Percey Shelly once wrote a poem called Ozymandias. It tells the story of a traveler passing by an ancient ruin. Half sunk in the sand are two trunkless legs of stone. Beside them lies the head of what was once a statue of a great Pharaoh. He then reads the pedestal: “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” But now the traveler sees: “Nothing beside remains. Round the decay / Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare.”

Setting your hope in earthly powers will, in time, prove vain. Every day we’re being invited to live for one kingdom or another. We’re promised great things: greater safety, a greater name, more power, more wealth, a better future. Perhaps we’re even tempted to build our own kingdoms where I control the outcomes, I keep the upper hand, I get the glory. But Isaiah 2 forces us to ask a crucial question: Why live for another kingdom when only the Lord’s will prevail? Let’s read, beginning in verse 1…

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, 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. ⁵ O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD. ⁶ For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners. ⁷ Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. ⁸ Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made. ⁹ So man is humbled, and each one is brought low—do not forgive them! ¹⁰ Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty. ¹¹ The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. ¹² For the LORD of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low; ¹³ against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan; ¹⁴ against all the lofty mountains, and against all the uplifted hills; ¹⁵ against every high tower, and against every fortified wall; ¹⁶ against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the beautiful craft. ¹⁷ And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. ¹⁸ And the idols shall utterly pass away. ¹⁹ And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. 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?

Our passage contains two visions of the future, and each vision is followed by a command. In verses 2-4, we see God’s mountain going up, followed by a command in verse 5. Then, in verses 10-21, we see man’s pride going down, followed by a command in verse 22. That leaves verses 6-9 in the middle—a picture of Israel’s present rebellion. Let’s start there, with Israel’s present rebellion; and then we’ll move to the two visions of God’s mountain going up and man’s pride going down.

Israel’s Present Rebellion

Verses 6-9 portray Israel’s present rebellion. God had given Israel his Law. That Law was supposed to function like a lamp, lighting their path, teaching them good from evil. Israel was supposed to be a visible example to other nations of what God’s rule looked like. They were to be a people filled with wisdom, good works, true worship.

But verses 6-8 tell us that Israel became full of other things. Four times he repeats it. “They are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines.” God revealed his will plainly in Scripture. The Law appointed means for them to know God and consult God. But Israel turned to other sources. From all over, they accommodated man-made religions. Fortune-tellers, sign-readers—all seeking to manipulate the divine for special knowledge or favor.

They were also full of silver and gold, verse 7 says. Wealth wasn’t bad on its own. God made the silver and gold. He distributes wealth to some more than others. The question is what they did with it. How did they view it? Was it a resource to bless others? Or was it something to hoard to guarantee their own security? Clearly, it became the latter for Israel. Isaiah says, “there’s no end to their treasures.” They had an insatiable craving for more. They thought life consisted in the abundance of possessions.

Their land was full of horses. “There is no end to their chariots,” he says. These represent military power. The more horses and chariots, the more dominant your nation. What happened to the spirit of Psalm 20:7? “Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Not here. At this point in Israel’s history, military power was their refuge, not God.

Their land was also filled with idols, verse 8 says. The Hebrew behind “idols” is derogatory. It means “worthless things.” How worthless? Well, later, they toss these idols aside to the moles and the bats. On judgment day, they’re like trash. But here they bow down to the work of their hands. They assign god-like value to them.

In sum, they’ve filled the land with man-made religion and trust in their wealth, power, and idolatry to give them what they need. For that reason, God has rejected his people, verse 6 says. Verse 9 makes it even stronger: “So man is humbled, and each one is brought low—do not forgive them!” The sense can go one of two ways—either idolatry has ripped from them every shred of human dignity or it has earned them the judgment of verses 10-21. Either way, there’s no forgiveness when you trust in the works of your own hands to save you. That’s a snapshot of Israel’s present rebellion.

It may remind us of our own rebellion. I wonder if there are ways we’ve been tempted with man-made religion? Maybe it’s not fortune-tellers. But have you ever treated God like a slot-machine? “I put in obedience, now you give me x, y, and z.” Or maybe we believe God hears us more by a physical posture we take, special days we observe, the money we give. Or how do you make decisions? By waiting for secret signs? By feelings? Or by giving yourself to the Scriptures, prayer, and wisdom?

What about idols? New City Catechism defines idolatry like this: “Idolatry is trusting in created things rather than the Creator for our hope and happiness, significance and security.”[i] Are you trusting anything besides God for your hope and happiness? People’s approval? Good health? A political party? Where do you find your significance? In a job? A degree? A name for yourself? When do you sense that you are most secure? When finances are in order? When our nation has bigger bombs, better AI? What makes you uncontrollably angry or despairingly anxious?

If we’re honest with ourselves, our own sins can look much like Israel’s. We both have the same connection to Adam. We both tend to give ourselves to other kingdoms besides the Lord’s. Remember, too, that Israel is doing all these things while thinking, “God is on our side. We’re his favored people, his chosen nation.” But verse 6 says, “you [Lord] have rejected your people.” They need a wake-up call. So do we.

Part of that wake-up call is a vision of where God is taking the world. Which brings us to Isaiah’s two visions of the future. Both visions press an important question upon us: why live for another kingdom when only the Lord’s will prevail?

God’s Mountain Going Up

Here’s the first vision of the future: God’s mountain going up. Verse 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.”

It might sound strange to announce a mountain. But in Isaiah’s day, mountains were viewed as places closest to the divine realm. Nations built temples atop these higher places. A mountain came to represent the kingdom and its god. God did the same in Jerusalem. Mount Zion was there. It hosted the temple—here called the “house of the Lord”—where God revealed his presence.[ii] God’s anointed king ruled from Zion. So, Mount Zion became known as God’s mountain. Zion portrayed God’s reign on earth.

At least, it was supposed to. But we just learned that the people of Zion never lived up to those ideals. Israel rebelled. They were living for other kingdoms; they didn’t represent God’s rule on earth. Verses 2-4 show us a different Zion. Isaiah speaks here of a new age when God would replace the old mountain with a far greater mountain.

For starters, it’s an exalted mountain. God lifts his mountain higher than all other mountains. If these mountains represent kingdoms with their false gods, Isaiah’s message is, “The true God wins.” His kingdom will triumph. It’s not that God wasn’t exalted before. He’s always infinitely great, period. This is not God saying, “No, I want to be first in line. I want to be higher.” No, he is first. He is higher. This mountain is about getting the world to recognize that. He will so manifest his glory on earth that all competitors to his kingdom will fall. Nobody will conquer this mountain.

Also notice that it doesn’t belong to Israel alone. Verse 2 says, “all the nations shall flow to it.” Fascinating imagery. Normally, rivers and streams flow away from mountains. But these nations flow toward God’s mountain. God has caused a remarkable reversal. Grace draws them onto this mountain. In doing so, God fulfills his covenant with Abraham to bless all the nations. Amazingly, even the nations can access the presence of God on this mountain. Not even Israel had such free and open access. Only the priests could enter the Lord’s house. But here everybody enjoys God’s presence.

Did you also see why the nations come? Not to rage and plot against the Lord but to learn from the Lord. Verse 3, “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.’” We look at the world now and everybody walks in the name of their own god. But here they gather to listen to the one, true God. They love his word and live by it. And they’re not coming alone. They’ve become evangelists: “Come on! Let’s go up! The Lord is there.”

Also notice how the law no longer comes from Mount Sinai. It says, “For out of Zion shall go forth the law.” That’s important because Sinai was the mountain that no sinner could approach. They were terrified. But here everybody is running up so freely. What happened? What changed for them?

In verse 4, the Lord “shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples.” True justice reigns on this mountain. Peoples willingly submit their decisions to the Lord. The result is total peace: “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.” My grandpa served as a Marine in World War II. Nineteen years old—they strapped a flamethrower to his back as US forces took Guadalcanal, Iwa Jima, Okinawa. After coming home, my granny told stories of sleeping with his rifle or finding him under the bed at night, trembling. For others, nobody came home. On this mountain, there will be no more of that. No weapons. No fighting. Not even the thought of war. Instead, we get tools to cultivate a garden. Why Garden imagery? To show how this mountain reverses the curse and sets all things right.[iii]

This is where God is taking the world. Israel’s present rebellion in verses 6-9 will not thwart God’s plan for world-wide worship. Meaning, they can get on board now with where God is taking the world, or they won’t be part of God’s mountain. That’s why he pleads with them in verse 5, “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!” The future hope of this mountain should compel obedience in the present.

He’s saying, “Why live for other kingdoms when only the Lord’s will prevail? Can’t you see what happens when you trust in your wealth, your power, your idols? What has it produced? Wars. Conflict. Humans destroying each other. A world of darkness. The Lord is offering them light. Better: he’s already given them light, if they would only come and walk in it. Many from the rest of the nations will.

Beloved, this even truer for us, because, according to the New Testament. This mountain is already going up. Turn to Hebrews 12:22-24. Hebrews 12 presents us with two mountains, the first being Mount Sinai. Sinai represents the Law covenant. At Sinai, the way to God was not yet open. Sinai was filled with fear of God’s imposing holiness and swift judgment on any law breaker. So, when it comes to sinful people like us, we can’t approach God on Mount Sinai (i.e., through the Law).

However, here’s the good news: Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law; and through him God brings us to a different mountain—the mountain Isaiah was talking about. Hebrews 12:22, “you [Church] have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”

I said earlier that there’s no forgiveness when you trust in the works of your own hands to save you. But if you trust in the works of Jesus to save you—forgiveness is full and free. The blood of Abel could only say, “You are guilty.” The blood of Jesus says, “You are forgiven!” To everyone who trusts in Jesus, you are forgiven. Jesus now reigns as the mediator of a new covenant; and one of the blessings of that new covenant is belonging to this Mountain of Isaiah 2. Christian, you already belong to it.

There’s even more: John’s Gospel teaches that Jesus is the new and better temple, and that once he is “lifted up”—like the temple-mount in Isaiah being lifted up—he will draw all people to himself. Sure enough, God raises Jesus from the dead; he lifts him up to heaven. And since Acts 2, all the nations have been flowing to God’s Mountain. Yes, a day will come when this mountain finally brings heaven on earth. But you need to know that it’s already going up; and nothing’s going to stop it.

Why live for another kingdom if only the Lord’s will prevail? Here’s a good exercise. If you already belong to this mountain, consider your own life in the light of this ideal picture of God’s people in verses 2-4. Is it your joy to come and learn from the Lord? The things that you do learn—how have they shaped your practice? Are you following the Lord’s path? Do you submit your disputes to him and listen to his counsel in the Scriptures? Has learning from his word made you a more peaceful person?

What about with others in the church? We’re an outcropping of this mountain. So, are you eager to build unity, or is there war in your heart? Are you inviting others to come and know the Lord with you? The invitation we have is so much better than what politics, sports, entertainment invites us to. Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

I hope this prophecy also encourages many of you who are trying to stay faithful. Surely, it encouraged the remnant in Israel who were trying to stay faithful. You could imagine someone looking around at all the corruption in Israel, broken hearted—all the wars between nations. In exile they experience some of the worst injustices. Then there’s your own sins to deal with. And you can imagine the temptation to just quit when you’re having to slog through another day of this garbage: “What’s the point?” you ask. “Why bother with faithfulness if everything is going to hell in a handbasket?”

A prophecy like this keeps you hanging on; and we have greater assurance about this mountain than they did. In Revelation 14:1, the apostle John sees this mountain: “On Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000” which symbolizes the fullness of God’s people. Hang on to that vision, brothers and sisters, when, once again, you’ve got to slog through it tomorrow morning. Calvin said that “During the storms…by which [we’re] nearly overwhelmed when shipwrecked, [we must] seize on this word [like] a plank, that by means of it [we] might be floated to harbor.”[iv]

Man’s Pride Going Down

But there’s also a second vision of the future. It’s connected to the first. If God’s mountain is going up, man’s pride is going down. We see this in verses 10-21. He says, “Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty. The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. For the Lord of hosts has a day…” And then ten times, “against all…against all…against all…against all…against all”—they fall like hammer blows on the proud.

You might wonder what the Lord has against trees in verse 13: “the cedars of Lebanon…the oaks of Bashan.” It’s not the trees themselves but what humans turn them into—the thick forests of towering trees became points of boasting, “Look at our land!” “Look at our lumber!” In Ezekiel 27, Tyre used cedar and oak to beautify their ships and then boast about it: “I am perfect in beauty.” “Look at us! Look at our nation!” They use God’s creation not to praise him or bless others but to pretend they are gods.

In verse 14, the mountains and hills represent kingdoms and centers of religion opposed to the Lord. The high tower and fortified wall represent man-made security, people boasting in their ability to protect themselves. The ships of Tarshish and all the beautiful craft represent merchants and traders, people boasting in their wealth and ability to conquer the seas: “Nothing can stop us now! We can do anything!”

But “the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,” he says again. “And the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. And the idols shall utterly pass away. And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.”

“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.” At one point they’re bowing to worship them. Next thing you know, they’re trashing them. What changed? Seeing the splendor of the Lord’s majesty. To use the words of John Oswalt, keeping them would be “like trying to praise a flashlight in broad daylight.”[v]

But sadly, this is not a sign of repentance. They toss aside their idols to squeeze themselves into “the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the LORD.” People can boast a great game. They can parade their accomplishments before others. They can talk like their kingdoms are invincible. But when true Majesty appears, they will scurry.

Revelation 6:15-17 draws from this same prophecy, but with one striking difference. Listen to it: “The kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Jesus Christ brings the Day of the Lord. For Jesus to come is for God to come. But praise God he is the Lamb. He first died like a Lamb that all who trust in him might escape this judgment. But for those who pretend they don’t need him, for those who trust in their own works, their own idols to save them—he will terrify them in wrath.

If that’s where the Lord is taking the world, again how should we respond? How does that future Day compel obedience in the present? Verse 22, “Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?” Why didn’t he say, “Stop regarding idols”? Because man is the cause.[vi] We’re the ones who assign god-like status and value to things that aren’t God. So, he says, “Stop regarding man.”

We could tease this out in several ways. For starters, people will attempt to win your ultimate trust all the time. Maybe they present themselves as the only reliable source: “I know what they’re not telling you.” Maybe they appeal to your loyalty: “If you’re really one of us, you’ll stand with me.” Or maybe it’s in painting themselves as a savior of sorts: “I alone can fix it.” Isaiah is saying to reserve your ultimate trust for the Lord. Only the Lord is reliable and good; only his kingdom will prevail.

Also, don’t find your significance in what people say is most valuable. They will tell you that wealth and power is what makes you significant: “What you need is more romantic love, physical beauty, economic prosperity, self-discovery—then you’ll really be something.” But “stop regarding man” in that sense as well. Don’t center your life around people’s opinions. Don’t give yourself to their idols. Trash your idols. They worthless things. And center your life on what God says is important. Find your fulfillment in him. He alone is of infinite value; he alone is forever.

Also, if God has a Day when he will end the pride of men, we should pursue humility for ourselves. Are there ways pride creeps into your own life? What do those occasions look like? A vision like this renews our efforts in repenting from every form of pride and then cultivating a life of humility. In our passage, humility starts with drawing near to the Lord and sitting beneath the counsel of his word.

From another angle, “Stop regarding man” also means not allowing the fear of man to sway your obedience to Jesus. In their arrogance, people can threaten us with terrible things. I’ve been reading through Daniel with the kids. The king threatened them with a fiery furnace, and at another point getting fed to lions. Today, some of our own brothers and sisters are threatened with jail or torture or harm to family members.

A passage like this gives courage to the Christian. God will judge. God has a Day against all that is proud and lofty. The arrogant will not last. God will bring them down; and the Lord alone will be exalted in that Day. His mountain will be established as the highest of the mountains. Why live for another kingdom if only the Lord’s will prevail? Beloved, stop regarding man. Instead, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord. The new and greater Mount Zion is already going up.

_______

[i] See Question 17 of New City Catechism, accessible at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/new-city-catechism/what-is-idolatry/.

[ii] Isa 8:18; 18:7; 24:23.

[iii] Micah 4:1-5 mentions this same prophecy but adds that every man shall “sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.”

[iv] John Calvin, Isaiah 1-32 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 92.

[v] John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah 1-39 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986), 124.

[vi] Oswalt, Isaiah 1-39, 128.