Let’s join the prophet Isaiah as we wait expectantly for the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah 2:1-5 provides us Isaiah’s vision of the mountain of the Lord when all people will desire to come to learn of God’s ways and walk in God’s paths.
You’ll find a craft, activity pages, and a children’s bulletin for this lesson in my shop.
Today’s post walks you through my inductive bible study notes for this passage.
Observation
| Who is the author? | the prophet Isaiah |
| Who is the audience? | the kingdom of Judah and its capital city Jerusalem |
| What is the text about? | prophecy and vision |
| When and Where? | In the year 734 B.C. Ahaz, the king of Judah, is about to be attacked by an alliance of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Syria. |
| Why? | Isaiah delivers both words of judgment and future hope |
| Keywords | Repetition | Lists |
|---|
| mountain |
| Lord’s house |
| peoples, nations |
| teach, instruction, Lord’s word |
| Compare/Contrast |
|---|
| swords to plows |
| spears to pruning tools |
| The people who look to God for peace will have no further need of swords and spears. These instruments of death will be transformed into instruments of life. |
| Definitions |
|---|
| mountain – in the Bible, mountains were places where people met God; the highest of mountains symbolizes the ultimate status God will have in the “days to come” |
| nations – Hebrew word is “go-yim” which means Gentiles, who were considered as heathens by the Jews |
| teach, instruction – people are coming to the mountain to learn God’s ways, so that can walk in God’s paths |
| Cross References |
|---|
| 2 Chronicles 28:5-21; Revelation 7:9-10; Micah 4:1-3; Isaiah 11:9, 27:13, 56:7, 57:13, 65:25; Acts 2:17; Hebrews 1:2 |
Interpretation of Isaiah 2:1-5
Passage Meaning
We are set free to walk in the light because of God’s promise that he will lead us and teach us.
Walter Brueggemann makes the connection in Texts for Preaching: A lectionary commentary based on the NRSV – Year A
The vision of Isaiah is “an act of imagination that looks beyond present dismay through the eyes of God, to see what will be that is not yet. That is the function of promise (and therefore of Advent) in the life of faith. Under promise, in Advent, faith sees what will be that is not yet.” 1.
Main Point
God gives Isaiah a vision of hope when all nations will seek God’s teaching. Following God’s laws will bring peace and harmony to the people.
Get Ready for Christmas
Get ready for Christmas by believing God’s promises, sharing God’s priorities, and personifying God’s peace 2.
