Terror for the Proud and the Lofty

Assuring Hope
Jesus, the Promised Servant-leader

Isaiah 2:5-12 (The Message)

Climb God's Mountain

 ^1-5 The Message Isaiah got regarding Judah and Jerusalem: There's a day coming when the mountain of God's House
Will be The Mountain—
   solid, towering over all mountains.
All nations will river toward it,
   people from all over set out for it.
They'll say, "Come,
   let's climb God's Mountain,
   go to the House of the God of Jacob.
He'll show us the way he works
   so we can live the way we're made."
Zion's the source of the revelation.
   God's Message comes from Jerusalem.
He'll settle things fairly between nations.
   He'll make things right between many peoples.
They'll turn their swords into shovels,
   their spears into hoes.
No more will nation fight nation;
   they won't play war anymore.
Come, family of Jacob,
   let's live in the light of God.  ^6-9God, you've walked out on your family Jacob
   because their world is full of hokey religion,
Philistine witchcraft, and pagan hocus-pocus,
   a world rolling in wealth,
Stuffed with things,
   no end to its machines and gadgets,
And gods—gods of all sorts and sizes.
   These people make their own gods and worship what they make.
A degenerate race, facedown in the gutter.
   Don't bother with them! They're not worth forgiving!

Pretentious Egos Brought Down to Earth

 ¹⁰Head for the hills,
   hide in the caves
From the terror of God,
   from his dazzling presence.  ^11-17People with a big head are headed for a fall,
   pretentious egos brought down a peg.
It's God alone at front-and-center
   on the Day we're talking about,
The Day that God-of-the-Angel-Armies
   is matched against all big-talking rivals,
   against all swaggering big names;
Against all giant sequoias
   hugely towering,
   and against the expansive chestnut;
Against Kilimanjaro and Annapurna,
   against the ranges of Alps and Andes;
Against every soaring skyscraper,
   against all proud obelisks and statues;
Against ocean-going luxury liners,
   against elegant three-masted schooners.
The swelled big heads will be punctured bladders,
   the pretentious egos brought down to earth,
Leaving God alone at front-and-center
   on the Day we're talking about.


For Reflection
If the intimate truth were known, I guess we all from time to time wish for the Holy Gotcha -- especially if we are not the one that has been caught.  Perhaps Isaiah would like the unbelievers and the critics and the false profits to get what they deserve.
But is it true that the God of the Angel Armies is the God of terror, eager to punish the unbeliever?  Surely, God has punished, but is that his main function? 

I think not.  God is strong and we may lean on His strength.  The Christ event changed our role.  Leave the judgement to God.  Wish not for vengence.  Love your enemy. Serve your fellow human. Sacrifice your secular desire for an eye for and eye justice and embrace mercy.

Pray
that you will replace fear of an apocalypse with hope, mercy and compassion.