Week 13: Through the Eyes of a Prophet


Isaiah 2:3-4 English Standard Version (ESV)

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.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.

What a glorious and beautiful time Isaiah is foretelling of. I can only imagine how he must have felt, after having spoke of such doom, death, and destruction, to be given words full of life. To be able to see that all the pain and sorrow is more than just removing things from His sight, but that there is a greater purpose being fulfilled to bring about a future where His glory and power is more manifest and visibly present. Just the fact that there will be many who are saying that they want to go up to the mountain and learn His ways must have been an encouragement to Isaiah.
I'm sure that he didn't have any theological issues as we do today on Premillennial and Amillennial systems and how this glorious time would be ushered in. He probably saw it for what it truly is, a time of unequaled peace and justice that doesn't need certain teachings, thoughts, or doctrines to bring it about. Just for God's plan to unfold itself in His timing.
Should we not as Christians take a view similar? It seems as if we are often spending our energy on dividing. We come up with different theories and doctrines, using those to push, fight and even split the Body of Christ. It does not matter what we do or believe. God's plan will be fulfilled with us or in spite of us. Our duty is to use the grace He has given us to reach out to those that don't know Him so that they might, and to encourage those who do so that they might better. If we could view Isaiah's prophecies as he does, I believe we would have a better glimpse into what God is saying through him. Let's not try to fit his words into a box of our understanding, but allow our understanding to be shaped by his words.


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