Week 21: Isaiah's Warning

Isaiah 2:20-22 English Standard Version (ESV)

20 In that day mankind will cast away
    their idols of silver and their idols of gold,
which they made for themselves to worship,
    to the moles and to the bats,
21 to enter the caverns of the rocks
    and the clefts of the cliffs,
from before the terror of the Lord,
    and from the splendor of his majesty,
    when he rises to terrify the earth.
22 Stop regarding man
    in whose nostrils is breath,
    for of what account is he?

   This passage continues and finishes the theme on the Day of the Lord that took up most of this chapter. We see here many of the same phrases that Isaiah used before, driving home the point more and more, or as we say in the modern times, "Repetition, repetition, repetition." But I think there is more going on here than that even, and not just because he interjected a few new lines in this re-quote. It is as if Isaiah was building up to something that he was hinting at throughout. 

   We start by seeing man throwing away all the idols that were made with precious metals, and hence were precious to him. But not just throwing. They are being thrown to "The moles and the bats", which suggests to me that they were still being held on to when they began to flee and only let go of when they found what they find what looks like a place of refuge, the caves, or clefts of cliffs. Why throw them now? Perhaps upon finding themselves there they see the utter futility of them and cast them down making it easier to cower, still trying to hide from the terrifying presence that they can't escape from.

   Now we come to it, what Isaiah was building up to. He says here bluntly what was lurking beneath all the language from before. "Stop regarding man, in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?" All this time, for all of history, we have almost exclusively regarded only ourselves and other men, rarely turning our eyes and thoughts to Him who created us, who put the breath in us. This is a warning to all men, a call to see the futility and cast away our idols now, while we can make the choice to do so. For without Him all of our works and who we are, are of no account, because it will all pass away.