We are going to back up a couple of verses because they are so closely connected with the remainder of the chapter. The theme is that, once everything has been said and done, only the Lord will be exalted in the end. The pride of mankind will amount to nothing. The idolatry of mankind will amount to nothing. Only what the Lord has done---and only what man has done for His honor---will last.
"The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear." (Isaiah 2:17-18) When studying the Old Testament we generally see idols represented as actual objects that symbolize the gods of the pagan peoples. But even then, as now, an idol could be anything that a person valued more than the Lord. After all, an idol is something that stands in place of the Lord. An idol can be money, power, prestige, a relationship, worldly possessions, a habit, an addiction, or anything that means more to a person than his or her relationship with the Lord. These are things that will be of no help when they face the God whose love and mercy they considered of little significance during their lifetime. That is why the Bible says "the idols will totally disappear". What use are idols when a person is standing before the judgment seat of the living God?
In the end times, when the various natural disasters described in Revelation strike the earth, and when the military and economic disasters described in Revelation strike the nations of the earth, many who have scorned the Lord will continue to scorn Him but will cower in fear at the prospect of facing Him. "People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth." (Isaiah 2:19) Even then there will be those who refuse to bow on their knees before Him, attempting instead to conceal their sins from Him.
"In that day people will throw away to the moles and bats their idols and silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship. They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth." (Isaiah 2:20-21) In Isaiah's day, many people of his nation of Judah and of the nation of Israel were putting a lot of time and effort and expense into serving the gods of the heathen nations. In our own day, many people all around the world are putting a great deal of energy into serving the gods of the modern age. But none of these gods will be able to help anyone. Can the Lord be bribed with money? Is the Lord impressed by anyone's worldly power or fame? No, a relationship with the Lord is the only thing that matters. It is the only thing of any eternal significance. Without Him, nothing really matters or brings any true satisfaction in this life. Without Him, there is no forgiveness for sins. Without Him, there is no eternal joy and peace after this life on earth is over.
Idols cannot save the people. Their fellow man can't save them either. The nation of Judah enjoyed quite a bit of prosperity during a lot of Isaiah's lifetime, as did the nation of Israel during the lifetime of Hosea whose book we just finished studying. But no national leader is powerful enough to save his people from judgment for their sins. No military or economy is strong enough to protect people from judgment for their sins. Isaiah ends Chapter 2 on this note: "Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?" (Isaiah 2:22)
I was born and raised in the United States of America during an era when this nation has been the most powerful and prosperous nation on earth. But if I did not know the Lord, what good would it do me on judgment day to have been a citizen of the United States? What good would it do me if I'd been closely related to one of our presidents? What good would it do me if I'd accumulated wealth or fame? Do those things mean anything at the judgment seat of Almighty God? No, the only thing that will matter on that day is whether we are a child of God through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle John said the same thing in one of his epistles and we will close today's study session with his wise advice about valuing the Lord above all else: "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world---the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life---comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:15-17)
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