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ISAIAH CHAPTER 2
OBSERVATION STAGE
The purpose of
the observation stage is to maintain focus on the text at hand within the
normative rules of language, context and logic 
.
.This
limits the observer to the content offered by the book of Isaiah. This
will serve to avoid going on unnecessary tangents elsewhere; and more
importantly, it will provide the framework for a proper and objective
comparison with passages located elsewhere in Scripture.
Remember that something elsewhere may be true, but in the text at hand it may not be in view.
Immediately below is an excerpt from the previous chapter of the LORD's establishment of His Eternal Kingdom on the earth at the time of a future generation of Israel not yet seen in history which context continues into chapter 2:
Or
skip to the beginning of chapter 2: 
************* EXCERPT FROM ISAIAH CHAPTER 1 ************
(Isa 1:21 NKJV) "How the faithful city has become a harlot! It was full of justice; Righteousness lodged in it, But now murderers. (Isa 1:22 NKJV) Your silver has become dross, Your wine mixed [in the sense of diluted] with water. (Isa 1:23 NKJV) Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.' (Isa 1:24 NKJV) Therefore the Lord says, The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, 'Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries, And take vengeance on My enemies. (Isa 1:25 NKJV) I will turn My hand against you, And thoroughly purge away your dross, And take away all your alloy. (Isa 1:26 HOLMAN) I will restore your judges to what they once were, and your advisers to their former state. Afterwards you will be called the Righteous City, a Faithful City. (Isa 1:27 NASB) Zion will be redeemed with justice And her repentant ones with righteousness. (Isa 1:28 YLT) And the destruction of transgressors and sinners [is] together, And those forsaking Jehovah are consumed. (Isa 1:29 YLT) For [you, plural] are ashamed because of the oaks [lit. terebinth trees] that [you] have desired, and [you] are [ashamed] because of the gardens that [you] have chosen. (Isa 1:30 YLT) For [you, plural] are as an oak [lit., terebinth tree] whose leaf is fading, And as a garden that [has] no water. (Isa 1:31 HOLMAN) The strong one will become tinder, and his work a spark; both [will have burned] together, with no one [quenching the flames].' " =
In verses 21 through 31, Isaiah provided the LORD's answer to generations of Israel's unfaithfulness with a view to His coming to purge the world of sin to establish His Eternal Kingdom on the earth at the time of a future generation of Israel; evidently beyond the timeframe of the four Kings of Judah, (Isa 1:1). Verse 21 began with a lamenting exclamation "How!" in the NKJV: "How the faithful city [Jerusalem] has become a harlot!" The LORD declared that formerly the city "was full of justice..." that "Righteousness lodged in it." But in that Day, the city would become full of murderers. The city's silver in the sense of the city's value would become like dross, i.e., impure, her wine diluted with water - meaning that generations of Israelites would become corrupted and ungodly. The city's princes, i.e., rulers were rebellious, and companions with thieves, looking for and taking bribes. They neither defended the fatherless, nor the cause of the widow. Verse 24 began with the LORD's expression of indignation rendered "Ah," in the NKJV: Author Isaiah then declared that the LORD said, "The LORD of Hosts, The Mighty One of Israel," to emphasize His Absolute Sovereignty. Whereupon the LORD stipulated that He would rid Himself of His adversaries, referring to those of His chosen people Israel who were as unfaithful wives. Evidently both Kingdoms of Israel were in view. So the LORD would take vengeance upon His enemies, turn His hand against those who were rebellious, purge them from the faithful ones of His people as the process of purifying silver purges and takes away the dross, the impurities, leaving the pure silver; i.e., the remnant of faithful ones of Israel, (Isa 1:21-25).
Verse 26 stipulated that the LORD would restore judges and advisers to their former state of faithfulness. Afterwards the city would be called the Righteous City, a Faithful City. Zion, i.e., Jerusalem would be redeemed with justice, and her repentant ones with righteousness - the city of the Eternal Kingdom of God on the earth, (Isa 1:26).
The text goes on to say that temporal destruction of transgressors would occur - those forsaking Jehovah would be consumed. Those who worshipped idols such as groves of terebinth [oak like] trees or specially grown gardens for that purpose would be ashamed because their idols would not rescue them. For Israel's unfaithful are like the terebinth tree whose leaf is fading; and like the pagan worship gardens which will die for lack of water. The strong one referring to an unfaithful ruler of Israel will become tinder like the terebinth tree which is felled and chopped up; his rebellious works will become as a spark. They will burn and be destroyed together. Note that the temporal destruction by the LORD for unfaithfulness when He comes to establish His Eternal Kingdom sets the pattern for previous generations who are unfaithful, (Isa 1:27-31).
************* END OF EXCERPT FROM ISAIAH CHAPTER 1 ************
(Isa 2:1 NKJV) "The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw [lit., had seen] concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
(Isa 2:2 NKJV) Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it.
(Isa 2:3 YLT) And gone have many peoples and [have] said, 'Come, and we go up unto the mount of Jehovah, Unto the house of the God of Jacob, And He [teaches] us of His ways, And we walk in His paths,' For from Zion [goes] forth a law, And a word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.
(Isa 2:4 YLT) And He [has] judged between the nations, And [has] given a decision to many peoples, And they have beat their swords to ploughshares, And their spears to pruning-hooks, Nation [does] not lift up sword unto nation, Nor do they learn any more -- war.
(Isa 2:5 NKJV) O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the LORD.
(Isa 2:6 NKJV) For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with eastern ways; They are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they are pleased with the children of foreigners.
(Isa 2:7 NKJV) Their land is also full of silver and gold, And there is no end to their treasures; Their land is also full of horses, And there is no end to their chariots.
(Isa 2:8 NKJV) Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, That which their own fingers have made.
(Isa 2:9 YLT) And the low [bows] down, and the high is humbled, And [You] [accept] them not.
(Isa 2:10 NKJV) Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty.
(Isa 2:11 NKJV) The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
(Isa 2:12 NKJV) For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon everything
(Isa 2:13 NKJV) Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up;
(Isa 2:14 NKJV) Upon all the high mountains, And upon all the hills that are lifted up;
(Isa 2:15 NKJV) Upon every high tower, And upon every fortified wall;
(Isa 2:16 YLT) And for all ships of Tarshish, And for all desirable pictures [in the sense of coveted pictures of idols]
(Isa 2:17 YLT) And bowed down [has been] the haughtiness of man, And humbled the loftiness of men, And set on high Jehovah alone [has] been in that day.
(Isa 2:18 YLT) [But] the idols - they completely pass away.
(Isa 2:19 NKJV) They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
(Isa 2:20 NKJV) In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver And his idols of gold, Which they made, each for himself to worship, To the moles [i.e., dung beetles / scarabs] and bats
(Isa 2:21 NKJV) To go into the clefts of the rocks, And into the crags of the rugged rocks, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
(Isa 2:22 NKJV) Sever yourselves from such a man, Whose breath is in his nostrils; For of what account is he?"
(Isa 2:1 NKJV) "The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw [lit., had seen] concerning Judah and Jerusalem. (Isa 2:2 NKJV) Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. (Isa 2:3 YLT) And gone have many peoples and [have] said, 'Come, and we go up unto the mount of Jehovah, Unto the house of the God of Jacob, And He [teaches] us of His ways, And we walk in His paths,' For from Zion [goes] forth a law, And a word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. (Isa 2:4 YLT) And He [has] judged between the nations, And [has] given a decision to many peoples, And they have beat their swords to ploughshares, And their spears to pruning-hooks, Nation [does] not lift up sword unto nation, Nor do they learn any more - war." =
In 2:1, author Isaiah stipulated that he wrote words which conveyed what He saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Verses 2 & 3 describe an event in the future which will occur "in the latter days," i.e., the last days of history during which the LORD will establish His Eternal Kingdom on the earth: "Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. And many peoples will have gone there and they will have said, "Come, and we go up unto the mount of Jehovah, Unto the house of the God of Jacob, And He [teaches] us of His ways, And we walk in His paths." Hence the events related to the Babylonian conquest and captivity are not in view. Isaiah went on to write, "For from Zion [goes] forth a law, And a word of Jehovah from Jerusalem." Hence Isaiah's words conveyed events which had not occurred during Isaiah's lifetime - nor ours - they are a prophetic vision of the Day of the LORD when He establishes His Eternal Kingdom on the earth.
(Isa 1:1 YLT) "The Visions of Isaiah son of Amoz, that he [had] seen concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hexekiah, kings of Judah."
Isa 2:2-3 convey a picture of the mountain of the LORD's house - in the sense of its tremendous size - situated on "the top of the mountains, and ... exalted above the hills" in the sense of being exalted above all the mountains and hills of the earth. The LORD's House is at Jerusalem, for Isa 2:3 indicates that the House of the LORD is to be in an exalted elevation at Jerusalem: for all the peoples of the world were stipulated as going up unto the mount of Jehovah, the house of God of Jacob for a word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. The people went on to declare, "And He [the LORD teaches] us of His ways, And we walk in His paths," which implied that the people of the nations of the world will yearn to learn of the ways of the LORD and come often to Jerusalem to seek Him. Isaiah then went on to write, "For from Zion [Jerusalem goes] forth a law, And a word of Jehovah from Jerusalem," in the sense of conveying the absolute sovereignty and authority of every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD, (Isa 2:1-3).
Isa 2:4 then indicates that the LORD had judged between the nations And had given a decision to many peoples, [in the sense of having settled all controversies as sovereign Judge] "And they have beat their swords swords to ploughshares, And their spears to pruning-hooks, Nation does not lift up sword unto nation, Nor do they learn any more - war." This verse further corroborates that the time of the Babylonian conquest up through today (2011) cannot be in view; for there have been multiple wars throughout history since then.
(Isa 2:5 NKJV) "O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the LORD. (Isa 2:6 NKJV) For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with eastern ways; They are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they are pleased with the children of foreigners. (Isa 2:7 NKJV) Their land is also full of silver and gold, And there is no end to their treasures; Their land is also full of horses, And there is no end to their chariots. (Isa 2:8 NKJV) Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, That which their own fingers have made. (Isa 2:9 YLT) And the low [bows] down, and the high is humbled, And [You] [accept] them not." =
In verse 5, Isaiah encouraged the House of Jacob, i.e., those of the twelve tribes of Israel in the timeframe established in 1:1 - the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah to walk in the light of the LORD referring to His commands, His laws which are an expression of His Truth and Righteousness. In verse 6, Isaiah declared that the LORD had forsaken His people because they had become filled with eastern ways, i.e., pagan religions. They were as supersititous as the people in the East, following the practices of the Assyrian Empire, which at that time was encroaching upon the entire Syro-Palestinian area.
And the Judahites of Isaiah's time had become soothsayers like the Philistines. This refers to the practice of soccery: the attempt to control people or circumstances or to seek to know the future through power given by evil spirits (demons). The Philistines occupied the southwestern part of Canaan and had sought to control Israel. So Israel was influenced by pagan practices of the people all around them, joining her neighboring pagan kingdoms in their religious practices in part to better secure her safety, but especially for lack of faith in the LORD despite His faithfulness to them. Furthermore, Israel saw the wealth and military might of the neighboring pagan countries and built up her own wealth and military instead of depending upon the LORD. Ironically, instead of divination to determine the future, the Judahites needed only to consult the word of God to best determine their future by learning from God's Word to depend upon the LORD to prosper and preserve them. So the Israelites, against the will of God, had become pleased with the children of foreigners implying those with pagan practices relative to fellowship and marriage, (Isa 2:5-6).
Verse 7 declared that Israel had placed her trust in wealth and military power instead of in the LORD. She hoarded silver and gold and other treasure to build up her wealth; and horses and chariots to build up her military power - all of which was forbidden by the LORD to do, (Dt 17:16-17). Judah evidently attributed her wealth and military power to her pagan practices - especially to the worshipping of idols.Verse 8 stipulated that Israel's land was full of idols in the sense that they worshipped idols which were the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers made. The way this message was conveyed portrayed Israel's irrational / nonsensical behavior which implied the question, "How can one worship something which one made oneself with ones own fingers as if it were a god with the power of a god instead of worshipping the LORD Who repeatedly proved Himself to them to be their God, providing His Word to them, faithfully providing for and protecting them, (Isa 2:7-8)?
In view of all of Israel's arrogance toward the LORD, verse 9 declared that each one of those of Israel would be brought down - from one who was of humble means, (the Hebrew word for "man" in this context meaning the common man, i.e., a plain man of humble means), in the sense of having his arrogance toward the LORD knocked out of him; to one who was of greater means, (the Hebrew word for an individual man in the sense of a man of greater means), likewise in the sense of having his arrogance toward the LORD knocked out of him. Hence, the last part of verse 9 declared, "And You [the LORD] accept them not," i.e., Isaiah's plea to the LORD to not forgive them of such egregious and arrogant unfaithfulness, (Isa 2:9).
(Isa 2:10 NKJV) "Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty. (Isa 2:11 NKJV) The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. (Isa 2:12 NKJV) For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon everything (Isa 2:13 NKJV) Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up; (Isa 2:14 NKJV) Upon all the high mountains, And upon all the hills that are lifted up; (Isa 2:15 NKJV) Upon every high tower, And upon every fortified wall; (Isa 2:16 YLT) And for all ships of Tarshish, And for all desirable pictures [in the sense of coveted pictures of idols] (Isa 2:17 YLT) And bowed down [has been] the haughtiness of man, And humbled the loftiness of men, And set on high Jehovah alone [has] been in that day. (Isa 2:18 YLT) [But] the idols - they completely pass away. (Isa 2:19 NKJV) They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily. (Isa 2:20 NKJV) In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver And his idols of gold, Which they made, each for himself to worship, To the moles [i.e., dung beetles / scarabs] and bats (Isa 2:21 NKJV) To go into the clefts of the rocks, And into the crags of the rugged rocks, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily. (Isa 2:22 NKJV) Sever yourselves from such a man, Whose breath is in his nostrils; For of what account is he?" =
The timeframe of the last section of chapter 2 is the Day of the LORD - a technical term signifying the time when the LORD's Eternal Kingdom will come to the earth bringing His Righteousness and Justice to all the peoples of the world, through a future generation of His chosen people, Israel, (Isa 2:2-4). The section begins with a declaration of the LORD's judgment of mankind's haughtiness and loftiness.
Verses 10-11 indicate that at the time of the Day of the LORD those who were haughty in the sight of the LORD would hide themselves from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty:
(Isa 2:10 NKJV) "Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty," in the sense of hiding in groveling futility in the cracks in rock formations, and in the dust, i.e., in caves underground.
(Isa 2:11 NKJV) The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day."
A key theme of the book of Isaiah is repeated: ultimately only one Person will be exalted. That One will be the LORD alone, ( cf. v. 17).
Chapter 2 does not portray the day when Babylon will conquer Jerusalem and Judah - nor when Rome destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70, nor when Germany perpetrated the Holocaust in the 20th century, nor any event in history so far, as some contend. For not all of the details of Isaiah's prophecy have been fulfilled in the timeframe allotted to signify a true fulfillment of it. Although throughout history events have occurred and will occur which have a number of similar characteristics to what Isaiah wrote; an identical match in every detail in the timeframe which Isaiah wrote has yet to occur.
On the other hand, what is implied in the Book of Isaiah is that anyone who acts in such an offensive manner to the LORD will receive the same kind of discipline / destiny as described in Isaiah's writings at the coming of the LORD, (Isa 2:10-11).
Verses 12 through 18 indicate that the Day of the LORD will come in judgment upon the cedars of Lebanon, the high mountains and hills, high towers and fortified walls, ships of Tarshiah, (referring to richly laden and far voyaging vessels), and desirable pictures, (those which are coveted as idols): All the man made things and the objects of nature which men lift up to worship and sacrifice to as an idol instead of the LORD are in view. Everything that seems to man in his arrogance to be permanent and secure, such that he trusted in it instead of the LORD will be swept away. The haughtiness - the arrogance - and the loftiness of men will be bowed down. In that Day, idols will completely pass away, (Isa 2:12-18).
Verses 19-21 repeat the message of verses 10-11 - that at the time of the Day of the LORD those who were haughty in the sight of the LORD would hide themselves from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty when He comes - when He arises to shake the earth mightily. This repetition is to emphasize the recalcitrance of the offenders despite continual warnings and frequent discipline over the years and ages:
(Isa 2:19 NKJV) They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
(Isa 2:20 NKJV) In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver And his idols of gold, Which they made, each for himself to worship, To the moles [i.e., dung beetles / scarabs] and bats.
The Hebrew word rendered "moles" in the NKJV literally means a digging creature. Since moles do not inhabit rocky places, it might very well refer to the dung-beetle,' known as the scarab which does inhabit rocky places. So the idol worshippers of Judah will bring their gold and silver idols which they made with them as they endeavor to escape the wrath of God when He comes to establish His Kingdom rule on earth. The bulk and weight of these idols will so burden them, impeding their "escape" that they will toss them aside where the dung beetles and bats resided. The idols to which they had so clinged to until this moment will ironically be unable to help them escape from the wrath of the LORD. In the final analysis, there will be no escaping the wrath of God for the unfaithful; for it is the LORD Who is Creator and Who controls all things. Isaiah then repeats verse 19 as verse 21, "To go into the clefts of the rocks, And into the crags of the rugged rocks, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily," to emphasize that there is no escaping the coming of the LORD, (Isa 2:19-21).
Isaiah then addresses all those who might lend an ear to the wisdom of the LORD throughout the ages: they are to sever themselves from idol worshippers; for the latter comprise men whose lives are temporal, not eternal; and whose wisdom is of no account compared to that of the LORD, (Isa 2:22).