what we’re doing when we’re going through the motions in faith. If we say our prayers, go to church, give ten percent, if we attend Bible study, then maybe Jesus won’t ask anything big of me, because I’m pretty satisfied with how things are, and I’d rather Jesus not blow up the plans I’ve made for myself.

And right there, you know that you’ve lost sight of the big picture: as soon as you start thinking things like, “I’d rather Jesus not blow up the plans that I’ve made for myself.” Jesus is now a cast member of my show. I’ve lost sight of the big picture, and as a result, I’ve grown complacent, I’m in a rut, I’m moving away from God.

This is the state of the people of God in Isaiah’s time. And so what the prophet does, is he reminds them of the big picture that they’ve forgotten. And as we begin the season of Advent, we are invited to pause, take a step back, and remember the big picture.

Let’s look at verse 1.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

2 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2  It shall come to pass in the latter days

that the mountain of the house of the LORD

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and shall be lifted up above the hills;

and all the nations shall flow to it,

Mountains

In the ancient world, mountains and high places were seen as sacred and full of mystery and power. They were seen as the connecting places of the heavens and the earth. Because of this, they were perfect places for altars and temples. These were the places where the gods would come and be present and even live among the people.

Israel’s neighbors all had temples at the tallest points in their lands, but Isaiah proclaims that there will come a time when the house of Yahweh, that is the temple of the God of Israel, the place where he lives and is present with his people, that mountain will be known as superior to all other mountains, all other gods.

And it will be lifted up for the nations all around to see, and those nations will flow towards it, like a raging mountain river, flowing, surprisingly up this mountain, rushing to the place where God’s presence meets with his people. So the big picture begins with God being glorified.

Verse 3:

English Standard Version Chapter 2

3  and many peoples shall come, and say:

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

to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth the law,

and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The second reason we go through the motions is the opposite.

Now this is really interesting. So we have this image of the house of Yahweh being lifted up for all the nations to see, and these people, who are outside of the people of God, are flowing to it like a raging river. And we see that the reason that they are flowing to it is not because the people of God are calling out to them, but rather these outsiders, are encouraging and calling out to one another to come to the house of God and see this amazing thing they have witnessed. The outsiders, who have seen and been transformed by the presence of God, are calling to one another to bear witness to the greatness of the God of Israel. The glory of God is on the lips of these outsiders.

And they aren’t coming for a show of miraculous power. They aren’t coming to have all their problems solved. They aren’t coming out of fear of punishment. They are flowing to the house of God because they are hungry for him to teach them his ways. They are hungry to walk in his paths. And the only place where we learn his ways and his paths, is the house of God, the place where God’s presence is with the people. So they come, they learn, and they are transformed and redeemed. What’s the big picture? God is glorified, and the Outsider is redeemed.

And what is the result of their coming? Verse 4.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

4  He shall judge between the nations,

and shall decide disputes for many peoples;

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war anymore.

So God is glorified, the outsider is redeemed, and here we see the Kingdom of God comes.

Isaiah 2:1–2 ESV

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,

English Standard Version Chapter 2

2 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2  It shall come to pass in the latter days

that the mountain of the house of the LORD

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and shall be lifted up above the hills;

What accounts for the violence of war, the abuse of the weak, the hatred of the other? Conflict arises because each of us tends to decide for ourselves what we need, and we decide for ourselves what are the legitimate ways of meeting our needs. We wonder and marvel at how human beings can justify some of the terrible acts of history, but the truth is that each and every time these terrible acts of violence and hatred are justified, because the persons involved have decided for themself what is right and what is wrong. And when we do this, when we go about doing whatever seems right in our own eyes, as the author of the book of Judges would say, the weak are trampled, the vulnerable are exploited, and violence results.

In those days, temples were usually built on mountain tops or hilltops, because it was believed that the high places of the earth were sacred places where heaven and earth were thought to meet. So they were perfect places to build these houses for their gods.

But the wonderful future that we are given here by Isaiah is of a time when the nations give up their right to decide for themselves what is right, and instead each of them look to God to see what he deems right. They seek to accomplish not their own desires, but his. They aim to do not their own work, but his. He is their king, because they have learned his ways, and now walk in his paths. And what is the result? Peace.

But wh

But the fascinating part of it all is that

But

We see that the weapons of war, and the practice of war, and the mentality for war all fall away when God is King. This is a depiction of the shalom, or the flourishing and well-being that comes when God’s kingdom reigns on earth. His kingdom brings peace, as hearts turn to him, and seek his desires, and strive to accomplish his goals.

This is the big picture according to : God is glorified, the Outsider is redeemed, and the Kingdom comes.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

O house of Jacob,

come, let us walk

in the light of the LORD.

This is the big picture that they had forgotten, that they had lost sight of. They knew about it. This hope was built into their identity as a people. Dating all the way back to their very beginnings as a people, when God made a promise to Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him and his descendents. They rehearsed this great hope in their feasts and festivals. The were taught it as children, and they taught it to their children. This hope that Isaiah is laying out isn’t anything new, it was baked into their DNA. So how had they lost sight of it? How had they forgotten and grown complacent?

Here’s how they lost sight, and here’s how we lose sight of this big picture. When we turn the great redemptive story of God into something we witness as opposed to something that we live. We observe it rather than participate in it. This is why the prophet ends with a challenge in verse 5:

English Standard Version Chapter 2

5  O house of Jacob,

come, let us walk

in the light of the LORD.

All of this is going to happen, God will be glorified, the outsider will be redeemed, and the kingdom will come. All of this will happen, this is your story, Isaiah says. So take part, you’ve got the script, it’s time to play your part.

This whole Jesus thing is not something we can observe at a safe distance. Following Jesus isn’t a spectator sport that we sit and watch. It’s a movement of God that we are a part of. The question this morning is, are merely watching from the sideline, or are you actively involved in what God is doing all around you to bring glory to his name, to redeem the outsider, and to bring his kingdom to our city?

Here’s the really cool part of . This prophecy isn’t just about a future hope that gives us a glimpse at the big picture of life. It’s also a window into the present movement of God that we are invited to actively participate in.

Chances are good that you are not a member of the house of Israel. Chances are good that most of us in this room come from one of these nations that were outside of the people of God. But we have flowed to the mountain of the Lord, to the place where God is with his people, because we have flowed to Jesus, who is called Emmanuel, meaning God with us. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have encountered the presence of God through Jesus, and through Jesus, we learn his ways and walk in his paths, and we who should be outsiders, call other outsiders to come and experience the incredible grace of Jesus.

Do you see what I’m getting at? This hope that Isaiah is proclaiming is our story! This movement of God that Isaiah is proclaiming is our present! Now, of course we still wait for Christ to come again and bring these promises to complete fulfillment, but we can see a partial fulfillment in our own lives.

So if this movement of God is already taking place, the question is all the more pressing: are we going to watch from the sideline or will we jump into the action?

English Standard Version Chapter 2

5  O house of Jacob,

come, let us walk

in the light of the LORD.

Let’s pray.